Found 14089 items
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…1 March, 2022 by Sam Coffin
The polar regions represent two of the most extreme environments on Earth, with sub-zero temperatures, sustained light in the summer and complete darkness in the winter. Marine diatoms are prevalent…1 March, 2022 by Laura Gerrish
Icebergs impact the physical and biological properties of the ocean where they drift, depending on the degree of melting. We use satellite imagery and altimetry to quantify the area, thickness,…Read more on Observing the disintegration of the A68A iceberg from space
1 March, 2022 by David Pearce
The polar regions, comprising the Antarctic, Arctic and Tibetan Plateau, represent the most extreme environments on Earth. Soils across the polar regions harbor diverse microorganisms, which dominate the biogeochemical cycling.…Read more on Polar soils exhibit distinct patterns in microbial diversity and dominant phylotypes
1 March, 2022 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Robert Larter
Mixed (turbidite-contourite) depositional systems are formed by a complex interplay of deep-water processes. An evaluation of their morphological elements and their lateral and spatial distribution is crucial to better understand…1 March, 2022 by Richard Horne
During magnetospheric storms, radiation belt electrons are produced and then removed by collisions with the lower atmosphere on varying timescales. An efficient loss process is microbursts, strong, transient precipitation of…Read more on Ducted chorus waves cause sub‐relativistic and relativistic electron microbursts
1 March, 2022 by Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Realistic modeling of the winds and dynamical variations in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) at Southern Hemisphere (SH) mid-to-high latitudes near 60oS where dramatic motions occur has been a…28 February, 2022 by Hua Lu, John King, John Turner, Tony Phillips
High surface temperatures are important in Antarctica because of their role in ice melt and sea level rise. We investigate a high temperature event in December 1989 that gave record…28 February, 2022 by Robert Larter
Ice shelves restrict outflow from many of the largest glaciers in Antarctica, thus limiting the Antarctic contribution to sea-level rise. However, past ice-shelf collapse events show they are highly vulnerable…Read more on Basal melting, roughness and structural integrity of ice shelves
28 February, 2022 by Alex Brisbourne, Keith Nicholls, Lianne Harrison, Paul Holland
Observations of surface lowering on Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS), Antarctica, have prompted concern about its stability. In this study, an ocean model is used to investigate the extent to…28 February, 2022 by Peter Convey
Antarctica contains most of the glacial ice on the planet, a habitat that is largely unexplored by biologists. Recent warming in parts of Antarctica, particularly the Antarctic Peninsula region, is…25 February, 2022 by James Smith, Louise Sime
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) presently holds enough ice to raise global sea level by 4.3 m if completely melted. The unknown response of the WAIS to future warming remains…Read more on Sensitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to +2 °C (SWAIS 2C)
25 February, 2022 by Andrew Orr
Regional climate models compute ice sheet surface mass balance (SMB) over a mask that defines the area covered by glacier ice, but ice masks have not been harmonised between models.…23 February, 2022 by Gaelle Veyssiere, Jeremy Wilkinson
The Arctic is no longer a region dominated by thick multi-year ice (MYI), but by thinner, more dynamic, first-year-ice (FYI). This shift towards a seasonal ice cover has consequences for…Read more on Under-ice light field analysis in the western Arctic Ocean during late summer
21 February, 2022 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Robert Larter
The stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is threatened by the incursion of warm Circumpolar Deepwater which flows southwards via cross-shelf troughs towards the coast there melting ice shelves.…18 February, 2022 by James Kirkham, Kelly Hogan, Robert Larter
The subglacial hydrological system exerts a critical control on the dynamic behaviour of the overlying ice because its configuration affects the degree of basal lubrication between the ice and the…Read more on Subglacial water flow over an Antarctic palaeo-ice stream bed
18 February, 2022 by Mark Clilverd
Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) produced during geomagnetic disturbances pose a risk to the safe operation of electrical power networks. One route to determine the hazard of large and extreme geomagnetic…17 February, 2022 by Belinda Vause, David Barnes, Terri Souster, Laura Gerrish, Lloyd Peck, Simon Morley, Terri Souster
Seafloor biodiversity provides a key ecosystem service, as an efficient route for carbon to be removed from the atmosphere to become buried (long-term) in marine sediment. Protecting near intact ecosystems,…17 February, 2022 by Ben Robinson, David Barnes, Simon Morley
Climate-driven changes in disturbance are a major threat to ecosystem Functional diversity. The selective mechanisms underlying ecosystem response to disturbance are far from universal and remain the subject of scientific…17 February, 2022 by Anna Jones
The marginal sea ice zone has been identified as a source of different climate-active gases to the atmosphere due to its unique biogeochemistry. However, it remains highly undersampled, and the…Read more on Sea ice concentration impacts dissolved organic gases in the Canadian Arctic
16 February, 2022 by Mark Clilverd
