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Refining Zooplankton Diet Composition Studies Over Short and Long Time Scales by Combining 18S Metabarcoding With Fatty Acid Analyses

1 November, 2025 by Alison Cleary

Understanding diet composition is essential for unravelling trophic interactions in aquatic ecosystems. DNA metabarcoding, utilising various variable regions of the 18S rRNA gene, is increasingly employed to investigate zooplankton diet…

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Evolving to invade: Using geometric morphometrics to assess wing shape variation in the Antarctic non-native fly Trichocera maculipennis

1 November, 2025 by Peter Convey

Globalization has increased human movement, transforming ecosystems and introducing non-native species that threaten biodiversity, particularly in Antarctica. Due to its harsh climatic conditions, Antarctica has largely remained protected from biological…

Read more on Evolving to invade: Using geometric morphometrics to assess wing shape variation in the Antarctic non-native fly Trichocera maculipennis

Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf Cavity Observations Reveal Multi-year Sea Ice Dynamics and Deep-Water Warming in Pine Island Bay, West Antarctica

28 October, 2025 by Peter Davis

Pine Island Bay (PIB), situated in the Amundsen Sea, is renowned for its retreating ice shelves and highly variable sea ice. While brine rejection from sea ice formation and glacial…

Read more on Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf Cavity Observations Reveal Multi-year Sea Ice Dynamics and Deep-Water Warming in Pine Island Bay, West Antarctica

Contrasting Responses of Monsoon Rainfall and Speleothem Oxygen Isotope Between Northeast Asia and North China During the Early‐Mid Holocene

28 October, 2025 by Xu Zhang

A critical gap in East Asian summer monsoon research is the lack of speleothem records from its northeasternmost fringe, hindering tests of orbital-scale monsoon variability at higher latitudes. Our new…

Read more on Contrasting Responses of Monsoon Rainfall and Speleothem Oxygen Isotope Between Northeast Asia and North China During the Early‐Mid Holocene

Benthopelagic Deep-Sea Food Webs Along a Latitudinal Gradient in the Scotia Sea (Southern Ocean)

28 October, 2025 by Gabriele Stowasser, Jose Marques Queiros, Jose Dos Santos Abreu, Martin Collins, Mark Belchier, Philip Hollyman

Understanding food-web structure is crucial to determine the functioning of ecosystems and sustainably manage resources. The Scotia Sea is an important area for Antarctic krill and toothfish fisheries, and one…

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Subglacial landscape formation and sediment discharge: relating basal conditions to bedform dimensions and properties at Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica

23 October, 2025 by Alex Brisbourne, Andy Smith, Rebecca Schlegel

Basal conditions that facilitate fast ice flow are still poorly understood and their parameterization in ice‐flow models results in high uncertainties in ice‐flow and consequent sea‐level rise projections. Direct observations…

Read more on Subglacial landscape formation and sediment discharge: relating basal conditions to bedform dimensions and properties at Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica

Diversity of culturable fungi in Antarctic lakes and their potential for producing compounds of biotechnological interest

23 October, 2025 by Peter Convey

We evaluated the diversity and biotechnological potential of culturable fungi from sediments of Florencia and Katerina lakes, James Ross Island, maritime Antarctica. A total of 57 fungal isolates, belonging to…

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Heated settlement plates (HSPl) in global experimentation: Experiences, research questions, future applications and collaborations

21 October, 2025 by Ainsley Hatt, David Barnes, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark

Predicting how benthic assemblages respond to ocean warming remains a central challenge in marine ecology. Artificial units of habitat such as settlement plates have long been used to study marine…

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An alternative representation of Synthetic Aperture Radar images as an aid to the interpretation of englacial observations

20 October, 2025 by Alex Brisbourne, Alvaro Arenas Pingarron, Carlos Martin Garcia, Carl Robinson, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan, Alvaro Pingarron Arenas

Ground-penetrating radar reveals subsurface geometry and ice stratigraphy that contains information about past and present dynamics of the cryosphere. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a processing technique based on averaging…

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Review article: AntArchitecture – building an age–depth model from Antarctica’s radiostratigraphy to explore ice-sheet evolution

20 October, 2025 by Carlos Martin Garcia, Tom Jordan

Radio-echo sounding (RES) has revealed an internal architecture within both the West and East Antarctic ice sheets that records their depositional, deformational and melting histories. Crucially, RES-imaged internal-reflecting horizons, tied…

