The Antarctic Environment

About the lecture

In this module, we introduce Antarctica and its physical environment, focusing on: (i) its unique climate - it is both the coldest and the driest continent - and the main factors which cause this; (ii) the central importance of the ice sheet in shaping the Antarctic environment, and how it is influenced by subglacial topography; (iii) ice sheet processes and components, including ice sheet flow and ice streams, the formation of ice shelves on the ocean surface, and the calving of ice bergs; (iv) Antarctica’s subglacial lakes, notably Lake Vostok, and the search for life within them; (v) landforms created by the flow of the Antarctic ice sheet, including nunataks, sastrugi and crevasses; (vi) ice-free areas of Antarctica, such as the McMurdo Dry Valleys, in terms of where and how they form and their characteristics.

About the lecturer

Professor Mike Bentley is a Professor in the Department of Geography at Durham University. He researches the environmental history of Antarctica, with a particular focus on how the ice sheet and ice shelves have changed over time, and the exploration of subglacial lakes.