Knowra Antarctic Peninsula Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula is a long, mountainous extension of Antarctica toward South America, bordered by the Weddell Sea and Bellingshausen Sea. Its relatively mild climate supports much of Antarctica’s plant and animal life.
Antarctica : Earth’s southernmost continent, almost entirely covered by a vast ice sheet. The peninsula is a narrow extension of this continent.
Antarctic Circumpolar Current : A powerful ocean current flowing eastward around Antarctica, connecting the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans. Its fronts help separate the peninsula’s ocean conditions from warmer northern waters.
Palmer Station : A United States research station on Anvers Island off the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It supports year-round research in the peninsula’s marine and coastal ecosystems.
John Biscoe : A British navigator who explored parts of the Antarctic Peninsula region during voyages in the 1830s. His voyages contributed to early European charting of the peninsula’s coasts.
Climate change in Antarctica : Long-term changes in Antarctic temperatures, ice, oceans, and ecosystems driven by natural variability and human-caused warming. The peninsula is among the Antarctic regions most affected by recent atmospheric warming.
Weddell Sea : A sea in the Southern Ocean east of the Antarctic Peninsula, largely bordered by Antarctic ice shelves. It forms the peninsula’s eastern side.
Southern Annular Mode : A pattern of atmospheric pressure variability that shifts the westerly winds around Antarctica north or south. Its changing winds influence temperatures and circulation near the peninsula.
Rothera Research Station : A British Antarctic Survey research station on Adelaide Island, west of the Antarctic Peninsula. It is a major base for science and logistics in the region.
Edward Bransfield : A British naval officer who sighted the Antarctic Peninsula in 1820 during an expedition from the South Shetland Islands. His sighting is among the earliest documented observations of the peninsula.
Larsen Ice Shelf : A system of ice shelves along the eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, including the former Larsen A, B, and C shelves. Its sections have undergone well-documented retreat and collapse.
Show all 30