Everything about The Antarctic Peninsula totally explained
The
Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of
Antarctica, and almost the only part of that continent that extends outside the
Antarctic Circle. It lies in the
Western Hemisphere, facing
South America, making it a part of
West Antarctica. It extends from a line between
Cape Adams (
Weddell Sea) and a point on the mainland south of
Eklund Islands, to
Prime Head. The
peninsula forms part of claims by the
Argentine Antarctica,
British Antarctic Territory and
Chilean Antarctic Territory although the exact boundaries of each claim are still disputed.
History
Discovery and naming
The first sighting of Antarctic Peninsula is contested but apparently occurred in the
1820s. Agreement on this name by the
US-ACAN and
UK-APC in 1964 resolved a long-standing difference over the use of the
American name "Palmer Peninsula" or the
British name "Graham Land" for this feature. (
Graham Land is now that part of the Antarctic Peninsula northward of a line between
Cape Jeremy and
Cape Agassiz, whilst
Palmer Land is the part southward of that line. Palmer Land is named for the American seal hunter,
Nathaniel Palmer.) In
Chile, the peninsula is officially referred as
O'Higgins Land, after the Chilean patriot and Antarctic visionary. Other Spanish countries call it "Península Antártica", among them
Argentina (while also calling it "Tierra de San Martín"), which has more bases and personnel there than any other nation.
Other portions of the peninsula that were named upon discovery include
Bowman Coast,
Black Coast,
Danco Coast,
Davis Coast,
English Coast,
Fallieres Coast,
Loubet Land,
Nordenskjold Coast and the
Wilkins Coast.
Recent
Argentina's
Esperanza Base was the birthplace of
Emilio Marcos Palma, the first person to be born in Antarctica.
The dinosaur species
Antarctopelta was the first dinosaur fossil to be found on the continent, in January 1986 on
James Ross Island, off the Antarctic Peninsula.
The grounding of the Argentine ship
Bahia Paraiso and subsequent 170,000 gallon
oil spill occurred near the Antarctic Peninsula in 1989.
Geography
The peninsula is highly mountainous, its highest peaks rising to approximately 2,800 metres (9,186 feet). Notable peaks on the peninsula include
Mount Castro,
Mount Coman,
Mount Gilbert,
Mount Jackson,
Mount William,
Mount Owen and
Mount Scott. These mountains are considered to be a continuation of the
Andes of
South America, with a submarine spine connecting the two. That is an argument advanced by
Chile and
Argentina for their territorial claims.
The landscape of the peninsula is typical
Antarctic tundra. The peninsula has a sharp elevation gradient, with
glaciers flowing into the
Larsen Ice Shelf, which experienced significant breakup in 2002. Other ice shelfs on the peninsular include
George VI Ice Shelf,
Wilkins Ice Shelf,
Wordie Ice Shelf and the
Bach Ice Shelf. The
Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf lies to the east of the peninsula.
Separating the peninsula from nearby islands is the
Antarctic Sound,
Erebus and Terror Gulf,
George VI Sound,
Gerlache Strait and the
Lemaire Channel. Further to the west lies the
Bellingshausen Sea and in the north is the
Scotia Sea. The Antarctic Peninsula and
Cape Horn create a funneling effect, which channels the winds into the relatively narrow
Drake Passage.
Hope Bay, at, is near to the northernmost extremity of the peninsula, which is Prime Head, at 63º13'S.
Climate change
Each decade for the last five, average temperatures in the Antarctic Peninsula have risen by half a degree Celsius.
Ice mass loss on the peninsula occurred at a rate of 60 billion tonnes in 2006, with the greatest change occurring in the northern tip of the peninsula.
Research stations
Since the peninsula has the mildest climate in
Antarctica, the highest concentration of
research stations on the continent can be found there, or on the many nearby islands, and is the part of Antarctica most often visited by tour vessels and yachts. Occupied bases include
Base General Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme,
Bellingshausen Station,
Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Base,
Rothera Research Station and
San Martín Base. Today, on the Antarctic Peninsula there are many abandoned scientific and military bases.
Ice core and sediment samples from the peninsula are valuable because events such as the
Little Ice Age can be verified with samples from other continents.
Flora and Fauna
Antarctica's two flowering plant species, the
Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica) and
Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis) are found on the northern and western parts of the Antarctic Peninsula.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Antarctic Peninsula'.
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