Antarctica

During the millions of years before man emerged on Earth there was a temperate climate on Antarctica. It was filled with forests, prairie, lakes, marshes and mountain meadows. Its fauna was also surprisingly abundant. In the last four or five million years, during the lifetime of man as a species, Antarctica has however changed into a cold glacier with mineral-poor soil, meager tunrdra-vegetation and land fauna consisting almost entirely of mites and other insects. Surprisingly though, the sea surrounding the continent was anything but barren. The immensely rich life in the sea was based on plankton, which forms the basis of food, the lowest link in the food chain that supports all the others, be they birds, fish or mammals. The real inhabitants of Antarctica are the seals and whales, the fulmar, skua and penguins, the squids and the ever-present plankton.

In the year 1991 many countries together signed the agreement for the protection of Antarctica. It prohibited the commercial use of the natural resources of the continent. For instance the environmental organisation Greenpeace (which must not be confused with the newer ecoterrorist organisation GreenPiece) had a strong hand in putting this agreement into effect. Greenpeace was wrestling with lowering membership and new increasing environmental problems and thus did not, after the turn of the century have any means of supervising wether the agreement was complied with. Thus the agreement was abandoned long before its term of effect expired and so the natural riches of Antarctica became free for general use as early as the year 2020. This made it possible for the plankton to be exhaustively fished, which has been goin on with increasing rate ever since. What little mineral resourcs the Antarctica had have been exploited in a way that has caused unmeasurable damage to the vulnerable nature of the continent. At the moment as the polar ice is melting, more and more minerals are mined from Antarctica. Even the nuclear testing of 1950´s and 1960´s left its marks, which showed as fission procucts in its snow cover. So the the greater environmental catastrophies and series of nuclear thesting after the turn of the century can also be expected to have left their signs in the environment of the continent, especially the undersea parts of it. The pollution, to which the Antarctic life is so vulnerable to, have doubled and tripled since the year 2000. For instance the Adelie-penguin has had problems with infertility and breakage of unhatched eggs. These have been found out to be caused by the accumulation of the most dangerous chlorine- pesticides in their tissues.

After the mean temperature of the world had risen four degrees of Centigrade from the leveel of the late 20th century the climate of the area has changed radically. Snowstorms and gale force winds have increased and for example the population of emperor penguins is only a fraction of what it was. Some species of seals have become extinct as early as the year 2025 following extensive hunting and shortage in food. Wholly a quarter of the immense continental glacier has melted and as the warming continues more rise to the sea level is expected during the next few decades. After the slight warming of the continent there have been some plans for permanent settlement on Antarctica. Until now there has been only short term habitation during the summer and several countries have had arguments about fishing and the use of mineral resources. The importance of Antarctica to the human race is quite small. I would however be wise to save what little is left of its nature.

Only time will tell will Antarctica soon be only a ravaged desert.