Antarctic sea ice loss explained
Scientists have discovered that summer sea ice in the Weddell Sea area of Antarctica has decreased by one million square kilometres in the last five years. New research shows that a series of severe...
Tagged: Antarctica
“Green snow” spreads in coastal Antarctica
The first ever large-scale map of microscopic algae on the surface of snow along the Antarctic Peninsula coast has been published. Results indicate that this so-called green snow is likely to spread as global...
Evidence of rainforests near Antarctica points to warmer prehistoric world
Researchers have found evidence of rainforests near the South Pole 90 million years ago, suggesting the climate was exceptionally warm at the time. A team of researchers has discovered forest soil from the Cretaceous...
Research and tourism putting pressure on ‘sensitive’ Antarctic land
The human ‘footprint’ on Antarctica has been measured for the first time, with alarming findings: over 80 per cent of buildings on the continent are located in the minuscule 0.44 per cent of the...
Krill could help in fight against ocean plastic waste
Krill is not only an important food source for countless marine animals, the tiny crustaceans could also prove to be a secret weapon in the fight against ocean plastic pollution, according to Australian researchers....
Glacier bacteria’s contribution to carbon cycling
Glaciers might seem rather inhospitable environments. However, they are home to a diverse and vibrant microbial community. It’s becoming increasingly clear that they play a bigger role in the carbon cycle than previously thought....
Massive Antarctic iceberg set to break off
A giant iceberg is expected to break away from the Larsen C ice shelf, predict researchers from Swansea University. It would be the 10 largest break offs ever recorded. The Larsen C ice shelf...
Antarctic researchers forced to relocate
A deep crack in the ice is forcing the British Antarctic station to move. The modular station has to be dismantled and each module towed 23 kilometres inland using tractors. Otherwise it could be...
World’s largest marine reserve created off Antarctica
Negotiations had been unsuccessful for five long years. But last Friday, 24 nations and the EU finally agreed to create the world’s largest marine reserve off Antarctica. The historical decision reached in Australia is...
Antarctica in worse shape than thought
Antarctica is in the headlines again but for all the wrong reasons: a large section of the Larsen C ice shelf could break away, while meltwater lakes suggest that East Antarctica is melting faster...
Warmer water gnaws away at Antarctica
Ocean warming caused by climate change is causing the Antarctic Filchner-Ronne shelf to melt. The more ice that melts, the more it flows into the ocean and the more it contributes to global sea-level...
The end of the Antarctic ice sheet
Burning all of the world’s currently available fossil fuel resources would result in the complete melt of the Antarctic ice sheet — and lead to a rise in sea levels of more than 50...
Denmark prepares for the floods
Global warming and rising sea levels are expected to hit Denmark hard. The small country has 7,000 kilometres of coastline and most of its major cities – including the capital Copenhagen – are located...
Antarctic ice melt will raise sea levels
Sea levels could rise by half a metre by the end of the century due to melting of the Antarctic ice shelf. A new international study shows that the ice shelf is thinning from...
Record decline of polar ice sheets
Greenland’s and Antarctica’s ice sheets are declining at an unprecedented rate, researchers have found using new satellite technology. In total, the ice sheets are losing around 500 cubic kilometres of ice per year. This...
Sea levels could rise even faster
Ice discharge from Antarctica could raise sea levels faster than previously thought, a new study shows. The so-called ice continent could become the largest contributor to global sea level rise. An international team of...
Drifting icebergs fundamentally changing seafloor life
Warming brought on by climate change is causing icebergs in the Antarctic to drift towards the shore, causing fundamental damage to the rich sea bed ecosystem. The icebergs scour the sea floor as they...
