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When Hillary died in January at age 88, the scientists who work at research stations on the icy continent wanted to pay their respects. On January 22, Hillary’s funeral was broadcast live to the people—and penguins—of Antarctica.
On Ice
In the 1900s, adventurers like Hillary saw Antarctica as an exciting place to explore. Ice covers 98 percent of the southern continent, the coldest, driest, windiest continent on Earth. Antarctica is so blustery that no people live there permanently. Plenty of scientists work there, though. They hope to learn more about how the icy world affects the rest of the planet.
Scientists are very interested in how glaciers flow and melt. Experts worry that warmer ocean water caused by global warming is making coastal glaciers melt and flow faster. The faster those glaciers melt, the faster they flow. And the faster they flow, the faster they melt! Speedup in the flow of Antarctica’s glaciers has caused a 75 percent increase in ice loss in the last 10 years, according to a new NASA study. Scientists say that could cause water levels around the world to rise faster than expected. “Large uncertainties remain in predicting Antarctica’s … contribution to sea level rise. Ice sheets are responding faster to climate warming than anticipated,” says NASA scientist Eric Rignot.
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Researchers on Antarctica are studying many other subjects too. Some use the cold weather and clear air as a way to study things that affect other parts of the globe. Antarctica has the cleanest air in the world. That allows scientists to compare the air there to the air in polluted places. And because Antarctica is the darkest place on the planet, it’s a great place to study the stars. Some scientists are even studying penguin droppings. They developed a new test to learn more about penguins’ diets. Prior to the new test, scientists had to make penguins throw up to learn about what they ate. That was no fun for the penguins—or the scientists!
Extremely Cool
Scientist Sarah B. Das, who studies glaciers for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, says studying Antarctica is really cool. She has been there seven times. There are no trees or big plants on Antarctica and only a few birds. Around McMurdo Station, where many researchers work, there is just white snow and black volcanic rock. “It felt very extraterrestrial to me because there’s no real life or contrast,” Das says. “It’s definitely a place of extremes.”
See if you can solve this Antarctica Jigsaw Puzzle!
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