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Degradation of internal organic matter is the main control on pteropod shell dissolution after death
10 July, 2019 by Clara Manno, Victoria Peck
The potential for preservation of thecosome pteropods is thought to be largely governed by the chemical stability of their delicate aragonitic shells in seawater. However, sediment trap studies have found…
Summer surface melt thins Petermann Gletscher Ice Shelf by enhancing channelized basal melt
9 July, 2019 by Keith Nicholls
Increasing ocean and air temperatures have contributed to the removal of floating ice shelves from several Greenland outlet glaciers; however, the specific contribution of these external forcings remains poorly understood.…
Holocene break-up and reestablishment of the Petermann Ice Tongue, Northwest Greenland
9 July, 2019 by Kelly Hogan, Keith Nicholls
Over the last decade, two major calving events of the Petermann Ice Tongue in Northwest Greenland have led to speculation on its future stability and contribution to further Greenland Ice…Read more on Holocene break-up and reestablishment of the Petermann Ice Tongue, Northwest Greenland
On the identity of Navicula gottlandica (Bacillariophyta), with the description of two new species Navicula eileencoxiana and Navicula bergstromiana from the Australo-Pacific region
9 July, 2019 by Dominic Hodgson
During the past two decades, the subantarctic diatom flora has been the subject of several detailed taxonomic revisions, resulting in the description of a large number of new species. During…The Source Regions of Whistlers.
4 July, 2019 by Mark Clilverd
We present a new method for identifying the source regions of lightning‐generated whistlers observed at a fixed location. In addition to the spatial distribution of causative lightning discharges, we calculate…Quantifying supraglacial debris thickness at local to regional scales
3 July, 2019 by Michael McCarthy, Michael McCarthy
Supraglacial debris thickness is a key control on the surface energy balance of debris-covered glaciers, which are common in temperate mountain ranges around the world. As such, it is an…Read more on Quantifying supraglacial debris thickness at local to regional scales
Morphological and geological features of Drake Passage, Antarctica, from a new digital bathymetric model
3 July, 2019 by Alexander Tate, Elanor Gowland, Philip Leat, Robert Larter, Teal Riley
The Drake Passage is an oceanic gateway of about 850 km width located between South America and the Antarctic Peninsula that connects the southeastern Pacific Ocean with the southwestern Atlantic Ocean.…
Sea salt aerosol production via sublimating wind-blown saline snow particles over sea ice: parameterizations and relevant microphysical mechanisms
2 July, 2019 by Anna Jones, Markus Frey, Xin Yang
Blowing snow over sea ice has been proposed as a significant source of sea salt aerosol (SSA) (Yang et al., 2008). In this study, using snow salinity data and blowing…Scaling of size, shape and surface roughness in Antarctic krill swarms
2 July, 2019 by Geraint Tarling
Antarctic krill are obligate swarmers and the size and shape of the swarms they form can have a major influence on trophic interactions and biogeochemical fluxes. Parameterizing variability in size…Read more on Scaling of size, shape and surface roughness in Antarctic krill swarms
Rapid mixing and exchange of deep-ocean waters in an abyssal boundary current
2 July, 2019 by Povl Abrahamsen, Christian Buckingham, Keith Nicholls, Michael Meredith
The overturning circulation of the global ocean is critically shaped by deep-ocean mixing, which transforms cold waters sinking at high latitudes into warmer, shallower waters. The effectiveness of mixing in…Read more on Rapid mixing and exchange of deep-ocean waters in an abyssal boundary current
Impact of ocean acidification and high solar radiation on productivity and species composition of a late summer phytoplankton community of the coastal Western Antarctic Peninsula
1 July, 2019 by Michael Meredith
The Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), one of the most productive regions of the Southern Ocean, is currently undergoing rapid environmental changes such as ocean acidification (OA) and increased daily irradiances…Education and outreach by the Antarctic Treaty Parties, Observers and Experts under the framework of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings
