Antarctica Ring

Antarctica Ring. The Antarctica Ring is handcrafted in 18ct yellow gold and set with a large starshaped quartz crystal and pavediamond detailing on the band Whilst it is a real showstopper this gold cocktail ring is also extremely easy to wear due to its neutral palette and restrained choice of gemstones In our eyes this oneofakind piece is true jewellery sculpture in miniature and the perfect.

SettingComponentsGeologyClimateFunctionHabitatFlora and faunaEcologyHabitsTriviaOperationsEnvironmentMissionBackgroundResultsPreludeAftermathSignificanceGoalsThe continent of Antarctica makes up most of the Antarctic region The Antarctic is a cold remote area in the Southern Hemisphere encompassed by the Antarctic Convergence The Antarctic Convergence is an uneven line of latitude where cold northwardflowing Antarctic waters meet the warmer waters of the worlds oceans The Antarctic covers approximately 20 percent of the Southern Hemisphere The Antarctic also includes island territories within the Antarctic Convergence The islands of the Antarctic region are South Orkney Islands South Shetland Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands all claimed by the United Kingdom Peter I Island and Bouvet Island claimed by Norway Heard and McDonald islands claimed by Australia and Scott Island and the Balleny Islands claimed by New Zealand The Antarctic Ice Sheet dominates the region It is the largest single piece of ice on Earth This ice sheet even extends beyond the continent when snow and ice are at their most extreme The ice surface dramatically grows in size from about 3 million square kilometers (12 million square miles) at the end of summer to about 19 million square kilometers (73 million square miles) by winter Ice sheet growth mainly occurs at the coastal ice shelves primarily the Ross Ice Shelf and the Ronne Ice Shelf Ice shelves are floating sheets of ice that are connected to the continent Glacial ice moves from the continents interior to these lowerelevation ice shelves at rates of 10 to 1000 meters (3332808 feet) per year Antarctica has a number of mountain summits including the Transantarctic Mountains which divide the continent into eastern and western regions A few of these summits reach altitudes of more than 4500 meters (14764 feet) The elevation of the Antarctic Ice Sheet itself is about 2000 meters (6562 feet) and reaches 4000 meters (13123 feet) above sea level near the center of the continent Without any ice Antarctica would emerge as a giant peninsula and archipelago of mountainous islands known as Lesser Antarctica and a single large landmass about the size of Australia known as Greater Antarctica These regions have different geologies Greater Antarctica or East Antarctica is composed of older igneous and metamorphic rocks Lesser Antarctica or West Antarctica is made up of younger volcanic and sedimentary rock Lesser Antarctica in fact is part of the Ring of Fire a tectonically active area around the Pacific Ocean Tectonic activity is the interaction of plates on Earths crust often resulting in earthquakes and volcanoes Mount Erebus located on Antarcticas Ross Island is the southernmost active volcano on Earth The majority of the islands and archipelagos of Lesser Antarctica are volcanic and heavily glaciated They are also home to a number of high mountains The oceans surrounding Antarctica provide an important physical component of the Antarctic region The waters surrounding Antarctica are relatively deep reaching 4000 to 5000 meters (13123 to 16404 feet) in depth Climate Antarctica has an extremely cold dry climate Winter temperatures along Antarcticas coast generally range from 10° Celsius to 30° Celsius (14° Fahrenheit to 22° Fahrenheit) During the summer coastal areas hover around 0°C (32°F) but can reach temperatures as high as 9°C (48°F) In the mountainous interior regions temperatures are much colder dropping below 60°C (76°F) in winter and 20°C (4°F) in summer In 1983 Russias Vostok Research Station measured the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth 892°C (1286°F) An even lower temperature was measured using satellite data taken in 2010 932°C (1358°F) Precipitation in the Antarctic is hard to measure It always falls as snow Antarcticas interior is believed to receive only 50 to 100 millimeters (24 inches) of water (in the form of snow) every year The Antarctic desert is one of the driest deserts in the world The Antarctic region has an important role in global climate processes It is an integral part of the Earths heat balance The heat balance also called the energy balance is the relationship between the amount of solar heat absorbed by Earths atmosphere and the amount of heat reflected back into space Antarctica has a larger role than most continents in maintaining Earths heat balance Ice is more reflective than land or water surfaces The massive Antarctic Ice Sheet reflects a large amount of solar radiation away from Earths surface As global ice cover (ice sheets and glaciers) decreases the reflectivity of Earths surface also decreases This allows more incoming solar radiation to be absorbed by the Earths surface causing an unequal heat balance linked to global warming the current period of climate change Interestingly NASA scientists have found that climate change has actually caused more ice to form in some parts of Antarctica They say this is happening because of new climate patterns caused by climate change These patterns create a strong wind pattern called the \\”polar vortex\\” Polar vortex winds lower temperatures in the Antarctic and have been building in strength in recent decadesas much as 15 percent since 1980 This effect is not seen throughout the Antarctic however and some parts are experiencing ice melt Antarctic upwelling is so strong that it helps move water around the entire planet This movement is aided by strong winds that circumnavigate Antarctica Without the aid of the oceans around Antarctica the Earths waters would not circulate in a balanced and efficient manner Lichens mosses and terrestrial algae are among the few species of vegetation that grow in Antarctica More of this vegetation grows in the northern and coastal regions of Antarctica while the interior has little if any vegetation The ocean however teems with fish and other marine life In fact the waters surrounding Antarctica are among the most diverse on the planet Upwelling allows phytoplankton and algae to flourish Thousands of species such as krill feed on the plankton Fish and a large variety of marine mammals thrive in the