Found 13742 items
28 May, 2022 by Louise Sime
Natural forcing from solar and volcanic activity contributes significantly to climate variability. The post-eruption cooling of strong volcanic eruptions was hypothesized to have led to millennial-scale variability during Glacials. Cooling…27 May, 2022 by Hannah Cubaynes, Peter Fretwell
Monitoring whales in remote areas is important for their conservation; however, using traditional survey platforms (boat and plane) in such regions is logistically difficult. The use of very high-resolution satellite…24 May, 2022 by Mark Clilverd
Energetic particle precipitation leads to ionization in the Earth's atmosphere, initiating the formation of active chemical species which destroy ozone and have the potential to impact atmospheric composition and dynamics…24 May, 2022 by Elisa Bergami
Several studies have documented that plastic pollution is affecting one of the most remote and pristine regions of our planet, Antarctica. Plastics of different size and polymeric composition have been…Read more on Plastic occurrence, sources, and impacts in Antarctic environment and biota
23 May, 2022 by Paul Holland
Coupled ice sheet-ocean models are beginning to be used to study the response of ice sheets to ocean warming. Initialising an ice-ocean model is challenging and can introduce nonphysical transients,…20 May, 2022 by Charles Simpson, Erik Mackie, Scott Hosking, Risa Ueno
Most studies into the effects of climate change have headline results in the form of a global change in mean temperature. More useful for businesses and governments, however, are measures…19 May, 2022 by Peter Convey
We assessed fungal diversity in sediments obtained from four lakes in the South Shetland Islands and James Ross Island, Antarctica, using DNA metabarcoding. We detected 218 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs)…18 May, 2022 by Richard Phillips
Few studies have assessed the influence of data quality on the predicted probability of occurrence and preferred habitat of marine predators. We compared results from four species distribution models (SDMs)…15 May, 2022 by John Turner
In the satellite data era starting from 1979, the extent of Antarctic sea ice increased moderately for the first 37 years. However, the extent decreased to record low levels from…12 May, 2022 by Philip Trathan, Victoria Warwick-Evans
If not carefully managed, harvesting of krill risks disturbing the ecological balance of many Antarctic and sub-Antarctic sites where krill-dependent predators feed. One of the least disturbed sites anywhere within…9 May, 2022 by David Pearce
The deposition of airborne microorganisms into new ecosystems is the first stage of colonisation. However, how and under what circumstances deposited microorganisms might successfully colonise a new environment is still…6 May, 2022 by Kevin Hughes, Kudzai Hwengwere, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark
Although the rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly in relation to clinical settings, is causing concern in many regions of the globe, remote, extreme environments, such as Antarctica, are…Read more on Antimicrobial resistance in Antarctica: is it still a pristine environment?
