Encyclopedia of the Antarctic

Abstract

Antarctica is defined politically by the Antarctic Treaty as all areas south of 60 degrees S latitude. Scholars generally consider the boundary to be the Polar Front, an irregularly located current in the Southern Ocean where cold waters meet die warmer waters of die southern Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. Tne Encyclopedia of the Antarctic covers these areas as well as a few related geographic locations.

Encyclopedia of the Antarctic. Ed. by Beau Riffenburgh. 2v. 2007. 1 , 1 46p. illus. Routledge, $425 (97804 1 5970242). 998.

Antarctica is defined politically by the Antarctic Treaty as all areas south of 60 degrees S latitude. Scholars generally consider the boundary to be the Polar Front, an irregularly located current in the Southern Ocean where cold waters meet die warmer waters of die southern Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans. Tne Encyclopedia of the Antarctic covers these areas as well as a few related geographic locations. Editor Riffenburgh is affiliated with the Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge. Tne encyclopedia follows Encyclopedia of the Arctic, published by Routledge in 2004.

Tne detail of coverage is amazing. Tne nearly 500 articles range from 500 to 6,000 words and cover Antarctic subjects from islands of die region to various animal life, from plankton to sea mammals. Geologic articles on topics such as fossils, plate tectonics, and volcanoes explore the ties the continent has to the rest of the planet. Countries having Antarctic research stations - for instance, Brazil, Finland, and South Africa - each have a separate entry describing the station, its location, and type of research. Polar exploration is heavily represented through biographical as well as expedition articles. The several appendixes include a chronology, the Antarctic Treaty, a list of signatories to the treaty, a list of research stations, and more. Alphabetical and classified tables of contents initially guide the reader, and the detailed index is repeated in each volume.

With shorter entries and color pictures, Antarctica: An Encyclopedia from Abbott Shelf to Zooplankton (Firefly, 2002) is geared more to die general reader. The title under review contains graphs, maps, photographs, and illustrations, but though none are in color, the lack of splash in no way detracts from the usefulness of die title. Highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries. - Steve Stratton