« Hawaii Travel Packages Permit You to Enjoy The Holiday | Home | How Antarctica Is Protected »
Taking A Brand New Look At Antarctica
By CruiseDirector | March 14, 2010
Antarctica is the most desolate, coldest region of the planet. Because it was deemed unable to support much human activity, it was decided by all nations that it should be shared. However the realization by many nations that their resources may eventually run out has led many to look at Antarctica as a future source. This site teaches you about antarctic cruise.
The aims of conservation and preservation also slowly being replaced with new aims of resource exploitation. There is the worry that the region will see a move away from the peaceful international cooperation of scientific study towards international conflict over the natural resources.
The scientists at stations such as the main U.S. Antarctica bases have always praised the decades of tranquil atmosphere surrounding the research and the sharing among the different nations. The high level of human bonding is said to be because of the common challenge that the environment creates, and a common interest in the research that is being done.
The McMurdo Headquarters of the National Science Foundation, which runs the U.S Antarctica operations have a small park located nearby which is dedicated to the work and dreams of Admiral Richard Evelyn Byrd. Admiral Byrd led five Antarctic expeditions and was the first man to fly over the South Pole. He saw Antarctica as a continent where nations could work together for the common cause of science and that the Antarctic should be a prime example of international cooperation and peace. But as people become more dependent on energy and more reliant on the minerals within the Earth, are his noble ideals likely to survive? To get a closer look on antarctic cruise ship visit this site.
The potential of the Antarctic’s mineral deposits is not yet known precisely but there is lot of desire to find out. Politics has gradually become more involved in the situation in Antarctica and it is no longer just a scientific issue. Beneath thousands of feet of ice covering 98 percent of the land, along the mountain ranges that cut the continent and offshore in the icy seas, are believed to be vast deposits of minerals and oil.
Virgin oil reserves and minerals are already known to exist in geologically similar regions of the planet. Exploratory offshore core drilling by the U.S has already provided data that supports the belief that hydrocarbon deposits do exist. Large deposits of coal and iron have been discovered on land, as well as concentrations of chromium, nickel, cobalt, copper, gold, titanium, lead, tin, uranium and other metallic minerals.
Until now the extreme nature of the environment has made the exploitation of the Antarctic an expensive and impossible task. The rising prices of natural resources has made governments look again now that new technology is available, and Antarctic scientists and environmentalists are very worried.
There is also worldwide concern amongst environmentalists because Antarctica is one of the few remaining unpolluted sanctuaries on the planet. The environment will inevitably suffer due to the commercial interests in the region and the International Institute for Environment and Development and also the Sierra group have both raised concern over the amount of damage that may be caused.
They insist that any exploration of the minerals must also include studies of the effects exploitation will have on the environment. However they are worried the results of any studies will actually encourage development. Oil drilling causes a lot of concern because of the chances of oil spills. A lot of the animal life present in the Antarctic, such as seals and birds, is located by the coast and may be heavily affected. In colder climates oil doesn’t easily break up and degrades at a slower rate, so an oil spill there would be extremely damaging, more so than anywhere else.
A landmark treaty in 1959 designated Antarctica as a scientific preserve and many on the activities that go on there are tied to the treaty. The treaty has meant that the region is now free from nuclear weapons testing and radioactive waste. The treaty has side stepped the various overlapping territory claims but countries including Great Britain, France,, New Zealand, Norway, Chile, and Argentina.
Topics: Caribbean Cruise | No Comments »