Antarctica and the Earth System

This book presents a state-of-the-art overview of the role that Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play as integral parts of the Earth System.

While often characterised as the last great wilderness on Earth, Antarctica is intimately connected to the rest of the planet, exerting key influences on all places and all people. It is also vulnerable to global changes, especially those driven by humans. This book examines how Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are connected to the rest of the planet, and what these connections mean for the future of Planet Earth and all its inhabitants. It transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries to explore this role across physical, ecological, political, and social systems. Drawing on the latest research findings and thinking, the volume identifies the current leading-order challenges across each of these spheres, highlighting areas where enhanced focus is needed. With the role of Antarctica in the Earth System being one of the most relevant themes of our times, this book will help audiences to understand Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in a global perspective.

Antarctica and the Earth System will be of great interest to a wide range of interdisciplinary students and scholars of Earth sciences, Antarctic studies, polar science, and environmental management.

1. Introduction: Antarctica and Planet Earth
2. Geological and Paleoclimatic Evolution of the Southern Ocean-Antarctic System
3. Global Atmospheric Influence on Antarctica
4. Southern Ocean Circulation: Global Drivers and Ongoing Changes
5. The Southern Ocean Coupled Carbon and Climate Feedback Links to the Earth System: The Present, the Past, and the Future
6. Antarctic Sea-Ice: Ongoing Changes and Compelling Issues
7. The Antarctic Ice Sheet and Sea Level: Contemporary Changes and Future Projections
8. Pollution in Antarctica
9. Ecosystem Resilience, Fisheries and Conservation in the Southern Ocean: Status of Knowledge, Prognoses and Challenges
10. Power at the Bottom of the World: Emerging Geopolitics in an Exceptional Place
11. Cultural Connections with Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
12. Conclusions