Image of a seal and a sea lion in an icy landscape
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Time Machine,

Welcome to Antarctica

Icy winds. Dark winters. Dangerous volcanoes. What’s it like in the coldest, driest, windiest place in the world?

By Talia Cowen
From the December 2022/January 2023 Issue
Lexiles: 500L-600L, Easier Level
Featured Skill: Knowledge Building,

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Think and Read: Knowledge Building

As you read, think about what it would be like to visit Antarctica.

All About Antarctica

You’re going to read an article about the coldest and driest place on Earth: Antarctica. Antarctica is where the South Pole is. When you look at a map of the world, you’ll see Antarctica on the bottom. How much do you know about this land of ice and wind? Take this quiz to find out. (Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers. By the time you’re done, you’ll be an expert!)

You’re going to read an article about the coldest and driest place on Earth: Antarctica. Antarctica is where the South Pole is. When you look at a map of the world, you’ll see Antarctica on the bottom. How much do you know about this land of ice and wind? Take this quiz to find out. (Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers. By the time you’re done, you’ll be an expert!)

1. Antarctica is the coldest continent in the world. What is a continent?

1. Antarctica is the coldest continent in the world. What is a continent?

Continents are large areas of land. Along with Antarctica, they include North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The largest continent is Asia. The windiest is Antarctica!

Continents are large areas of land. Along with Antarctica, they include North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. The largest continent is Asia. The windiest is Antarctica!

2. Antarctica is too cold for humans to live there full-time, but plenty of animals make their home there! These include penguins, whales, and __________.

2. Antarctica is too cold for humans to live there full-time, but plenty of animals make their home there! These include penguins, whales, and __________.

Animals like penguins, whales, and seals live in the water near Antarctica. Seals and penguins come onto the land sometimes when it is warm enough. 

Animals like penguins, whales, and seals live in the water near Antarctica. Seals and penguins come onto the land sometimes when it is warm enough. 

3. True or false: More than 90 percent of Earth’s ice is in Antarctica.

3. True or false: More than 90 percent of Earth’s ice is in Antarctica.

True! Antarctica is covered in ice. In one place, the ice is more than 15,000 feet thick! That’s taller than most mountains in the United States. 

True! Antarctica is covered in ice. In one place, the ice is more than 15,000 feet thick! That’s taller than most mountains in the United States. 

4. True or false: Antarctica is the world’s largest desert.

4. True or false: Antarctica is the world’s largest desert.

True! A desert is an area of land that gets very little precipitation (rain or snow) and has almost no plant life. You might think of deserts as places filled with sand, but some deserts—like Antarctica—are covered in ice. Antarctica is the largest desert of any kind in the world. It gets an average of only 2 inches of precipitation a year. 

True! A desert is an area of land that gets very little precipitation (rain or snow) and has almost no plant life. You might think of deserts as places filled with sand, but some deserts—like Antarctica—are covered in ice. Antarctica is the largest desert of any kind in the world. It gets an average of only 2 inches of precipitation a year. 

5. How do people travel around Antarctica?

5. How do people travel around Antarctica?

All of these are true! Using a snowmobile is the most common way to travel short or long distances in Antarctica. During the warmer months, you can fly around in a helicopter. If you bundle up in warm clothes and put on the right boots, you can also walk around this frozen land.

All of these are true! Using a snowmobile is the most common way to travel short or long distances in Antarctica. During the warmer months, you can fly around in a helicopter. If you bundle up in warm clothes and put on the right boots, you can also walk around this frozen land.
Take the quiz again

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TAKE OFF! Scientists often travel around Antarctica in helicopters—except in the winter. The gas in the helicopters’ tanks would freeze! 

Whoosh! The cold wind hits your face. You blink and notice that your eyelashes are frosted with tiny bits of ice. As far as you can see, everything is white. There are no buildings, people, trees, or animals in sight. 

Are you on another planet? Nope, you’re still on Earth! You’re just at the bottom of it, in a land called Antarctica.

Whoosh! The cold wind hits your face. You blink. You notice that your eyelashes have tiny bits of ice on them. Everything you can see is white. There are no buildings, people, trees, or animals in sight.

Are you on another planet? Nope, you’re still on Earth! You’re just at the bottom of it. You’re in a land called Antarctica.

Jason Edwards/Getty Images

 A SCIENCE STATION A research station sits in front of Mount Erebus.

A Frozen Land

A Frozen Land

Antarctica is a large, frozen continent. It’s the coldest place on Earth. And unlike other cold places, it rarely rains or snows here. 

