Umweltbundesamt
The Federal Environment Agency evaluates the potential environmental impact of human activities in the Antarctic. These activities include research projects, art projects, touristic sailing trips or journalists' travel. Environmental monitoring is a key tool for assessment of the possible effects of these various activities. read more
It is hard to believe but plants do in fact grow in the Antarctic! A few species have adapted to the austere conditions and have colonised areas which are ice-free. However, these highly specialised plants are threatened when foreign subpolar species are introduced or human activities cause other types of damage. read more
When one considers the mile-thick ice shields which cover the Antarctic continent today, it is hard to imagine that Antarctica used to be fertile land and completely free of ice. Some 170 million years ago Antarctica was still part of the Gondwana supercontinent - until it broke up and Antarctica drifted south and slowly began to freeze over. read more
Maps of the Antarctic cannot even come close to reflecting the geographic diversity of the region. Beneath the massive ice layers lie mountains that are kilometres high with deep craggy ravines. As the seasons change, the sea ice forms ever new coastlines, and thus the exact surface area is also in a state of constant change. read more
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
