Refrigerator planet

Coldest, windiest and highest continent on earth and in fact, "cool" place to work if scientists talk about well-known world of science facts, Antarctica - the land of extremes. It is the coldest, windiest and highest continent on earth. With an average altitude of 7.544 feet (2300 meters) above sea level, is the highest continent. Although he is covered in ice, there falls the least amount of precipitation, slightly more than in the Sahara desert, which makes Antarctica's largest desert on earth. Most people have a misconception about the wilderness, believing that it is hot and dry, sandy and lifeless place, but the correct (from a scientific point of view) definition of wilderness refers to any geographical place gets very, very little precipitation. Although land in Antarctica and is covered with ice, the ice is a very long time. Antarctica is the only continent which has never been a native population due to extreme environmental conditions that occur here always, at any time of year and at any time of day. In order to sail to the mainland by boat, to overcome the most dangerous seas in the world. Inaccessibility of the place and the lack of a reliable source of food and materials for the construction of shelter for thousands of years kept people away from the continent. However, new technologies developed over the last two hundred years, to give people the opportunity for the first time in human history to reach these icy shores, to investigate and explore Antarctica. Because people claiming that the Antarctica is their homeland, does not exist, in a study involving all the countries of the continent in the world. Scientists from around the world - Russia, Japan, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South America and many other countries - come here under international cooperation agreement to explore and really unique features of Antarctica. In order for scientists to carry out field research here on the continent had built a lot of research stations that provide shelter, food supplies, fuel and other materials for life support personnel. Due to the great distance south of the mainland from other countries, scientists here spend at least several months. Some of them remain in the icy wilderness for a long time, more than six months without a break. At the South Pole the sun rises and sets only once a year, and that means six months of daylight followed by six months of darkness. During the winter, when there is no sun, Antarctica is becoming more hostile seat - cold even stronger, penetrating to the bone, and no daylight. Can you imagine living in darkness 24 hours a day? This is similar to life in space! Yeah ..... The largest laboratories in the world Originally the scientific value of Antarctica was only studying to get a general idea about this very strange and unusual places of the planet. In recent years, scientists have come to the theory that conditions in Antarctica are similar to conditions on Mars. Because of this similarity, the study of Antarctica has acquired a new meaning - look for signs of life in extreme environments. Antarctica is tempting, not only in itself but represents and excellent laboratory for studying the behavior of the human body under conditions similar to those in which astronauts will fall during deep space travel. In addition, there are developing new technologies needed to explore other planets and the detection of extraterrestrial (yes, yes, alien) life. In Antarctica, it was discovered many interesting places and a huge mass of features, challenged many well-known theories describing the origin and existence of life on our planet. Here are some really interesting facts: Earth's Deepest depression. The lowest mark on the land is located in the basin of subglacial cavities Bentley. Located at 2.555 m (8.325 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest elevation the earth's surface not covered by seawater. It can not be achieved because it is buried under a huge layer of ice, probably the largest of its weight on Earth. About 90% of Earth's ice is in Antarctica. There is so much ice that you could cut out of his box the size of the Great Pyramid of Cheops for every person living on the planet! Over 98% of the ground surface of Antarctica is covered with ice. Marine life. Some kinds of fish living in the seas around Antarctica are specially adapted for life at a temperature close to freezing point of water. Most living creatures on our planet have in their blood hemoglobin, giving her the red, we all know so well. But these particular species of fish have extremely low levels of hemoglobin in their blood. So low that their blood is not even red! Their bodies also have a natural "antifreeze" to protect them from freezing to death. (Even if you do - fish, freezing water in all your cells and its conversion into ice crystals will lead to your death. Most have nothing to add). If you catch one of these fish and cut the, blood, gills and all bodies will be white. Weather: Of course, in Antarctica, the lowest temperature on Earth, but it is not surprising (the lowest temperature recorded here was -89.4 ° C (-129 ° F)). But what is unknown to most people, is the fact that at the South Pole has always been clear and calm weather, perhaps nowhere in the world all year round there is no such clear skies. Much of the recent fierce winds that each of us associated with the cold and ice of Antarctica, are blowing at the edges of the continent, on the banks. These winds are so strong and violent that they became known throughout the world, and even received a special name - the katabatic wind may blow at a speed of the hurricane, up to 304 km / h (190 miles per hour)! Believe it or not, but at all an unimaginable amount of ice in Antarctica, there are very rare real snowfall or rainfall. Of course, during the winter snow falls in the Southern Hemisphere. However, if we compare the average annual rainfall, it turns out that Antarctica is as dry as the Sahara desert. Antarctic ice - an extremely cold Most scientists studying the Antarctic ice because it is far from simple ice. For a long time it accumulates layer by layer, resulting in after many thousands of years formed a particular type of sedimentary rock. Yes, it rocks. Ice crystals can be considered as minerals and ice of Antarctica is made up of crystals of "mineral" water. In the same way as the sedimentary rock is created over time through repeated layering of particles of clay or sand, ice white continent accumulated over millions of years through the deposition of snow that never melts. Scientists conducting research into the underlying layers of the glacier with the rigs working like a knife for cutting bread rolls, but this unit cuts are really thick "slices" of ice. Such deep multilayer samples allow us to obtain invaluable data that represented the Earth's atmosphere during the formation of each layer. Through the study of layers of ice, scientists can learn about how to modify the Earth's atmosphere in different geological epochs. In winter, the ocean around Antarctica freezes over thousands of miles in all directions. Extensive expansion of ice surrounding the already huge ice sheet in Antarctica, covers more than eleven million square miles. Annual freezing ocean around Antarctica creates deep ocean currents worldwide. Temperature drop in the ocean is responsible for weather around the globe. Some scientists fear that if the global climate is too warm or too cold, this phenomenon will affect the formation of Antarctic ice and lead to a change in habitual for us climate worldwide. See also: Land Basin biggest edifice that was built on the planet living beings ... It flows from the rocks water ordinary record of a tsunami wave height Desert-record the largest lake in the world based on the volume and surface area record highs over the world have a rival Everest! The deepest point of the oceans cuho Here, as in the space where much heat is not very deep, but one of the longest caves Powerful tremors did not bring trouble, but the tsunami places of extreme temperatures longest river in the world as formed the largest seamounts Dead Sea - why his so-called? The place where the biggest annual rainfall Ice heavenly kingdom shelling Giants ice in Antarctica: a route for tourists of all ages longest bridge in the world