Antarctica: Earth's Climate Laboratory

Antarctica holds ninety percent of Earth's ice and was once a lush green paradise before

tectonic shifts buried it in frost. Scientists treat this frozen desert as humanity's most

important laboratory, studying climate patterns that directly affect every coastline on the planet.

Penguins, seals, and whales adapted to thrive in temperatures that would kill

most life within minutes. The Antarctic Treaty keeps this wilderness free from mining

and military operations, preserving it for research instead of profit. But warming oceans

are destabilizing ice shelves the size of countries, threatening to flood major cities worldwide.

What happens in Antarctica doesn't stay in Antarctica.