The Antarctic Peninsula and parts of West Antarctica have a favourable climate by Antarctic standards. This is why many human research and tourist activities take place there. Together with measurable climate change these are the reasons why this region is also especially threatened by the introduction and spread of non-native species.
The Federal Environment Agency evaluates the potential environmental impact of human activities in the Antarctic. These activities include research projects, art projects, touristic sailing trips or journalists' travel. Environmental monitoring is a key tool for assessment of the possible effects of these various activities.
King George Island is the largest of the South Shetland Islands, and because of its accessibility from South America, now hosts 14 research stations and field huts of about one dozen nations. Construction and operation of these stations requires a great deal of logistical activities which impact the environment. Environmental monitoring will help to detect and solve problems.
What the polar bear is to the Arctic, the penguin is to the Antarctic. Of the 18 penguin species there are in the world, five of them breed only in the Antarctic. The region has more to offer than the sight of these charming flightless birds. Although there is not such a large of number of species at the southern end of the world, many kinds of animals have adapted to the harsh living conditions.
It is hard to believe but plants do in fact grow in the Antarctic! A few species have adapted to the austere conditions and have colonised areas which are ice-free. However, these highly specialised plants are threatened when foreign subpolar species are introduced or human activities cause other types of damage.
Antarctica is the driest and coldest continent on Earth. Only in the west temperatures reach the freezing point during the warmest month, January; otherwise, the annual average temperature of - 55°C is far colder. However, the Antarctic is also affected by global climate change: it is warming up, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula, more rapidly than the rest of the world.
When one considers the mile-thick ice shields which cover the Antarctic continent today, it is hard to imagine that Antarctica used to be fertile land and completely free of ice. Some 170 million years ago Antarctica was still part of the Gondwana supercontinent - until it broke up and Antarctica drifted south and slowly began to freeze over.
Maps of the Antarctic cannot even come close to reflecting the geographic diversity of the region. Beneath the massive ice layers lie mountains that are kilometres high with deep craggy ravines. As the seasons change, the sea ice forms ever new coastlines, and thus the exact surface area is also in a state of constant change.
