Antarctic Biome

Antarctic Biome

HOSAI NABI

GOAL!

Thank you!

The main threats facing Antarctica:

• Climate change / Global warming
• Tourism and pollution

ANY More sustainabality?:

• Aviod stepping on the mosses and etc..
• maintain your distance from the animals and move slowly around them.
• JUST do NOT touch the animals.
• Do not leave ANY litter BEHIND!!

Why is it so cold and dry?

Ecosystems in Antarctica

• The ecosystem of Antarctica has adapted to the harsh climatic conditions. These harsh conditions limit the complexity of the food web.
• On land, there are no trees or shrubs, and very few flowering plants. like the

• The angle of the Sun is low in the sky. This means the energy from the Sun spreads out over a large area.
• The area has 24 hours of darkness for some of the winter. Therefore, there is no sunlight for long periods of time.
• The surface of Antarctica has a high albedo. This means that a lot of the energy received from the Sun is reflected back into space.

The ice in Antarctica

• The ice in Antarctica is on average 2.5 km thick.
• Nearly 99 per cent of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet. The ice sheet moves by gravity downhill.

Animals Adaptations

Antarctic Biome Location

The ice in Antarctica

Animals survive in these harsh conditions by reducing the percentage of body heat that is lost to the environment. This can be by physical means (generally evolved over many generations) or patterns of behaviour.

Physical adaptations:

Thick, windproof or waterproof coats=Many Antarctic animals have either a windproof or waterproof coat.

Thick fat (or blubber) layers= These fat layers act like insulation, trapping body heat in. This is a little like wrapping yourself in a blanket, but on the inside.

Climate of Antarctica

• It is the coldest, windiest, and driest biome on Earth. There is not a lot of life on the Antarctic land. All of the animals have adapted to the cold conditions.
• Antarctica is considered to have its own biome since there is no precipitation in Antarctica, and is still very cold. It has high altitude temperatures like an ice biome, but is still colder than any other biome. There are also periods of no sun rise or sun set.

The ice in Antarctica is on average 2.5 km thick.

Nearly 99 per cent of Antarctica is covered by an ice sheet. The ice sheet moves by gravity downhill

• Antarctica can be called a desert because of its low levels of precipitation, which is mainly snow.
• In coastal regions, about 200 mm can fall annually. In mountainous regions and on the East Antarctica plateau, the amount is less than 50 mm annually.
• Evaporation is not as high as other desert regions because it is so cold, so the snow gradually builds up year after year. There are also strong winds, with recordings of up to 200 mph being made.

Penguins, seen on land, rely on food in the sea for their energy and so are part of the marine ecosystem.

Behavioural adaptations

As with the physical adaptations, emperor penguins have unique behavioural adaptations that enable them to survive the harsh winter. Emperor penguins form large huddles. Not only does this share body warmth, but it also shelters many of the penguins from the effects of the wind. By alternating which penguins are exposed to the wind, this benefit is shared equally amongst the group. Huddling can reduce heat loss by up to 50%.

Human Activities

• Some species of Antarctic animals have been taken to the edge of extinction for economic benefit.
• Others have been killed incidentally or disturbed, soils have been contaminated, untreated sewage has been discharged into the sea and rubbish that will not decompose or break down for hundreds of years has been left behind in even the far parts.
• Recently attitudes have changed as we begin to realise that there are few untouched and unvisited places left on earth and that they are tremendously important to humanity!
• Antarctica's clean air, water and ice are very important to science for understanding how the Earth's environment is changing both naturally and as a result of human activity.
• Tour operators are tapping a huge and ever increasing demand to visit the Earth's last great wilderness.
• Both science and tourism have the potential to damage the very qualities that draw them to Antarctica.