Read more on Review article: AntArchitecture – building an age–depth model from Antarctica’s radiostratigraphy to explore ice-sheet evolution

Climate Change, Fisheries Management, and Increases in Demersal Fish Distribution in a Southern Ocean Biodiversity Hotspot

19 October, 2025 by Kaitlin Naughten

The world's oceans and their biodiversity are undergoing change driven by climate change and anthropogenic impacts such as fishing. The Kerguelen Plateau is a biodiversity hotspot with many endemic fish…

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Multi‐MeV Electron Occurrence and Lifetimes in the Outer Radiation Belt and Slot Region During the Maximum of Solar Cycle 22

17 October, 2025 by Nigel Meredith, Sarah Glauert

The Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) observed the response of the Van Allen radiation belts to peak solar activity within solar cycle 22. This study analyses relativistic and…

Read more on Multi‐MeV Electron Occurrence and Lifetimes in the Outer Radiation Belt and Slot Region During the Maximum of Solar Cycle 22

The PolarRES dataset: a state-of-the-art regional climate model ensemble for understanding Antarctic climate [preprint]

9 October, 2025 by Andrew Orr, Ella Gilbert, Siddharth Gumber, Tony Phillips

Antarctica's weather and climate have global impacts, influencing weather patterns, ocean currents and sea levels worldwide. However, Antarctica is vast and complex, and the atmospheric processes that govern its climate…

Read more on The PolarRES dataset: a state-of-the-art regional climate model ensemble for understanding Antarctic climate [preprint]

Assessing cryptic non-fungal eukaryotic diversity associated with rocks at Lions Rump, South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctica

9 October, 2025 by Peter Convey

Maritime Antarctica experiences less extreme environmental conditions than much of the Antarctic continent and has further been impacted by considerable warming in recent decades. While inventories exist of macroscopic Antarctic…

Read more on Assessing cryptic non-fungal eukaryotic diversity associated with rocks at Lions Rump, South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctica

Influence of various criteria on identifying the springtime tropospheric ozone depletion events (ODEs) at Utqiaġvik, Arctic

7 October, 2025 by Xin Yang

Tropospheric ozone depletion events (ODEs) occurring in the Arctic spring are a unique photochemical phenomenon in which the boundary layer ozone drops rapidly to near-zero levels. However, the criterion for…

Read more on Influence of various criteria on identifying the springtime tropospheric ozone depletion events (ODEs) at Utqiaġvik, Arctic

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in Sub-Antarctic Seabirds: Insights into Long-Range Transport and Bioaccumulation of Legacy and Replacement Chemicals

3 October, 2025 by Lloyd Peck, Richard Phillips

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widespread environmental pollutants that can bioaccumulate in biota and cause a variety of adverse effects. Seabirds are useful bioindicators of pollutants in marine food…

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Low-cost preventative measures can effectively mitigate microplastic release from scientific research facilities in Antarctica

1 October, 2025 by Aanchal Jain, Clara Manno, Kevin Hughes

Microplastic release in Antarctica is an issue of increasing concern, despite the limited human presence in the region. This study estimates the annual release of microplastics from the wastewaters of…

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Freshwater Sources in the Global Ocean Through Salinity‐ δ 18 O Relationships: A Machine Learning Solution to a Water Mass Problem

1 October, 2025 by Michael Meredith

Changes in the hydrological cycle can affect ocean circulation and ventilation. Freshwater enters the ocean as meteoric water (MW; precipitation, river runoff, and glacial discharge) and sea ice meltwater (SIM).…

Read more on Freshwater Sources in the Global Ocean Through Salinity‐ δ 18 O Relationships: A Machine Learning Solution to a Water Mass Problem

A Global Speleothem-Based Assessment of Spontaneous Dansgaard–Oeschger Type Oscillations in Two Isotope-Enabled General Circulation Models

28 September, 2025 by Irene Malmierca Vallet, John Slattery, Louise Sime, Xu Zhang

Several general circulation models have now demonstrated the ability to simulate spontaneous millennial-scale oscillations that resemble Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events. It is often unclear how representative of DO events these simulations…

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Different responses of cold-air outbreak clouds to aerosol and ice production depending on cloud temperature

26 September, 2025 by Floortje Van Den Heuvel

Aerosol–cloud interactions and ice production processes are important factors that influence mixed-phase cold-air outbreak (CAO) clouds and their contribution to cloud-phase feedback. Recent case studies of CAO events suggest that…

Read more on Different responses of cold-air outbreak clouds to aerosol and ice production depending on cloud temperature