cold Antarctic waters Blue fin humpback right minke sei and sperm whales have healthy populations in Antarctica One of the apex or top predators in Antarctica is the leopard seal The leopard seal is one of the most aggressive of all marine predators This 3meter (9foot) 400kilogram (882pound) animal has unusually long sharp teeth which it uses to tear into prey such as penguins and fish The most familiar animal of Antarctica is probably the penguin They have adapted to the cold coastal waters Their wings serve as flippers as they fly through the water in search of prey such as squid and fish Their feathers retain a layer of air helping them keep warm in the freezing water Davis Station is Australias busiest scientific research station It is located in an icefree area known as the Vestfold Hills Like most research stations in Antarctica food is very important at Davis Station Residents live and work closely together in facilities and outdoor environments that are often very monotonous As such food plays an important role in providing variety to residents like those at Davis Station Food supplies are however very limited The food supply for a year at Davis Station is rationed per person per year Residents live mostly on frozen and canned food The chef is often thought of as one of the most important people at Davis Station He or she must make sure to use all commodities in such a way that is both creative and sustainable Some of the stations most important events revolve around the chefs creations such as the Midwinter Dinner a traditional sumptuous feast first celebrated during the 190104 British Antarctic Expedition Like many of Antarcticas research facilities Davis Station has a hydroponic greenhouse Hydroponics is the practice of growing plants with water and nutrients only Hydroponics requires excellent gardeners because produce is grown without soil Fresh produce adds variety and nutrition to Antarctic meals The greenhouse also serves as a sunroom for sunlightdeprived residents especially during the long winter months For many European and North American powers Antarctica represented the last great frontier for human exploration Fueled by nationalist pride and supported by advances in science and navigation many explorers took on the Race for the Antarctic Explorers first skimmed the boundaries of Antarctica on sea voyages By the early 20th century explorers started to traverse the interior of Antarctica The aim of these expeditions was often more competitive than scientific Explorers wanted to win the Race to the South Pole more than understand Antarcticas environment Because early explorers confronted extreme obstacles and debilitating conditions this period of time became known as the Heroic Age Roald Amundsen Robert Falcon Scott Edward Adrian Wilson and Ernest Shackleton all competed in the Race to the South Pole In 1911 Amundsen of Norway and Scott of the United Kingdom began expeditions with the aim of becoming the first man to reach the South Pole Amundsens team set out from the Bay of Whales in the Ross Sea on October 19 while Scott set out from Ross Island on November 1 Each team used different methods with drastically different levels of success Amundsens team relied on dog sleds and skiing to reach the pole covering as much as 64 kilometers (40 miles) per day Scotts team on the other hand pulled their sleighs by hand collecting geological samples along the way Amundsens team became the first to reach the South Pole on December 15 The team was healthy and successfully made the journey out of Antarctica Scotts team reached the South Pole on January 17 1912 suffering from malnutrition snow blindness exhaustion and injury They all died on their journey home Hoping to oneup his predecessors Shackleton of the United Kingdom attempted the first transcontinental crossing of Antarctica in 1914 Shackleton planned the trip by using two ships the Aurora and the Endurance at opposite ends of the continent Aurora would sail to the Ross Sea and deposit supplies On the opposite side Endurance would sail through the Weddell Sea to reach the continent Once there the team would march to the pole with dog teams dispose of extra baggage and use supplies left by Aurora to reach the other end of the continent The plan failed The Endurance became frozen in the pack ice of the Weddell Sea The pack ice crushed and sunk the ship Shackletons team survived for roughly four months on the ice by setting up makeshift camps Their food sources were leopard seals fish and ultimately their sled dogs Once the ice floe broke expedition members used lifeboats to reach safer land and were picked up on Elephant Island 22 months after theyd set out on their journey Although some of the crew sustained injuries they all survived The journey of the Endurance expedition symbolizes the Heroic Age a time of extreme sacrifice and bravery in the name of exploration and discovery Apsley George Benet CherryGarrard a polar explorer summed up the Heroic Age in his book The Worst Journey in the World \\”For a joint scientific and geographical piece of organisation give me Scott for a Winter Journey Wilson for a dash to the Pole and nothing else Amundsen and if I am in the devil of a hole and want to get out of it give me Shackleton every time The International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 195758 aimed to end Cold War divisions among the scientific community by promoting global scientific exchange The IGY prompted an intense period of scientific research in the Antarctic Many countries conducted their first Antarctic explorations and constructed the first research stations on Antarctica More than 50 Antarctic stations were established for the IGY by just 12 countries Argentina Australia Belgium Chile France Japan New Zealand Norway South Africa the Soviet Union the United Kingdom and the United States.

Antarctica National Geographic Society

Sterling Silver Antarctica Ring Designed by Amore Argento The Antarctica ring is a stunning cluster with a crystal clear central emerald cut cubic zirconia that has the appearance of a continuously changing expanse and surrounded by smaller cubic zirconia creating an incredible icy allure The am.

Amore Antarctica Ring – Michael Jones Jeweller

The Antarctica ring is a stunning cluster with a crystal clear central emerald cut cubic zirconia that has the appearance of a continuously changing expanse and surrounded by smaller cubic zirconia creating an incredible icy allure The amore designers have created another stunning piece that catches the eye this fr.