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Current page navigation: Antarctica | Antarctica map | How cold is cold | Wrap up | Kua ū a Daniel Hikuroa ki Antarctica | Icebergs
Antarctica
Antarctica is a large area of land that is covered by a great sheet of ice, and is about the toughest place you could choose to live.
- Open this 'New Zealand From Space' website to see how big Antarctica is compared to New Zealand.
- As you look at the picture think about the four questions below:
- What do you notice about the size of Antarctica compared with Australia?
- How close is Antarctica to New Zealand and Australia?
- What are the names of the oceans and seas that surround Antarctica?
- What do the different colours on New Zealand, Australia, and Antarctica tell us?
- Open 'From Space looking down to Earth' (Word, 109KB) document and write down some differences between Antarctica and New Zealand.
Email your differences to ed@tki.org.nz.
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Antarctica map
Wiki found that Antarctica:
- is covered by permafrost (permanently frozen ground)
- is surrounded by water
- is about 1 1/2 times larger than the United States
- has about 87% of the world's ice.
Wiki tried to copy a map of Antarctica but some of the names disappeared and left red lines! Help Wiki by writing in the missing names.
- Open the map that Wiki was trying to copy and scroll down to find the map.
- Now, open Wiki's map of Antarctica (Word, 35KB), and type in the missing names where the red lines are.
Email your completed map to ed@tki.org.nz.
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How cold is cold?
Did you know that Antarctica is the coldest place on earth? In fact the lowest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica is -89.2°C. Then if you add the wind chill factor, the temperature can go as low as – 100°C.
So, if you walked outside into -100°C without wearing the proper clothing you would die in a minute. The moisture in your blood would freeze and set like jelly!
- Explore these websites to see how temperature can affect your body.
- Open this 'Safety and Survival Precautions' website and read 'Scott's tragic tale' and 'Did you know?' to help you learn some interesting facts about very cold temperatures.
- Do you and your friends get cold easily? Try this simple temperature chart (Word, 36KB) to record your friend's temperature throughout the day.
Email your temperature findings to ed@tki.org.nz.
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Wrap up
When flying to Antarctica people need to be properly dressed. Providing warmth and protection from the harsh Antarctic elements (cold, ice, and wind) can be difficult.
- Explore this webpage to find out what clothing you need to take.
- Open this clothing checklist (Word, 67KB) and fill in the table.
Or
'Man is unique amongst animals in that he can live in the widest range of environments from extreme heat to extreme cold.'
- Draw a poster to show what you think this phrase means.
Email your clothing chart or poster to ed@tki.org.nz.
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Kua ū a Daniel Hikuroa ki Antarctica
Tirohia ngā mahi a Daniel Hikuroa he tauira Māori kei te Whare Wānanga o Tāmaki Makaurau, i a ia e mahi nei i te Antarctic, kātahi ka whakautu i ngā pātai kei raro.
- He aha ngā mea e kohikohia nei e Daniel i te Antarctic?
- E hia te roa o Daniel e noho ana ki te Antarctic?
- Ki ō whakaaro he aha i ōrite ai ngā roke kanae o ngā tau 350 miriona kua pahure, ki ērā o taua wā tonu, i kitea i roto i Aotearoa?
Īmeratia ō whakautu ki a ed@tki.org.nz.
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Icebergs
Ed was reading somewhere that every summer December to February; Antarctica places about 5,000 giant icebergs in the sea. Now, that is a lot of frozen water and a huge number of icebergs.
- Ed has found some photos that show the Pine Island iceberg being made. Can you see how the seawater moves up the crack to help the new iceberg break off?
- So what is it about icebergs that you want to find out?
- Ed has made a quick iceberg true or false fact sheet (Word, 42KB), so you can test your iceberg knowledge.
Email your answers to ed@tki.org.nz.
Extra for Experts: 'Estimating the Size of Icebergs with Satellite Images'.
Expert iceberg hunters use special tools and techniques to precisely measure the size of icebergs. Open this link to learn two methods for measuring the area of an iceberg using satellite images.
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