Antarctica

Antarctica is an ice covered land mass, a continent in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, home to the South Pole. Although Antarctica is mainly uninhabited by humans, besides a small amount of permanent residents and research station staff, its penguin population is 12 million. The effect of climate change on Antarctica is a large area of study.

Antarctica once basked in 19°C summer temperatures (An artist’s impression of what the Antarctic rainforest would have looked like 90 million years ago (James McKay:Alfred Wegener Institute)

Antarctica rainforest once basked in 19°C summer temperatures

Dr Anna-Lisa Paul with kohlrabi plants © Esther Horvath

Everyday science

How to grow food in space The Antarctic base preparing for human space colonies

Antartica: the remarkable life that survives the coldest continent © John Brown

Antarctica The remarkable life that survives the coldest continent

Antarctic penguins' diet affected by climate change and human activity © Getty Images

Antarctic penguins’ diet affected by climate change and human activity

Climate change: extreme weather events could occur every year by 2050 (Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse on the south coast of England on October 21, 2017 as Storm Brian hits the country © GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Climate change Extreme weather events could occur every year by 2050

Why are some icebergs green? © Getty Images

Why are some icebergs green?

© David Despau

“I love it because it’s so remote. It used to take me three days to forget about the rest of the world”

What are the 10 coldest places on Earth? © Getty Images

What are the 10 coldest places on Earth?

Why is ozone depletion worse over Antarctica? © Getty Images

Why is ozone depletion worse over Antarctica?

Could global ice melt affect the Earth's tilt? © Getty Images

Could global ice melt affect the Earth’s tilt?

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Antarctica is “getting greener” due to climate change

Is Antarctica melting? © Getty Images

Is Antarctica melting?

How long has Antarctica been frozen? © Getty Images

How long has Antarctica been frozen?

Could we live on Antarctica and Greenland if all the ice melted? © Getty Images

Could we live on Antarctica and Greenland if all the ice melted?

Is Antarctica moving away from the South Pole? © Getty Images

Is Antarctica moving away from the South Pole?