Wiz Quiz

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

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Antarctica: The Frozen Continent

Nalaka Gunawardene and Vindana Ariyawansa

Daniel Day-Lewis

The Antarctica is larger than many of us realize. At 14 million square km, 98% of which is covered by ice, it is actually twice the size of Australia. It is the coldest, driest and windiest continent. Because Antarctica receives only an average 200 mm of rain (or snow) per year, it is technically a (cold) desert!

Antarctica is a shared area that humanity owns collectively - it is not owned by any particular country (although some countries have historically made some claims). The Antarctic Treaty, which was signed by 12 countries in 1959 and which has been in force since 1962, designated Antarctica as a continent for peace and science. The Treaty contains just 14 articles, yet effectively manages 10% of the Earth's surface.

Today's Wiz Quiz takes a quick look at Antarctica.

1. The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements are collectively called the Antarctic Treaty System or ATS. They regulate international activity concerning the Antarctica, the Earth's only continent without a native human population. For the purposes of the treaties, Antarctica is defined as all of the land and ice shelves south of which line of latitude?

2. For half a century, the Antarctic Treaty has nurtured international science cooperation, the freedom of exchange of people and of scientific data, and instilled a culture in Antarctic scientists of working together. Among the most important scientific findings made there was discovery of the Antarctic 'ozone hole' by three scientists working with the British Antarctic Survey who published a historic paper in the journal Nature in May 1985. Who were the three scientists?

The Antarctica

3. The frozen continent contains 90% of the world's total ice and around 70% of all its freshwater supplies. Most (about 98%) of Antarctica is covered by the Antarctic ice sheet, whose thickness averages around one mile or 1.6 km. Beneath this ice sheet, there are more than 70 lakes. Scientists believe that the lake have been sealed off for between half a million to one million years. Which of these sub-glacial lakes, discovered beneath a Russian research station in 1996, is the largest known?

4. The tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species is endemic to Antarctica. They are also the only warm-blooded animal species that remains on the Antarctic continent during the bitter winter. The females lay one egg in June and leave to spend the winter at sea.

The male penguins stay on land all winter (which in the southern hemisphere runs from March to September), surviving the most extreme conditions for nine weeks (with little or no food), keeping their one egg warm by balancing it on their feet and covering it with a flap of abdominal skin. The females return just about the time the eggs hatch. A 2005 French documentary, which was released with the English title March of the Penguins, told the story of these penguins' reproductive cycle. What penguin species is this?

5. The Antarctic Treaty's Protocol on Environmental Protection, which is in force since 1998, has designated the entire landmass as 'a natural reserve.' Thus, all activities are subject to environmental impact assessments, protection of fauna and flora, waste management and other regulations. Working on mineral resources, except for scientific research, is forbidden. The Protocol is also known by the name of the European capital city in which it was signed in 1991. Which city?

March of the Penguins -2005-movie
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The Full Monty - 1997-movie
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6. There are no permanent inhabitants in Antarctica, only scientists and support staff who spend periods of time there on research. Every year, scientists from 28 different nations conduct experiments that cannot be done anywhere else in the world. In the Antarctic summer, over 4,000 scientists can be found at research stations; this number decreases to around 1,000 in the winter. What is the largest research station in Antarctica that can accommodate around 1,250 scientists, visitors and tourists?

7. The Antarctic is a rich source of meteorites because the ice cap tends to preserve them well. Ice near Antarctica's coastal mountain ranges is eventually worn away by evaporation and wind, exposing such meteorites from time to time. Those embedded in this 'blue ice' can be spotted easily from the air as dark patches. Antarctica's frigid and dry conditions make meteorites more valuable to scientists as they are virtually free of earthy contamination. Name the eminent Lankan-born biochemist who was one of the first to study Antarctic meteorites (in the late 1970s) in his search for organic materials that came from outer space. He found evidence for existence of amino acids - the basic building blocks of proteins - that were different from those found on Earth.

8. In December 2010 and January 2011, a Lankan-born astrophysicist was part of a team of geologists and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists on an expedition collecting meteorites from the ice fields in Antarctica. They spent nearly two months sweeping the icy terrain on Ski-Doos in a formation 30 metres apart on day-long explorations, stopping to examine and collect samples along the way. They collected more than 900 pieces which were immediately transferred to a materials lab at NASA's Johnson Space Centre for analysis and classification. Who is this astrophysicist teaching in the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics at the University of Toronto?

A penguin in the Antarctic

9. A British born polar explorer became the first person in history to walk to both the poles, when he made extraordinary treks to the South Pole in January 1986 and the North Pole in May 1989. He has since dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica by the promotion of recycling, renewable energy and sustainability to combat the effects of climate change. His non-profit foundation, known as 2041, started the world's first educational base (E-Base) in Antarctica in 2008. Annually, this facility hosts short visits by youth leaders and corporate leaders. Who is this polar explorer?

10. Antarctica is a large place and most people who visit the frozen continent do not get to reach the South Pole that entails considerable time and effort. The first woman set foot on the Antarctic was Catherine Mikkelson, wife of a Norwegian whaling captain, in 1935 - some 40 years after a man had accomplished this feat. Since then, women have progressively advanced in all the feats of polar exploration, even if they were some years behind men in reaching these milestones. In 1993, an American author, teacher, and adventurer led a four-woman expedition to the South Pole on skis; this expedition was the first all-female expedition to cross the ice to the South Pole. She went on to become the first woman to cross both polar ice caps to reach the North and South Poles, as well as the first woman to ski across Greenland. Who is she?

11. In the early days of Antarctic scientific research, women scientists were discouraged or disallowed from participation. In 1969, the United States (US) Navy lifted its ban on women going to Antarctica, and the National Science Foundation invited women scientists to submit research proposals. Finally, during the 1969-1970 season, women were included in the US Antarctic Programme. Name the psychologist from Utah State University who became the first American woman to work in Antarctic. A small offshore island in Antarctica is now named in her honour.

12. On January 22, 2012, a British adventurer and climate scientist is the first woman in the world to ski across Antarctica alone. Without the use of kites or parasails but with two resupplies she covered 1,744 km in 59 days traversing the continent from the Ross Ice Shelf to Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf via the South Pole. Among other things, she has also raced in the Canadian Arctic, led a team of women across the inland ice of Greenland, led a record-making International team to the South Pole, and spent three years living and working in the Antarctic. Who is this extraordinary woman?

13. Lincoln is the latest movie directed by Steven Spielberg. It is a biopic about the famous American President Abraham Lincoln and tells the story about how he managed to pass the 13th amendment to the US Constitution to abolish slavery. The movie stars Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln. Who is the best actress Oscar winner who co-stars as President Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd?

14. This French artist's name comes from the old spelling of fox. He was primarily known for his paintings of people - women and children in particular. A typical model often had reddish hair. He was a leading painter in the development of Impressionist style. Later in the 20th century, his son Jean became one of the best known filmmakers in the world. Who was this artist?

15. This Italian-born film producer, director and former investment banker earned a name in the world of cinema for producing the 1997 film The Full Monty, a comedy drama that became a major critical and commercial success. His directorial debut was the 2008 Lankan comedy film Machan, which he co-wrote and also co-produced with Lankan, German and Italian collaborators. Who is he?