TAN

TAN, JAMAICA M.
1CA1
Today, the study of Arctic is important because scientists need to learn more about how climate and weather are changing. Scientist go to Arctic to investigate how Arctic climate and weather interact with the rest of the world, and they are also working to understand how climate change will affect the region. Scientist sometimes study the Arctic by travelling to the field to conduct experiments or make observations. They study the properties of snow and sea ice, digging snow pits to examine the properties of snow, or measuring the thickness of sea ice by hand to determine how the ice cover is changing. Scientists also study the frozen ground and permafrost that covers much of the Arctic lands. And biologists research the unique plants and animals that live in the Arctic. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest of Earth’s seven continents, and 98 percent of the continent is covered by ice with no tundra, trees or bushes. Even in the southern summer, the average temperature is -17.5°F (-27.5°C), although along the coast it is warmer. Antarctica is isolated from the rest of the continents by the Circumpolar Current, which swirls clockwise around the landmass. This current pulls up cold, nutrient-rich waters from the deep sea to the surface, a process known as upwelling. The nutrients cultivate blooms of phytoplankton and ice-algae, which feed a super-abundant supply of Antarctic krill, small shrimp-like crustaceans. Large animals, like penguins, whales, and seals all feast on the krill. Unlike the Arctic, there are no indigenous communities based in Antarctica. The people that live here are mostly scientists and technicians engaged in research.