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Variability and trends in the Southern Hemisphere high latitude, quasi-stationary planetary waves

1 April, 2017 by Gareth Marshall, Scott Hosking, John Turner, Thomas Bracegirdle, Tony Phillips

We investigate variability and trends of the Southern Hemisphere quasi-stationary planetary waves over 1979–2013 using the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Interim reanalyses. The effects of tropical and…

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Glacial landforms and their implications for glacier dynamics in Rijpfjorden and Duvefjorden, northern Nordaustlandet, Svalbard

1 April, 2017 by Kelly Hogan

Observations of subglacial landforms yielding the configuration and dynamics of former ice-flows have for the first time been made in Rijpfjorden and Duvefjorden, Nordaustlandet, Svalbard, using sub-bottom acoustic, swath-bathymetric data…

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Sexual size dimorphism, spatial segregation and sex-biased bycatch of southern and northern royal albatrosses in pelagic longline fisheries

1 April, 2017 by Richard Phillips

Bycatch in longline fisheries is a major contributor to the global decline of albatrosses. Sexual segregation at sea often leads to unequal overlap with different fisheries, resulting in sex-biased bycatch,…

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Population genetics of three sympatric springtail species (Hexapoda: Collembola) from the South Shetland Islands: evidence for a common biogeographic pattern

1 April, 2017 by Peter Convey

Three sympatric springtail species, from the South Shetland Islands archipelago in the maritime Antarctic, are analysed here in a common biogeographic and evolutionary framework. This study was designed to compare…

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Multi-instrument observation of simultaneous polar cap auroras on open and closed magnetic field lines

1 April, 2017 by Andrew Kavanagh, Jade Reidy, Jade Reidy

This paper presents observations of polar cap auroral features on 19 January 2008, evaluated using multiple instruments with near-simultaneous observations in both hemispheres. Analysis of the features indicates that there…

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Sexual and individual foraging segregation in Gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua from the Southern Ocean during an abnormal winter

31 March, 2017 by Derren Fox, Geraint Tarling, Philip Trathan, Stacey Adlard

Knowledge about sexual segregation and gender-specific, or indeed individual specialization, in marine organisms has improved considerably in the past decade. In this context, we tested the “Intersexual Competition Hypothesis” for…

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Copepod faecal pellet transfer through the meso- and bathypelagic layers in the Southern Ocean in spring

24 March, 2017 by Anna Belcher, Clara Manno, Geraint Tarling, Peter Ward

The faecal pellets (FP) of zooplankton can be important vehicles for the transfer of particulate organic carbon (POC) to the deep ocean, often making large contributions to carbon sequestration. However,…

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Major advance of South Georgia glaciers during the Antarctic Cold Reversal following extensive sub-Antarctic glaciation

17 March, 2017 by Dominic Hodgson, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand

The history of glaciations on Southern Hemisphere sub-polar islands is unclear. Debate surrounds the extent and timing of the last glacial advance and termination on sub-Antarctic South Georgia in particular.…

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Assessment of microplastic-sorbed contaminant bioavailability through analysis of biomarker gene expression in larval zebrafish

15 March, 2017 by Victoria Sleight

Microplastics (MPs) are prevalent in marine ecosystems. Because toxicants (termed here “co-contaminants”) can sorb to MPs, there is potential for MPs to alter co-contaminant bioavailability. Our objective was to demonstrate…

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Tropical forcing of increased Southern Ocean climate variability revealed by a 140-year subantarctic temperate reconstruction

15 March, 2017 by Liz Thomas

Occupying 14% of the world’s surface, the Southern Ocean plays a fundamental role in global climate, ocean circulation, carbon cycling and Antarctic ice-sheet stability. Unfortunately, high interannual variability and a…

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Early Jurassic magmatism on the Antarctic Peninsula and potential correlation with the Subcordilleran plutonic belt of Patagonia

1 March, 2017 by Teal Riley

Early Jurassic silicic volcanic rocks of the Chon Aike Province (V1: 187 – 182 Ma) are recognized from many localities in the southern Antarctic Peninsula and NE Patagonia and are essentially coeval with…

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Integration of DNA barcoding for the initial recordings of Lessepsian fishes: a case study of the Indo-Pacific slender ponyfish Equulites elongatus

1 March, 2017 by Meltem Ok

In this study, the DNA barcode of a regional Lessepsian sighting of the slender ponyfish Equulites elongatus is integrated with morphometric and meristic descriptors as a case study to address…

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Long term variability in the diet and reproductive performance of penguins at Bird Island, South Georgia

1 March, 2017 by Claire Waluda, Helen Peat, Philip Trathan, Simeon Hill

Inter-annual variability in diet during crèche (December to February) over 22 years (1989–2010) was examined for gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua breeding at Bird Island, South Georgia (54°00′S, 38°03′W). Overall, diets…

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By more ways than one: Rapid convergence at hydrothermal vents shown by 3D anatomical reconstruction of Gigantopelta (Mollusca: Neomphalina)

1 March, 2017 by Katrin Linse

Background Extreme environments prompt the evolution of characteristic adaptations. Yet questions remain about whether radiations in extreme environments originate from a single lineage that masters a key adaptive pathway, or…

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Atmosphere-ocean-ice interactions in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica

1 March, 2017 by Adrian Jenkins, Andrew Orr, Hilmar Gudmundsson, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, John Turner, Thomas Bracegirdle

Over recent decades outlet glaciers of the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE), West Antarctica, have accelerated, thinned and retreated, and are now contributing approximately 10% to global sea level rise. All…

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KRILLBASE: a circumpolar database of Antarctic krill and salp numerical densities, 1926–2016