6 May, 2022 by Carlos Martin Garcia, Hugh Corr, Robert Mulvaney
Ice crystals are mechanically and dielectrically anisotropic. They progressively align under cumulative deformation, forming an ice-crystal-orientation fabric that, in turn, impacts ice deformation. However, almost all the observations of ice…5 May, 2022 by Michael McCarthy, Michael McCarthy
The Indian and East Asian summer monsoons shape the melt and accumulation patterns of glaciers in High Mountain Asia in complex ways due to the interaction of persistent cloud cover,…4 May, 2022 by Ben Robinson
The shallow Antarctic benthos (10 -100 m depth) are predicted to undergo drastic changes, particularly with respect to the iceberg scour disturbance regimes. With this is in mind, the field…Read more on Disturbance ecology of the shallow Antarctic Benthos
3 May, 2022 by Claire Allen, Joanne Johnson, Liz Thomas
Widespread existing geological records from above the modern ice sheet surface and outboard of the current ice margin show that the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) was much more extensive at…2 May, 2022 by Richard Phillips
Until the last decade, gentoo penguins were usually split into two subspecies, northern gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua papua) breeding in the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and other subantarctic islands and…Read more on Genetic diversity and structure of captive gentoo penguin populations in Japan
2 May, 2022 by Peter Convey
We studied the fungal DNA present in a lake sediment core obtained from Trinity Peninsula, Hope Bay, north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula, using metabarcoding through high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Sequences obtained were assigned…1 May, 2022 by Peter Convey
Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids…1 May, 2022 by David Barnes
The two most urgent and interlinked environmental challenges humanity faces are climate change and biodiversity loss. We are entering a pivotal decade for both the international biodiversity and climate change…Read more on Actions to halt biodiversity loss generally benefit the climate
1 May, 2022 by Chester Sands, Katherine Short, Peter Convey, Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
Antarctica has been isolated and progressively glaciated for over 30 million years, with only approximately 0.3 % of its area currently ice-free and capable of supporting terrestrial ecosystems. As a…1 May, 2022 by Norman Ratcliffe, Richard Phillips
Understanding how natural populations respond to climatic shifts is a fundamental goal of biological research in a fast-changing world. The Southern Ocean represents a fascinating system for assessing large-scale climate-driven…Read more on Rapid radiation of Southern Ocean shags in response to receding sea ice
1 May, 2022 by Martin Collins, Philip Hollyman, Ryan Saunders, Sally Thorpe
Southern Ocean myctophid fish (Family Myctophidae) are an important conduit of energy through foodwebs and between the surface layers and mesopelagic depths. Species that reside in both pelagic and near-bottom…1 May, 2022 by Kelly Hogan, Keith Nicholls
Based on sediment cores and geophysical data collected from Petermann Fjord and northern Nares Strait, NW Greenland, an Arctic ice shelf sediment facies is presented that distinguishes sub and pro…1 May, 2022 by Philip Trathan, Sophie Fielding, Victoria Warwick-Evans
This study was performed to aid the management of the fishery for Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. Krill are an important component of the Antarctic marine ecosystem, providing a key food…1 May, 2022 by Nigel Meredith
The near-relativistic electron population in the outer Van Allen radiation belt is highly dynamic and strongly coupled to geomagnetic activity such as storms and substorms, which are driven by the…1 May, 2022 by Peter Convey, Susie Grant
This report provides concise compiled synopses of current understanding, explicit recommendations for actions to address change, and recommendations for additional research. In most cases, the research recommendations are drawn from…28 April, 2022 by Xin Yang
Using an environmental scanning electron microscope, we quantified for the first time aerosol-sized salt particles formed during the sublimation of sea ice as a function of temperature and concentration. The…27 April, 2022 by Andrew Orr, Ella Gilbert, John King, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
Following collapses of the neighbouring Larsen A and B ice shelves, Larsen C has become a focus of increased attention. Determining how the prevailing meteorological conditions influence its surface melt…27 April, 2022 by Andrew Orr, Ella Gilbert, John King, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