1 July, 2019 by Linda Capper
The development of formal discourse about education and outreach within the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM), and the influence of major international activities in this field, are described. This study…Interplanetary magnetic field control of polar ionospheric equivalent current system modes
1 July, 2019 by Mervyn Freeman, Rob Shore
We analyse the response of different ionospheric equivalent current modes to variations in the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) components By and Bz. Each mode comprises a fixed spatial pattern whose…
Spatial and temporal dynamics of Antarctic shallow soft-bottom benthic communities: ecological drivers under climate change
1 July, 2019 by Belinda Vause, David Barnes, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Simon Morley
Background: Marine soft sediments are some of the most widespread habitats in the ocean, playing a vital role in global carbon cycling, but are amongst the least studied with regard…Zooplankton and micronekton respond to climate fluctuations in the Amundsen Sea polynya, Antarctica
1 July, 2019 by Sophie Fielding
The vertical migration of zooplankton and micronekton (hereafter ‘zooplankton’) has ramifications throughout the food web. Here, we present the first evidence that climate fluctuations affect the vertical migration of zooplankton…Modelling Groundwater – Surface Water Interactions Under Climate Change Scenarios: insights from Axios Delta, Greece.
1 July, 2019 by Scott Hosking
Competing multi-sectorial water demands as well as demands for ecosystem services in coastal aquifers exert significant pressures to local water resources. Climate change is already altering spatiotemporal rainfall and runoff…Antarctica: the final frontier for marine biological invasions
1 July, 2019 by Arlie McCarthy, Kevin Hughes, Lloyd Peck
Antarctica is experiencing significant ecological and environmental change, which may facilitate the establishment of non‐native marine species. Non‐native marine species will interact with other anthropogenic stressors affecting Antarctic ecosystems, such…Read more on Antarctica: the final frontier for marine biological invasions
The fossil record of durophagous predation in the James Ross Basin over the last 125 million years
30 June, 2019 by Alice Pullen, Alistair Crame
We review the evidence for predation of shelly benthic prey over 125 million years of earth history in the James Ross Basin, Antarctica (~65°S). Although poor in the Early Cretaceous…Paleobiological significance of the James Ross Basin.
30 June, 2019 by Alistair Crame
The extensive Late Mesozoic–Early Cenozoic sedimentary succession exposed within the James Ross Basin, Antarctica has huge potential to enhance paleobiological investigations into both the marine and terrestrial fossil records. In…Read more on Paleobiological significance of the James Ross Basin.
A validation of ERA5 reanalysis data in the southern Antarctic Peninsula – Ellsworth Land region, and its implications for ice core studies
29 June, 2019 by Claire Allen, Dieter Tetzner, Liz Thomas
Climate reanalyses provide key information to calibrate proxy records in regions with scarce direct observations. The climate reanalysis used to perform a proxy calibration should accurately reproduce the local climate…Generation of EMIC Waves and Effects on Particle Precipitation During a Solar Wind Pressure Intensification With Bz>0.
29 June, 2019 by Richard Horne
During geomagnetic storms, some fraction of the solar wind energy is coupled via reconnection at the dayside magnetopause, a process that requires a southward interplanetary magnetic field Bz. Through a…The Antarctic Peninsula under a 1.5°C global warming scenario.
28 June, 2019 by David Vaughan, Gareth Marshall, Peter Convey
Warming of the Antarctic Peninsula in the latter half of the 20th century was greater than any other terrestrial environment in the Southern Hemisphere, and obvious cryospheric and biological consequences…Read more on The Antarctic Peninsula under a 1.5°C global warming scenario.
