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Antarctic Current Events


Topography Below Antarctic Ice
June 10, 2013 | British Antarctic Survey

“Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey have been working with a host of international collaborators to present the most detailed map yet of Antarctica’s landmass. [...] The map allows scientists to analyse, in much greater detail, the bed below the Antarctic ice sheet.” Quoted from the British Antarctic Survey press release.

Life in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica
June 5, 2013 | Discover Magazine

Researchers have found a diversity of microbial life in soils of the dry valleys of Antarctica.

Why Did Penguins Evolve Away from Flight?
May 24, 2013 | National Geographic

Why did penguins give up flying and instead become swimmers? National Geographic has an article that explores this question.

Time Lapse Video on an Ice Breaker
May 21, 2013 | National Science Foundation

This video compresses a two month view from the bow of an ice breaker travelling through the Ross Sea of Antarctica into less then five minutes. Watch for the wildlife surprise at the end.

The First Satellite Images of Polar Ice Coverage
April 26, 2013 | BBC

BBC.com has an article about the first satellite maps of the Arctic and Antarctic, produced in the 1960s and now providing useful information about polar ice change.

Life on a Whale Skeleton a Mile Below the Antarctic
March 19, 2013 | Los Angeles Times

A 35-foot-long whale skeleton on the Antarctic sea floor – nearly one mile below the surface – was supporting a diversity of life including nine previously unknown deep-sea species.

Insects and the Lack of Water in Polar Areas
March 15, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“Although they live in similarly extreme ecosystems at opposite ends of the world, Antarctic insects appear to employ entirely different methods at the genetic level to cope with extremely dry conditions than their counterparts that live north of the Arctic Circle.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

Temperature History of Earth Since the Ice Age
March 11, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“With data from 73 ice and sediment core monitoring sites around the world, scientists have reconstructed Earth’s temperature history back to the end of the last Ice Age.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

Using the Yeti Robot in Polar Field Work
March 7, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“A century after Western explorers first crossed the dangerous landscapes of the Arctic and Antarctic, researchers [...] have successfully deployed a self-guided robot that uses ground-penetrating radar to map deadly crevasses hidden in ice-covered terrains.” Quoted from the National Science Foundation press release.

Micro-Sub in a Buried Antarctic Lake
March 3, 2013 | NASA

This video shows how a NASA micro-sub was deployed 2000 feet down a borehole to investigate one of the subglacial lakes in Antarctica.

Arctic vs Antarctic Biodiversity
February 19, 2013 | University of Western Australia

“The robustness of food webs of Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems has been compared for the first time, revealing that global warming can affect the biodiversity of these ecosystems in different ways despite the similarities between them.” Quoted from the University of Western Australia press release.

68,000-Year Record of Greenhouse Gases
February 8, 2013 | National Science Foundation

A team of U.S. ice-coring scientists and engineers in Antarctica, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), has recovered from the ice sheet a record of past climate and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that extends back 68,000 years.

January 2013: Most Popular
February 3, 2013 | Geology.com News

Giant Squid in the North Pacific

Every Field Geologist Should Know This…

Why Lava Has a Red Glow

Falling Water Levels in the Great Lakes

Eruption at Copahue

How Deep Does Magma Form?

M6.1 Earthquake on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge

2012: Hottest and Second Most Extreme

Information from Greenland Ice Cores
January 27, 2013 | National Science Foundation

“The International North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling project results indicate that melting of the Antarctic ice sheet may have contributed more to sea level rise than melting of the Greeland ice sheet some 100,000 years ago.” Quoted from the NSF press release.


The edge of the Greenland ice sheet, near Kangerlussuaq. Peter West, NSF.

National Climate Assessment
January 25, 2013 | U.S. Global Change Research Program

Climate change is already affecting the American people. Certain types of weather events have become more frequent and/or intense, including heat waves, heavy downpours, and, in some regions, floods and droughts. Sea level is rising, oceans are becoming more acidic, and glaciers and arctic sea ice are melting. These changes are part of the pattern of global climate change, which is primarily driven by human activity.” Quoted from the Executive Summary of the Federal Advisory Committee Draft Climate Assessment Report

M6.1 Earthquake on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge
January 15, 2013 | USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

Earthquakes stronger than M6.0 are unusual on a mid-ocean ridge.

