Talk:Antarctica

British explorer Ernest Shackleton was the first to reach the magnetic South Pole in 1907, and the geographic south pole was first reached in 1911 by Norwegian explorers.
The claim that Ernest Shackleton was the first to reach the magnetic South Pole is not correct. As can be seen in the Wikipedia article "Magnetic South Pole" the three people who were the 'first' were members of Shackleton's Nimrod Expedition (the 'Northern Party'). Also the date is wrong. The party reached their estimated position of the magnetic pole on 16 January 1909 (easy to find this by various articles online). While the Nimrod expedition is usually referred to as 1907-1909 (likely choice of 1907 date) the ship left the UK in 1907 and did not leave New Zealand for the Antarctic until January 1908. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Antipodenz (talk • contribs) 21:34, 17 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Feel free to correct the body of the article with a good cite and the lead if you can do so succinctly. Chidgk1 (talk) 11:23, 18 May 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi Antipodenz. You're absolutely right, an embarrasing mistake from my side. I tried to summarise the body, but didn't read in enough detail. Femke (talk) 15:56, 18 May 2022 (UTC)

Ernest Shackleton was not British. He was born in Co. Kildare, Ireland and spent the first 10 years of his life there. He is reported to have said many times: "I am an Irishman". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.43.50.34 (talk) 13:39, 3 January 2023 (UTC)

Unrelated, despite an existing WP link to "South Pole" in the article's second sentence, I also linked this sentence's "geographic south pole" simply for clarity. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gprobins (talk • contribs) 13:23, 20 September 2023 (UTC)


 * Shakleton was Anglo-Irish, making him British. It is common to assign an expedition's success to the leader of the expedition, irrespective of whether he was actually the 'first' to do something (eg Magellen). It isn't always the case though, (eg Hilary). Roger 8 Roger (talk) 01:50, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

Gabriel de Castilla discovered Antarctica in 1603, arriving at parallel 64º South Latitude.
"Gabriel de Castilla descubrió la Antártida en 1603, llegando al paralelo 64º Latitud Sur." https://leyendanegracontraespana.quora.com/Gabriel-de-Castilla-descubri%C3%B3-la-Ant%C3%A1rtida-en-1603-llegando-al-paralelo-64%C2%BA-Latitud-Sur-Hasta-d%C3%B3nde-lleg%C3%B3-con-una-nav — Preceding unsigned comment added by 109.48.116.128 (talk) 05:58, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

Better and more consistent links to other articles
When i was researching and writing a presentation about Antarctica i started noticing inconsistencies in the linking to other articles. i did notice that in the 5th paragraph in the geography section that Vinson Massif is linked but Mount Erebus is not linked. Would be better to be more consistent with linking. Relaxingskull (talk) 10:43, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

1569 map of Antárctica
Obviously people had been to Antarctica WAY earlier, look at this map from 1569

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection 189.216.182.216 (talk) 01:39, 13 August 2023 (UTC)


 * The Diego Gutierrez map of 1562 clearly shows the continent as well. In a place it should not be according to modern geology. There was barely enough room to sail under Patagoonia/Chile. The map also shows southern Florida under water and the foot of Louisiana missing, which is consistent with sea levels being higher as there would have been less ice on the continent at that position.https://www.theguardian.com/culture/picture/2010/may/10/british-library-map-diego-gutierrez. The Tierra Florida on the map is not modern Florida, but rather the Tennessee River valley where is crosses northern Georgia and Alabama and dumps into what is now Muscle Shoals, Alabama. 2600:1700:B9C1:20C0:75F6:1AC8:2283:5E1D (talk) 18:10, 5 November 2023 (UTC)David
 * Back then people thought terra australis existed so what is wrong with putting it on a map? You are assuming that to be added to a map a place has to have been seen first. That assumption is original research. You are also assuming that back then people thought the same way we do today, that to be on a place should first have been seen. Roger 8 Roger (talk) 21:55, 5 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I am indeed assuming that a detailed map of a continent represents places actually visited and recorded by actual observers. The land mass in almost direct contact with the southern tip of Chile isn't labelled terra australis on the map. It has Magallanes name there. Australia is nowhwere near there and is not bigger than south America. It is obvious to anyone not willfully blind that the map shows a place that was actually observed and mapped. The Falkland Islands where they are supposed to be. The gulf of Mexico is correctly mapped but labelled gulf of new Spain. Everything else on that map is recognizeable and exactly where you would expect to find it. The people who compiled and engraved the map were acting on royal authority and were well respected for their work. https://www.loc.gov/collections/discovery-and-exploration/articles-and-essays/the-1562-map-of-america/ The map of Florida has a port of Saint Joseph. That place and name are still here. Port St. Joe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_St._Joe%2C_Florida. But the place I was born (Tampa) and now live (Broward County) are both under water. Ocean levels less than 20 feet higher would submerge the Tampa Bay area and both sides of south Florida. That is exactly what Florida would look like. There is no way someone just made that up. 2600:1700:B9C1:20C0:E468:1D71:EC9A:B72B (talk) 01:20, 6 November 2023 (UTC)David

