1. Polar Explorer
We are here!

2. What is a continent?

3. Where is Antarctica?

4. What is the difference between the Arctic and Antarctica?
The Arctic Antarctica

5. Do polar bears eat penguins?

6. Cold facts
Antarctica is unique among the continents for being almost totally covered by glacier ice. Although this ice cover in its entirety is often referred to as a single ice sheet (the Antarctic Ice Sheet), there are in fact two major areas of ice which differ from each other in both their physical characteristics and history: the East and West Antarctic Ice Sheets. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is both larger and thicker than the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, as well as being much older.
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7. The continent itself is not centred over the South Pole, and instead, the greater portion of Antarctica lies within the Eastern Hemisphere (as defined by the Prime Meridian). The West Antarctic Ice Sheet occupies a smaller area of land within the Western Hemisphere and is flanked by the Weddell Sea on one side and the Ross Sea on the other. The Transantarctic Mountains extend across the continent forming a convenient physical boundary to demarcate East Antarctica (or Greater Antarctica) from West Antarctica (or Lesser Antarctica). Most of Antarctica is south of the Antarctic Circle, with the exception of parts of the East Antarctic coastline and the Antarctic Peninsula which extends northwards from West Antarctica to about 63°S.
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8. What are the geographical features of Antarctica?
Icebergs

9. Ice shelves Islands and ice shelves
In addition to the continental land mass, Antarctica has several large and small islands; for example, the South Shetland Islands just north of the Antarctic Peninsula. Some of Antarctica’s islands are permanently linked to the mainland by ice, whereas others are connected only seasonally in step with the pattern of sea ice expansion and retreat. Much of the continent’s coastline is fringed by ice shelves. The largest of these are the Ross Ice Shelf in the Ross Sea and the Ronne Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea. Each of these ice shelves cover an area greater than the British Isles.
Ice shelves
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10. Ice caves and arches

11. Meltwater
Glaciers

12. Nunatak
Dry valleys

13. Antarctica is... the highest continent in the world.
While Antarctica does have high mountains, it is not because of its mountains that it has the distinction of being ‘the highest continent on Earth’: it is because of the thickness of its ice sheets.
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14. Antarctica is... is the driest continent. It is a POLAR DESERT!
Rather than being the result of high levels of snowfall, the vast Antarctic ice sheets exist because the cold temperature year round prevents what little snow and frost that accumulates from melting – hence the ice sheets have been able to build up from small annual inputs of ice crystals over a very long period of time. Precipitation is very low.
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15. Antarctica is...
...the coldest continent.

16. Who lives on Antarctica?
1,200 people spend the winter on Antarctica.
Who are they?
What do they do?
Why are they there?

17. What British vessels can you find in the Antarctic?
RRS Sir James Clark Ross
Research and supply
RRS Sir David Attenbrough
In service 2019
RRS Ernest Shacklton - Supply

18. Who are these vessels named after?
Sir David Attenborough
English veteran broadcaster and naturalist.
Sir James Clark Ross – English polar explorer. Explored both the Arctic and Antarctica.
Ernest Shackleton -  Irish polar explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic.

19. Today’s polar explorer... ...tomorrow’s polar explorer could be YOU!

20. What do you want to find out about Antarctica?