USGS reports that a M6.1 earthquake occurred on the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge today at about 11:00 AM local time.

Drilling Stops at Lake Ellsworth
December 27, 2012 | BBC

The British Antarctic Survey team encountered drilling difficulties in their attempt to drill through 3 kilomters of Antarctic ice and into the subglacial waters of Lake Ellsworth. They will return to the UK to decide if a new attempt is possible.

Drilling into Lakes Deep Beneath Antarctic Ice
December 25, 2012 | National Geographic

Three teams of scientists from Russia, Britain and the United States are drilling through Antarctic ice to penetrate subglacial “lakes” of liquid water trapped in the ice. They might find interesting forms of life that can live in the extreme conditions of these lakes – without sunlight.

1912 Scott Camp Found at the Crest of Mt. Erebus
December 19, 2012 | National Science Foundation

A National Science Foundation research team working on Mt. Erebus have found a campsite believed to have been used by Robert F. Scott’s team in 1912.

Most Popular: 11/25 to 12/01
December 3, 2012 | Geology.com

The Dead of Pompei

The Island that Never Existed!

Have You Heard of Makemake?

Antarctic Snail Shells Dissolving

Life Beneath the Seafloor

New York Fracking Ban: A Force Majeure Event?

Microbes Living at -13 Degrees C in Lake Vida
December 2, 2012 | National Science Foundation

“Researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) describe in a new publication a viable community of bacteria that ekes out a living in a dark, salty and subfreezing environment beneath nearly 20 meters of ice in one of Antarctica’s most isolated lakes.”

Antarctica: Ice Mass Decline
November 30, 2012 | NASA

Although a lot of media hype focused on an Antarctic sea ice increase early this year, an international team recently documented that the continent is experiencing a net loss in ice mass

Antarctic Snail Shells Dissolving
November 26, 2012 | Chicago Tribune

As waters of the Southern Ocean become more acidic, the shells of some sea snails living there are showing signs of dissolving, making them more vulnerable to predators and disease.

Antarctic Ozone Hole Second Smallest in 20 Years
October 30, 2012 | NASA

“The average area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole this year was the second smallest in the last 20 years, according to data from NASA satellites. Scientists attribute the change to warmer temperatures in the Antarctic lower stratosphere.” Quoted from the NASA press release.

Global Temperature Analysis
September 24, 2012 | NASA

NASA has a webpage that is updated each month with several graphs related to climate change. These include…

* Global Annual Mean Surface Air Temperature Change

* Annual Mean Temperature Change for Three Latitude Bands

* Annual Mean Temperature Change for Hemispheres

* Global Monthly Mean Surface Temperature Change

* Annual Mean Temperature Change in the United States

* Seasonal Mean Temperature Change

Large Methane Hydrate Accumulation Under Antarctica
September 21, 2012 | University of California Santa Cruz

Researchers have found evidence of a large accumulation of methane hydrate trapped under Antarctic ice. There could be as much methane under Antarctic as their is under North Slope permafrost.

Most Popular: 9/9/12 – 9/15/12
September 16, 2012 | Geology.com

Will Fuji Erupt?

What Happens to Pumice Rafts?

The Next Natural Gas Game Changer

Map: Earthquakes and Faults in Southern California

Earthquakes Within the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Red Water in the Yangtze River?

The Next Natural Gas Game Changer
September 14, 2012 | Geology.com

Natural gas from shale is being called the current energy game changer. Methane hydrate deposits could be the next major source of natural gas. These deposits are known to occur along continental margins worldwide and their hydrocarbon content exceeds that of coal, oil and natural gas combined. Developing them could make countries like Japan self-sufficient.

Earthquakes Within the Antarctic Ice Sheet
September 14, 2012 | Penn State

“Analysis of small, repeating earthquakes in an Antarctic ice sheet may not only lead to an understanding of glacial movement, but may also shed light on stick slip earthquakes like those on the San Andreas Fault or in Haiti.” Quoted from the PSU press release.

Discovery at the South Pole Telescope
August 15, 2012 | National Science Foundation

“A National Science Foundation-funded radio telescope in Antarctica has found an extraordinary galaxy cluster that may force astronomers to rethink how galaxy clusters and the galaxies that inhabit them evolve.” Quoted from the NSF press release.

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