Final Thoughts

A sense of wonder and awe drove countless explorers to risk their lives in order to explore the Antarctic centuries ago. That same sense of wonder continues to pull people to Earth’s polar regions today, whether for scientific discovery or simply to experience otherworldly vistas of sea and ice. Our understanding of the workings of the Antarctic has grown tremendously over the past several decades, and yet much more remains to be discovered. Many of the places, processes, and ecosystems in Antarctica remain as mysterious as those on other planets. Expeditions to study previously unexplored features—such as subglacial lakes and seafloor ecosystems—inevitably yield exciting new scientific findings.

This booklet provides a small taste of the great diversity of high-impact research being carried out in Antarctica. U.S. scientific investments in Antarctica have uncovered fundamental insights into our world and beyond. Ultimately, all of this research has the potential for meaningful impacts on our everyday lives. For example:

• By better understanding the process driving changes in the Antarctic’s massive ice sheet, we can better foresee and plan for sea level rise that could reshape coastlines and economies around the world.

• By better understanding the diverse animal and plant life that exists within this frozen environment, we learn about life’s capacity to adapt to harsh, changing conditions and the limits of that capacity.
• By better understanding the origin and fundamental physics of our Universe, we gain perspective and wisdom about our place in the cosmos.

Antarctica represents an invaluable model of global cooperation, in which U.S. leadership plays a key role. There are many benefits to maintaining a strong presence as a world leader of Antarctic science and in the bodies that govern and guide these activities. Several crucial elements of the current Antarctic Treaty will be open for possible modification in the year 2048, and there is already speculation about whether that transition will stoke new international tensions—for instance, if some countries will push for opening the Antarctic to extraction of mineral or petroleum resources, for greatly expanding commercial fishing, or for using Antarctic territory for military bases or installments. By maintaining a steady presence of scientific leadership in the Antarctic over the coming decades, the United States will be in a strong position to navigate such waters.

As we look ahead to the next decade and beyond, the United States and other nations have numerous choices to make. Where does Antarctic research fit with our interests and priorities? How can we structure our research investments for the greatest impact? What questions might we pursue with the latest scientific techniques and technologies? And—perhaps most importantly—what will we do with the knowledge we gain?

The array of pressing challenges that society faces today are daunting—addressing global climate change and mitigating the impacts of natural disasters; fighting new and reemerging diseases; providing robust security for essential technological systems; reversing environmental degradation; and alleviating poverty and providing sustainable sources of energy, food, and water to all, to name a few. But strong, enduring support for scientific research and discovery—including in “distant” places such as the Antarctic—has an important place among these priorities, given Antarctica’s global importance. Such research is indeed connected to these many societal challenges in more ways than we can yet imagine.

Further Reading

Lurcock, P., and F. Florindo. 2017. Antarctic climate history and global climate changes. Oxford Handbooks.

NASEM (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine). 2015. A Strategic Vision for NSF Investments in Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NASEM. 2021. Mid-Term Assessment of Progress on the 2015 Strategic Vision for Antarctic and Southern Ocean Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NRC (National Research Council). 2011. Future Science Opportunities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NSF (National Science Foundation). U.S. Antarctic Program. https://www.nsf.gov/geo/opp/antarct/usap.jsp.

USAP (U.S. Antarctic Program). https://www.usap.gov/abouttheusap.