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			RESOURCES
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OIL
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QUESTION: Is there a possibility of oil under the ice in Antarctica?

ANSWER from Lisa Gahagan on January 4, 1995
Oil is found on every continent in the world. There is reason to think 
that there may be oil under the ice in Antarctica as well. Whether that 
oil will ever be worth exploiting is a very complicated subject. At the 
present price of oil, there is no way Antarctic oil, even if found in large 
quantities, would be worth producing. If the pristine and majestic 
nature of the Antarctic environment is factored into the economic 
equation, it will be a very long time before oil exploitation will be 
seriously considered for Antarctica. But one should never think that 
present day treaties will forever keep people from searching and 
drilling for oil in Antarctica. The next few years will probably see 
drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.


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FUTURE FORESTS
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QUESTION: Does Antarctica have a chance to be a forest and be 
warm again?

ANSWER: from Jack Dibb on December 15, 1994
It is possible--maybe even likely. However, it would take a very long 
time. If the whole Earth heated up tremendously, all of the ice could 
melt and a forest might eventually be able to grow. This would 
probably be a pretty sad forest though, since it is dark so much of the 
time in Antarctica.

A forest would have a better chance in Antarctica if the continent 
drifted to lower latitudes. This would melt the ice and give plants a 
chance. In this case, it would take millions of years, so I doubt you or I 
will ever see it.

On the other hand, there is a reasonable chance that much of the ice 
may melt and/or slip into the ocean much more quickly. This is 
especially true for West Antarctica. If this were to happen, it could 
take place in a few hundred years, raising sea-level up to 7 m. A lot of 
scientists are working hard on this question, since so many of the 
world's people live very close to sea-level along coasts all around the 
world.

ANSWER from Chris Hanson on December 17, 1994:
In the near future? No. There are no species of trees that seem suited to 
growing in the few parts of Antarctica that aren't covered by ice. For 
trees to grow here, the climate would have to warm up. How would 
that happen?

I can think of two ways that might come about. One would be for 
Antarctica, as a continent, to move into a lower latitude (closer to the 
equator). I'm sure that the continent is still adrift on the Earth's crust, 
but I'm not sure if anyone knows where it might be headed. The only 
way it could go from here is north, though! Even if it were moving to a 
warmer latitude, it would take something on the scale of millions of 
years for it to get anywhere. Don't expect to get hit in the back 
unexpectedly by a continent, they don't move very fast.

The other way that it could warm up down here would be for 
Antarctica to stay where it is and the whole world to warm up. Perhaps 
severe global warming might do this, or if the Earth were to change its 
orbit to be closer to the sun. Global warming is actually a likely 
possibility, more so than the Earth moving its orbit around.

If either of these things happened, the rest of the world would be in for 
a big surprise. Something like 70% of the ice in the world is down 
here, and when it melted, it would raise sea levels all around the world. 
I don't know the elevation of your school in MA, but I suspect you'd be 
swimming, or at least wading.


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MINERAL DEPOSITS
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QUESTION: Are there large mineral deposits in Antarctica?

ANSWER from Deane Rink
There are coal pockets for sure, but its grade is so low that, if you 
found it in your backyard, it wouldn't be worth very much. Certainly in 
Antarctica, where it would be expensive to extract and ship it, it is not 
of any economic importance. Some petroleum geologists think there 
are large oil deposits on the continental shelves surrounding the 
continent. The problem with these is that the continental shelf drops 
off very sharply and makes prospecting for oil a very expensive and 
difficult proposition. Besides, the Antarctic Treaty forbids any mineral 
exploitation for a minimum of fifty years from 1992, and this ban may 
well be extended when the treaty comes up for renewal. Until the cost 
of extracting minerals comes down, or their price rises precipitously in 
the developed world, the Antarctic mineral deposits will most likely 
remain untapped.