Global+Issue+-+Group+4

toc 1. Do **not** give out your email on this wiki - pass it onto your teacher's spreadsheet to share with others 2. Contribute to the **__discussion tab__** above each time you add to the wiki - let others know what you have done and get to know them 3. Information on this page **MUST** be your own work and **not** copied from books, articles, websites or any other sources of information. 4. Make sure you give **examples** and specific information as **evidence** to support your ideas. 5. **Reference** any sources of information including websites **AND** hyperlink back to sites where you have gained information from. This is **not** a competition to see who write the most. We are looking for your ability to **collaborate** on and **summerise** the global issue. Again - **use hyperlinks** to external sites that help explain information in more depth.
 * __Please note:__**

=Creators=

Students add their names and their blog URLs Shaheel Jeong Dong-Hwi =Clarisse= = = =Importance of Antarctica=

History, Politics, and the Future

 * **Antarctica is a continent of ice.** This large mass of ice is what binds the continent. Should the ice melt, Antarctica would be a small continent (eastern Antarctica) and a string of islands where the Antarctic Peninsula is located. This immense ice sheet has a big effect on the Earth's weather, reflecting great amounts of heat from the sun back into the atmosphere, tying up large amounts of Earth's freshwater, and acting as a freezer at the end of the Earth. ||


 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/009iceberg.jpg width="600" caption="Typical Antactic Iceberg"]] **A typical Antactic iceberg.** ||


 * **The Arctic is often described as an ocean surrounded by land but the Antarctic is land surrounded by ocean.** It is in Antarctica that the marine ecosystems dominate, the extreme seasonality of which causes many animals to migrate long distances for feeding and breeding especially noteworthy are the penguins, seals, and whales described in this presentation. But, always, ice is the dominating influence. ||


 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/015pocketberg.jpg width="600" align="center" caption="Pockets on this berg were made under water."]]**Pockets on this berg were made under the water and then it flipped over.** ||


 * History ||


 * **Antarctica's history of human occupation has been rather short** (only since 1821). There were explorers, sealers and whalers that were the first to arrive. They explored and exploited the shorelines and nearby islands. In the early 1900s several famous expeditions set out to reach the actual South Pole. Three men are the most famous for this (Shackleton and Scott, both British, and Amundsen, a Scandinavian).


 * Sir Ernest Shackleton's story** of being beset by ice, losing his ship, and his courageous leadership and daring voyage for rescue ended with not a single loss of life. I highly recommend all versions of this event. Shackleton did not make it to the South Pole but his story is heralded as one of the greatest true adventure stories ever.


 * Sir Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen led separate assults on the South Pole** in 1911. Amundsen's team reached the South Pole on December 14, 1911 and returned to glory. Scott's team arrived at the South Pole on January 17, 1912 only to find Amundsen's tent, a bitter dissappointment. All members of Scott's team died on their return. Several accounts have chronicled this "race to the South Pole" with different approaches - all are interesting but all have the same sad ending for Scott's team. ||


 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/NekoHarbor4.jpg width="288" align="center" caption="Neko Harbor, Antarctica in summer"]]**Neko Harbor, Antarctica, summer 2001.** ||


 * Politics ||


 * **Antarctica is the only place on Earth that is not owned by anyone.** It is now a continent of peace, environmental protection, and science. There is nowhere in the world except Antarctica where there is no military presence - it is entirely disarmed. No native peoples have inhabited Antarctica. Antarctica is a very unique continent. ||


 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/012bluhole.jpg width="300" align="center" caption="Very old ice is a unique blue color."]]**Very old ice is a unique blue color.** ||


 * **The first country to make a claim on Antarctica was Britain** in 1908 using the sector method (areas shaped like pieces of pie, beginning with an arc of latitude and ending at a point at the pole). After this, other countries claimed areas (France, New Zealand, Norway) and Argentina and Chile claimed overlapping sectors with each other and with Britain. Conflicts began developing and the USA and Russia announced their right to claim anything in the future.


 * In preparation for the International Geophysical Year, or IGY**, (a worldwide effort to gather information about space, the poles, and the oceans) a conference was organized to coordinate Antarctic research. This called on all nations to put aside their claims, allow bases to be established for the IGY and support international cooperation. This took the heat off of the original squabbles over claims and the IGY was a successful international effort in Antarctica with many countries establishing bases and sharing resources and scientific information. When the IGY ended in 1958, Russia was one of the first countries to announce that it was not leaving Antarctica and that it would continue to keep the bases it had established. A treaty conference was held in Washington D. C. to try to resolve the conflicts and in only 18 months the Antarctic Treaty was hammered out by the original nations. ||


 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/NekoHarbor3.jpg width="600" align="center" caption="Neko Harbor, Antarctica in summer"]]**Neko Harbor, Antarctica, summer 2001.** ||


 * **The Antarctic Treaty was ratified on June 23, 1961** and went into effect with its overall philosophy that "Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only." This was a treaty started by scientists with the "rules" already worked out in the field (during the IGY) by cooperating scientists and military personnel (used as the support staff for science). The treaty did not address mining issues (a sensitive topic and one that most nations were not ready to discuss).


