Antarctica

[[File:AntarcticaContourWhite.svg|right|thumb|200px|The biggest landmass that continues to smugly elude human settlement.]]
'''Antarctica''' is a continent covered by a giant ([[global warming|though shrinking]]<ref>[https://www.skepticalscience.com/antarctica-gaining-ice.htm Is Antarctica losing or gaining ice?]: "Satellites measure Antarctica is gaining sea ice but losing land ice at an accelerating rate which has implications for sea level rise."</ref>) plain of ice around the South Pole, opposite the [[Arctic]]. Almost all of Antarctica is south of the Antarctic Circle, and it covers 14.4 million square kilometers (5.4 million sq mi), making it the fifth-largest continent after [[Asia]], [[Africa]], [[North America]], and [[South America]]. Ice covers about 98% of Antarctica to an average depth of 1.6&nbsp;kilometers (1.0&nbsp;mi) in thickness. 

==Climate==
On the Dentyne Ice chewing gum commercials, they would always say, "Nothing's Colder Than Ice".<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv2YzSmin5Q Youtube Video: Dentyne Ice Commercial 1998</ref>  And that is definitely the truth as there's nothing in the universe that's colder than solid water, not even liquid nitrogen. But, ice is what covers most of the continent of Antarctica.  So it is a super-duper cold place.

There have been times when the interior of Antarctica got so cold, that if dry ice were placed outside, it would stay frozen for the duration of the cold snap.

It wasn't always so icy. In fact, 50 million years ago it was a green continent filled with marsupials similar to [[Australia]] as well as bizarre ungulates not closely related to any other ungulates today. However, as [[South America]] continued to move northward, it eventually created a current that circulates around Antarctica, preventing warm water from reaching Antarctica, starting off a slow but self-sustaining process that turned the continent into the glacial wasteland we all know and love.<ref>[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pala.12121 The oldest mammals from Antarctica, early Eocene of the La Meseta Formation, Seymour Island], Javier N. Gelto et al., ''Wiley Online Library'', 16 July 2014</ref> Strangely, the continent is starting to become green again, but this time as a result of algae blooms caused by [[climate change]]. (They tell you not to eat the yellow snow, but it's probably not a good idea to eat the green snow either.)<ref>[https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/green-snow-algae-antarctica-spreading-climate-change/ Climate change is causing Antarctica's snow to turn green, study says], Sophie Lewis, ''CBS News'' 21 May 2020</ref>

==Population==
No one really wants to live there, except several hundred [[mad scientist|scientists]]<ref group=note>Not including {{wpl|The_Thing_(1982_film)|Kurt Russell}}</ref> and thousands of penguins, who would rather be there than anywhere else. And, of course, [[Nazis]], according to some [[conspiracy theories]]. And ''Iron Sky''. (See [[New Swabia]].) Antarctica is the most educated continent because everyone living there that can get a college degree has a college degree.

Although there is no [[government]] in Antarctica, the Antarctic Treaty states that people who commit [[crime]]s are subject to the jurisdiction of their home country.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/world/what-in-the-world/antarctica-crime.html Cold Cases: Crime and Punishment in Antarctica] by Bryant Rousseau SEPT. 28, 2016) ''New York Times''.</ref>  In other words, there are lots of governments in Antarctica. It's just that their capital buildings are somewhere else in the world. The Antarctic Treaty also states countries can't claim Antarctica, but 7 of them still do claim parts of it (a large swath remains unclaimed).

==Potential exploitation==
[[File:Emperor penguin.jpg|thumb|Hail the glorious emperor!]]
Antarctica is presently protected by a treaty which prohibits exploitation of the continent.<ref>Originally its sections banning mineral exploitation were due to expire in 1991, but were given a fifty-year extension by the [http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/madrid_protocol.htm Madrid Protocol.]</ref> Given that [[global warming]] is making potential exploitation easier and that the threat of [[peak oil]] is making potential exploitation more profitable it is highly probable that petroleum exploration will begin before the end of the next decade.{{when}}<ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071018095749.htm Claiming Antarctica: Oil, Water And Environmental Risks] Date: October 18, 2007 Source: Queensland University of Technology</ref> There's a fair amount of [[coal]] there, too, but it would be costly to extract.<ref>[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5Xk482GKlQsC&pg=PA358&lpg=PA358&dq=antarctica+coal+deposits&source=bl&ots=PCplrYte3D&sig=2QlpjrIGcuJmvnWUD_nxexr4eys&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ANuzUNuiEYSR0AXnsoCAAw&ved=0CIsBEOgBMA4#v=onepage&q=antarctica%20coal%20deposits&f=false Faure and Mensing, ''The Transantarctic Mountains'', pp.358-9]</ref>

