History of Exploration

1773
  Captain James Cook who was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy crossed Antarctic Circle. He crossed there in 1774 again. But he doesn't sight Antarctic Continent.

1820
  Three men sighted Antarctic Continent.That is Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, Edward Bransfield, Nathaniel Palmer. Febian Gottloeb von Bellingshousen was a Russian Navy officer from Estonia. Edward Bransfield was a British Royal Navy master from Ireland. And Nathaniel Palmer was a sealer from Connecticut in the US.

1821
  An Amerian sealer Captain John Davis landed on Anterctic Continent on Febluary 7th. This landing was the first recorded landing. He landed at Hughes Bay where has been the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. By the way, the next coast is called Davis coast.

1840's
  The United  States Exploring Expedition that has been holded American Navy discovered Ballery Islands. At that time, there were named Wilkes Land.
  James Clark Ross who was an explorer clear the Ross Sea in 1841. The very large ice wall where he saied along there is called the Ross Ice shelf. Mount Erebus and MountTerror where is nere the Ross Island was discovered too.

1909
  Douglas Mawson who is the member of the Nimrod Expedition managed by Emest Shacklton reached the South Magnetic Pole. Edgeworth David and Douglas Mowson accomplished the first ascent of Mount Erebus.

1911
  Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen who was an explorer of Norway accomplished the first reach the South Pole on December 14th. The next month, Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole.

1930's~1940's
  Richard Evelyn Byrd who was the American Navy admiral flied over Antarctic Continent severeal times. He investigated about geology and biology things.

Mammals

What kind of mammals live in Antarctica do you know? Weddell seals? Leopard seals? Killer whales? ...  Week 3 is witten about mammals live in Antarctica.

○Weddell seals
           Weddell seals live in Antarctic zone. They range the most southern area. They spend much of time on Antarctic ice. Their life span is about 30 years. They make a life near their birthplace till they die.
           Weddell seals have a body length of about 2.5-3.0m and weight of 400kg. They are carnivore. They eat sardires, cods, Cepholopod, and krill. They can keep diving about one hour. they have twe style of diving.  One is ling diving. It keep diving more than 20 minutes. This diving is called " search diving " , they look for another breathing hole. Another one is short diving for eating. it keep diving no more than 15 minutes, but sound over 200m. There are times when they dive over 600m.

○Leopard seals
             Leopard seals is the fewest species of seals live in Antarctica. They have a body length of about 4m and weight of 450kg. Foods of they eat is various. They eat krills, penguins, other seals, fish, and Cephalopods. Through spring into summer, the most important food for them is broods of penguins that reach breeding season snd another seals. Leopard seals dive quite shallow. It isn't deep of 50-60m. And they don't keep diving more than 2.6m.

○Killer whales
           Killer whales is the biggest species of Delpinidae. They have the most characteristic and bright markings among other whales. They have a body length of 10m and caudal fin that is 2m. Killer whales can swim at high speed. They sometimes come into the surface of the sea where is waterway and fast ice; ice lake. they eat minke whales, seals, fish, cuttlefish, penguin, baleen whale.

Birds

           Few Birds live in Antarctica. For example, there live penguins, albatross, petrel.
○Penguins
           7species of Penguins which live in Antarctica is called "Antarctic Panguins". 4species (Adelie penguin, Chinstrap penguin, Emperor penguin, Gentoo penguin) live and nest on and arround the Antarctica ad other 3 species (King penguin, Macaroni penguin, Rockhopper penguin) live and nest on Antarctica.

・Adelie penguin
           There is colony of Adelie penguin on the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. They make up rookeries. Rookery is breeding colony of penguin. There are more than ten thousand breeding pair. Adelie penguins have a body length of 70cm an weight of 4.5~5.5kg. It has an indigo blue pilleum and throut, white abdomen. The male weight is heavier than female weight. And male have big bill. Adelie penguin can keep diving about six minutes. They swim like an arrow. It is nothing less than flying. And they prey upon krills.

・Emperor penguin
           Emperor penguin is the biggest penguin on the earth. This penguin has a body length of 1.3m and weight of 32.5kg. They have a white abdomen and gray back, black pileum. And they have long feather which is the longest feather in penguins. King penguin is a closely related species of Emperor penguin. It is smaller than Emperor penguin and top of the chest is yellow. It lives in island of sub-Antarctica. Emperor penguin swims in schools and dive together. When they swim, they back their head and turn up their sole of the foot. They swim at 5.4~9.6 kilos per hour. And they can keep diving about 18 minutes, dive into 400 meter. They prey upon krills, fishes, cuttle fishes.

Geography

The total area of the Antarctic Continent is 14 million square kilometers.　In one year, the area where ice disappears has only the area of less than 3% of whole continent.　In one year, the area where ice disappears has only the area of less than 3% of whole continent.　 The ice sheet has the thickness of up to 4,000 meters. It is ice-covered contains almost 90% of the world flesh water. The Antarctic is ice-covered contains almost 90% of the world flesh water. As for the ice of the ice sheet, the snow was compressed. It is begins to be formed for at least 25 million years, and it is thought that it covered the continent exhaustively 15 million years ago.

The Antarctic Continent is the coldest on ground, and the strongest wind blows and is the driest continent. Furthermore, it is hard to absorb solar light energy most because albedo is high. The Antarctic Continent is the coldest on ground, and the strongest wind blows and is the driest continent. Furthermore, it is hard to absorb solar light energy most because albedo is high. The annual mean air temperature of the chilliest inland is less than -55 degrees. It observed -89.6 degrees in the Vostok base of the former Soviet Union in the Central Highlands. It is the lowest temperature observed so far on the earth. The mean temperature of the four seasons of the geographical South Pole base of the United States of America is -57 degrees in winter in -32 degrees, the autumn in -49 degrees, the summer in -59 degrees, spring. It is -14 degrees in winter in the coastal place in -2 degrees, the autumn in -11 degrees, the summer in -20 degrees, spring. The dome-shaped topography of the Antarctic Continent causes an atmospheric flow called the katabatic wind. The air which is high in the density that occurred because of radiational cooling of the Central Highlands slides down a continental slope. When this wind blows to the coastal place and takes it down, the wind velocity may become 22 meters per second. The strong katabatic wind tears off snow of the surface of the earth in large quantities and dispels it in the offing more than 10 kilometers. The strongest wind blows in winter in one year because differences between oceanic surface temperature and continent temperature become Maximum. Such a wind brings extreme low temperature and drying and makes disadvantageous environment when a creature lives. Most of the rainfall depends on snow in the Antarctic Continent. Because wet air is not supplied from the sea, in the inland of the South Pole, there are few snowfalls. The snow quantity measured at much inland observation spots is less than 5 centimeters a year. However, the quantity of snow of the coastal place reaches an average of 30 centimeters a year. Because a blizzard rages at the South Pole, a figure that the Antarctic Continent dries is covered. Snow of the blizzards is the old snow that most fell before, and there is little new snow. It may be said that the Antarctic Continent is right white desert.