Structure, variability, and mean-flow interactions of the January 2015 quasi-two-day wave at middle and high southern latitudes
27 June, 2019 by Andrew Kavanagh
The structure, variability, and mean-flow interactions of the quasi-2-day wave (Q2DW) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere during January 2015 were studied employing meteor and medium-frequency radar winds at eight…
First ground-based conjugate observations of Stable Auroral Red (SAR) Arcs
20 June, 2019 by Tracy Moffat-Griffin
During the geomagnetic storm of 1 June 2013 all‐sky imagers located at geomagnetically conjugate locations at Millstone Hill, USA (42.6 o N, 71.4 o W, 50.9o mag lat) and at…Read more on First ground-based conjugate observations of Stable Auroral Red (SAR) Arcs
Mechanistic insight into the uptake and fate of persistent organic pollutants in sea ice
18 June, 2019 by James France
The fate of persistent organic pollutants in sea ice is a poorly researched area and yet ice serves as an important habitat for organisms at the base of the marine…
Will giant polar amphipods be first to fare badly in an oxygen-poor ocean? Testing hypotheses linking oxygen to body size
17 June, 2019 by Simon Morley
It has been suggested that giant Antarctic marine invertebrates will be particularly vulnerable to declining O2 levels as our ocean warms in line with current climate change predictions. Our study…
Physiological diversity, biodiversity patterns and global climate change: testing key hypotheses involving temperature and oxygen
17 June, 2019 by Simon Morley
Documenting and explaining global patterns of biodiversity in time and space have fascinated and occupied biologists for centuries. Investigation of the importance of these patterns, and their underpinning mechanisms, has…The Iceland Greenland Seas Project
17 June, 2019 by Alexandra Weiss, James Pope, Thomas Bracegirdle, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
A coordinated atmosphere-ocean research project, centered on a rare wintertime field campaign to the Iceland and Greenland Seas, seeks to determine the location and causes of dense water formation by…
The influence of substorms on extreme rates of change of the surface horizontal magnetic field in the United Kingdom
17 June, 2019 by Mervyn Freeman
We investigate how statistical properties of the rate of change R of the surface horizontal magnetic field in the United Kingdom differ during substorm expansion and recovery phases compared with…
EMIC waves converted from equatorial noise due to M/Q=2 ions in the plasmasphere: Observations from Van Allen Probes and Arase
16 June, 2019 by Richard Horne
Equatorial noise (EN) emissions are observed inside and outside the plasmapause. EN emissions are referred to as magnetosonic mode waves. Using data from Van Allen Probes and Arase, we found…
Phased response of the subpolar Southern Ocean to changes in circumpolar winds
16 June, 2019 by Michael Meredith, Paul Holland
The response of the subpolar Southern Ocean (sSO) to wind forcing is assessed using satellite radar altimetry. sSO sea level exhibits a phased, zonally coherent, bi‐modal adjustment to circumpolar wind…Read more on Phased response of the subpolar Southern Ocean to changes in circumpolar winds
Multi-spectral and multi-instrument observation of TIDs following the Total Solar Eclipse of August 21, 2017
14 June, 2019 by Ingrid Cnossen
Wave‐like structures in the upper atmospheric nightglow brightness were observed on the night of 22 August 2017, approximately 8 hr following a total solar eclipse. These wave‐like perturbations are signatures…Individual spatial consistency and dietary flexibility in the migratory behaviour of northern gannets wintering in the Northeast Atlantic.