In this case, it is somewhat ironic that the very countries and institutions which deny the existence of global warming are using its consequences to further the process which generated the warming in the first instance. (There is also a similar situation with the de-icing of the Arctic, Arctic shipping lines and the resources under the Arctic continental shelves.)

===Ecosystem===
The Antarctic has a unique though limited ecosystem with no land-dwelling mammals. In fact, the largest completely terrestrial animal in Antarctica is a half-inch-long "wingless fly" called the Antarctic midge.  [[Linux|Penguins]] and seals, though cute, do not count; they spend much of their time in the water.

===Mars rocks===
Antarctica is a major source of rocks from [[Mars]] because they fall on an enormous ice-covered plain, and are conveyed by means of a very slow "conveyor belt" of moving glacial ice to be deposited at the edge where the flow is obstructed by hills and mountains. The rocks stand out on the flat, white surface.<ref>[http://www.spacedaily.com/news/meteor-05g.html Antarctica Is A Hot Spot For UA Scientists Hunting Meteorites] Lori Stiles Tucson AZ (SPX) Nov 10, 2005</ref><ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20130411210811/http://airandspace.si.edu/etp/mars/marsrock.html Mars Meteorite]</ref>

== Planet X ==
[[File:South pole telescope nov2009.jpg|thumb|left|portrait|The South Pole Telescope is a dish antenna.]]
A somehow puzzling, but persistent view among some [[Planet X]]/[[Nibiru]] believers is that it can only be seen from Antarctica and/or the South Pole, because "it's approaching Earth from below the ecliptic". (Even if this were true, it would be visible from every point south of the equator, not only from the South Pole.) As a result, many obsessively watch the live webcam feeds from various Antarctic research stations, trying hard to find anomalies such as inconsistent sunrise times or strange objects in the sky, often with hilarious results. (See the [[Neumayer Station]] article for some examples.) Another facet of the belief is the dark significance some give to the {{wpl|South Pole Telescope}}, despite the fact that it is a radio telescope and doesn't produce pictures in the visible light spectrum. And no, it's not owned by the Vatican.

==Alien spaceships==
{{main|Extraterrestrial}}
Lake Vostok (Russian: озеро Восток; English transliteration: ozero Vostok) is the site of a drilling project by the [[Russia]]ns, an attempt to break through the thick layer of ice on the lake surface to see if there is life within that has been isolated from the rest of the world for millions of years. There has been some low-level speculation that alien life could have been found, and that it was being kept secret. The lake has turned out to be lifeless so far.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/antarcticas-lake-vostok-reveals-no-signs-of-life-initially-russians-report/2012/10/29/d47960aa-1d19-11e2-b647-bb1668e64058_story.html Antarctica’s Lake Vostok reveals no signs of life initially, Russians report]</ref>

A rather odder claim is that a US spy satellite found a spaceship under the ice in 2001, and the Americans have been hushing it up ever since. Attendant stories of a vanishing film crew, and an erupting "time vortex" simply add to the confusion - while also subtracting from the original story's credibility.<ref>[http://2012indyinfo.com/2012/02/03/exohuman-the-lake-vostok-alien-craft-coverup/#more-25585 The Lake Vostok ‘Alien Craft’ Coverup]</ref>

There are also some nutty theories about [[pyramid]]s.

