Antarctica's Role In Scientific Discovery
Whaling nations laid claim to massive territories across the continent of Antarctica
. The Peninsula is home to claims from Chile, Britain and Argentina. There are also claims from, New Zealand, France, and Norway.
Even Nazi Germany wanted to have a piece of the Antarctica pie when they planted stakes with 3rd Reich swastikas on them all over the frozen land. Global war soon consumed the world's attention, and the Cold War followed; consequently, Antarctica was forgotten by all except for the whalers. However, incited by astral occurrences, Antarctica began to draw the attention of scientists in the mid part of the century.
It was the Geophysical Year of 1957-58 that spurred scientists and world governments to converge on the continent of Antarctica, as it's unique vantage point of the southern hole in the Earth's magnetic field, allowed them to conduct research of the amplified solar radiation reaching the earth due to extremely high sunspot activity.
The scientific brain power from sixty-seven countries established bases for their operations on the continent. Thanks to the high level of teamwork and cooperation among these visitors, negotiations soon began, which culminated in the Antarctic Treaty, an amazing international agreement still marveled at today.
In 1959, this treaty was ratified by nations that had specific investments in Antarctica. It made it so the Antarctica could only be used for positive ventures.
This treaty protects the land physically by banning nuclear testing or explosions, as well as any dumping of radioactive waste. The same went for military presence on the continent.
Any military forces on Antarctica are only allowed to support scientific research. The conflicting territorial claims between countries were set aside in the interest of preserving the continent.
The superpowers of this era did not step forward to assert claims or otherwise interfere, although they did reservce the right to make claims in the future. The smaller countries became reluctant to pursue their claims in light of the maneuvering practiced by the more powerful countries.
In the decades that followed, nations and business organizations started to desire the natural resources thought to be in Antarctica. Countries established bases in and around the continent along with dozens of science stations in the area.
During the 1960's and 70's, the US , Soviet Union, Poland, Italy, Britain, Chile, and Argentina all established bases on King George Island, and during the 1980's, additional bases were opened by Peru, Uruguay, South Korea, China, and Brazil.
These bases were technically engaged in scientific experiments and studies, but they also served to mark claims on territory. They effectively gave themselves "squatter's rights" on behalf of their country.
However, by the time the 1980's rolled around, the use of Antarctica moved toward scientific research and retracted from using the continent for its resources. In a manner similar to declaring the oceans international territory, the Antarctic has become a shared continent.
It was Britain's Halley Bay Antarctic base that first discovered the hole in the Earth's ozone layer. This proved that industrial activity was degrading the atmosphere, allowing cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation to reach the Earth's surface.
So, in 1987, an international agreement was put into place to eradicate all ozone-destroying chemicals by the conclusion of the 1990's. This finding emphasized the importance of the Antarctic scientific headquarters.
They have since been shown to be essential in keeping track of the "greenhouse" gasses that have been prevalent in the atmosphere for decades. In the 1980's, whaling was falling out of favor, and the global Green campaign championed the idea of declaring Antarctica a world park.
The nations that participated in the Antarctic Treaty put forth a decree in 1991 that all gas and oil exploration would be stopped for the next half century, as well as mining; instead, the environment would be given higher priority.
Antarctica continues to play a major part in educating humankind about the damage it has inflicted on the planet and its atmosphere with its industrial activity, and how to avoid the catastrophic consequences of environment damage in the future.
by: John Chambers
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