Role Of Antarctica Research Articles

Presidential panel endorses U.S. role in Antarctica

The United States must continue its work in Antarctica for both scientific and strategic reasons, the Clinton Administration's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) asserted in a report issued in May. The challenge, however, will be to find a way to keep the knowledge base growing while the budget is shrinking.

The United Nations and Antarctica 1993: continuing controversy about the UN's role in Antarctica

ABSTRACTThe eleventh successive annual United Nations discussion on the ‘Question of Antarctica’ took place at the close of 1993. In November the UN First Committee, guided by two reports from the UN Secretary-General, adopted a further resolution, which was adopted in December by the General Assembly as resolution A48/80. As usual, UN members, although displaying evidence of a wider international recognition of the regime's merits, proved critical of the Antarctic Treaty System. By contrast, Antarctic Treaty Parties (ATPs) remained reluctant to allow the UN the type of role in Antarctica advocated by their critics. ATPs, following the course adopted in 1985, still refused either to participate in the UN discussions or to vote. As a result, it proved impossible yet again to secure a consensus about either the ‘Question of Antarctica’ in general or the UN's role in Antarctica in particular. One significant advance in 1993 concerned the end of demands advanced since 1985 for South Africa's exclusion from Antarctic meetings, a change prompted by the dismantlement of the apartheid regime. The ‘Question of Antarctica’ is scheduled to be placed on the UN agenda in 1994.

Glacial rebound and sea-level change: An example of a relationship between mantle and surface processes

Lambeck, K., 1993. Glacial rebound and sea-level change: an example of a relationship between mantle and surface processes. In: R. Wortel, U. Hansen and R. Sabadini (Editors), Relationships between Mantle Processes and Geological Processes at or near the Earth's Surface. Tectonophysics, 223: 15–37. The problem of glacial rebound provides an outstanding example of the relationship between surface and mantle processes on time scales of 10 3 to 10 5 years. Changes in surface loading of ice and melt-water associated with the growth and decay of the great ice sheets deform the surface of the planet and induces flow in the mantle. A measure of the Earth's response to the changing surface loads and internal deformation is provided by observations of past sea levels relative to the present level, and inversion of these observations provides constraints on both the models of the rheological response of the Earth to loading and on models of the ice sheets. Constraints on ice sheet models include the total volume of the grounded ice at the time of maximum glaciation, the global rates of melting of the ice sheets, the thickness of the ice at maximum glaciation, the extent of ice cover over shallow seas such as the North Sea and the Barents Sea, and the role of Antarctica in the global ice balance. Constraints on mantle parameters include the effective lithospheric thickness and the effective viscosity of the mantle. Some recent results for both sets of parameters are discussed.

Antarctic Science A British Perspective

AbstractAntarctica is probably the least known of the world's regions. Intensive research by over 20 nations during the past 30 years has demonstrated increasingly the integral and often critical role of Antarctica in the natural systems of planet Earth. The Antarctic is fundamental in driving the global atmospheric regime owing to its strong negative radiation budget, and the Southern Ocean, linking the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, plays an influential, but not well understood role as a major sink for carbon dioxide. Man induced increases in 'greenhouse' gases are likely to have profound effects on the lower atmosphere of the South Polar regions where general circulation modelling predicts a strong temperature change response. The reaction of the ice sheet to warming is complex and includes ice shelf–sheet destruction as well as increased snow accumulation, both of which affect world sea level. Antarctica also forms an ideal observatory for studying the processes whereby solar radiation and parti...

Antarctica at the United Nations, 1985: the end of consensus?

ABSTRACTThe question of Antarctica was discussed at the United Nations General Assembly in 1985 for the third successive year. While the content of the debates differed little from that of previous years, the discussions resulted in the adoption, by large majorities, of three resolutions in favour of an expanded and up-dated UN Study on Antarctica, the provision of information for the UN on the Antarctic minerals regime negotiations, and the exclusion of South Africa from the Antarctic Treaty System. The Antarctic Treaty powers, favouring no real UN role in Antarctica, stressed the need to maintain the present arrangements and did not participate in the UN votes on the three resolutions. The apparent breakdown of the consensus approach that was characteristic of 1983 and 1984 raises a question for the future; will 1986 witness bridge-building or continuing divisions on the most appropriate way to manage Antarctica in the future?

