A short lesson of antarctic toponymy

• WEDDELL VERTICAL FOREST

Weddell is home to the most biodiverse woodlands of the continent, especially thanks to its mountainous morphology and northern position, which creates a large altitudinal gradient. Treeline can be as high as 1200 meters above sea level, the highest in Antarctica. The Vertical Forest is characterized by a strong steepness: planitial forests are very uncommon, making it difficult for most of the vertebrates to run on this rough ground. Due to this, a large part of Weddell's megafauna has several adaptations for steep environments, with graviportal structures of the legs.

• BELGRANO COASTAL FOREST

Found in the once called Recovery plateau, this forest is one of the foggiest areas of Antarctica, thanks to mild sea currents that circulate in the Weddell Sea, which also mitigate winter temperatures. Austriquercus is the dominant tree genus of Belgrano, which can become as high as 50 meters tall (164 feet). The undergrowth is rich in fruity shrubs and herbs, especially thanks to the action of large herbivores and the descendants of sowering ravens.

• THE SCRUBRING

The Scrubring is a narrow but very long biome that forms a circle around the Big White, an intermediate ecosystem between the tundra and austral forest. Cold summer temperatures sharply reduce tree growth, and the synergic action of large herbivores creates a sort of hilly/planitial cold savanna. While some trees can become pretty high, tree canopy never exceeds 30%.
It's the largest biome of Antarctica.

• ELLSWORTH AMPHIBIOUS ISLANDS

Due to its mostly flattened terrain, Ellsworth was the most impacted main island of Antarctica by global warming. Large portions of its territory have now sunk in the ocean, causing the local extinction of wedducks. Now, depending on the tide, which can be as tall as 10 meters, Ellsworth periodically becomes an archipelago, formed by several islands. 25% of land can be submerged during the largest tides. Volcanism is also very active, often causing a temporary fusion of these tidal islands. This island-archipelago dualism is probably unique in the world and its endemic fauna was forged to survive in this very unbalanced, yet rich ecosystem. 

• AMERY WETFIORD

River incision has caused the formation of a multitude of glacial lakes in Amery bay, where can be found the largest wetlands on the continent. Most of the valley floor is now submerged by the sea and, like in Belgrano forest, fog is very common. At the same time, large coastal mountain ranges make the Amery woodlands very similar to Weddell Vertical Forest, despite having a way colder climate and a lower tree line. 

• THE DAY-NIGHT STEPPE

Internal Antarctica is a very dry land, especially thanks to the presence of mountain ranges and high hills that surround it. Summer temperatures can be relatively high, sometimes reaching even 25 °C (68 °F), but annual precipitation does not exceed 200 mm (7,8 inches), creating the so-called Day-Night steppe. Due to its latitudinal position, precisely in the south pole, this steppe becomes the sunniest place during summer and the darkest place during winter in Antarctica. Despite harsh conditions, this biome is far from being a barren land: lots of grazing ducktails live year-round in this particular environment, hunted down by large herdstalkers and geotters.

• AURORA PLANITIAL FOREST

Wilkes lowlands, once rarely covered by trees, are now the largest contiguous planitial woodland of Polarica, called Aurora forest. Despite ocean influences, this biome is colder and drier compared to other antarctic islands. High and narrow conifers like Rapidabies sp. mixed with towering dubious beeches (Ignothofagus sp.) are the most common tree association, creating a very dark and poor undergrowth. It wouldn't surprise that Aurora forest is the only antarctic woodland that lacks any grazing animals. Two important large bays are present here: the Peacock Bay and the Edmontonia Bay.