1 March, 2017 by Geraint Tarling, Helen Peat, Laura Gerrish, Peter Fretwell, Peter Ward, Simeon Hill, Sophie Fielding

Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and salps are major macroplankton contributors to Southern Ocean food webs and krill are also fished commercially. Managing this fishery sustainably, against a backdrop of rapid…

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Non-triggered auroral substorms and long-period (1–4 mHz) geomagnetic and auroral luminosity pulsations in the polar cap

1 March, 2017 by Dag Arne Lorentzen, Lisa Baddeley

A study is undertaken into parameters of the polar auroral and geomagnetic pulsations in the frequency range 1–4 mHz (Pc5∕Pi3) during quiet geomagnetic intervals preceding auroral substorms and non-substorm background variations.…

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A decadal satellite record of gravity wave activity in the lower stratosphere to study polar stratospheric cloud formation

24 February, 2017 by Andrew Orr

Atmospheric gravity waves yield substantial small-scale temperature fluctuations that can trigger the formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). This paper introduces a new satellite record of gravity wave activity in…

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Drivers of interannual variability in virioplankton abundance at the coastal Western Antarctic Peninsula and the potential effects of climate change

22 February, 2017 by Andrew Clarke, Hugh Venables, Michael Meredith

An eight year time-series in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) with an approximately weekly sampling frequency was used to elucidate changes in virioplankton abundance and their drivers in this climatically-sensitive…

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Feeding ecology, isotopic niche, and ingestion of fishery-related items of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans at Kerguelen and Crozet Islands

1 February, 2017

Feeding ecology and isotopic niche of the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans were investigated in the poorly studied population on the Kerguelen Islands and compared to that on the Crozet Islands.…

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A high-resolution model of the external and induced magnetic field at the Earth’s surface in the northern hemisphere

1 February, 2017 by Mervyn Freeman, Rob Shore

We describe a method of producing high-resolution models of the Earth's combined external and induced magnetic field using the method of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) applied to the SuperMAG archive…

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RAD sequencing resolves fine-scale population structure in a benthic invertebrate: implications for understanding phenotypic plasticity

1 February, 2017 by Melody Clark

The field of molecular ecology is transitioning from the use of small panels of classical genetic markers such as microsatellites to much larger panels of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated…

Read more on RAD sequencing resolves fine-scale population structure in a benthic invertebrate: implications for understanding phenotypic plasticity

High resolution spatial mapping of human footprint across Antarctica and its implications for the strategic conservation of avifauna

13 January, 2017 by Kevin Hughes

Human footprint models allow visualization of human spatial pressure across the globe. Up until now, Antarctica has been omitted from global footprint models, due possibly to the lack of a…

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Biodiversity in marine invertebrate responses to acute warming revealed by a comparative multi-omics approach

1 January, 2017 by Lloyd Peck, Michael Thorne, Melody Clark, Simon Morley

Understanding species' responses to environmental change underpins our abilities to make predictions on future biodiversity under any range of scenarios. In spite of the huge biodiversity in most ecosystems, a…

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Geographic structure in the Southern Ocean circumpolar brittle star Ophionotus victoriae (Ophiuridae) revealed from mtDNA and single-nucleotide polymorphism data

1 January, 2017 by Chester Sands

Marine systems have traditionally been thought of as “open” with few barriers to gene flow. In particular, many marine organisms in the Southern Ocean purportedly possess circumpolar distributions that have…

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Environmental hazard assessment of contaminated soils in Antarctica: Using a structured tier 1 approach to inform decision-making

1 January, 2017 by Kevin Hughes

Generally, Antarctica is considered to be an untouched area of the planet; however, the region's ecosystems have been subject to increased human pressure for at least the past half-century. This…

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Analysis of ontogenetic growth trends in two marine Antarctic bivalves Yoldia eightsi and Laternula elliptica: implications for sclerochronology

1 January, 2017 by Lloyd Peck

There is an increasing use of marine species as paleoclimate recorders for the marine realm. These archives provide novel baseline records of past oceanographic variability in regions devoid of instrumental…

Read more on Analysis of ontogenetic growth trends in two marine Antarctic bivalves Yoldia eightsi and Laternula elliptica: implications for sclerochronology

New geophysical compilations link crustal block motion to Jurassic extension and strike-slip faulting in the Weddell Sea Rift System of West Antarctica

1 January, 2017 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Philip Leat, Tom Jordan

Gondwana breakup changed the global continental configuration, leading to opening of major oceanic gateways, shifts in the climate system and significant impacts on the biosphere, hydrosphere and cryosphere. Although of…

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A revised geochronology of Thurston Island, West Antarctica and correlations along the proto-Pacific margin of Gondwana

1 January, 2017 by Philip Leat, Teal Riley

The continental margin of Gondwana preserves a record of long-lived magmatism from the Andean Cordillera to Australia. The crustal blocks of West Antarctica form part of this margin, with Palaeozoic–Mesozoic…

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A sclerochronological archive for Antarctic coastal waters based on the marine bivalve Yoldia eightsi (Jay, 1839) from the South Orkney Islands

1 January, 2017 by Lloyd Peck

The scarcity of long instrumental series from the Southern Ocean limits our understanding of key climate and environmental feedbacks within the Antarctic system. We present an assessment for the Antarctic…

Read more on A sclerochronological archive for Antarctic coastal waters based on the marine bivalve Yoldia eightsi (Jay, 1839) from the South Orkney Islands

Quantifying the daily economic impact of extreme space weather due to failure in electricity transmission infrastructure

1 January, 2017 by Richard Horne

Extreme space weather due to coronal mass ejections has the potential to cause considerable disruption to the global economy by damaging the transformers required to operate electricity transmission infrastructure. However,…

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