POSTER SESSION - SPONSORED BY THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The Arctic and Antarctica: Any Analogues?

Summary

Detailed consideration of different features of two polar regions shows their significant difference and practically no coincidences. Investigation of astronomical, geographical, geological, climatic, economic, demographic, environmental, military-strategic and political characteristics indicates coincidence in the astronomical parameters. This is a phenomenon of polar day and night typical of the areas situated beyond the Arctic and Antarctic Polar Circles with a time difference of 6 months. On the contrary, asymmetric location of the continents and the oceans, Earth’s crust structure and shape, river runoff presence or absence, general structure of atmospheric circulation and ozone layer dynamics, flora and fauna biodiversity serve as evidence of significant differences between the Arctic and the Antarctic. Antarctica as compared with the Arctic has no permanent or indigenous population, industry and agriculture, transport infrastructure, urban territories and military bases. From the political-legal viewpoint, no state or customs borders exist in the Antarctic, managed by the international legal mechanism – Antarctic Treaty 1959. Sovereign states exist in the Arctic with state borders and the international law regime in the Arctic Ocean is regulated by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982. The Antarctic Treaty was an outcome of the IGY 1957-58, and some scientists and politicians considered that the IPY 2009 could serve as a basis for the international Arctic Treaty. We believe this approach to be impermissible based on a detailed analysis of two polar regions.

Related Document

Speakers

Ms. Helen Campbell SCADM Deputy Chief Officer, United Kingdom
Alan Cooper U.S. Geological Survey
Peter Barrett Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University, New Zealand
Robert DeConto Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts
Robert Dunbar Environmental Earth Systems Science, Stanford University
Carlota Escutia Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT), Spain
Dr. Martin Seigert Head of the School of GeoSciences
Nigel Wardell Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, Italy
Jon Childs U.S. Geological Survey
John Hocevar Oceans Director
Allison Kole Campaigns Assistant, Science and the Governance of International Commons
Igor Krupnik Smithsonian Institution
Mr. Michael Lang Director, Smithsonian Marine Science Network; Director, Smithsonian Scientific Diving program; Office of the Under Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution, United States
Scott E. Miller Smithsonian Institution
Mr. Michael Lang Director, Smithsonian Marine Science Network; Director, Smithsonian Scientific Diving program; Office of the Under Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution, United States
Martin Sayer NERC Facility for Scientific Diving, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom
Rafael Lemaitre Smithsonian Institution
Valery Lukin Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Russian Antarctic Expedition
Robert A. McCabe
Anita Dey Nuttall Canadian Circumpolar Institute, University of Alberta
Frank Rack ANDRILL Science Management Office, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Laura De Santis Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale GS, Italy
Richard Levy GNS Science, New Zealand
Tim Naish Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Robert DeConto Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts
Carlota Escutia Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT), Spain
Tina Tin Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
Rupert Summerson Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Professor David Walton Professor Emeritus, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Julie A Hambrook Berkman Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces
Dr. Michele Zebich-Knos Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA

Schedule

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