New Zealand - The Ross Dependency

Status: New Zealand external territory, directly administered by New Zealand.

Geography

The Ross Dependency in the Antarctic comprises all the islands and territories south of 60°S latitude between 160°E and 150°W longitude.

Area: Estimated at 413,540 sq km and permanent shelf ice of 336,770 sq km.

Topography: Antarctica is a vast plateau continent, covered in ice, its landscape made up of glaciers, mountain ranges and deep crevasses. The Transantarctic Mountains extend across the continent, dividing the eastern and western ice sheets. The volcanic Mt Erebus rises to 3,794m. The deep embayment of the Ross Ice Shelf forms part of the western ice sheet; here, at 30–60m, the ice is 200–300 years old and samples show the increase in atmospheric pollution at the start of the industrial revolution in Europe. Flat-topped tabular icebergs, peculiar to the Antarctic (Arctic bergs are jagged), break off the ice cliffs and drift north. Bergs are 30–45m high (four or five times deeper below the surface) and up to 100–115km (even 145km) long. As they move north, the bergs calve (that is, fracture), emitting a continuous sound like frying fat as they melt. In fine weather, the air is very clear, allowing distant vistas of great sharpness.

Climate: The Antarctic latitudes are far colder than their Arctic equivalents. The Antarctic climate is bitter, windy and inhospitable (average temperature at the Pole is –50°C). Fierce winds blowing outwards from the central plateau scour the icy surfaces; blizzards can rage for weeks. During white-outs, shadows and horizon vanish as the light from the overcast sky bounces off the snow. Snowfall is light near the South Pole, heavier at the coastal margins. Within the Antarctic circle, winter days are very short, with corresponding days of midnight polar sun in summer.

Wildlife: The Antarctic landmass is barren: it is treeless and virtually plantless, with only lichens and mosses able to survive. However, the Antarctic waters are rich in plankton and shrimp-like krill which attract larger marine life. There are 18 species of penguins, of which only the emperor and Adélie penguins are truly Antarctic, spending their entire lives on the coast or close to its shores. Other birds include skuas and petrels. There are six species of seals in Antarctic waters; the Ross seal (nicknamed the ‘singing seal’ for its gentle cooing noise) inhabits the perennial pack ice and gives birth on the ice. The fur seal (once hunted almost to extinction and now protected) has small ears and is closer to the sea-lion. Various species of whales visit the region.

Society

Population: There are no permanent inhabitants, but the Scott Base on Ross Island is staffed all the year round and there are two seasonal bases.

Economy

Overview: There is no economic activity and the continent is protected under the Antarctic Treaty. A continuing programme of scientific research has been carried out since 1958 under the New Zealand Antarctic Research Programme. Areas of study include zoology, botany, geology, meteorology, limnology and geo-chemistry. Monitoring of the hole in the ozone layer has recently been undertaken in the territory.

History

From the early 18th century European explorers ventured into the waters of the far south. In 1700 astronomer and explorer Edmond Halley, encountering icebergs, described them as ‘great islands of ice of so incredible a height and magnitude’. Among subsequent explorers, James Cook reached the high latitude of 71°S in 1774. From the late 18th century commercial interests took off with the hunting of wildlife. In 1821–22 alone some 320,000 fur seals were killed; elephant and fur seals were slaughtered almost to extinction. Whales were similarly hunted and fell victim to the improving technology of harpooning.

James Ross, leading a British expedition in the mid-19th century, explored the embayment of what is now known as the Ross Sea. He saw the volcano of Mt Erebus and the ice barrier, collected numerous marine specimens (subsequently lost or damaged), and conducted experiments, advanced for their time, on ocean depths and temperatures.

In the 20th century, Antarctic expeditions, both for polar exploration and scientific purposes, were sponsored by various nations. In 1911, the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, camped on the eastern side of the Ross Sea, reached the South Pole. A month later, Captain Robert Scott’s British team reached the Pole from their camp on the western side of the Ross Sea, but perished on the return journey, victims of atrocious weather and faulty planning. Later explorers include the American Richard Byrd, the first to fly over the Pole.

After the Second World War, the International Whaling Commission banned the hunting of certain species of whales, but the numbers of right, humpback, blue and fin whales remain vestigial in the Southern Ocean. Seals are protected under a convention of 1971.

In 1923 steps were taken to assent sovereignty over the Antarctic territory by vesting administration in the New Zealand Government by an order in council under the British Settlements Act of 1887. The New Zealand Antarctic Expedition established Scott Base on Ross Island in 1957; the following year, the Ross Dependency Research Committee was appointed to co-ordinate all New Zealand activity in the dependency.

In 1959, 12 nations, including New Zealand, signed the Antarctic Treaty, which reserves the Antarctic for peaceful purposes. The parties have agreed to freeze territorial claims, conduct scientific research according to accepted international standards, to share research and not to test nuclear or other weapons. By 2009, the treaty had been signed by 47 countries.

Administration

In 1995 the government concluded a year-long review of New Zealand’s Antarctic structure. Key outcomes included the establishment of a New Zealand Antarctic Institute (Antarctica New Zealand), and the continuation of the Officials’ Antarctic Committee (OAC) with enhanced terms of reference.

The OAC is an interdepartmental committee that contributes policy advice on Antarctic affairs to the government. Antarctica New Zealand is responsible for developing and managing New Zealand’s national activities in the Ross Dependency and New Zealand’s activities generally in Antarctica, and is a Crown entity managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.