Showing 11880 items
11 December, 2015 by John Turner, Thomas Bracegirdle, Tony Phillips
Climate models exhibit large biases in sea ice area (SIA) in their historical simulations. This study explores the impacts of these biases on multimodel uncertainty in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project…3 December, 2015 by Emily Ludlow, Scott Hosking, Liz Thomas, Rebecca Tuckwell
The Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass in recent decades; however, long records of snow accumulation are needed to place the recent changes…Read more on Twentieth century increase in snowfall in coastal West Antarctica
3 December, 2015 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
Large parts of the Antarctic ice sheet lying on bedrock below sea level may be vulnerable to marine-ice-sheet instability (MISI)1, a self-sustaining retreat of the grounding line triggered by oceanic…1 December, 2015 by Michael Thorne, Melody Clark
454 RNA-Seq transcriptome data were generated from foot tissue of the Antarctic brooding gastropod mollusc Margarella antarctica. A total of 6195 contigs were assembled de novo, providing a useful resource…Read more on Transcriptome of the Antarctic brooding gastropod mollusc Margarella antarctica
1 December, 2015 by Xin Yang
At present, anthropogenic halogens and oceanic emissions of Very Short-Lived Substances (VSLS) are responsible for stratospheric ozone destruction. Emissions of the, mostly long-lived, anthropogenic halogens have been reduced, and as…Read more on Oceanic bromine emissions weighted by their ozone depletion potential
1 December, 2015 by Katrin Linse
Hydrothermal vents on mid-oceanic ridges are patchily distributed and host many taxa endemic to deep-sea chemosynthetic environments, whose dispersal may be constrained by geographical barriers. The aim of this study…1 December, 2015 by Elisabeth Biersma, Peter Convey
The extreme polar environment creates challenges for the resident invertebrate communities and the stress tolerance of some of these animals has been examined over many years. However, although it is…1 December, 2015 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
As small bodied poikilothermic ectotherms, invertebrates, more so than any other animal group, are susceptible to extremes of temperature and low water availability. In few places is this more apparent…Read more on Responses of invertebrates to temperature and water stress: A polar perspective
1 December, 2015 by Iain Staniland
Despite global declines in the abundance of marine predators, knowledge of foraging ecology, necessary to predict the ecological consequences of large changes in marine predator abundance, remains enigmatic for many…1 December, 2015 by Zhaomin Wang
Surface roughness which partitions surface net radiation into energy fluxes is a key parameter for estimation of biosphere–atmosphere interactions and climate variability. An earth system model of intermediate complexity (EMIC),…Read more on Contribution of surface roughness to simulations of historical deforestation
1 December, 2015 by Dominic Hodgson
Higher homologues of widely reported C86 isoprenoid diglycerol tetraether lipid cores, containing 0–6 cyclopentyl rings, have been identified in (hyper)thermophilic archaea, representing up to 21% of total tetraether lipids in…1 December, 2015 by Dave Munday, Dani Jones
On planetary scales, surface wind stress and differential buoyancy forcing act together to produce isopycnal surfaces that are relatively flat in the tropics/subtropics and steep near the poles, where they…Read more on Planetary-geometric constraints on isopycnal slope in the Southern Ocean
1 December, 2015 by David Jones, Michael Rose
The Halley VI Antarctic Research station was designed as a series of linked, ski-mounted modules. This makes it possible to relocate the station in the event that changing Antarctic conditions…1 December, 2015 by Emilie Capron
The Last Interglacial (LIG) represents an invaluable case study to investigate the response of components of the Earth system to global warming. However, the scarcity of absolute age constraints in…1 December, 2015 by Philip Trathan
The relationship between ammonia (NH3) concentrations downwind from a penguin colony and local surface greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes was investigated on the remote sub-Antarctic Bird Island (54°00′S, 38°03′W) during summer…1 December, 2015 by Dani Jones, Richard Phillips
Rationale The main limitation of isotopic tracking for inferring distribution is the lack of detailed reference maps of the isotopic landscape (i.e. isoscapes) in the marine environment. Here, we attempt…1 December, 2015 by Lloyd Peck, Michael Thorne, Melody Clark
Background The capacity of marine species to survive chronic heat stress underpins their ability to survive warming oceans as a result of climate change. In this study RNA-Seq and 2-DE…1 December, 2015 by Martin Wearing, Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
We investigate the relationship between four ice-shelf characteristics in the area close to the calving front: ice flow speed, strain rate, ice thickness and shelf width. Data are compiled for…1 December, 2015 by Eugene Murphy
The Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Research (IMBER) project aims at developing a comprehensive understanding of and accurate predictive capacity of ocean responses to accelerating global change and the consequent…Read more on IMBER – Research for marine sustainability: Synthesis and the way forward
1 December, 2015 by Hua Lu, Ian White, Tony Phillips
Wave–mean flow interactions associated with the Holton–Tan effect (HTE), whereby the tropical quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) modulates the Northern Hemisphere wintertime stratospheric polar vortex, are studied using the ERA-Interim dataset. Significant…1 December, 2015 by Pierre Mathiot
The Younger Dryas cooling event disrupted the overall warming trend in the North Atlantic region during the last deglaciation1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Climate change during the Younger Dryas…Read more on Multiple causes of the Younger Dryas cold period
1 December, 2015 by Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Peter Ward, Ryan Saunders, Simeon Hill
Myctophids are the most abundant mesopelagic fishes in the Southern Ocean, although their trophic role within the predominantly krill-based food web in regions south of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF)…1 December, 2015 by Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
Antarctica contains some of the most challenging environmental conditions on the planet due to freezing temperatures, prolonged winters and lack of liquid water. Whereas 99.7% of Antarctica is permanently covered…Read more on Mitochondrial DNA analyses reveal widespread tardigrade diversity in Antarctica
1 December, 2015 by Mervyn Freeman
We present a new quantitative technique that determines the times and durations of substorm expansion and recovery phases and possible growth phases based on percentiles of the rate of change…28 November, 2015 by Mark Clilverd
Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves are thought to be important drivers of energetic electron losses from the outer radiation belt through precipitation into the atmosphere. While the theoretical possibility of…Read more on High-resolution in situ observations of electron precipitation-causing EMIC waves
27 November, 2015 by Ingrid Cnossen
This special issue bundles some of the latest results on decadal-scale variations in the stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere, following on from the 8th Workshop on Long-Term Changes and Trends…18 November, 2015 by Andrew Gray
Recent research has tried to calculate the "total cost of publication" in the British academic sector, bringing together the costs of journal subscriptions, the article processing charges (APCs) paid to…Read more on Considering Non-Open Access Publication Charges in the “Total Cost of Publication”
13 November, 2015 by David Barnes
The Antarctic Peninsula (AP) is one of the three places on Earth that registered the most intense warming in the last 50 years, almost five times the global mean. This…Read more on Climate change and glacier retreat drive shifts in an Antarctic benthic ecosystem
13 November, 2015 by Emily Shuckburgh
In the last century, the Earth has undergone a very fast and unusual change in the radiative forcing of its climate, resulting from human actions. This change in forcing has…Read more on Feedbacks on climate in the Earth system: introduction
1 November, 2015 by Hugh Venables, Michael Meredith
Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for phytoplankton, and is scarce in many regions including the open Southern Ocean. The western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), an important source region of Fe…1 November, 2015 by Peter Convey
Sea ice algae are primary producers of the ice-covered oceans in both polar regions. Changes in sea ice distribution are potentially altering exposure to photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and ultraviolet-B…Read more on Aspects of resilience of polar sea ice algae to changes in their environment
1 November, 2015
Tracking studies normally focus on long-distance migrants, meaning that our understanding about short-distance migration remains limited. In this study, we present the first individual tracks of the Eurasian golden plover…1 November, 2015 by Alex Burton-Johnson, Teal Riley
The allochthonous terrane accretion model previously proposed for the geological development of the Antarctic Peninsula continental margin arc is reviewed in light of recent data and the geology is reinterpreted…1 November, 2015 by Richard Phillips
1. There is growing interest in the effects of wind on wild animals, given evidence that wind speeds are increasing and becoming more variable in some regions, particularly at temperate…Read more on Contrasting responses of male and female foraging effort to year-round wind conditions
1 November, 2015 by Christopher Darvill
The timing and extent of former glacial advances can demonstrate leads and lags during periods of climatic change and their forcing, but this requires robust glacial chronologies. In parts of…1 November, 2015 by Dave Munday
