What are the major environmental problems facing Antarctica?
The biggest concern now is making sure that Antarctica remains the least-polluted place on Earth. Fortunately very few people go to Antarctica and there aren’t any factories or other activities that cause pollution in most countries. But, more and more tourists are going to Antarctica every year and there is concern that this will eventually cause problems. There are also concerns about commercial fishing in the ocean around Antarctica. In the past, the USA and other nations that had stations in Antarctica didn’t worry very much about the environment. For example, at the McMurdo Station, the trash, including things that we consider hazardous chemicals today, would be piled on the sea ice next to the base. When the ice melted in the summer the trash would drop into an area known as Winter Quarters Bay. This bay is still extremely polluted because of what was done in the past, but fortunately an underwater ridge keeps the pollution from spreading into the rest of McMurdo Sound and then i