Quantifying the relative importance of the atmospheric drivers of surface melting on the Larsen C ice shelf is critical in the context of recent and future climate change. Here, we…27 April, 2022 by Mark Whiffin
1. Insufficient reproduction as a consequence of predation on eggs and chicks is a major determinant of population decline in ground-nesting birds, including waders. For many populations, there is an…27 April, 2022 by Hugh Corr, Keith Nicholls
Basal melt of ice shelves is a key factor governing discharge of ice from the Antarctic Ice Sheet as a result of its effects on buttressing. Here, we use radio…Read more on Basal melt of the southern Filchner Ice Shelf, Antarctica
22 April, 2022 by David Barnes
Latitudinal and bathymetric species diversity gradients in the deep sea have been identified, but studies have rarely considered these gradients across hard substratum habitats, such as seamount and oceanic island…Read more on Depth and latitudinal gradients of diversity in seamount benthic communities
20 April, 2022 by David Newnham, Mark Clilverd, William Clark
Ground-based observations of 11.072 GHz atmospheric ozone (O3) emission have been made using the Ny-Ålesund Ozone in the Mesosphere Instrument (NAOMI) at the UK Arctic Research Station (latitude 78∘55′0′′ N, longitude 11∘55′59′′ E),…Read more on Ground-based Ku-band microwave observations of ozone in the polar middle atmosphere
19 April, 2022 by Philip Trathan, Peter Fretwell
Very high-resolution satellite (VHR) imagery is a promising tool for estimating the abundance of wildlife populations, especially in remote regions where traditional surveys are limited by logistical challenges. Emperor penguins…19 April, 2022 by Elisabeth Biersma, Kevin Newsham, Peter Convey
For more than five decades, research has been conducted at Ny-Ålesund, in Svalbard, Norway, to understand the structure and functioning of High-Arctic ecosystems and the profound impacts on them of…Read more on Five decades of terrestrial and freshwater research at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard
19 April, 2022 by Victoria Peck
The Southern Ocean paleoceanography provides key insights into how iron fertilization and oceanic productivity developed through Pleistocene ice-ages and their role in influencing the carbon cycle. We report a high-resolution…15 April, 2022 by Jenny Wong, Johnathan Ross, Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert
We conduct a global survey of magnetosonic waves and compute the associated bounce and drift averaged diffusion coefficients, taking into account co-located measurements of fpe/fce, to assess the role of…Read more on Electron diffusion by magnetosonic waves in the Earth’s radiation belts
13 April, 2022 by Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark
Marine sediment communities are major contributors to biogeochemical cycling and benthic ecosystem functioning, but they are poorly described, particularly in remote regions such as Antarctica. We analysed patterns and drivers…Read more on Metabarcoding the Antarctic Peninsula biodiversity using a multi-gene approach
12 April, 2022 by Eugene Murphy, Sally Thorpe
The South Sandwich Islands form the eastern boundary to the highly biologically productive Scotia Sea in the southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean and are part of a large…12 April, 2022 by Martin Collins, Mark Belchier, Philip Hollyman
The South Sandwich Islands (SSI) are a volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean; they are a biologically rich area, home to a range of benthic habitats…12 April, 2022 by Martin Collins, Mark Belchier, Philip Hollyman
The exploitation of marine resources of the South Sandwich Islands (SSI) began with the hunting of fur seals for their pelts in the early decades of the 19th Century. Pelagic…12 April, 2022 by Katrin Linse
The Sandwich Plate is known as one of the tectonically most active regions in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, characterised by a subsurface chain of active volcanic islands (the South…12 April, 2022 by Cecilia Liszka, Eugene Murphy, Geraint Tarling, Sally Thorpe, Sophie Fielding
The South Sandwich Islands (SSI) are a biologically productive archipelago situated in the eastern Scotia Sea to the south of the eastward flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). The islands support…12 April, 2022 by Connor Bamford, Jennifer Jackson, Philip Trathan
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are showing strong recovery from commercial whaling in the western South Atlantic. In this region, humpback whales migrate annually from their winter breeding grounds off the…12 April, 2022 by Richard Horne