 * The original treaty was designed to be "reviewed" in 30 years** - but not to end. Prior to 1991 a Convention Regulating the Antarctic Minerals Resource Activities (CRAMRA) was proposed by the member nations (up to 29 in 1991) but there was disagreement and it was not ratified. There is a protocol now such that nations may not do any mining research or development in Antarctica. In 1998 a compromise agreement was reached to add a 50 year ban on mining until the year 2048. ||


 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/124neatberg.jpg width="300" align="center" caption="Fantastic icebergs change with each season."]]**Fantastic icebergs change with each season.** ||


 * Future ||


 * **Antarctica is now hailed by many as a World Park**, a continent of environmental protection and for science. The treaty is a gentlemen's agreement only, there is no governing body and no penalties for nations that step outside the boundaries of the treaty. The big challenge will come in 2048 when the mining protocol (that was a temporary agreement only) can be changed. Hopefully by then the member nations will come peacefully to an agreement. ||


 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/iaato1.jpg width="290" align="center" caption="IAATO logo"]][[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/iaato2.jpg width="290" align="center" caption="IAATO Guidance for Visitors"]]**IAATO logo (left) and Guidance for Visitors (right).** ||

= = = = = = = = = = = = =Global Issue - The Future of Antarctica=
 * **At this time Antarctica has become a popular destination for ecotourism**. Without a governing body the tour operators (from all countries) have formed a set of rules (IAATO) International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators for the protection of the continent and safety of the tourists. These are strict guidelines and there is international agreement with their implementation. Expedition leaders in Antarctica generally talk by radio nightly during the busy summer season to exchange information about weather and animals as well as to negotiate their routes so that only one tour operator will be in each of the popular areas. This helps to reduce the impact on the environment as well as to make the tourists feel like they are the only ones "At the End of the Earth". ||
 * [[image:http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/AAimg/Sunset.jpg width="600" align="center" caption="Sunset in Antarctica"]]**Sunset in Antarctica, a rare event in the summer.** ||

- Write THREE questions starting with "What if.....?" about "your global isse."** What if the whole world is under water because of global warming close to Antarctica? What if all animal that live in the arctic become extinct because of global warming and all of the ice/snow melts so they all drown? What is people start to not care about antarctica?
 * __1. Brief description of the issue.__

The world should care about this issue because the amount of water on Earth plus the ice in Antarctica when it melts might place the continents and countries in Earth under water. The world should care about this global issue because the rising temperatures in Antarctica is causing ice shelves to break up and as they are floating away this will not only affect sea levels, it may cause the glaciers behind them to speed up their flow-rate considerably. These glaciers will add to sea-level rise if they melt. People should also take note of this global issue because the animals are being endangered by this issue.
 * - Brainstorm and explain why the world should care about this issue.**

I consider this a global issue because when all the ice will melt in Antarctica and it will affect everyone will be affected by floods and high tides. The Antarctic animals will also be affected because the cold weather will soon wear out and slowly the animals will start to die like krill, shrimps, Baleen Whales etc. Soon the birds that eat Krill and Shrimp will starve to death.
 * __2. Why do you consider this a global issue? //(Who does it affect? Where is it occurring? What proportion of the world is affected or will be affected in the future?)//__**

"I agree with most of what you say. The amount of harm an individual does to the environment by contributing to carbon emissions is negligible."
 * __3. What are some of the different opinions/perspectives on the issue? //(Give examples, evidence and pictures to support your answers above)//__**

There are different opinions/perspectives on this issue because these people do want to stop this global issue and they want to save the world from pollution and environmental issues as well.
 * __4. Why are there different opinion/perspectives on the issue? //(Give examples, evidence and pictures to support your answers above)//__**

I think that the Future of Antarctica is a global issue because it will affect alot of people and will endanger alot of Antarctic animals that we care about. This is also a global issue because every year the Antarctic Ice Shelves lose more than one thousand square miles of ice which enter our seas and oceans and meltis due to the temperature of the heat by the sun and causes the water level to rise.
 * __5. What are your individual opinions on the issue? //(each group memeber comments about this)//__**

People should stop using fossil fuel for making open fires and use gas burners instead of fossil fuel. People who own cars should always tune their cars so less smoke is released and less nitrogen gas is released into the air.
 * __6. What are some of the solutions to solve this global issue?__**

People who own cars or burn fossil fuel.
 * __7. Who should carry out the solution(s)?__**

People should stop using fossil fuel like coal because the smoke will rise up to the ozone layer and make a hole in it and UV rays will affect us and will not affect Antarctica or people should stop using logs and trees as a fuel to burn things because if we burn wood then that wood will release carbon dioxide gas(Greenhouse Gas) into our atmosphere and that will trap the heat given by the sun and will cause the ice shelves in Antarctica to break off and will melt near our oceans and will cause the water level to rise. group4-antarctica(Jeong Dong-Hwi) 1. why is this a global issue? any country as that continent because of its size and cold weather. but now many scientists find any clues about earth on there. In addition, it has lots of resources including oil and coil if one country try to get the ice-world because of many benefits -maybe information, resource-, really trouble battle will be occurred 2. my opinion about this global issue We have to declare that Antarctica is neutralizated. giving the part of control antarctica to the powerful contry is too dangerous. because when they cause the trouble war for territorial ambition, the world will be nebulous. (farewell, peace~) and next, its resources must be used for science experiments about environment. =References=
 * __8. Imagine your group is in charge of deciding what the world should do about the issue. Brainstorm the ways that you would solve your global issue. Justify your choice. //(You will need to work together on this)//__**

http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/science/global_warming.htm