12 June, 2019 by Richard Phillips
Migration is a fundamental behavioural process prevalent among a wide variety of animal taxa. As individuals are increasingly shown to present consistent responses to environmental cues for breeding or foraging,…Scientific Drilling of Lake Sediments at Darwin Crater, Tasmania
12 June, 2019 by Dominic Hodgson
A 70 meters long continental sediment record was recovered at Darwin Crater in western Tasmania, Australia. The new sedimentary archive includes a pre-lake deposit and the complete lake sediment succession…Read more on Scientific Drilling of Lake Sediments at Darwin Crater, Tasmania
Assessment of sub-shelf melting parameterisations using the ocean–ice-sheet coupled model NEMO(v3.6)–Elmer/Ice(v8.3)
12 June, 2019 by Adrian Jenkins
Oceanic melting beneath ice shelves is the main driver of the current mass loss of the Antarctic ice sheet and is mostly parameterised in stand-alone ice-sheet modelling. Parameterisations are crude…Important At-Sea Areas of Colonial Breeding Marine Predators on the Southern Patagonian Shelf
11 June, 2019 by Iain Staniland, Norman Ratcliffe, Philip Trathan, Victoria Warwick-Evans
The Patagonian Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem supports high levels of biodiversity and endemism and is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world. Despite the important role marine…Sex-specific effects of fisheries and climate on the demography of sexually dimorphic seabirds
11 June, 2019 by Andrew Wood, Deborah Pardo, Jaume Forcada, Louise Ireland, Richard Phillips
1.Many animal taxa exhibit sex‐specific variation in ecological traits, such as foraging and distribution. These differences could result in sex‐specific responses to change, but such demographic effects are poorly understood.…Distribution of the genus Boeckella (Crustacea, Copepoda, Calanoida, Centropagidae)at high latitudes in South America and the main Antarctic biogeographic regions
10 June, 2019 by Peter Convey
Copepods are present in numerous aquatic environments, playing key roles in food webs, and are thought to be useful indicators of environmental change. Boeckella is a calanoid copepod genus distributed…
Back to the Future: Using long-term observational and paleo-proxy reconstructions to improve model projections of Antarctic climate
7 June, 2019 by Liz Thomas, Louise Sime, Thomas Bracegirdle
Quantitative estimates of future Antarctic climate change are derived from numerical global climate models. Evaluation of the reliability of climate model projections involves many lines of evidence on past performance…Deploying an AUV beneath the Sørsdal Ice Shelf: Recommendations from an expert-panel workshop
6 June, 2019 by Jeremy Wilkinson
To support future scientific missions beneath Antarctic ice shelves, the Antarctic Gateway Partnership, a special research initiative of the Australian Research Council, is trialling its Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, nupiri muka,…
Quantifying susceptibility of marine invertebrate biocomposites to dissolution in reduced pH
5 June, 2019 by Lloyd Peck
Ocean acidification threatens many ecologically and economically important marine calcifiers. The increase in shell dissolution under the resulting reduced pH is an important and increasingly recognized threat. The biocomposites that…
Subglacial hydrological control on flow of an Antarctic Peninsula palaeo-ice stream
5 June, 2019 by Alexander Tate, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, James Kirkham, Kelly Hogan, Robert Larter, Zoe Roseby
Basal hydrological systems play an important role in controlling the dynamic behaviour of ice streams. Data showing their morphology and relationship to geological substrates beneath modern ice streams are, however,…Read more on Subglacial hydrological control on flow of an Antarctic Peninsula palaeo-ice stream
A model setup for mapping snow conditions in high-mountain Himalaya
4 June, 2019 by James Kirkham
Seasonal snow cover is an important source of melt water for irrigation and hydropower production in many regions of the world, but can also be a cause of disasters, such…Read more on A model setup for mapping snow conditions in high-mountain Himalaya
Observed response of stratospheric and mesospheric composition to sudden stratospheric warmings.
