What Do We Know About Antarctica?

Let us start with remembering where the continent of Antarctica is? Check back on Week 9 - Planet Earth - did you try out the activity to name the seven continents?

We now know it is the southernmost continent on earth - and 98% of it is covered with ice.

Antarctica only has two seasons - Winter and Summer. In Winter the amount of ice changes from 2 million square kilometres to 20 million square kilometres. That is not quite the same as us having a bad winter with lots of snow!

Basically between the two seasons the ice contracts and expands at an amazing rate.

During the six months of summer, it is daylight almost all the time - as the season progresses the sun stays in the sky for longer and longer. How would you know when to go to bed?

There are no humans living permanently in Antarctica. People come to visit, and we will hear about someone from Dundee Science Centre later this week who has plans to do just that!

The only residents are those who are staying in the scientific bases that are occupied mostly through the summer months although some stay during the wintertime. Sometimes the scientist are stuck there as it can be too cold for the ships to be able to collect them.

We will find out more about what happens in the scientific bases tomorrow.