In this study, we report the statistical properties of whistler mode low hybrid (LH) emissions in the ionosphere, which have structureless spectra with a lower frequency boundary that matches the…12 April, 2022 by Joshua Eveson, Markus Frey, Neil Brough, Sabino Del Vento
The presence of an organic film on a cloud droplet or aqueous aerosol particle has the potential to alter the chemical, optical and physical properties of the droplet or particle.…11 April, 2022 by Peter Convey
The strong air temperature warming between the 1950s and 2016 in the Antarctic Peninsula region exceeded the global average warming with evident impacts on terrestrial ecosystems and the two native…Read more on Acceleration of climate warming and plant dynamics in Antarctica
11 April, 2022 by Andrew Clarke, Helen Peat
The seasonal and interannual variability of feeding in 15 species of benthic marine suspension feeder was studied over 8 yr at Ryder Bay, Antarctica. Feeding was strongly seasonal in bryozoans, gorgonians,…Read more on Seasonal and interannual variability of feeding in Antarctic benthos
6 April, 2022 by Michael Dinn
Responses to the early (February–July 2020) COVID-19 pandemic varied widely, globally. Reasons for this are multiple but likely relate to the healthcare and financial resources then available, and the degree…4 April, 2022 by Thomas Lachlan-Cope
The oil and gas (O&G) sector is a significant source of methane (CH4) emissions. Quantifying these emissions remains challenging, with many studies highlighting discrepancies between measurements and inventory-based estimates. In…
1 April, 2022 by Peter Convey
We assessed fungal diversity present in glacial from the Antarctic Peninsula using DNA metabarcoding through high-throughput sequencing (HTS). We detected a total of 353,879 fungal DNA reads, representing 94 genera…1 April, 2022 by Hamish Pritchard
Surface meltwater is becoming increasingly widespread on Antarctic ice shelves. It is stored within surface ponds and streams, or within firn pore spaces, which may saturate to form slush. Slush…1 April, 2022 by David Barnes
A multitude of actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems can have co-benefits for both climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Reducing greenhouse emissions to limit warming…Read more on How do we best synergize climate mitigation actions to co-benefit biodiversity?
1 April, 2022 by Richard Phillips
Reproduction, and parental care in particular, are among the most energy-demanding activities within the annual cycle of adult birds. Parents that cannot meet the metabolic demands and other physiological costs…1 April, 2022 by Peter Convey
The Ellsworth Mountains experience frigid desert conditions. No macroscopic vegetation is present, with only very few published records of microalgae, and the range has received virtually no formal biological survey.…1 April, 2022 by Peter Convey
Antarctic snow represents a microhabitat directly linked with atmospheric precipitation, and through it receives dust, sea spray, organic materials and microbial propagules. Among the microorganisms that inhabit Antarctic snow, fungi…1 April, 2022 by Hua Lu
The influence of the Semi-Annual Oscillation (SAO) on the timing and evolution of major sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) is examined using the 2008/9 SSW as the primary case study. When…Read more on Mechanisms of influence of the semi-annual oscillation on stratospheric sudden warmings
1 April, 2022 by Andrew Orr
River systems originating from the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) are dominated by runoff from snow and glacier melt and summer monsoonal rainfall. These water resources are highly stressed as huge…1 April, 2022 by Jacob Opher, Alexander Brearley, Michael Meredith
The Denmark Strait Overflow (DSO) is an important source of dense water input to the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. It is fed by separate currents from…Read more on The annual salinity cycle of the Denmark Strait Overflow
30 March, 2022 by Jakub Stocek
Biologically inspired strategies have long been adapted to swarm robotic systems, including biased random walks, reaction to chemotactic cues and long-range coordination. In this paper we apply analysis tools developed…29 March, 2022 by Alexander Whittle, Dominic Hodgson, Stephen Roberts
We undertook multi-proxy analyses on two sediment cores from Lago Pato, a small lake basin at 51°S topographically separated from Lago del Toro in Torres del Paine (TdP), to provide…28 March, 2022 by Richard Phillips
Birds exhibit wide variation in their use of aquatic environments, on a spectrum from entirely terrestrial, through amphibious, to highly aquatic. Although there are limited empirical data on hearing sensitivity…Read more on Aquatic birds have middle ears adapted to amphibious lifestyles
