ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and explains the glacial and periglacial systems that characterise the Antarctic; the functioning of the Antarctic terrestrial ecosystem that allows life to cling to the peripheries of the continent; and the marked geographical variations. The Antarctic terrestrial environment comprises glacier ice and floating ice shelves, together with areas free of surface ice but often with a permanently frozen subsurface. Glaciers develop when summer temperatures are insufficient to melt all the winter snow, so a high ratio of annual precipitation falling as snow and low summer temperatures are fundamental requirements for glacier existence. Since glacial erosion is one of the most dominant land-forming influences in the Antarctic. Using the classification of glacial erosional landscapes of Sugden and John, it is possible to summarise the Antarctic landscape in terms of the type and severity of glacial erosion.
