Glossary

Expedition – a group journey The Arctic region Nature in the Polar Regions with a particular purpose. Explorer – someone who The Arctic region is found in the Northern The Arctic region is home to small travels to undiscovered Hemisphere and includes parts of Canada, populations of people and an amazing places. Alaska, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, variety of plants and animals, including the and along with the Arctic polar bear, the arctic fox and the walrus. Glacier – a large body of Ocean. Temperatures can reach -68ºc in the ice. winter months, making it one of the coldest Iceberg – a floating mass of places on Earth. ice that has detached from a glacier

Ice cap – an ice sheet that covers less than 50,000 There are no people that live permanently in square kilometres of land. the Antarctic region and only two native kinds of the flowering plants, but it has a rich Ice sheet – a thick sheet of sea life, including the emperor penguin, ice covering an extensive humpback whale and leopard seal. area.

Inuit – people that have always lived in the Arctic regions. The Antarctic region Northern Hemisphere – the The Antarctic region is found in the Southern part of Earth that is to the Hemisphere and it is the world’s fifth largest north of the equator. continent. It is covered in an ice sheet that is Threats to the Polar Regions up to 4.8km thick. It is the coldest, driest, Sea ice – a thin, fragile layer Unfortunately, the Polar Regions face many highest and windiest continent on Earth. of frozen seawater. threats to their ecosystems. The main threats Temperatures can reach -89 ºc, there is no to these regions plants and animals are Southern Hemisphere – the precipitation and wind speeds can reach 80km global warming, pollution and overfishing. part of the Earth to the south per hour in some areas. of the Equator.

Ernest Shackleton Shackleton Timeline Auroras

Date and place of Birth:  1874 – Shackleton is born Auroras are displays of coloured lights seen 15th February, 1874 in  1890 – Shackleton joined in the skies near the North and South Poles. County Kildare, Ireland the Merchant Navy The lights are created when electrically  1892 – he progressed to charged particles from the Sun collide with Date of Death: 5th January, First Mate oxygen and nitrogen gas particles in the 1922 in Grytviken, South  1901 – Shackleton joined Earth’s atmosphere. Georgia and the South Scott on the British Sandwich Islands The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, can National Antarctic be seen from Norway, Finland, Sweden, (discovery) Expedition. Iceland, Canada and as far south as is considered to be one of  1903 – Shackleton sent Scotland and northern England. the most inspirational explorers and leaders of home due to illness the 20th Century. He was a polar explorer who  1907 – The British carried out expeditions to Antarctica. Antarctic (Nimrod) Expedition set sail Shackleton’s early Life  1909 – Returned to England after being In his early life, he loved to read and had an forced to turn back active imagination. Shackleton’s father  1914 - sets sail wanted him to become a doctor, however, he from London had other ideas. At the age of just 16, he joined  1915 – Endurance The Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, are the Merchant Navy and by the time he was 18, trapped in ice drifts for 10 more difficult to see as the lights are mostly he had been promoted to First Mate. months seen around Antarctica and the southern  1916 – Shackleton Indian Ocean. Shackleton’s expeditions reunites with his crew and In 1901, Shackleton went on his first expedition returns to England to Antarctica with famous explored Scott.  1921 – The Quest departs However, he had to return home due to illness. England on the Then he went again in 1907, but this time the Shackleton-Rowett entire crew were sent home. In 1914, Antarctic expedition Endurance set sail and this was his most  1922 – Shackleton dies successful and famous expedition to Antarctica.