3 June, 2019 by Mark Clilverd
In this study we investigate and quantify the statistical changes that occur in the stratosphere and mesosphere during 37 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events from 1989 to 2016. We consider…Protective mechanisms and responses of micro-fungi towards ultraviolet-induced cellular damage
1 June, 2019 by Peter Convey
Fungi are microbes that play vital roles in nutrient cycling in natural environments and in symbiotic interactions with plants and other microbes. They thrive successfully even when challenged by various…Heavy metal pollution in Antarctica and its potential impacts on algae
1 June, 2019 by Peter Convey
Antarctica is not free from environmental pollutants although it is often perceived as the last pristine continent on Earth. Research stations represent one of the largest forms of anthropogenic activity…Read more on Heavy metal pollution in Antarctica and its potential impacts on algae
Arrhenian growth thermodynamics in marine-derived tropical Fusarium equiseti and polar Pseudogymnoascus spp. in a liquid culture system
1 June, 2019 by Peter Convey
We hypothesised that the activation energy (Ea) of growth in a marine-derived tropical strain of Fusarium equiseti and polar strains of Pseudogymnoascus spp. grown for 10 days in a liquid…A comparative study of phycobilliprotein production in two strains of Pseudanabaena isolated from Arctic and tropical regions in relation to different light wavelengths and photoperiods
1 June, 2019 by Peter Convey
Phycobiliproteins, which include phycocyanin, allophycocyanin and phycoerythrin, are the group of coloured accessory photosynthetic pigments present in cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Pseudanabaena is a genus of microscopic cyanobacteria, cosmopolitan in distribution…Energy flow in growth and production
1 June, 2019 by Andrew Clarke
Growth involves two flows of energy: the chemical energy in the monomers used to construct the macromolecules that comprise tissue (proteins, nucleic acids, lipid membranes), and the metabolic energy used…On the need to consider wood formation processes in global vegetation models and a suggested approach
1 June, 2019 by Rachael Turton
Dynamic global vegetation models are key tools for interpreting and forecasting the responses of terrestrial ecosystems to climatic variation and other drivers. They estimate plant growth as the outcome of…
Mountain rescue casualty care and the undergraduate medical elective
1 June, 2019
Many UK medical curricula lack dedicated prehospital education other than first aid courses and basic life support training. In contrast, nonmedical mountain rescue team members receive advanced prehospital training addressing…Read more on Mountain rescue casualty care and the undergraduate medical elective
Kongsfjorden as harbinger of the future Arctic: knowns, unknowns and research priorities
1 June, 2019 by Peter Convey
Due to its year-round accessibility and excellent on-site infrastructure, Kongsfjorden and the Ny-Ålesund Research and Monitoring Facility have become established as a primary location to study the impact of environmental…Fungus-invertebrate interactions in Antarctica
1 June, 2019 by Peter Convey
In this chapter, we review the available literature on the associations of invertebrates and fungi across the different environments of Antarctica, the diversity underlined by this type of association and…HF antenna prototype for geophysical ground penetrating radar
1 June, 2019 by Hugh Corr, Keith Nicholls
We describe an HF antenna design and implementation intended for ground penetrating radar applications in glaciology and hydrology. The HF antenna is based on modifications of a twin terminated folded…Read more on HF antenna prototype for geophysical ground penetrating radar
Swimbladder morphology masks Southern Ocean mesopelagic fish biomass
29 May, 2019 by Tracey Dornan, Ryan Saunders, Sophie Fielding, Tracey Dornan, Tracey Dornan
Within the twilight of the oceanic mesopelagic realm, 200–1000 m below sea level, are potentially vast resources of fish. Collectively, these mesopelagic fishes are the most abundant vertebrates on Earth,…Read more on Swimbladder morphology masks Southern Ocean mesopelagic fish biomass
Asia’s shrinking glaciers protect large populations from drought stress
29 May, 2019 by Hamish Pritchard
About 800 million people depend in part on meltwater from the thousands of glaciers in the high mountains of Asia. Water stress makes this region vulnerable to drought, but glaciers…Read more on Asia’s shrinking glaciers protect large populations from drought stress
