Far away from the rest of the world, at the southernmost tip of our planet, lies Antarctica. This continent, the most intriguing and mysterious spot on earth, has ignited the imagination of adventurous souls for centuries. In this article, we embark on a journey of discovery and describe ten of the most remarkable facts about Antarctica, also known as the South Pole.
Antarctica holds the majority of the Earth’s freshwater
An astonishing 60-90% of the world’s freshwater is stored in the massive ice cap of Antarctica. This ice cap, the largest on Earth, covers no less than 14 million km² of the continent, including mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus. Only 1% of Antarctica is permanently ice-free. In some places, like many areas on the Antarctic Peninsula that we visit, the ice melts away during the summer. If all this ice were to melt, the global sea level would rise by about 60 meters.
Antarctica is a desert
Although we often think of deserts as sand dunes and scorching temperatures, a desert is technically an area that receives very little precipitation. With an average annual precipitation of just over 10 mm at the South Pole, and despite the continent being covered in ice, Antarctica is in fact a polar desert. It has taken millions of years for the ice to reach its current thickness, precisely because so little rain falls.
Antarctica was once as warm as the Netherlands
It is hard to imagine that Antarctica, where the coldest temperature ever on land was recorded (-89.2°C), was once a warm, temperate paradise. Researchers have estimated that temperatures in Antarctica rose to 17°C about 40-50 million years ago. Fossils show that the continent was once covered in lush green forests and was inhabited by dinosaurs!
The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming areas on Earth
The Antarctic Peninsula is warming faster than many other areas on Earth. Over the past 50 years, the average temperatures on the peninsula have risen by 3°C, five times the global average increase. This has led to changes, such as the place and time where penguins form colonies and sea ice forms.
There is no Antarctic time zone
Time in Antarctica is a complex concept. At the South Pole, all longitude lines, which indicate different time zones around the world, converge at one point. Most scientists in Antarctica keep the time zone of their country of departure, which can sometimes cause confusion among the different international stations on the continent.
Every direction is north
If you stand at the South Pole, you are at the southernmost point on Earth. No matter which direction you look, every direction points north. This makes the geographical division of Antarctica into West and East Antarctica, based on the position relative to the prime meridian, which runs through Greenwich in the United Kingdom, all the more interesting.
Antarctica has active volcanoes
Antarctica is home to several volcanoes, two of which are active. Mount Erebus, the second highest volcano in Antarctica, is the southernmost active volcano on Earth. Located on Ross Island, this ice-bound volcano has some unique features, such as ice fumaroles and twisted ice sculptures that form around gases escaping from the volcanic crater. Deception Island, a volcanic caldera in the South Shetland Islands, is another location with an active volcano that forms a fascinating destination during some of our trips to the Antarctic Peninsula.
There is a subglacial lake that flows blood red
In 1911, a strange phenomenon was observed on a remote glacier in East Antarctica: the snow-white ice of the Taylor Glacier was colored deep red by water flowing from deep within the glacier. For years, the cause of the red color remained a mystery, until scientists in 2017 discovered that the water came from a subglacial lake, rich in salt and oxidized iron. When this water comes into contact with oxygen, the iron rusts, giving the water its striking red color, known as Blood Falls.
Antarctica has its own treaty
When people first caught a glimpse of Antarctica in 1820, it was the only continent without an indigenous population. Various countries quickly laid claim to the continent, leading to significant tensions. Eventually, the need for a peaceful solution led to the signing of the Antarctic Treaty in December 1959 by 12 countries. This groundbreaking international agreement regulates the management of the continent as a reserve for peace and science. Since then, 41 other countries have signed the treaty and participate in annual meetings to manage human activities in Antarctica.
Diamond dust floats in the air
Although little precipitation falls in Antarctica, meteorological wonders such as diamond dust are common. Diamond dust consists of tiny ice crystals that precipitate from moist air near the Earth’s surface. These ice crystals remain floating in the air and sparkle in the sunlight, creating a glittering effect that looks like millions of floating diamonds. Diamond dust is also responsible for beautiful optical phenomena such as sun halos, light pillars, and sun dogs.