26 March, 2022 by Cameron Fox-Clarke, Camille Toscani, Claire Stainfield, Jaume Forcada
Individuals are unique in how they interact with and respond to their environment. Correspondingly, unpredictable challenges or environmental stressors often produce an individualized response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and…
25 March, 2022 by James France
We present a method for estimating fossil fuel methane emissions using observations of methane and ethane, accounting for uncertainty in their emission ratio. The ethane:methane emission ratio is incorporated as…24 March, 2022 by Peter Convey
Invasive alien species may cause substantial changes and damaging impacts. Here, we document the current distribution and ecological interactions with native biota of relatively recently introduced wasps, Vespula vulgaris and…18 March, 2022 by John Turner
Sea ice extent (SIE) in the Weddell Sea attained exceptionally low levels in April (1.97 million km2) and May (3.06 million km2) 2019, with the values being ~22% below the long-term mean. Using in-situ,…18 March, 2022 by Jaume Forcada
Much debate surrounds the importance of top-down and bottom-up effects in the Southern Ocean, where the harvesting of over two million whales in the mid twentieth century is thought to…Read more on Demographic reconstruction of Antarctic fur seals supports the krill surplus hypothesis
17 March, 2022 by Edward Brown, Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne
Extreme ultraviolet images taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory make it possible to use deep vision techniques to forecast solar wind speed - a…16 March, 2022 by Ailsa Stroud, Liz Thomas, Robert Mulvaney
Records of chemical impurities from ice cores enable us to reconstruct the past deposition of aerosols onto polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Through this they allow us to gain…16 March, 2022 by Keith Nicholls, Leo Middleton, Peter Davis
Warmer and more persistent intrusions of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) onto the West Antarctic Peninsula are a key driver of the recent increase in ice shelf mass loss. The relatively…16 March, 2022 by David Bett, Kaitlin Naughten, Paul Holland, Pierre Dutrieux
Rapid ice loss is occurring in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This ice loss is assumed to be a long-term response to oceanographic forcing, but…Read more on Simulated twentieth-century ocean warming in the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica
15 March, 2022 by Richard Phillips, William Mills
Antarctic marine ecosystems are often considered to be pristine environments, yet wildlife in the polar regions may still be exposed to high levels of environmental contaminants. Here, we measured total…Read more on Spatial and sex differences in mercury contamination of skuas in the Southern Ocean
15 March, 2022 by Mark Clilverd
Any disturbance of the ionosphere may affect operational activities based on HF communication. The electron density is a critical parameter that controls levels of HF-signal absorption. A significant part of…Read more on Role of hard X-ray emission in ionospheric D-layer disturbances during solar flares
15 March, 2022 by Robert Mulvaney
Large volcanic eruptions occurring in the last glacial period can be detected by their accompanying sulfuric acid deposition in continuous ice cores. Here we employ continuous sulfate and sulfur records…14 March, 2022 by Adrian Jenkins
Basal melting of marine-terminating glaciers, through its impact on the forces that control the flow of the glaciers, is one of the major factors determining sea level rise in a…Read more on The vertical structure and entrainment of subglacial melt water plumes
14 March, 2022 by Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun, Norman Ratcliffe
In migratory species, the extent of within- and between-individual variation in migratory strategies can influence potential rates and directions of responses to environmental changes. Quantifying this variation requires tracking of…14 March, 2022 by Michael Meredith
Sea ice is an important habitat for a wide variety of microalgal species. Depending on the species composition, sea ice can be a seeding source for pelagic phytoplankton blooms after…Read more on On the phenology and seeding potential of sea-ice microalgal species
10 March, 2022 by Matthew Chadwick
Environmental conditions during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e (130-116 ka) represent an important ‘process analogue’ for understanding the climatic responses to present and future anthropogenic warming. Our understanding of the…Read more on Reconstructing Antarctic winter sea-ice extent during Marine Isotope Stage 5e
