Areas of barren rock and scree around the edge of Antarctica provide a breeding ground for two of the continent's most well-known species of bird: the south polar skua and the Adelie penguin. This book considers the relationship between these two species, taking as its study site Ross Island. The author challenges the traditional view, through detailed observations of the foraging ecology of the skua, that they are totally dependant on penguin eggs and chicks for food. In addition, studies of the impact of skuas on penguin breeding and the extent to which the skua breeding cycle is...

Ice exists in water, in air, in earth and in living organisms. The purpose of this book is to describe in mathematical, physical and biological terms, the growth and decay of ice, on a scale ranging from molecular to macroscopic. Consideration of the growth of ice in each of the above contexts provides a clearer understanding of the processes involved and results in a comprehensive overview not available elsewhere. This book will be of particular use to any graduate student, scientist or engineer requiring an introduction and reference for ice-related projects: theoretical or experimental; in...

This book provides a structured account of the full range of environments in Antarctica and of the microbial communities that live within them. Environments examined include: snow and ice; benthic marine; sea ice; lakes and streams; marginal ice; soil; the open ocean; rock. In the more extreme habitats of this region microscopic life forms constitute the entire biology of the habitat, but in all antarctic environments the microbial communities play a major and often dominant role in the transfer of carbon, nutrients and energy throughout the ecosystem. The book examines the major features of...

This book is the first to describe the development of scientific activity in the Antarctic (as distinct from exploration) in all its aspects. Coverage spans three centuries, starting with Halley who laid the foundations of geophysics which was to be the principal driving force behind Antarctic science for most of its history. Although early researchers built up a picture of the main features of the Antarctic environment, the idea of science specific to the continent emerged only later. As the main disciplines of oceanography, earth sciences, the sciences of atmosphere and geospace,...

This account of the life of the tundra provides a fascinating insight into the ways in which animals, plants and climate interact in an inhospitable environment.