Posts Tagged ‘Antarctica Vacation’

Treaties Assist In The Protection Of Antarctica

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Antarctica and all of its emperor penguins, leopard seals, blue whales, and towering mountains have been set aside for protection under international agreements. This coldest and most pristine of the world’s ecosystems has been protected since 1998. Oil drilling is banned for at least 50 years. Conservation is the foremost concern regarding policy in Antarctica.Dogs and pesticides are prohibited by these policies, including other threats to the wildlife.

The agreement in question is titled the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctica Treaty.The nations around the world agreed to leave Antarctica free from commercial and industrial development.Approval was gained in 1991 by the twenty-six leading countries having scientific interests in the area, including the United States, Russia, China, India, Japan, Argentina, Brazil and most of the main European countries.To find antarctica travel adventures information see this resource.

The regulations set forth by this treaty ended over 15 years of lobbying by environmental groups and put as stop to diplomatic talks.The rules banned oil drilling and mining. It requires that the nations who run Antarctica’s 35 scientific research outposts clean out their garbage dumps.Scientific stations and tourist ships are also not allowed to dump an raw sewage in to the Arctic waters.

Sled dogs were how explorers like Norwegian’s Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911.However, the treaty makes dogs illegal since a few of the scientists’ pets have recently caused the death of penguins and other birds common to the area.In addition, pesticides, polystyrene components, and contaminated dirt cannot be transported to Antarctica.

Since Antarctica’s land is buried under a mile of ice, most kinds of plants are not able to grow there, with the exception of moss and grass, and only close to the ocean.The ice on the continent accounts for 70% of the Earth’s fresh water.It is encircled by a rich web of whales, sea birds, fish and seals.If you want more comprehensive info on adventure antarctica tours that site will help you.

On this earth, Antarctica is considered to be one of the most fragile places.Growth takes place very slowly because of the consistency of the sub zero temperatures.It can take years for the area to recover from any disturbances.Footprints, for example, can take as much as 10 years to disappear.

1959 marked the signing of the initial Antarctic Treaty, and it prohibited military operations and the testing of nuclear devices in the region.It also kept any one nation from owning all of Antarctica and gave rules for research.In spite of the treaty that protects the non-ownership of Antarctica, one country claims to own nearly the entire continent.

When scientists reported the discovery of oil, coal, gold, zinc, iron, uranium, manganese, and copper, among other minerals, environmental organizations started fighting to establish laws to protect Antarctica early in the 1980’s. Discussions about drilling for oil in Antarctica began in the 1970’s during that decade’s energy crisis.The interest in mining and drilling will probably increase as technology advances and oil prices increase.

Rules will be enforced individually since all 26 nations have their own laws.But if someone belonging to a particular nation goes against the treaty, and the government does nothing, the other 25 countries will exert pressure to remedy the issue.The agreement on this continent is believed to be an environmental success story.

The Cold Land Named Antarctica

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

The continent of Antarctica is a place like no other in the world with its stark beauty and brutal climate and terrain.It remains the only continent in the world that has never seen the face of war.This is hard to believe when you realize that it is larger than Europe and America combined. It is true that many men have died here, but these deaths were do to the brutal conditions on the continent. The weather is so cold that virtually no germs can survive here.

Today Antarctica is a place where people from various countries, and conflicting political views, can come together to work in harmony, warmth, and comfort, while outside the labs are temperatures of 100 degrees below which could kill them within seconds.Since the horrendous cold of Antarctica makes their bodies lose calories at an alarming rate, those living in Antarctica are forced to eat four generous meals a day just to keep up.

It is home to the “big eye,” a singular condition of mass insomnia caused by the perpetual daylight of summer where inhabitants cannot sleep in the full sunshine of 3:00 am. The residents of Antarctica boast that they are members of the “300 Degree Club,” which is a very exclusive club.It claims the least expensive and southernmost bar of the world located at the South Pole where all drinks cost a like amount, but where even so the bill for a single night can be a great amount.From April to September, the people there experience long nights.antarctica cruise deals

Even though the heartland of this continent has a 9,000-foot shield of moving ice, it is believe to hold enough oil, gas, and coal to heat the entire world.Lacking most laws, ones that it does have is quite peculiar, not a single fugitive could be arrested. If capable of surviving such harsh environments and temperatures a criminal would have massive valleys and mountain ranges to hide in.

