Australian government signs contract for new Antarctic icebreaker
April 29, 2016
The Australian Government has signed a contract for Australia’s new icebreaker, with the custom built ship due to arrive in Australia in mid-2020.
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Scientists may have found Antarctica's second-largest under-ice lake
April 28, 2016
According to an article released in New Scientist, scientists may have discovered a large subglacial lake in Antarctica second only to the remote Lake Vostok in size.
Changing ocean chemistry may threaten Antarctic food chain
March 28, 2016
University of California researchers have collected the first long-term evidence that links rising levels of carbon in Antarctic waters to the inability of pteropods to build their protective shells.
\"Upside-down rivers\" threaten Antarctic ice shelves
March 15, 2016
“Upside-down rivers” of warm ocean water are threatening the stability of floating ice shelves in Antarctica, according to a new research from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in the US.
Researchers use seismometers to uncover the geology beneath Antarctica's ice
February 11, 2016
Seismic research by scientists from Washington University in St. Louis resulted in the discovery of a ‘hot zone’ beneath West Antarctica, thought to have a major influence on the flow of ice streams.
National Science Foundation research suggests king crabs could move to warmer waters
February 08, 2016
Researchers at the US National Science Foundation believe that king crab populations returning to the shallow continental shelf could become high-level predators and disrupt the ecosystem there.
The station on stilts: German Antarctic research station Neumayer III
January 21, 2016
Germany's polar research agency, the Alfred Wegener Institute, has built a research station on hydraulic stilts.
How Antarctic clouds could help reveal the effects of climate change
January 17, 2016
Antarctica’s massive ice sheet acts as a global heat sink. As a result, changes in the make-up of Antarctic clouds, such as the amount of ground they cover or how much radiation they absorb, can have ripple effects as far away as the tropics. Climate change researchers need to understand the physics of these clouds if they are to correctly work out how weather around the globe will change as the polar regions warm.
The US National Ice Center - naming Antarctic icebergs
January 14, 2016
Icebergs are created when large chunks of freshwater ice break off Antarctic ice shelves or glaciers and calve into the Southern Ocean. To be classified as an iceberg, the ice extruding from the water must be at least five metres above sea level, be between 30-50 metres thick, and must cover an area of at least 500 square meters. Icebergs can have a direct effect on the sea bed, scouring the seafloor where it makes contact. But who monitors icebergs? And how big can they get?
CSIRO RV Investigator to study underwater volcanoes in Southern Ocean
January 13, 2016
A CSIRO Marine National Facility research vessel has departed from Fremantle in Western Australia and headed to the remote subantarctic islands to research the link between active volcanoes on the seafloor and the mobilisation of iron which enriches and supports life in the Southern Ocean.
Royal Mail celebrates Ernest Shackleton's Endurance expedition
January 11, 2016
In collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society and the Scott Polar Research Institute, the Royal Mail in the UK has launched a set of special stamps to mark 100 years since the remarkable story of survival of Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the Endurance. Shackleton’s heroism and resourcefulness have made him one of the most celebrated sailors and leaders of all time.
Flying lab to study how the Southern Ocean absorbs carbon
January 07, 2016
A team of scientists supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be taking off in a specially-modified Gulfstream V jet this month as they survey remote parts of the Southern Ocean.