Process
The location of a place on Earth is described in terms of latitude and longitude. If you are standing at 0 degrees latitude, you are on the equator. The farther a place is from the equator, the larger the degrees of latitude. If one city is 40 degrees North (of the equator) and another is 40 degrees South (of the equator), and then each city is the same distance from the equator. The South Pole is 90 degrees south latitude.The directions east and west are measured in degrees of longitude. 0 degrees longitude is called the Prime Meridian. The Prime Meridian is described as a line that passes through both poles and the city of Greenwich, England and divides the earth into two halves. Longitude is measured in degrees west and east from 0 to 180 degrees.
Nearly the entire continent of Antarctica lies south of the Antarctic Circle, at 60 degrees south latitude. Antarctica is divided in two by the Prime Meridian. At the south pole, you can walk completely around the earth from 0 degrees west to 180 degrees and east back to 0 degrees.
Latitude and Longitude are essential to describing the position of every object on earth. Scientists in Antarctica rely on longitude and latitude to not only to know where they are, but to describe where they collected their data for the benefit of current and future scientists.
Start exploring!
Part 1 - Longitude and Latitude
Download and print the Longitude and Latitude Guide or get a copy from your teacher. Navigate around Antarctica and get used to the tools in Google Earth. Below are the symbols for the places that you are looking for. When you click on the symbol the name of the place will appear in a text box. On a PC right mouse click on the point in Google Earth and select Properties. On a Mac, ctrl click and choose get info. Google Earth will display a box with the point's latitude and longitude. |
Antarctic Research Sites and web links |
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AGASEA Data set |
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AGASEA Data point |
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Antarctic Bases: this link will help you find more inormation |
Once you have determined the longitude and latidude for the various locations in the Longitude and Latitude Guide, select the "Calculator" link below to help you determine distances.
Calculate distance, bearing and more between two Latitude/Longitude points
Part 2 - Flight Line
Download and print the Flight Line Guide or get a copy from your teacher. In GoogleIce you will choose one of the flight lines for data collection by the AGASEA scientists by clicking on one of the black circles. When you click the black circle you will notice that it expands into a number of red circles and that each of the circles has the letter F and two digits next to it.An example is F01. On the left hand side of the Google Earth Screen you will see a folder called WAIS. It has a check mark next to it and the description: Photographas and Flight logs taken during the season. This is where all the data files are stored. Click on the triangle below the check and it will display all the flight data folders.
Click on the triangle for one of the data folers and it will expand showing all the data points for that flight line. Click on the black circle next to the data point and Google Earth will zoom in on that point. On a PC right mouse click on the point in Google Earth and select Properties. On a Mac, ctrl click and choose get info. Google Earth will display a box with the point's latitude and longitude. Click on a red dot and it will display a photograph of the area where the AGASEA Radar data was collected.
Once you are comfortable, choose a flight line and complete the Flight Line Guide.
Part 3 - Georeferencing
Download and print the Georeferencing Guide or get a copy from your teacher. Georeferencing is the process of connecting information about a particular place to its latitude and longitude position. Just like in the Flight Line activity, photos taken from an airplane in Antactica were connected to the position of the airplane when the photo was taken.In this activity you will georeference information about your community using Google Earth. You will create a special file, called a kmz file, that can be shared with anyone on the internet through a webpage, or just used in your classroom.
To begin open your Google Earth Program. Zoom into your community by typing the name or latitude and longitude into the search, and you are on your way. Follow the instructions in the Georeferencing Guide for more details.
Student Activity Guides:
Latitude and LongitudeFlight Line
Georeferencing