TIGER Questions and Answers
about Miscellaneous Antarctic Topics
Dr. Eric Christian of NASA GSFC was in Antarctica for the launch of the balloon-borne instrument, TIGER. He answered questions about Antarctica and the mission while there and since.
- Have any dinosaur fossils been found in Antarctica, and what type of prehistoric animals had lived there?
Yes, dinosaur fossils have been found in Antarctica. A lot more information can be found on the Zoom School and Discover Learning sites.
- Have fossils been found in Antarctica that would support the Theory of Continental Drift?
A plant called Glossopteris was one of the first fossils used to support the Theory of Continental Drift. It is found on all the southern continents (South America, Africa, Australia, and Antarctica) and led Eduard Suess, an Austrian geologist, to suggest that the southern continents were at one point combined into one supercontinent, Gondwanaland. More info can be found on the Exploratorium site.
- Could there have been any cold-blooded dinosaurs in
Antarctica?
Antarctica was once closer to the equator and a lot warmer. Fossils of both tropical plants and dinosaurs (it is not known if dinosaurs were cold-blooded or not) have been found there. Even if dinosaurs were cold-blooded, in the Mesozoic Era (when dinosaurs roamed the Earth), Antarctica was warm enough to have them.
- We notice you are near water. Is there a beach there?
Right now the "water" is all frozen, and the beach is snow and ice. This picture, which was taken off Hut Point, is the closest to a beach I could find.
- Why doesn't the heat from the volcano melt the snow? Was there any earthquake action from the volcano? Have you been to the volcano?
There is no snow in the cauldera, but the outside is cool enough that snow can stay without melting. When vents open up in the sides, tall chimmneys of snow and ice can form. There haven't been any noticable earthquakes. Mt. Erebus is active but very stable currently. I haven't been up to the crest of the volcanoes, but I've talked to people who work up there. They have seismographs, gas monitors, and other instruments. They also may set up a webcam to look at the lava lake in the crater.
- Are there any volcanoes in Antarctica? If so, are any of them active?
Yes, there are many volcanoes on Antarctica, and a few of them are active. I was working with sight of the southernmost active volcano on the planet, Mt. Erebus, at 3794 meters (12,448 feet), and there are pictures of it on the website (see my November 21, 2003 journal entry, for example).
- How large is the settlement civilization in Antarctica?
McMurdo, with as many as 1200 people, is the largest settlement. But many other countries have bases, and the total population of the continent is about 4000 during the summer. It is only about 400 during the winter.
- Is there a way that we can repair the hole in the ozone layer?
Possibly, but there is a worry that the repair might do more damage in some other way. The hole does appear to be self-repairing with time, so all we have to do is stop destroying ozone and it should return to normal.
- Do compasses work at the South Pole, or are they affected by your location?
The South Magnetic Pole is not at the South Pole, which is determined by the axis that the Earth is spinning on. As a matter of fact, the magnetic pole isn't even on Antarctica, but off the coast. But close to the magnetic pole, the compass needle actually tries to point down, which usually makes it rub and stop spinning. Except for that, a compass will still work until you get very close to the magnetic pole, which the South Pole isn't. You have to correct the direction for the magnetic pole location however. This is true even where you are in the States. I think that the North Pole is about seven degrees off the direction that a compass will point in the US northeast.
- What do you think the Earth is going to be like in some decades, if the average temperature increases at the same rate it increasing now?
At the current rate, the Earth will only be a little warmer in a few decades. That little bit will be enough to raise the oceans some, and a warmer Earth means more and bigger storms such as hurricanes and even blizzards. As the Earth warms up, not only does the average temperature go up, but the variations in temperature also increase as more energy is put into the atmosphere.
- How far from the South Pole are you?
850 miles
- Can you bring things back to the states? If so, what?
There are very strict limits on bringing things back to the states. You need a permit for rock, soil, ice, water, and anything biological.
This page was last modified on January 5, 2004
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