Happy feet in a hostile world? The future of penguins depends on proactive management of current and expected threats
28 May, 2019 by Philip Trathan
Penguins face a wide range of threats. Most observed population changes have been negative and have happened over the last 60 years. Today, populations of 11 of the 18 penguin…Observations and models to support the first Marine Ecosystem Assessment for the Southern Ocean (MEASO)
27 May, 2019 by Huw Griffiths
Assessments of the status and trends of habitats, species and ecosystems are needed for effective ecosystem-based management in marine ecosystems. Knowledge on imminent ecosystem changes (climate change impacts) set in…Large losses in glacier area and water availability by the end of the twenty-first century under high emission scenario, Satluj basin, Himalaya
25 May, 2019 by Andrew Orr
Glaciers in the Satluj river basin are likely to lose 53% and 81% of area by the end of the century, if climate change followed RCP 8.5 scenario of CNRMCM5…
On the distinctiveness of oceanic raindrop regimes
24 May, 2019 by Dani Jones
Representation of the drop size distribution (DSD) of rainfall is a key element of characterizing precipitation in models and observations, with a functional form necessary to calculate the precipitation flux…Read more on On the distinctiveness of oceanic raindrop regimes
From observation to information and users: The Copernicus Marine Service perspective
22 May, 2019 by Andrew Fleming
The Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) provides regular and systematic reference information on the physical and biogeochemical ocean and sea-ice state for the global ocean and the European regional…Read more on From observation to information and users: The Copernicus Marine Service perspective
Microbial community drivers of PK/NRP gene diversity in selected global soils
22 May, 2019 by Kevin Newsham
Background The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens has created an urgent need for novel antimicrobial treatments. Advances in next-generation sequencing have opened new frontiers for discovery programmes for natural products allowing…Read more on Microbial community drivers of PK/NRP gene diversity in selected global soils
Antarctic clouds, supercooled liquid water and mixed-phase investigated with DARDAR: geographical and seasonal variations
21 May, 2019 by Amelie Kirchgaessner, John King, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
Antarctic tropospheric clouds are investigated using the radar-lidar DARDAR (raDAR/liDAR)-MASK products. The cloud fraction is divided into the supercooled liquid water (SLW)-containing clouds and the all-ice clouds. The low-level SLW…Nitrogen inputs by marine vertebrates drive abundance and richness in Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems
20 May, 2019 by Peter Convey
Biodiversity is threatened by climate change and other human activities [1], but to assess impacts, we also need to identify the current distribution of species on Earth. Predicting abundance and…
On the importance of gradients in the low energy electron phase space density for relativistic electron acceleration
17 May, 2019 by Hayley Allison, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert
Observations of the electron radiation belts have shown links between increases in the low-energy seed population and enhancements in the >1-MeV flux. During active times, low-energy electrons are introduced to…
Predicting future distributions of lanternfish, a significant ecological resource within the Southern Ocean
16 May, 2019 by Geraint Tarling, Jennifer Freer, Martin Collins
Aim: Lanternfish (Myctophidae) are one of the most abundant and ecologically important families of pelagic teleosts, yet how these species will respond to climate change is unclear, especially within polar…
RAD sequencing sheds new light on the genetic structure and local adaptation of European scallops and resolves their demographic histories
15 May, 2019 by Luca Telesca
ecent developments in genomics are advancing our understanding of the processes shaping population structure in wild organisms. In particular, reduced representation sequencing has facilitated the generation of dense genetic marker…Processes and patterns of glacier-influenced sedimentation and recent tidewater glacier dynamics in Darbel Bay, western Antarctic Peninsula
14 May, 2019 by Kelly Hogan, Robert Larter
Bathymetric data of unprecedented resolution are used to provide insights into former ice dynamics and glacial processes in a western Antarctic Peninsula embayment. An assemblage of submarine glacial landforms, which…Expression of calcification‐related ion transporters during blue mussel larval development