Australian English instead of British
Australia's Antarctic territory is the largest one. Britain's Antarctic territory is around 3rd largest. (2nd largest is New Zealand)

Source:



IPs are people too 🇺🇸🦅 21:40, 28 November 2023 (UTC)

Enhancing Research and Climate Change section
Hi,

We are a group of college students and are interested in editing this article. Our main objective to enhance the Research section in this article. We specifically want to add more recent and relevant research findings and strategic missions. It is known that Antartica is a scientific preserve due to its immense significance in projecting climate and environment systems. We also want to attribute research expeditions and findings to climate change indicators found in the region by contributing to the Climate Change section as well.

We are open to receive any feedback or comments on our proposal!

Group members:

Jenna Chuong (chuon007) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Chuon007

Dhondup Dolma (dolma012) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ddolma012

Junyuan Wang (wang9747) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Juuyuau Ddolma012 (talk) 20:15, 26 March 2024 (UTC)


 * Hello Ddolma012, thank you for your interest in the article and improving it. This is a well-developed article, but at a glance I can see how the Research section could be improved. You might want to also contribute to sub articles like Research stations in Antarctica. Note that the Climate change section in this article is an excerpt. Perhaps not best practice, but in any case you cannot edit it here, you would have to edit Climate change in Antarctica. CMD (talk) 01:25, 27 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Hi,
 * We truly appreciate your feedback. We have drafted this paragraph related to current strategic plans released by scientific orgs highlighting the prominence of climate and environmental systems research in Antarctica:
 * Major scientific organizations in Antarctica have released Strategy and Action Plans focused on advancing national interests and objectives in Antarctica, supporting cutting-edge research to understand the interactions between the Antarctic region and climate systems. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) released a 10-year (2023 - 2033) strategy report to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to focus on creating sustainable living on Earth. Environmental sustainability is named as one of the top focus areas by the BAS strategy, highlighting the main challenge and priority to "embed environmental sustainability into everything we do." In 2022, the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) released a new Strategy and 20-year Action Plan (2022 - 2036) to modernize its Antarctic program. The global climate system was highlighted as one of the main priorities that will be supported and studied through the AAP Strategy Plan. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the vital role of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in climate and weather to improve current knowledge and inform management responses. In 2021, the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) released a Midterm Assessment on the 2015 Strategic Vision for Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research, stressing the prominent role of the Southern Ocean in the global carbon cycle and sea level rise. The USAP outlines the Changing Antarctic Ice Sheets Initiative as a top priority to enhance understanding of why ice sheets are changing now, and how they will change in the future.
 * Sources:
 * https://www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2239182604BAS-Strategy-2024-2034-1.pdf
 * https://www.antarctica.gov.au/site/assets/files/53908/australian-antarctic-science-strategic-plan.pdf
 * https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26338/chapter/1#vii
 * Please let us know if this is a feasible paragraph for the research section. We are hoping to learn more about editing on Wikipedia and hopefully be able to contribute to this article.
 * Thanks! Ddolma012 (talk) 03:00, 27 March 2024 (UTC)
 * There are a few resources regarding Wikipedia editing, but perhaps it is starting noting that Wikipedia is written as a tertiary source, and leans more towards reflecting the writing of secondary sources than on drawing new conclusions from primary sources (see WP:NOR for more). Thus, it would be better to have a source about the SAPs, rather than working directly from the SAPs. Another note related to what I said above is that Wikipedia articles are written in WP:Summary style, so not everything about Antarctica should be on this page, just as not everything about the Earth can be on Earth, not all data relating to climate change can be on Climate change, and not all History can be in History. Detailed information may better fit on more specific pages, such as those I mentioned above. CMD (talk) 04:08, 27 March 2024 (UTC)

Hi, It's Junyuan here. I plan to propose a summary paragraph that focuses on the research about Antarctica's Ice Sheet. Here is the proposed paragraph, welcome for any advice:


 * Antarctica's ice sheets are a central focus of contemporary climate research due to urgent questions about their stability and reaction to global warming. Satellite technology enables researchers to study the ice sheets both through on-site fieldwork and remote sensing, facilitating detailed analyses of ice dynamics to predict future changes in a warming world. The INStabilities & Thresholds in ANTarctica (INSTANT) Scientific Research Programme proposes three research themes, investigating the complex interactions between the atmosphere, ocean, and solid Earth in Antarctica. Its aims include improving the understanding and predictions of these processes to aid decision makers in risk assessment, management, and mitigation related to Antarctic climate change. The Australian-led ICECAP project utilized advanced aerogeophysical techniques to map deep subglacial basins and channels that connect the ice sheet to the ocean. This mapping improves predictions of ice sheet stability, the impacts of climate change on the ice sheets, and their potential contributions to global sea level rise.
 * References:
 * Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research: https://scar.org/science/research-programmes/instant
 * Australian Antarctic Program: https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/weather-and-climate/climate-change/ice-sheets-and-sea-level-rise/
 * Antartica and Southern Ocean Coalition: https://www.asoc.org/learn/climate-science-in-antarctica/

Semi-protected edit request on 27 March 2024
Add to Research Section:

Major scientific organizations in Antarctica have released Strategy and Action Plans focused on advancing national interests and objectives in Antarctica, supporting cutting-edge research to understand the interactions between the Antarctic region and climate systems. The British Antarctic Survey (BAS) released a 10-year (2023 - 2033) strategy report to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to focus on creating sustainable living on Earth. Environmental sustainability is named as one of the top focus areas by the BAS strategy, highlighting the main challenge and priority to "embed environmental sustainability into everything we do." In 2022, the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) released a new Strategy and 20-year Action Plan (2022 - 2036) to modernize its Antarctic program. The global climate system was highlighted as one of the main priorities that will be supported and studied through the AAP Strategy Plan. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the vital role of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean in climate and weather to improve current knowledge and inform management responses. In 2021, the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) released a Midterm Assessment on the 2015 Strategic Vision for Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research, stressing the prominent role of the Southern Ocean in the global carbon cycle and sea level rise. The USAP outlines the Changing Antarctic Ice Sheets Initiative as a top priority to enhance understanding of why ice sheets are changing now, and how they will change in the future.

Sources: https://www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2239182604BAS-Strategy-2024-2034-1.pdf https://www.antarctica.gov.au/site/assets/files/53908/australian-antarctic-science-strategic-plan.pdf https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/26338/chapter/1#vii Ddolma012 (talk) 19:09, 27 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Semi-protection-unlocked.svg Not done: According to the page's protection level you should be able to edit the page yourself. If you seem to be unable to, please reopen the request with further details. RudolfRed (talk) 02:51, 28 March 2024 (UTC)

Ross Dependency
I have started a discussion here about the status of the Ross dependency. It relates to a time when NZ was still a dominion, not fully independent, hence why I raised it on the B.E. article (and the NZ talk page). Roger 8 Roger (talk) 22:34, 29 April 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 5 June 2024
Despite myths and speculation about the Terra Australis Ignota ("the unknown land of the south") dating back to ancient times, Antarctica was the last region of Earth to be discovered and/or colonized by humans, being sighted for the first time in the southern summer of 1603 by the Spanish navigator Gabriel de Castilla and the Dutch Dirck Gerrit Pomp. Later, in 1820, it was sighted by the Russian explorers Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev in the Vostok and Mirni, who discovered the Fimbul ice barrier. The continent, however, remained unexplored for most of the 19th century due to its hostile environment and isolation. In 1895, the first confirmed landing was led by a Norwegian group. 37.10.235.22 (talk) 17:02, 5 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Liu1126 (talk) 17:17, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 June 2024
There is an error to fix in the Research section. Cosmic microwave background radiation and neutrinos from space are not "more focused at the poles", rather the cited article by Magdalena Długosz-Lisiecka et al. is about cosmic rays. The least disruptive way I see to fix this is to please change:

Astrophysicists at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station study cosmic microwave background radiation and neutrinos from space, which are more focused at the poles, with Antarctica having general radiation levels of 0.052 to 0.193 µSvh. The largest neutrino detector in the world, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, is at the Amundsen-Scott Station. It consists of around 5,500 digital optical modules, some of which reach a depth of 2450 m, that are held in 1 km3 of ice.

to:

Astrophysicists at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station study cosmic microwave background radiation and neutrinos from space. The largest neutrino detector in the world, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, is at the Amundsen-Scott Station. It consists of around 5,500 digital optical modules, some of which reach a depth of 2450 m, that are held in 1 km3 of ice. Scientists also observed higher radiation dose rates around the coast of Antarctica compared with the global average: this is attributed to cosmic rays going through the thinner atmosphere compared to equatorial latitudes. BradBrad13 (talk) 00:28, 21 June 2024 (UTC)


 * Having reached 10 edits, I was able to make this change myself. BradBrad13 (talk) 20:53, 21 June 2024 (UTC)