==Other views==
[[File:Flag of the United Nations (1945-1947).svg|thumb|right|165px|The Earth as a monopole]]
[[Flat earth|Some people]] believe that Antarctica is a myth, despite all of the people who have crossed it.  They instead claim there is a ''giant'' wall with a height of 150 feet of ice/rock with large mountains dividing it, that keeps the [[water]] in, presumably protected by a whole lot of super-soldiers who ensure nobody who sees it can report its existence.<ref>[https://wiki.tfes.org/index.php?title=The_Ice_Wall The Ice Wall - The Flat Earth wiki]</ref> You can see evidence of this in the {{wpl|Flag of the United Nations|UN flag,}} which shows the north pole in the middle but no south pole.<ref>Comment 1, [https://aplanetruth.info/2016/03/29/the-south-pole-does-not-exist-by-eric-dubay/ The South Pole Does Not Exist! by Eric Dubay], A Plane Truth, "thinking outside the box", March 29, 2016</ref> "The most commonly asked questions, and the greatest mysteries yet to be solved are: how far does the Antarctic ice extend outwards?  Is there a limit?  What lies beyond, or is it just snow and ice forever with temperatures there reaching eventually [[Absolute zero|absolute zero]]?" Sadly "[[U.N.]] treaties and constant military surveillance" keep us away from Antarctica so we will never find out.<ref>[http://www.atlanteanconspiracy.com/2015/06/south-pole-does-not-exist.html The South Pole Does Not Exist!], Atlantean Conspiracy, accessed 10 Dec 2016</ref> Strange they would be confused about that—obviously the world is surrounded by a huge laurel wreath! Can't you see the flag there?

[[H.P. Lovecraft|Other people]] have written about a great range of mountains in the middle of the continent, which is supposedly the location of a great city built by space aliens a billion years ago.<ref>{{wpa|At the Mountains of Madness}}</ref> (This seems more believable than the claim immediately above.)

Similar to this are claims from Google Earth aficionados of UFOs and huge alien facilities being hidden in the Antarctic, some guarded by military tanks.<ref>[http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/618769/Antarctic-UFO-mystery-deepens-after-researchers-find-tanks-guarding-alien-crash-site Antarctic UFO mystery deepens after researchers 'find tanks guarding alien crash site'], Daily Express, 13 Nov 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/618501/Mysterious-14-mile-structure-buried-in-Antarctica-found-on-Google What on Earth is this? Mysterious 14 mile structure 'buried' in Antarctica found on Google], Daily Express, 17 Aug 2016</ref> Of course they could just be glitches in the satellite photos.

There is also the view that there is no South Pole; instead, there's a massive hole leading into the [[hollow Earth]]. Admiral Byrd went there, but his discovery has been hushed up.<ref>[http://www.ourhollowearth.com/Bernard/Chapter1.htm The Hollow Earth]</ref>

==Misogynistic culture==
Reports have come out revealing a pervasive culture of toxic masculinity in Antarctica.<ref name="mj">https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2023/02/female-scientists-antarctica-sexual-harassment-mcmurdo-nsf-report/</ref><ref name="sciam">https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/i-worked-in-antarctica-for-three-years-my-sexual-harasser-was-never-caught/</ref> Victims of sexual harassment who speak out often get punished, and so there is an active incentive not to speak out.<ref name="mj"/>

Women who go to work at {{wpl|Mcmurdo Station}} have reported being given advice to, among other things, avoid rooms where they would get [[rape]]d or assaulted.<ref name="mj"/><ref name="sciam"/>

This is a problem that transcends occupation in Antarctica, as the support staff that enable science to be conducted in Antarctica in the first place are also subjected to systemic harassment and even assault.<ref name="sciam"/> According to a {{wpl|National Science Foundation}} report 72% of current and former female employees believe that sexual harassment and abuse is a systemic problem, 59% have been directly victimized, and 95% know someone who's been victimized.<ref>https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/documents/USAP%20SAHPR%20Report.pdf</ref>

According to former support staff there is a hierarchy of status in Antarctic culture that views support staff as dispensable, and this culture is rife with [[victim blaming]].<ref name="sciam"/>

At least part of the issue stems from the fact that Antarctic exploration has a mythos of heroic white ''men'' braving the blizzards and icy wastes, and therefore Antarctica was no place for women.<ref name="mj"/> It wasn't until 1969 that the first all female team arrived to Antarctica, and a ''[[New York Times]]'' reporter at the time even called it an "[[persecution complex|incursion into the world's largest remaining male sanctuary]]."<ref name="mj"/>

==Notes==
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==References==
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[[Category:Geography]]

Categories: Geography