8 May, 2019 by Melody Clark, Tejaswi Yarra
The physiological processes driving the rapid rates of calcification in larval bivalves are poorly understood. Here, we use a calcification substrate‐limited approach (low dissolved inorganic carbon, CT) and mRNA sequencing…Unsupervised clustering of Southern Ocean Argo float temperature profiles
4 May, 2019 by Andrew Meijers, Dani Jones, Emily Shuckburgh, Harry Holt
The Southern Ocean has complex spatial variability, characterized by sharp fronts, steeply tilted isopycnals, and deep seasonal mixed layers. Methods of defining Southern Ocean spatial structures traditionally rely on somewhat…Read more on Unsupervised clustering of Southern Ocean Argo float temperature profiles
Endemic and cosmopolitan fungal taxa exhibit differential abundances in total and active communities of Antarctic soils
1 May, 2019 by Kevin Newsham
Our understanding of the diversity and community dynamics of soil fungi has increased greatly through the use of DNA‐based identification. Community characterisation of metabolically active communities via RNA sequencing has…Fur seal microbiota are shaped by the social and physical environment, show mother‐offspring similarities and are associated with host genetic quality
1 May, 2019 by Jaume Forcada
Despite an increasing appreciation of the importance of host‐microbe interactions in ecological and evolutionary processes, the factors shaping microbial communities in wild populations remain poorly understood. We therefore exploited a…Relative paleointensity (RPI) and age control in Quaternary sediment drifts off the Antarctic Peninsula
1 May, 2019 by Robert Larter
Lack of foraminiferal carbonate in marine sediments deposited at high latitudes results in traditional oxygen isotope stratigraphy not playing a central role in Quaternary age control for a large portion…Translating marine animal tracking data into conservation policy and management
1 May, 2019 by Philip Trathan, Richard Phillips
There have been efforts around the globe to track individuals of many marine species and assess their movements and distribution, with the putative goal of supporting their conservation and management.…Read more on Translating marine animal tracking data into conservation policy and management
Thicker shells compensate extensive dissolution in brachiopods under future ocean acidification
1 May, 2019 by Emma Cross, Lloyd Peck
Organisms with long generation times require phenotypic plasticity to survive in changing environments until genetic adaptation can be achieved. Marine calcifiers are particularly vulnerable to ocean acidification due to dissolution…Integrated taxonomy combining morphological and molecular biological analyses of soil nematodes from maritime Antarctica
1 May, 2019 by Peter Convey, Rolf Maslen
Nematodes are one of the key organisms in the terrestrial ecosystems of Antarctica. Their exceptional cryptobiotic adaptations against freezing and desiccation stress have attracted significant research attention. However, even today,…Emperors on thin ice: three years of breeding failure at Halley Bay
1 May, 2019 by Philip Trathan, Peter Fretwell
Satellite imagery is used to show that the world's second largest emperor penguin colony, at Halley Bay, has suffered three years of almost total breeding failure. Although, like all emperor…Read more on Emperors on thin ice: three years of breeding failure at Halley Bay
Evidence for a decline in the population density of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba Dana 1850, still stands: A comment on Cox et al. (J Crust Biol, 2018)
1 May, 2019 by Simeon Hill
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana, 1850) exemplifies the key role of marine crustaceans in fisheries, foodwebs, and biogeochemical cycles. Ecological understanding and policy decisions require information on population trends. We…Paleocirculation and ventilation history of Southern Ocean sourced deep water masses during the last 800,000 years
1 May, 2019 by Claire Allen, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Thomas Williams
Most conceptual models of ocean circulation during past glacial periods invoke a shallowed North Atlantic‐sourced water mass overlying an expanded, poorly ventilated Southern Ocean (SO)‐sourced deep water mass (Southern Component…The effect of ozone shadowing on the D region ionosphere during sunrise
1 May, 2019 by David Newnham, Mark Clilverd
Diurnal very low frequency (VLF) sub‐ionospheric radiowave phase measurements show a night‐to‐day transition pattern. During this sunrise transition a phase perturbation, which consist of a phase overshoot followed by a…Read more on The effect of ozone shadowing on the D region ionosphere during sunrise
