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East Antarctica, also calledGreater Antarctica, constitutes the majority (two-thirds) of theAntarcticcontinent, lying primarily in theEastern Hemisphere south of theIndian Ocean, and separated fromWest Antarctica by theTransantarctic Mountains. It is generally greater in elevation than West Antarctica, and includes theGamburtsev Mountain Range in the center. The geographicSouth Pole is located within East Antarctica.
Apart from small areas of the coast, East Antarctica is permanently covered by ice and it has relatively lowbiodiversity, with only a small number of species of terrestrial plants, animals,algae, andlichens. The coasts are the breeding ground for various seabirds and penguins, and theleopard seal,Weddell seal,elephant seal,crabeater seal andRoss seal breed on the surrounding pack ice in summer.
Almost completely covered in thick, permanent ice, East Antarctica comprisesCoats Land,Queen Maud Land,Enderby Land,Kemp Land,Mac. Robertson Land,Princess Elizabeth Land,Wilhelm II Land,Queen Mary Land,Wilkes Land,Adélie Land,George V Land,Oates Land andVictoria Land. All but a small portion of this region lies within theEastern Hemisphere, a fact that has suggested the name. The name has been in existence for more than 110 years (Balch, 1902; Nordenskjöld, 1904), but its greatest use followed theInternational Geophysical Year (1957–58) and explorations disclosing that theTransantarctic Mountains provide a useful regional separation of East Antarctica andWest Antarctica. The name was approved in theUnited States by theAdvisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) in 1962. East Antarctica is generally higher than West Antarctica, and is considered the coldest place onEarth.
The subglacialGamburtsev Mountain Range, about the size of the European Alps, in the center of East Antarctica, are believed to have been the nucleation site for theEast Antarctic Ice Sheet, just underneathDome A.
Very little of East Antarctica is not covered withice. The small areas that remain free of ice (Antarctic oasis), including theMcMurdo Dry Valleys inland, constitute atundra-typebiodiversity region known asMaudlandia Antarcticdesert, afterQueen Maud Land. There are no trees or shrubs, as only very limited plant life can survive here; the flora consists oflichens,moss, andalgae that are adapted to the cold and wind, and cling to rocks.
The coasts are home toseabirds,penguins, andseals (Pinnipeds), which feed in the surroundingocean, including theemperor penguin, which famously breeds in the cold, darkAntarctic winter.
Seabirds of the coast include southern fulmar(Fulmarus glacialoides), the scavenging southern giant petrel(Macronectes giganteus), Cape petrel(Daption capense), snow petrel(Pagodroma nivea), the small Wilson's storm-petrel(Oceanites oceanicus), the large south polar skua(Catharacta maccormicki), and Antarctic petrel(Thalassoica antarctica).
The seals of theAntarctic Ocean includeleopard seal(Hydrurga leptonyx),Weddell seal(Leptonychotes weddellii), the hugesouthern elephant seal(Mirounga leonina),crabeater seal(Lobodon carcinophagus) andRoss seal (Ommatophoca rossii).
There are no large land animals butbacteria,nematodes,springtails,mites, andmidges live on the mosses and lichens.[1]
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The remote and extremely cold bulk of Antarctica remains almost entirely untouched by human intervention. The area is protected by theAntarctic Treaty System which bans industrial development, waste disposal and nuclear testing, while theBarwick Valley, one of the Dry Valleys,Mount Rittmann, andCryptogam Ridge onMount Melbourne are specially protected areas for their undisturbed plant life.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from"East Antarctica".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey.
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