10 March, 2022 by Pierre Dutrieux
A 63-year observational record in the southwest Ross Sea shows a continuing, near-linear salinity decrease of 0.170 and slight warming of 0.013°C through 2020. That freshening exceeded any increase in…Read more on Persistent Ross Sea freshening from imbalance West Antarctic Ice Shelf melting
10 March, 2022 by Lloyd Peck
Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are increasing in both intensity and frequency against a backdrop of gradual warming associated with climate change. In the context of MHWs, animals are likely to experience…9 March, 2022 by Alexander Bradley, Rosie Williams, Robert Arthern
Accurate predictions of basal melt rates on ice shelves are necessary for precise projections of the future behaviour of ice sheets. The computational expense associated with completely resolving the cavity…Read more on Asymptotic analysis of subglacial plumes in stratified environments
9 March, 2022 by Andrew Clarke, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Simeon Hill
Whole-animal, in vivo protein metabolism rates have been reported in temperate and tropical, but not Antarctic fish. Growth in Antarctic species is generally slower than lower latitude species. Protein metabolism…Read more on Life in the freezer: Protein metabolism in Antarctic fish
9 March, 2022 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Tom Jordan
East Antarctic provinces lay at the heart of both Rodinian and Gondwanan supercontinents, yet poor exposure and limited geophysical data provide few constraints on the region’s tectonic evolution. The shape…9 March, 2022 by Claire Allen, Dieter Tetzner, Liz Thomas
The presence of marine microfossils (diatoms) in glacier ice and ice cores has been documented from numerous sites in Antarctica, Greenland, as well as from sites in the Andes and…8 March, 2022 by Alexander Lozinski
Geomagnetically trapped protons forming Earth's proton radiation belt pose a hazard to orbiting spacecraft. In particular, solar cells are prone to degradation caused by non-ionising collisions with protons in the…Read more on Modelling the exposure of satellites in medium Earth orbit to proton belt radiation
8 March, 2022 by Keith Nicholls
Subglacial hydrologic systems regulate ice sheet flow, causing acceleration or deceleration, depending on hydraulic efficiency and the rate at which surface meltwater is delivered to the bed. Because these systems…Read more on Rapid basal melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet from surface meltwater drainage
8 March, 2022 by Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
This paper is the fifth monograph of the series that describes the global records of limno-terrestrial water bears (Tardigrada). Here, we provide a comprehensive list of non-marine tardigrades recorded from…Read more on Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part V: Australasia
8 March, 2022 by Philip Trathan
Although mitochondrial DNA has been widely used in phylogeography, evidence has emerged that factors such as climate, food availability, and environmental pressures that produce high levels of stress can exert…7 March, 2022 by Richard Phillips
Monitoring of population sizes and trends using conventional surveys is challenging for nocturnal, burrow-nesting seabirds. The White-chinned Petrel is the most commonly killed species in Southern Ocean fisheries and its…7 March, 2022 by Florian Mekhaldi
The Sun sporadically produces eruptive events leading to intense fluxes of solar energetic particles (SEPs) that dramatically disrupt the near-Earth radiation environment. Such events have been directly studied for the…Read more on Tree-rings reveal two strong solar proton events in 7176 and 5259 BCE
5 March, 2022
The harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) is the most widely distributed pinniped, occupying a wide variety of habitats and climatic zones across the Northern Hemisphere. Intriguingly, the harbour seal is also…3 March, 2022 by Pierre Dutrieux
Recent rapid thinning of West Antarctic ice shelves are believed to be caused by intrusions of warm deep water that induce basal melting and seaward meltwater export. This study uses…Read more on Seasonal variability of ocean circulation near the Dotson Ice Shelf, Antarctica
2 March, 2022 by Dominic Hodgson, Louise Sime, Richard Phillips
Antarctic sea ice is a critical component of the climate system affecting a range of physical and biogeochemical feedbacks and supporting unique ecosystems. During the last glacial stage, Antarctic sea…2 March, 2022 by Anna Jones, Neil Brough
We present 20-year flask sample records of atmospheric CO2, δ(O2/N2), and atmospheric potential oxygen (APO) from the stations Lutjewad (the Netherlands) and Mace Head (Ireland), and a 3-year record from…