NATURE AND SCIENCE PRESERVE

No one owns or governs Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959, claims the continent as a scientific preserve. It establishes freedom of scientific inquiry and bans military activity.

Forty-nine treaty nations currently engage in scientific research over the continent’s varied terrain. Although ice sheets cover 98% of Antarctica, the continent also contains glaciers, dry valleys, and volcanic mountains. International collaborations take place at research stations, including the United States’ McMurdo Station and the Russian Vostok Station.

Ice cores offer a view into the climate history of the planet. Long slices of ice, drilled from glaciers and ice sheets, contain tiny bubbles of air and sediment trapped over thousands of years. Scientists study layers of ice, which reveal a 40% rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.