Modelling snow algal habitat suitability and ecology under extreme weather events on the Antarctic Peninsula

23 September, 2025 by Lloyd Peck, Peter Convey, Peter Fretwell

Snow algae form extensive blooms within Antarctica’s coastal snowpacks and are a crucial contributor to its scarce terrestrial ecosystems. There is limited knowledge about the factors that contribute to snow…

Read more on Modelling snow algal habitat suitability and ecology under extreme weather events on the Antarctic Peninsula

Evidence that a highly invasive ascidian can survive the thermal conditions of a simulated transit across the sub-Antarctic and polar fronts

15 September, 2025 by Simon Morley

The sub-Antarctic and polar fronts are features of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that separates the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean. These fronts act as both a physical and physiological barrier…

Read more on Evidence that a highly invasive ascidian can survive the thermal conditions of a simulated transit across the sub-Antarctic and polar fronts

The abundance, diversity, and assemblage structure of the macrobenthos at the South Georgia shelf methane seeps

12 September, 2025 by Katrin Linse, Madeline Anderson, Philip Hollyman

A quarter of all marine methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is estimated to be hosted in Southern Ocean sediments. Climate change-induced ocean warming and ice shelf melting risk the stability…

Read more on The abundance, diversity, and assemblage structure of the macrobenthos at the South Georgia shelf methane seeps

Understanding the risk of marine introductions through the biofouling of vessels operating in the remote sub-Antarctic

10 September, 2025 by Simon Morley

Understanding the risk of introduction of marine non-native species requires data on pathways, including the level of biofouling present on vessels, vessel operating profiles and maintenance regimes. This study presents…

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Safeguarding the polar regions from dangerous geoengineering: a critical assessment of proposed concepts and future prospects

9 September, 2025 by Henry Burgess, James Kirkham, Kate Hendry, Kevin Hughes, Robert Larter, Susie Grant

Fossil-fuel burning is heating the planet with catastrophic consequences for its habitability and for the natural world on which our existence depends. Halting global warming requires rapid and deep decarbonization…

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Expanding Monitoring Capacity for Potential Invasive Species in Arctic Canada With Environmental DNA Metabarcoding

4 September, 2025 by Elizabeth Boyse, Melody Clark, Victoria Peck

To date, environmental conditions have been enough to act as an effective barrier to prevent non-indigenous species from arriving and establishing in Arctic Canada. However, rapidly changing climatic conditions are…

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Abundance and distribution of fin and humpback whales at the South Orkney Islands in the austral summers 2011–2025

2 September, 2025 by Philip Trathan

Information on cetacean population status is vital for determining fisheries management strategies, especially where they overlap spatiotemporally and target the same organism. This study aims to quantify distribution and abundance…

Read more on Abundance and distribution of fin and humpback whales at the South Orkney Islands in the austral summers 2011–2025

Fungal diversity present in ornithogenic soils of extreme equatorial Atlantic São Pedro and São Paulo archipelago using DNA metabarcoding

1 September, 2025 by Peter Convey

We evaluated the fungal diversity present in ornithogenically-influenced soils of the polyextreme Brazilian Archipelago of São Pedro and São Paulo, using a DNA metabarcoding approach. We detected 1,596,919 fungal DNA…

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Detection of Genes Encoding for Absorption of Hydrocarbons Degradation by Bacteria Isolated from Antarctica, Malaysia, and Indonesia

1 September, 2025 by Peter Convey

Petroleum spills pose a significant threat to ecosystems due to the presence of hydrocarbons, the primary toxic components. Bioremediation, particularly using hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, offers an eco-friendly solution for mitigating this…

Read more on Detection of Genes Encoding for Absorption of Hydrocarbons Degradation by Bacteria Isolated from Antarctica, Malaysia, and Indonesia

Endurance or extinction: long-term declines in albatrosses at South Georgia highlight threats from South Atlantic fisheries and climate change

28 August, 2025 by Ashley Bennison, Elizabeth Mackley, Elizabeth Holmes, Richard Phillips, Rosamund Hall, Sarah Manthorpe

Marine ecosystems face multiple human threats, and many species are declining. The wandering albatross Diomedea exulans, black-browed albatross Thalassarche melanophris and grey-headed albatross T. chrysostoma are categorised globally as Vulnerable,…

Read more on Endurance or extinction: long-term declines in albatrosses at South Georgia highlight threats from South Atlantic fisheries and climate change