Review Session

April 5, 2021
EARTH 10: Antarctica
Overview of Lab and Assigned Reading/Video
Lab 1: Interpreting Maps (Due Friday, April 9 at 11:59 PM)
Materials to Study:
• “Lab 1: Interpreting Maps – files needed” Folder on Gauchospace: contains useful
presentation specific to the types of questions in the lab.
• Lecture 2A: Physical Geography of Antarctica (outlines Topographic Maps, Latitude and
Longitude)
Teaching Assistant Sections: Start Tuesday, you are welcome to attend any but I recommend starting
with your assigned TA if possible.
Assigned Video Clip: Frozen Planet Episode, “The Last Frontier” (Portion: 25:25-46:45) (NOT required to watch
portions regarding Arctic/”Making Of”)
Questions to Consider: What elements of Antarctica does it highlight? What element do you find most
engaging? How does it help you experience Antarctica? Are there scientific concepts from class that are
highlighted in it?
Assigned Article: Article #1 (Antarctic Circumpolar Current
Good example of a good article for Assignment #2!
Questions to Consider: What is the question the authors are trying to answer? What materials did they study
or work with to answer this question? What connections are there between this article and what we cover in
class?
Assigned Article: Articles #2 and #3 (Antarctic Bottom Water and Vostok):
Good examples of a good article for Assignment #1!
Lab This Week: Interpreting Maps
Read the presentation your TAs made for you and look at the files before
attempting the “submission quiz”.

Map Legend: Has a lot of the useful information you need such as…
• Contour intervals: elevation difference between two contour lines on a
topographic map.
• Scale: how much distance in the real world a distance (like one inch) on the map
corresponds to.

Look at the edges of the map for the latitude and longitude. Look all over the map,
because they may sometimes leave out the degrees and just include the “minutes
and seconds” for some of the entries….especially if the map is covering a relatively
small area.
Takeaways from Week 1:
Antarctica is the coldest continent, both
absolutely and on average: cold
because of latitude and isolation from
warm ocean currents.
Also the:
• Highest continent (on average)
• Windiest continent (absolutely and on
average)
• Driest continent (on average)
• Least populous continent (absolutely
and on average): only settlements are
scientific research bases.
Example question: Antarctica is the highest continent
____. (complete the sentence)
A. on average
B. on average, and the highest point on Earth is in
Antarctica
C. not on average, but the highest point on Earth is in
Antarctica
D. and would still be so even in the event that all of
the glaciers were to melt.
E. because of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.
Geographic Terms to Know
Latitude vs. Longitude
Map Projection and Polar Projections
Topographic Maps: Contour Lines, Contour Intervals
Equator and Prime Meridian
East vs. West Antarctica (and their ice sheets)
Transantarctic Mountains
Antarctic Peninsula
Antarctic Circle
Antarctic Convergence Example question:
Subantarctic Islands The Antarctic Circle is ____. (Complete the sentence)
A. a front at which different water masses meet.
Southern Ocean B. the line of latitude south of which all of Antarctica is located.
C. the line of latitude south of which everything experiences at
least one 24-hour period of total darkness per year.
D. the line of longitude east of which everything experiences at
least one 24-hour period of total darkness per year.
E. the line south of which the Subantarctic Islands are located.
United States Bases:
McMurdo: East Antarctica (Ross Island), largest
Amundson-Scott South Pole Base: South Pole
Palmer Station: Antarctic Peninsula, smallest, largely a
resupply station for US Research Vessels

Other stations mentioned:

Halley Station (UK Station in Stilts)
Scott Base (New Zealand “next door neighbor to McMurdo)
Pole of Inaccessibility (abandoned Soviet Union Station)
Vostok Station (current Russian Federation base at Lake
Vostok)

Also consider general points about overall population levels

in Antarctica (at varying points in the year) and what types of
people are there.

Example Question:
True or False: The human population of Antarctica is much larger Human Bases: Know Where the U.S.
in the winter than in the summer. Bases Are