Todo

Antarctica is certainly the most pristine place on earth although it is not as unspoiled as may be imagined. For more than a hundred years people have travelled to Antarctica and most parts have nowbeen visited. More than just footprints have been left and more than just photographs have been taken.
Some Antarctic species have been taken to the verge of extinction for economic benefit. Othershave been killed or disturbed, soils have been contaminated, untreated sewage has been discharged into the sea and rubbish that will not decompose or break down has been left behind in even theremotest parts.
Recently attitudes have changed as we begin to realize that there are few unvisited places left on earth and that they are tremendously important to humanity. Antarctica's clean air, waterand ice of are of importance to science for understanding how the Earth's environment is changing both naturally and as a result of human activity.
Tour operators are beginning to tap a huge and everincreasing demand to visit the Earth's last great wilderness. Both science and tourism have the potential to damage the very qualities that draw them to Antarctica.

Antarctica is an importantlaboratory for research into the global impacts of the industrialized world.
Lakes on Signy Island in the Maritime Antarctic for instance have shown possibly the fastest local response to regional climatefound anywhere on Earth.
Global change may have effects that impact directly on the Antarctic environment and its fauna and flora. Global warming for example may contribute to break-up ice-shelvescausing loss of habitat for animals dependent on the ice-shelf as well as the effect of increasing sea level on low-lying regions in the rest of the world.
Increasing Ultra Violet (UV) radiation dueto the ozone hole may cause changes to phytoplankton communities and could have effects up the food chain.
Antarctica is a sensitive indicator of global change. The polar ice cap holds within it a...