Exploitation and development of Antarctic and Southern Ocean
- Created by: darcie_cl
- Created on: 20-02-14 11:33
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- Exploitation and development of Antarctic and Southern Ocean
- BASIC FACTS
- Southernmost continent.
- 98% covered by ice.
- Extreme cold = very isolated.
- SO has the worlds largest ocean current.
- High levels of biomass. Very dependant on krill
- HUMAN IMPACTS
- KRILL
- Decline in krill may explain the decrease of some penguin species
- Rising temperature = less phytoplankton under sea-ice = decline in krill numbers
- Humans harvest about 100,000 tonnes of krill per year --> numbers dropped by 80% since 1970
- FISHERIES IN SOUTHERN OCEAN
- Now the only large-scale exploitation going on in Antarctica
- Effects on other species depends on the target species as a food source
- Kill other than the target fish by decreasing food source
- Kill other fish caught alongside the target fish
- CCAMLR (resource conservation) - promotes sustainable exploitation NOT COMPLETE PROTECTION
- Chilean Seabass - market price has increased, increasing amount of illegal fishing for it
- Techniques of illegal fishing have no concern for fish species
- WHALING
- Whales migrate South during austral summer to take advantage of food resources
- Extreme whaling began in 1904 when the whale processing station was built in South Georgia
- 1946 International Whaling Commission - Whale conservation
- Japan still illegally takes around 300 whales from the SO per year today
- Whales migrate South during austral summer to take advantage of food resources
- KRILL
- TOURISM IMPACTS
- Non-residential. Only short term visitors
- In 2007/8 there was 46,069 tourists and 4,000 who visited as part of a national Atlantic programme
- National Antarctic programme often stay for a long period of time but bases are low impact
- Tourists stay for a short period of time but activities are high impact; interrupts wildlife, ships catch uncharted rocks = oil spills, damages picturesque areas
- M/S exploer sank and largely polluted the ocean
- International Association of Antarctic Tour Operations (IAATO)
- Strict guidelines; limits ship size, limits number of people on land at one time
- THE ARCTIC TREATY
- 1961 Nature Reserves by the Antarctic Treaty
- World Governments agree to set the continent aside for peace and scientific research
- NOT for economic uses; oil production, tourism
- Stops Antarctic exploitation
- BASIC FACTS
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