October 20, 2026
One of Antarctica’s most important glaciers could continue contributing to sea-level rise even if ocean-driven melting beneath its floating ice shelf were dramatically reduced, according to new research published in Geophysical Research Letters. Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica currently accounts for about 4% of global sea-level rise – a rate that has trebled since the mid-1990s.
October 18, 2026
On 19 October 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and four companions departed their base at the Bay of Whales on Antarctica’s Ross Ice Shelf, beginning one of the most celebrated journeys in polar history. Their goal was clear and audacious: to become the first humans to reach the geographic South Pole, 90° South.
October 15, 2026
Each austral spring, a distinctive grey aircraft reappears over Antarctica. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III connects Christchurch, New Zealand, with McMurdo Station, carrying scientists, support staff and tonnes of equipment to the world’s most remote continent.
When the Southern Cross expedition sailed south in 1898, its ambitions extended beyond exploration. The expedition also set out to collect scientific evidence from a continent whose natural history remained largely unknown.
On the eastern edge of Ross Island, beneath the cliffs of Cape Crozier, lies one of Antarctica's most famous wildlife colonies. Today it is known as one of the world's largest emperor penguin breeding sites.
The Antarctic ozone hole has remained unusually large through the 2026 austral spring season, drawing renewed attention from scientists and the wider public.
China has proposed a new marine protected area in East Antarctica's Cosmonauts Sea, combining conservation measures with seasonal krill fishing and a fixed 20-year lifespan.
September 28, 2026
China has announced plans to establish a sixth research station in Antarctica, expanding its scientific footprint into one of the continent's least-studied regions: Marie Byrd Land in West Antarctica. According to reports, construction could begin next year, with the station intended to support research into climate change, ice sheets, and marine ecosystems.
September 26, 2026
A new fleet of autonomous ocean drones has begun a five-year effort to monitor the Southern Ocean, targeting one of the biggest unanswered questions in climate science: exactly how much carbon dioxide is being absorbed by the waters surrounding Antarctica.
September 25, 2026
Two ski-equipped Twin Otter aircraft spent the 2024/25 austral summer attempting something rarely achieved in Antarctic science: circling an entire continent while collecting critical data from one of the most important, and least visible, boundaries on Earth.
September 24, 2026
Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in polar biology by capturing the first high-resolution images of living Antarctic fish cells at temperatures close to freezing, opening a new window into how life survives in one of Earth's most extreme environments.
September 22, 2026
A new academic study examining former Antarctic tour guides has reopened a long-running debate over the role of tourism in one of the planet’s most environmentally significant regions, prompting a detailed response from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).
September 22, 2026
Over the past decade, horizon scanning has become one of the most influential tools used by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) to identify the questions that matter most for the future of Antarctic and Southern Ocean science.