A short lesson of antarctic toponymy

It's useless talking about Antarctica without knowing certain important locations. We've already introduced the Lorentz Peninsula, an elongated portion of Polarica that formed when Weddel and Ellsworth islands finally separated from the mainland, some millions of years ago.

Polarica habitats are starting to differentiate, with large contiguous areas being ecologically different from others. Its most important ecosystems are 4:

• Recovery plateau: a large lowland that is found in Ronne Bay. It is the most diverse sub-habitat of Antarctica, with more than 300 species of plants recognized. Due sea to level rise, lots of large glacial valleys are now inundated by the ocean, which strongly mitigates winter temperatures. It is also the less windy area of Polarica, due to the remoteness from The Big White, an immense ice sheet that influences the antarctic climate.

• Amery Bay: it is a narrow bay found oppositely to the Recovery plateau. It's the second most biodiverse area of Polarica. The narrowness of the bay causes an increase in atmospheric humidity, which promotes rainfalls.

• Wilkes tundra:  due to the proximity to The Big White, these lowlands are colder than other antarctic biomes, meaning a less abundant shrub frequency. Strong winds also impact negatively shrub growth.

• Rocky tundra of Larsen: Despite being the northernmost point of Polarica, this biome is not as rich as expected, due to the presence of coastal mountains and its restricted range. Shrublands are mostly found in the lower parts of this region, where most of the soil accumulates and winter temperatures are less harsh. This region act as a strong filter between the Recovery Plateau and the Amery Bay.