Antarctic
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Environment
High-resolution climate model reveals how Tasman sea temperatures affect global warming in the Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic Peninsula has seen temperatures rise five times faster than the global average in recent decades. Credit: Bo Hao One of the fastest regions on the planet, the Antarctic Peninsula has seen temperatures rise five times faster than the global average in recent decades. Extreme thermal events, such as the record 20.8°C recorded on Seymour Island in February 2020,…
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Environment
Antarctic Scientists: Why They Are There, and What They Find
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A media storm exploded in mid-March 2025 when researchers at an isolated Sanae IV base in South Africa accused one of nine team members of being violent. Conversation Africa asked David William Heading, a geomorphologist who has previously done research from the frozen continent, about the work that researchers do in Antarctica, what situations and what…
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Earth
Melting Antarctic ice sheet could trigger larger volcanic eruptions
Schematic diagram of the thermomechanical magma chamber model simulating ice release obtained in this study. Transparent arrows represent ice export as a decrease in ice layer thickness over time. Credit: Geochemistry, Geophysics and Earth Systems (2024). DOI: 10.1029/2024GC011743 Melting ice sheets are often synonymous with climate change in the media, with evocative images of a lone polar bear floating on…
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Earth
Decades of observations reveal secrets of Antarctic fast ice
Fast ice near the shoreline of McMurdo Sound. Seen here in December 1990. Among other roles, such ice protects continental ice from ocean waves and provides an important base for research. Credit: Michael Van Wort/NOAA, Public Domain Sea ice that lasts for at least 15 days and is anchored to the coastline is called “fast ice.” Around Antarctica, fast ice…
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Earth
Gaps identified in Antarctic gravitational wave simulations
Temporal variations of (black) zonal winds and (red) meridional winds along the orbit of LODEWAVE 3. The solid line represents LODEWAVE data, and the dashed line represents PANSY radar data at an altitude of 18.5 km. Credit: Yoshihiro Tomikawa, National Institute of Polar Research The discovery of a defect can be the first ripple in a wave of innovation. The…
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Biology
Waterfall Bluff paleoenvironmental survey reveals leopard seals far from Antarctic waters
Worn Leopard Seal Teeth (#CN47208, Lot 303). Credit: Sandy Oster Waterfall Bluff Rock Shelter (WB), Eastern Cape Province (ECP), South Africa, has sustained and continuous human presence spanning from Late Marine Isotope Stage 3 (ca. 39ka to 29ka) to mid-Holocene (ca. 8ka). Contains archaeological deposits indicating occupation. The first leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) specimens from Pleistocene and Holocene zooarchaeological assemblages…
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Earth
Record-low Antarctic sea ice can be explained by wind patterns and predicted months in advance
Sea ice off the coast of West Antarctica photographed from a research vessel in October 2018. A new study explains and predicts the recent decline in winter sea ice around Antarctica. Credit: Hannah Dawson/University of Washington Amid all the changes in Earth’s climate, the stormy Southern Ocean sea ice surrounding Antarctica has long been a strange exception. Despite rising global…
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Earth
Measurements from ‘lost’ sea glider provide new insights into Antarctic ice melting
Gillian Damerel (former UEA) prepares to deploy the Sea Glider Merlin with the Ross Ice Shelf in the background. Credit: Walker Smith A new study reveals for the first time how rising sea temperatures have accelerated the melting of Antarctica’s major ice shelves over the past 40 years. Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) say the study, which…
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