ABSTRACT
The significance of the polar regions in the global environment has become clearer over years of polar exploration and polar science, and the increased ability of science to detect, identify, and appreciate global processes. The physical and biophysical relationships between climate and the polar regions have been under study by several panels and committees of the National Research Council, with an eye toward determining where to direct polar studies. Both polar regions present situations in which the resolution of issues of national jurisdiction beyond generally recognized territorial seas and continental-shelf interests is deferred—essentially indefinitely. A less direct relationship ultimately may be more important to human welfare: as the Antarctic plays a major role in the abyssal circulation, it influences the waters very far to the north. The Antarctic Treaty provides a measure of environmental protection for Antarctic lands and shelf ice, and it provides a consultative forum for the evolution of protective steps in connection with the treaty area.
