Antarctica is the coldest and driest continent on Earth – a place for adventure and a key area for global science. Research conducted there has received increasing international attention due to concerns over destruction of the ozone layer and the problem of global warming and melting ice shelves. This dramatically illustrated new book brings together an international group of leading Antarctic scientists to explain why the Antarctic is so central to understanding the history and potential fate of our planet. It introduces the beauty of the world's greatest wilderness, its remarkable attributes and the global importance of the international science done there. Spanning topics from marine biology to space science this book is an accessible overview for anyone interested in the Antarctic and its science and governance. It provides a valuable summary for those involved in polar management and is an inspiration for the next generation of Antarctic researchers.

List of contributors vii

Introduction xi

David W. H. Walton

1 Discovering the unknown continent 1

David W. H. Walton

2 A keystone in a changing world 35

Bryan Storey

3 Ice with everything 67

Valérie Masson-Delmotte

4 Climate of extremes 102

John J. Cassano

5 Stormy and icy seas 137

Eberhard Fahrbach

6 Life in a cold environment 161

Peter Convey, Angelika Brandt and Steve Nicol

7 Space science research from Antarctica 211

Louis J. Lanzerotti and Allan T. Weatherwax

8 Living and working in the cold 229

Lou Sanson

9 Scientists together in the cold 253

Colin P. Summerhayes

10 Managing the frozen commons 273

Olav Orheim

11 Antarctica: a global change perspective 301

Alan Rodger

Appendix A Visiting Antarctica 325

Appendix B Further reading 328

Acknowledgements 333

Index 334

David Walton began work in 1967 with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). He is now an Emeritus Fellow at BAS, publishing papers and books on many aspects of Antarctica. Professor Walton represented the international Antarctic scientific community at Antarctic Treaty Meetings for 14 years and was awarded the first SCAR medal for International Scientific Coordination. He was also awarded a Polar Medal by the Queen. The author of more than 100 scientific papers, and more than 250 reviews, popular articles and reports, he has also written and edited several books and has been the editor in chief of the international journal Antarctic Science for the last 25 years.

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