Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The history of Antarctica emerges from early Western theories of a vast continent, known as Terra Australis, believed to exist in the far south of the globe. The term Antarctic , referring to the opposite of the Arctic Circle , was coined by Marinus of Tyre in the 2nd century AD.
A speculative representation of Antarctica labelled as ' Terra Australis Incognita ' on Jan Janssonius's Zeekaart van het Zuidpoolgebied (1657), Het Scheepvaartmuseum The name given to the continent originates from the word antarctic, which comes from Middle French antartique or antarctique ('opposite to the Arctic') and, in turn, the Latin antarcticus ('opposite to the north').
The colder, stabler East Antarctica had been experiencing cooling until the 2000s. [22] [23] Around Antarctica, the Southern Ocean has absorbed more oceanic heat than any other ocean, [24] and has seen strong warming at depths below 2,000 m (6,600 ft). [25]: 1230 Around the West Antarctic, the ocean has warmed by 1 °C (1.8 °F) since 1955. [21]
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, [1] [note 4] comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. [5] With a size of 21,960,000 km 2 (8,480,000 sq mi), it is the second-smallest of the five principal oceanic divisions, smaller than the Pacific ...
[3] [1] Smith interpreted this as referring to the ice floes and icebergs in the Southern Ocean, due to the ice floes being similar to arrowroot powder (referring to Tacca leontopetaloides, Polynesian arrowroot). [1] This has led others to conclude that Ui-te-Rangiora was the first person to discover Antarctica. [1] [4]
Left to right: Roald Amundsen, Helmer Hanssen, Sverre Hassel and Oscar Wisting after first reaching the South Pole on 16 December 1911. The Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration was an era in the exploration of the continent of Antarctica which began at the end of the 19th century, and ended after the First World War; the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition of 1921–1922 is often cited by historians ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
Expeditions in Antarctica before the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, 1897 1780s to 1839 – American and British whalers and sealers make incidental discoveries. 1819 – William Smith discovers South Shetland Islands ( 62°00′S 58°00′W / 62.000°S 58.000°W / -62.000; -58.000 ), the first land discovered south of 60 ...