Antarctic Resources Policy: Scientific, Legal and Political Issues.

1. Antarctic resources policy: an introduction Francisco Orrego Vicuna Part I. The State of Antarctic Knowledge and Experience: 2. Antarctica: its history and development V. E. Fuchs 3. The living resources of the Southern Ocean: a scientific overview George A. Knox 4. The mineral resources of Antarctica: progress in their identification Tore Gjelsvik 5. Environmental factors in the development of Antarctica M. W. Holdgate 6. Cooperation in the Antarctic: a quarter of a century's experience J. A. Heap Part II. The Policy for the Conservation of the Living Resources of Antarctica: 7. Scientific and economic considerations relating to the conservation of marine living resources in Antarctica D. L. Powell 8. The implementation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources: needs and problems Takesi Nagata 9. The regime for the conservation of Antarctica's living resources Josyane Couratier 10. The Canberra Convention: objectives and political aspects of its negotiation Fernando Zegers Part III. The Policy for the Exploration and Exploitation of the Mineral Resources of Antarctica: 11. Geologic data and its impact on the discussion on a regime for mineral resources Oscar Gonzalez-Ferran 12. Basic conditions for the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in Antarctica: options and experiences Egil Bergsager 13. Oil as a special resource: problems and experiences Gilbert Guillaume 14. An overview of the problems which should be addressed in the preparation of a regime governing the mineral resources of Antarctica C. D. Beeby 15. The definition of a regime on Antarctic mineral resources: basic options Francisco Orrego Vicuna 16. Criteria for access to the resources of Antarctica: alternatives, procedure and experience applicable Keith Brennan Part IV. Issues on Antarctica and the Law of the Sea: 17. The application of the law of the sea to the Antarctic continent Alfred Van der Essen 18. The application of the law of the sea and the exclusive economic zone to the Antarctic continent Francisco Orrego Vicuna 19. The continental shelf of Antarctica: legal implications for a regime on mineral resources Maria Teresa Infante Part V. The Policy for Antarctic Cooperation: 20. Antarctica's role in international relations Roberto E. Guyer 21. Alternatives for cooperation and institutionalisation in Antarctica: outlook for the 1990s R. Tucker Scully 22. Resource development in polar regions: comments on technology E. F. Roots 23. Jurisdictional problems in relation to Antarctic mineral resources in political perspective Finn Sollie.

An alternative model for early Tertiary absolute plate motions

Research Article| August 01, 1978 An alternative model for early Tertiary absolute plate motions Donna M. Jurdy Donna M. Jurdy 1Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Donna M. Jurdy 1Department of Geological and Geophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1978) 6 (8): 469–472. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<469:AAMFET>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Donna M. Jurdy; An alternative model for early Tertiary absolute plate motions. Geology 1978;; 6 (8): 469–472. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<469:AAMFET>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The absolute plate motions for early Tertiary time are reconsidered. The no-net-torque determination of Solomon and others indicated absolute plate motions at 55 m.y. ago that were considerably different from the present motions. To test whether these motions are truly characteristic of early Tertiary time or merely a consequence of uncertainties, an alternative model for the relative motions is considered. A single major change is made in the relative motions scheme: Antarctica is treated as two plates. The role of Antarctica is particularly important in the relative motion scheme because it is the sole link between the large Pacific Ocean plates and the other, largely continental plates. Although this relative plate motion model for early Tertiary time does not yield absolute motions that are compatible with those of the present, there are considerable differences from Solomon and others' determination. Thus, past relative plate motions must be further constrained to give absolute motions that can confidently be compared to the present set and used in testing hypotheses about driving forces. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.