Antarctic Circle

Antarctic Circle
The Antarctic Circle is the most southerly of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of Earth. The region south of this circle is known as the Antarctic, and the zone immediately to the north is called the Southern Temperate Zone. South of the Antarctic Circle, the Sun is above the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year (and therefore visible at midnight) and the centre of the Sun (ignoring refraction) is below the horizon for 24 continuous hours at least once per year (and therefore not visible at noon); this is also true within the equivalent polar circle in the Northern Hemisphere, the Arctic Circle.
The position of the Antarctic Circle is not fixed and currently runs south of the Equator. This figure may be slightly inaccurate because it does not allow for the effects of astronomical nutation, which can be up to 10″. Its latitude depends on the Earth's axial tilt, which fluctuates within a margin of more than 2° over a 41,000-year period, due to tidal forces resulting from the orbit of the Moon. Consequently, the Antarctic Circle is currently drifting southwards at a speed of about per year.
Midnight sun and polar night
The Antarctic Circle is the northernmost latitude in the Southern Hemisphere at which the centre of the sun can remain continuously above the horizon for twenty-four hours; as a result, at least once each year at any location within the Antarctic Circle the centre of the sun is visible at local midnight, and at least once the centre of the sun is below the horizon at local noon.
Directly on the Antarctic Circle these events occur, in principle, exactly once per year: at the December and June solstices, respectively. However, because of atmospheric refraction and mirages, and because the sun appears as a disk and not a point, part of the midnight sun may be seen on the night of the southern summer solstice up to about 50 minutes (′) north of the Antarctic Circle; similarly, on the day of the southern winter solstice, part of the sun may be seen up to about 50′ south of the Antarctic Circle. That is true at sea level; those limits increase with elevation above sea level, although in mountainous regions there is often no direct view of the true horizon. Mirages on the Antarctic continent tend to be even more spectacular than in Arctic regions, creating, for example, a series of apparent sunsets and sunrises while in reality the sun remains below the horizon.
Human habitation
There is no permanent human population south of the Antarctic Circle, but there are several research stations in Antarctica operated by various nations that are inhabited by teams of scientists who rotate on a seasonal basis. In previous centuries some semi-permanent whaling stations were established on the continent, and some whalers would live there for a year or more. At least three children have been born in Antarctica, albeit in stations north of the Antarctic Circle.
Geography
The circumference of the Antarctic Circle is roughly . The area south of the Circle is about and covers roughly 4% of Earth's surface. Most of the continent of Antarctica is within the Antarctic Circle.
Sites along the Circle
Starting at the prime meridian and heading eastwards, the Antarctic Circle passes through:
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" Width="135" | Co-ordinates
! scope="col" | Country, territory or sea
! scope="col" | Notes
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" | North of Queen Maud Land and Enderby Land
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica – Enderby Land
| Territory claimed by
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" | North of the Amery Ice Shelf
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica
| Territory claimed by
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica
| Territory claimed by
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica
| Territory claimed by
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Vincennes Bay
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica – Wilkes Land
| Territory claimed by
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica – Wilkes Land
| Territory claimed by
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica – Wilkes Land
| Territory claimed by
|-
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica – Adélie Land
| Territory claimed by
|-valign="top"
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
|-
|
! scope="row" | Balleny Islands – Borradaile Island
| Territory claimed by
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Passing just north of Adelaide Island (claimed by , and )
|-valign="top"
|
! scope="row" | Antarctica – Antarctic Peninsula, Graham Land and Larsen Ice Shelf
| Territory claimed by , and
|-
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" |
! scope="row" style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Southern Ocean
| style="background:#b0e0e6;" | Passing through the Weddell Sea and into an unnamed part of the ocean
|-
|}
See also
Antarctic Convergence
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
References
External links
Map
Antarctic region
Geography of Antarctica
Circles of latitude