Even though Antarctica lacks a legal system, it enjoys the smallest incidence of crime than any other continent.Even if a crime did happen, such as a murder, it was never reported or prosecuted. Leaving a lot of mystery behind what may or could happen here.And if someone DID commit a crime, with no extradition agreements or statutes, there would be no way to charge or prosecute them.Recommended Antarctica Cruises

While the flags of 10 different nations are flying over this beautiful continent, there are no claims to the real estate located here.There has not been a single attempt by any nation to try and form some type of permanent colony here. Even so, some of the most brilliant minds and best technology resides here.

Most of the residents will not permanently live here, but they are some of the brightest in the world.Antarctica has the distinction of having a populace with more college graduates than high school graduates.Plus, there is more scientific talent here than you would find at any university. In addition to all this brain power, there is more peaceful research done here than in any capital in the world.The detonation of nuclear warheads is expressly forbidden on the continent, which makes it the only land mass on the planet to specifically prohibit such activity.

The laws that Antarctica does have are incredibly strict environmental laws.Animals that were once slaughtered by whale and seal hunters are now somewhat protected, as special licenses must now be obtained prior before hunting. The world’s pure scientists are working and playing together to keep this continent as pristine and primitive as possible.

Will Antarctica Not Be Explored In The Future?

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

It was over a century ago when a whaling ship called the ‘Antarctic’ found itself anchored along the arctic, volcanic coast in the Ross Sea. It sent a longboat to shore.On January 24, 1985, this landing group, led by Captain Leonard Kristensen, was the very first humans to step onto the continent of Antarctica. Their mission was to hunt for whales in territories that were still unclaimed.

The continent of Antarctica’s baptism was bloody.Millions of seals were slaughtered and their fur was collected. Penguins and whales were killed for their precious oils, which were used in the machinery used by the Industrial Revolution.On Marquarie island alone, hundreds if not thousands of penguins were herded up into giant vats of boiling oil, until they became oil themselves.

However, after 100 years of journeys to this Frozen Continent, humans have decided to stop using it to make a quick buck by killing the animals and have chosen to make Antarctica into a preserve of nature and science.There has been recent discussion into the inception of a world park.Antarctica serves as a window for scientists to understanding the potential danger of several global threats such as our ozone depletion as well as greenhouse effect.Thankfully, humanity’s presence in Antarctica was short-lived, and the reversal of the travesties committed on this great continent are now a thing of the past.Up until the International Geophysical Year of 1957-1958, only several routes to the South Pole and small areas of coastline had been explored.antarctic cruise

It is shocking to look at the hundred years of ferocity, nationalism, idealism, and constant killing that fills Antarctica’s history since people first landed on this continent. There have only been occasional attempts to perform scientific research here.One remarkable event in the history of this continent was the increase of whaling during World War I so that the oil could be refined into glycerin and used for artillery shells.After the end of World War II, it became the Soviet Union and the United States that hunted the sperm whales for the extra-fine oil they produced, which was needed as lubricant for jet engines.The term “Terra Australia Incognita” was used until the IGY to label this continent. This term was first used by medieval mapmakers.

It may be surprising to note that the first person born in Antarctica was born there out of patriotic pretentiousness.Emilio Marcus Palmer’s birth was highly calculated as Argentina flew his mother to Argentina’s Esperanza Base to give birth, with the sole goal of securing Argentina’s right to much of Antarctica’s territory. great antarctic cruise

This incident occurred only nine years after America ‘claimed’ the moon by planting a US flag when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed there.However, Roald Amundsen’s 1911 trip to the South Pole, honoring King Haakon VII of Norway, still stands as the most single-minded and successful exploit to date.The British Empire gained honor through the works of Robert F Scott and his group who undertook a similar journey, with the addition of rock and fossil sample collection which they carried with them in their homemade sleds.

Due to a combination of being demoralized by Armundsen getting to the South Pole a month ahead of them, an unhealthy diet, hauling the rocks out, and basic overall bad luck on the return trip, Scott’s group became known as the first martyrs of Antarctic science.A rather unique attempt to stake America’s claim on the territory took place when a Ford Trimotor was flown over the South Pole by Richard Bryd in 1929.In 1821, the soviets utilized Russian Admiral Thaddeus Bellingshausen’s voyage passed Antarctica in 1821 to justify their interests in the continent.