Why is Antarctica so important?

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The last great wilderness is very important to us and to everyone else. This unique, wonderfully, and beautiful place is a place almost entirely covered with snow and ice, it maybe doesn’t look like the most important thing in the world but it is one of those things that is made important.  

The continent of Antarctica is important to us because it has become an international science laboratory where scientists study its weather and climate, , meteorology, astronomy, ozone layer, marine life and . We are only now beginning to realize the profound effects that Antarctica has on our environment and way of life. Antarctica may hold the key to understanding , and the role of plankton in those chains. It is possible that these small organisms form the base of the  that support all living things.

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The continent of Antarctica is also important because it is thought to have large deposits of valuable mineral resources including platinum, gold and silver. Coal in commercially attractive deposits has been found, but no other minerals are known to exist in potentially useful amounts. Large deposits of oil and natural gas are believed to exist in Antarctica's continental shelf.

In understanding global change the Antarctic has a crucial role to play. Locked up in its 4 km thick ice sheet is a record of past climate for the last 500,000 years. Trapped bubbles in the ice hold an archive of atmospheric ...

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A good review of why Antarctica is important however there is scope to explore these ideas in greater depth.