A new 200‐year spatial reconstruction of West Antarctic surface mass balance
1 May, 2019 by Liz Thomas
High‐spatial resolution surface mass balance (SMB) over the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) spanning 1800‐2010 is reconstructed by means of ice core records combined with the outputs of the European…Read more on A new 200‐year spatial reconstruction of West Antarctic surface mass balance
Elemental compositions of smectites reveal detailed sediment provenance changes during glacial and interglacial periods: The Southern Drake Passage and Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica
1 May, 2019 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand
Variations in clay mineral assemblages have been widely used to understand changes in sediment provenance during glacial and interglacial periods. Smectite clay minerals, however, have a range of various elemental…Cryptic speciation in Southern Ocean Aequiyoldia eightsii (Jay, 1839): Mio-Pliocene trans-Drake Passage separation and diversification
1 May, 2019 by Simon Morley
The species of the genus Aequiyoldia Soot-Ryen, 1951, previously known as Yoldia, are common, soft-substratum, sareptid bivalves. In the Southern Ocean, Aequiyoldia eightsii (Jay, 1839) was originally described from the…Basal melting of Ross Ice Shelf from solar heat absorption in an ice-front polynya
29 April, 2019 by Keith Nicholls
Ice–ocean interactions at the bases of Antarctic ice shelves are rarely observed, yet have a profound influence on ice sheet evolution and stability. Ice sheet models are highly sensitive to…Read more on Basal melting of Ross Ice Shelf from solar heat absorption in an ice-front polynya
Compensating biases and a noteworthy success in the CMIP5 representation of Antarctic sea ice processes
28 April, 2019 by Caroline Holmes, Paul Holland, Thomas Bracegirdle
Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models simulate a wide range of historical sea ice areas. Even models with areas close to observed values may contain compensating errors,…Recent reoccurrence of large open‐ocean polynya on the Maud Rise Seamount
28 April, 2019 by John Turner
Satellite observations have shown that the largest and most prolonged Maud Rise open‐ocean polynya since the 1970s appeared on 14 September 2017 (~9.3 × 103 km2) within the seasonal sea‐ice…Read more on Recent reoccurrence of large open‐ocean polynya on the Maud Rise Seamount
Decadal-scale progression of Dansgaard-Oeschger warming events
25 April, 2019 by Emilie Capron
During the last glacial period, proxy records throughout the Northern Hemisphere document a succession of rapid millennial-scale warming events, called Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events. A range of different mechanisms has been…Read more on Decadal-scale progression of Dansgaard-Oeschger warming events
Predatory zooplankton on the move: Themisto amphipods in high-latitude marine pelagic food webs
24 April, 2019 by Geraint Tarling
Hyperiid amphipods are predatory pelagic crustaceans that are particularly prevalent in high-latitude oceans. Many species are likely to have co-evolved with soft-bodied zooplankton groups such as salps and medusae, using…Changes in penguin distribution over the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc (Version 2.0)
15 April, 2019 by Philip Trathan
Robust evidence highlights major shifts in the abundance and distribution of penguins (Adélie, chinstrap, gentoo, emperor, king, and macaroni) breeding on the Antarctic Peninsula and across the Scotia Arc in…The global diabatic circulation of the stratosphere as a metric for the Brewer–Dobson circulation
15 April, 2019 by Alison Ming
The circulation of the stratosphere, also known as the Brewer–Dobson circulation, transports water vapor and ozone, with implications for radiative forcing and climate. This circulation is typically quantified from model…Physiological acclimation and persistence of ecothermic species under extreme heat events
15 April, 2019 by Lloyd Peck, Sabrina Heiser, Simon Morley
Aim To test if physiological acclimation can buffer species against increasing extreme heat due to climate change. Location Global. Time period 1960 to 2015. Major taxa studied Amphibians, arthropods, brachiopods,…A 2700-year annual timescale and accumulation history for an ice core from Roosevelt Island, West Antarctica
10 April, 2019 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
ice core, Ross Ice Shelf, West Antarctica. The core adds information on past accumulation changes in an otherwise poorly constrained sector of Antarctica. The timescale was constructed by identifying annual…