Antarctica Treaty

1. Antarctica Treaty Environmental issue

2. Antarctica Overview • A common error when discussing Antarctic ice trends is to confuse land ice and sea ice. Simply put, land ice is decreasing while sea ice is increasing. I discuss both trends in more detail in Is Antarctica losing or gaining ice? Disappointingly, even after distinguishing between land ice and sea ice, there are still repeated comments confusing the two here, here and even an accusation of misinformation. Why is this? Perhaps people are not paying attention. Possibly, it's the result of many articles that confuse the two phenomenon. In How to cherry pick your way to Antarctic land ice gain, we see how one article blurs the line between sea ice and land ice to convince people that Antarctica is gaining land ice. Apparently, this technique is all too successful. Or maybe I just didn't explain it clearly enough. As the third possibility is the only one I can do anything about, I've revamped the Antarctic ice page, hopefully clarifying the issue somewhat. I've also added some recent research and simplified the explanation of sea ice trends. To summarise the situation with Antarctic ice trends: • Antarctic land ice is decreasing at an accelerating rate • Antarctic sea ice is increasing despite the warming Southern Ocean

3. Exploring • 'Exploring' imparts some Antarctic history by focusing on Antarctic 'heroes' and helping students to appreciate the importance of Australia's long-standing involvement in the Antarctic. Students will explore the history of people in Antarctica, particularly Australians. Early exploration Australia has had a long-standing involvement in the Antarctic. By focusing on Antarctic 'heroes', students will gain a sense of history and an appreciation of the importance of Australia's role there. The activities explore the human thirst for adventure and exploration, and trace the history of humankind's involvement in the Antarctic. Australian Antarctic Territory Australia claims 42% of Antarctica, and here students will research how this came to be. Mapping The following activities provide a framework for developing important mapping skills - how to find places and features, how to work out distances and direction, and interpreting information on maps. Imagine... Imagine what it could be like to be in Antarctica...Recruiting - then and now As Antarctica has become a more familiar place, the qualities sought in expeditioners have become much more specific. Photography Scott took Herbert Ponting, and both Mawson and Shackleton took Frank Hurley on their expeditions, so photography has become established as the Antarctic art-form. The early black and white images are as striking now as they were then.

4. Information • The Antarctic Treaty was designed to provide an agreement for the future care and use of Antarctica, as well as the avoid territorial and other disputes. It encourages international cooperation in scientific research - it is an extraordinary agreement that was signed during the Cold War! • During the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957-58, scientists from twelve nations (including Australia) joined forces and worked together in Antarctica. The momentum of that enormously successful event led to the negotiation of the Antarctic Treaty in Washington in 1959. According to the text of the Treaty, it was intended to guarantee that '…Antarctica shall continue for ever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord'. The Treaty covers everything south of 60 degrees South latitude (except for a provision relating to the high seas), now known as the Antarctic Treaty Area (

5. Antarctic Treaty parties • Currently, 49 nations have agreed to the Antarctic Treaty, but only 28 participate in the decision making process. These 28 include the original 12 signatories and other countries with substantial Antarctic research programs. Only the Consultative Parties participate in the decision-making at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM), and every decision requires a consensus. However, nations who conduct scientific research on the continent can request they be recognised as Consultative Parties.