You take a step forward in your heavy boots. Look out! You nearly stepped into a deep crack in the ice. Chunks of snow fall hundreds of feet into the hole. Yikes! 

Up ahead, you see a dark-red waterfall. You’ve reached the famous Blood Falls. Don’t worry, it isn’t real blood. The ice here is naturally tinted a rusty-red color. 

You move away from the creepy waterfall toward a mountain. It’s a volcano called Mount Erebus (AIR-uh-bus). A puff of smoke is coming out of the top. Uh-oh. Hot chunks of liquid rock are now shooting out of the mountain. Quick! Get out of there! 

Antarctica is a large, frozen continent. It’s the coldest place on Earth. It almost never rains or snows here.

You take a step forward. Look out! You nearly stepped into a deep crack in the ice. Snow and ice fall down into the hole. Yikes!

Up ahead, you see a dark-red waterfall. You’ve reached the famous Blood Falls. Don’t worry, it isn’t real blood. The ice here has a rusty-red color.

You move away from the creepy waterfall. You head toward a mountain. It’s a volcano called Mount Erebus (AIR-uh-bus). A puff of smoke is coming out of the top. Uh-oh. You see hot pieces of liquid rock. They’re shooting out of the mountain. Quick! Get out of there!

HONK! HONK! A ship with supplies arrives in Antarctica. 

Animals in Antarctica

It’s too cold for humans to live in Antarctica year-round. But here are some animals that do!

Animals in Antarctica

It’s too cold for humans to live in Antarctica year-round. But here are some animals that do!

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Seal

Seal

MASON SANFILIPPO/500PX/GETTY IMAGES

Whale

Whale

JOHNNY JOHNSON/THE IMAGE BANK RF/GETTY IMAGES

Penguins

Penguins

Months of Darkness

Months of Darkness

Luckily, there’s a helicopter nearby. A scientist leans out and invites you to join her. As you fly, you see giant pieces of ice floating in the water below. They’re called ice floes. One of them is bigger than a football field. Flop! Flop! Two seals land on it and start to play.

The helicopter soon lands next to a research station. Brave scientists visit these stations to learn about the continent. They don’t stay year-round though. It’s too cold! 

In winter, the sun never rises in Antarctica. There are months of darkness and some of the strongest winds on the planet. 

But right now, the sun is out. You see the scientists playing tug-of-war and join in. With a final tug, your team wins!

Luckily, there’s a helicopter nearby. A scientist leans out and invites you to join her. As you fly, you see giant pieces  of ice in the water below. They’re called ice floes. One of them is bigger than a football field. Flop! Flop! Two seals land on it and start to play.

The helicopter soon lands next to a research station. Brave scientists visit these stations. They come to learn about Antarctica. They don’t stay year-round though. It’s too cold!

In winter, the sun never rises in Antarctica. There are months of darkness. Antarctica has some of the strongest winds on the planet.

But right now, the sun is out. The scientists are playing tug-of-war. You join in. With a final tug, your team wins!

Courtesy of Summer Blot (Headshot); S. Blot - IceCube/NSF (Summer in Antarctica)

 A BRAVE SCIENTIST Scientist Summer Blot explores Antarctica. 

Beautiful and Mysterious

Beautiful and Mysterious

Daily life at the station can be hard. Your cell phone doesn’t get service, and the internet is slow. And you have to wait for ships to deliver most of your food and supplies.

But living in this strange place is also exciting. There is so much to learn. Scientists keep returning to discover more about this beautiful and mysterious land. Will you join them?

Life at the station can be hard. Your cell phone doesn’t get service. The internet is slow. And you have to wait for ships to deliver most of your food and supplies.

But living in this strange place is also exciting. There is so much to learn about this beautiful and mysterious land. Scientists keep returning to discover more. Will you join them?

THINK AND WRITE

Imagine you’re visiting Antarctica. Using details from the story, write a letter to a friend about what you see and experience.

THINK AND WRITE

Imagine you’re visiting Antarctica. Using details from the story, write a letter to a friend about what you see and experience.

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Can't Miss Teaching Extras

If your students think Antarctica seems cold, just wait until they visit the Ice Age! Take them back in time with the Time Machine Feature “Journey to the Ice Age.” Then ask them to compare the landscape back then with Antarctica today.

Invite students to compare this Time Machine feature with one that explores a different extreme environment, “Journey Inside a Volcano.”

Fascinating Fact: There are only two “days” in Antarctica. During the summer, the sun is up for six straight months. Once it sets when winter starts, it’s dark in Antarctica for the next six months.

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