Mike
Lucas - Antarctica
De achterflap:
Antarctica: where swirling snows sweep across an ice-bound,
empty landscape of cruel, yet unmatched beauty. Lost at
the bottom of the world and surrounded by the furious, windswept
seas of the Southern Ocan, it was only with the early explorers
in the age of 'romantic' discovery that Antarctica began
to yield some of its secrets. However, human interference
has taken its toll on Antarctica's resources, particularly
in the form of whalers and sealers who pushed the great
whales and Antarctic seals to the verge of extinction.
Today, humankind has finally realized the real value of
the magnificent continent. Antarctica, its surrounding pack
ice, wild seas and bleak island outposts represent the last
of the world's untamed wilderness. There are milions of
penguins, huge but graceful albatrosses, tiny storm petrels,
seals that make their home on the pack ice, and mighty whales
that roam the oceans. But Antarctica's significance depends
not just on its wildlife: the vast ice sheets are of global
importance to the earth's climate, particularly with the
appearance of the ozone hole and the threat of global warming.
This book strives not only to provide a glipse of the beauty
of Antarctica and its wildlife but also to educate since
it is only through education and understanding that Antarctica
stands a chance of being conserved for future generations.
It is vital that we make every effort to preserve this last
great wilderness.
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