It is challenging, yet important, to measure the - ever-changing - cold electron density in the plasmasphere. The cold electron density inside and outside of the plasmapause is a key…16 February, 2022 by Diana Vladimirova, Dieter Tetzner, Jack Humby, Liz Thomas
In this study, we present the age scales for three Antarctic Peninsula (AP) ice cores: Palmer, Rendezvous, and Jurassic. The three cores are all intermediate-depth cores, in the 133–141 m…13 February, 2022 by Dominic Hodgson, Peter Convey
Peatlands contain a significant fraction of global soil carbon, but how these reservoirs will respond to the changing climate is still relatively unknown. A global picture of the variations in…9 February, 2022 by Norman Ratcliffe
Mechanisms promoting coexistence between closely related species are fundamental for maintaining species diversity. Mechanisms of niche differentiation include allochrony which offsets the peak timing of resource utilisation between species. Many…8 February, 2022 by Claire Waluda
Plastic pollution in the marine environment is a pervasive, global problem that threatens wildlife and human health. Routine monitoring is required to determine pollution hotspots, focus clean-up efforts, and assess…7 February, 2022 by Markus Frey
Year-round observations of the physical snow and ice properties and processes that govern the ice pack evolution and its interaction with the atmosphere and the ocean were conducted during the…Read more on Overview of the MOSAiC expedition: Snow and sea ice
7 February, 2022 by Amelie Kirchgaessner, Markus Frey
With the Arctic rapidly changing, the needs to observe, understand, and model the changes are essential. To support these needs, an annual cycle of observations of atmospheric properties, processes, and…5 February, 2022 by Ben Evans
Salt marshes provide diverse ecosystem services including coastal protection, habitat provision and carbon sequestration. The loss of salt marshes is a global scale phenomenon, of great socio-economic concern due to…
1 February, 2022 by Peter Convey
Belgica antarctica (Diptera: Chironomidae), a brachypterous midge endemic to the maritime Antarctic, was first described in 1900. Over more than a century of study, a vast amount of information has…1 February, 2022 by Jack Humby, Julius Rix, Liz Thomas, Rebecca Tuckwell, Robert Mulvaney
Dissolved and particulate sodium, magnesium and calcium are analyzed in ice cores to determine past changes in sea ice extent, terrestrial dust variability and atmospheric aerosol transport efficiency. They are…
1 February, 2022 by Laura Gerrish, Simon Morley
Physiological comparisons are fundamental to quantitative assessments of the capacity of species to persist within their current distribution and to predict their rates of redistribution in response to climate change.…1 February, 2022 by David Barnes, Terri Souster, Terri Souster
Unprecedented and dramatic transformations are occurring in the Arctic in response to climate change, but academic, public, and political discourse has disproportionately focussed on the most visible and direct aspects…Read more on Biogeochemical consequences of a changing Arctic shelf seafloor ecosystem
1 February, 2022 by Peter Convey
Human activity and climate change are increasing the spread of species across the planet, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Invasion engineers, such as birds, facilitate plant growth through manuring of…1 February, 2022 by Anne-Sophie Bonnet-Lebrun, Derren Fox, Norman Ratcliffe, Tim Morley
Climate change alters species distributions by shifting their fundamental niche in space through time. Such effects may be exacerbated by increased inter-specific competition if climate alters species dominance where competitor…1 February, 2022 by Scott Hosking
Transdisciplinary solutions are needed to achieve the sustainability of ecosystem services for future generations. We propose a framework to identify the causes of ecosystem function loss and to forecast the…Read more on The Time Machine framework: monitoring and prediction of biodiversity loss
1 February, 2022 by Derren Fox, Jennifer Jackson, Michael Dunn, Stacey Adlard
The South Georgia Shag Leucocarbo [atriceps] georgianus has breeding populations on the islands of South Georgia, the South Sandwich and South Orkney Islands. The South Orkney Islands are estimated to…1 February, 2022 by Gaelle Veyssiere
The Arctic marine ecosystem is shaped by the seasonality of the solar cycle, spanning from 24-h light at the sea surface in summer to 24-h darkness in winter. The amount…1 February, 2022 by Anna Belcher, Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Jennifer Freer
The changing Arctic environment is affecting zooplankton that support its abundant wildlife. We examined how these changes are influencing a key zooplankton species, Calanus finmarchicus, principally found in the North…1 February, 2022 by Elisabeth Biersma
Colobanthus (23 species) and Sagina (30–33 species) together are sister to Facchinia. Whereas Facchinia is distributed in western Eurasia, Colobanthus is almost exclusively distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, and Sagina…Read more on Colonization of the Southern Hemisphere by Sagina and Colobanthus (Caryophyllaceae)
1 February, 2022 by Geraint Tarling, Simeon Hill
Poleward range shifts are a global-scale response to warming, but these vary greatly among taxa and are hard to predict for individual species, localized regions or over shorter (years to…1 February, 2022 by Simeon Hill
Plankton drive a major sink of carbon across the global oceans. Dead plankton, their faeces and the faeces of plankton feeders, form a huge rain of carbon sinking to the…Read more on Commercial fishery disturbance of the global ocean biological carbon sink