The influence of different wind stress bulk formulae on the response of the Southern Ocean circulation to wind stress changes is investigated using an idealised channel model. Surface/mixed layer properties…1 November, 2015 by Catharine Horswill, Iain Staniland, Norman Ratcliffe, Philip Trathan, Simeon Hill, Stacey Adlard
Aim To infer the potential for competition between an important Antarctic predator, the macaroni penguin, and the krill fishery by examining the spatial overlap in prey consumption and catches. Location…1 November, 2015 by Gareth Marshall
We examine trends in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), and the strength, position and width of the Southern Hemisphere surface westerly wind jet in observations, reanalyses and the Coupled Model…Read more on Comparing trends in the Southern Annular Mode and surface westerly jet
1 November, 2015 by Carlos Martin Garcia, Hamish Pritchard, Jonathan Kingslake, Keith Nicholls, Richard Hindmarsh, Robert Mulvaney, Richard Hindmarsh
Locally grounded features in ice shelves, called ice rises and rumples, play a key role buttressing discharge from the Antarctic Ice Sheet and regulating its contribution to sea level. Ice…1 November, 2015 by Hua Lu
Since the pioneering work of Bagnold in the 1940s, aeolian research has grown to become an integral part of earth-system science. Many individuals have contributed to this development, and Dr.…Read more on A tribute to Michael R. Raupach for contributions to aeolian fluid dynamics
1 November, 2015 by Peter Convey
Antarctica is an isolated continent whose conditions challenge the survival of living organisms. High levels of endemism are now known in many Antarctic organisms, including algae, tardigrades, nematodes and microarthropods.…Read more on Antarctic bdelloid rotifers: diversity, endemism and evolution
1 November, 2015 by Dominic Hodgson
Substantial parts of the beds of glaciers, ice sheets and ice caps are at the pressure melting point1. The resulting water harbours diverse subglacial microbial ecosystems2, 3 capable of affecting…Read more on Rock comminution as a source of hydrogen for subglacial ecosystems
1 November, 2015
The future ice dynamical contribution to sea-level rise (SLR) from 210 ice shelf nourishing drainage basins of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) is simulated, using the British Antarctic Survey…Read more on Modelling ice dynamic contributions to sea level rise from the Antarctic Peninsula
1 November, 2015 by Daniel Bannister, John King
Average summer temperatures over South Georgia have risen by 1°C along with an increase in the rate of glacial retreat since the 1920s. Glaciers on the northeast of the island…Read more on Föhn winds on South Georgia and their impacts on regional climate
1 November, 2015 by Geraint Tarling
Studies carried out on a wide variety of Arctic species during the polar night reveal continued feeding, growth and reproduction, changing our view of this period from one of biological…Read more on Marine ecology: a wonderland of marine activity in the Arctic night
1 November, 2015 by David Vaughan, Hugh Corr, Keith Nicholls
The ApRES (autonomous phase-sensitive radio-echo sounder) instrument is a robust, lightweight and relatively inexpensive radar that has been designed to allow long-term, unattended monitoring of ice-shelf and ice-sheet thinning. We…1 November, 2015 by Dominic Hodgson
Background and aims – Non-marine diatom communities in the Antarctic Region are characterized by a typical species composition, dominated by a large number of Antarctic endemic species. Despite recent advances…30 October, 2015 by Markus Frey
Unraveling the modern budget of reactive nitrogen on the Antarctic plateau is critical for the interpretation of ice core records of nitrate. This requires accounting for nitrate recycling processes occurring…16 October, 2015 by Andrew Kavanagh
Modeling results have suggested that the circulation of the stratosphere and mesosphere in spring is strongly affected by the perturbations in heating induced by the Antarctic ozone hole. Here using…16 October, 2015 by David Newnham, Mark Clilverd
Magnetospheric substorms drive energetic electron precipitation into the Earth's atmosphere. We use the output from a substorm model to describe electron precipitation forcing of the atmosphere during an active substorm…Read more on Substorm-induced energetic electron precipitation: Impact on atmospheric chemistry
4 October, 2015 by Martin Black, Peter Convey, Peter Fretwell
On the Antarctic Peninsula, lichens are the most diverse botanical component of the terrestrial ecosystem. However, detailed information on the distribution of lichens on the Antarctic Peninsula region is scarce,…1 October, 2015 by Peter Convey
Seabirds are among the most important vectors transferring biogenic compounds from the sea onto land in the polar regions and, consequently, influencing the properties of soil and vegetation. We studied…1 October, 2015 by Rosey Grant
The planar fit (PF) method is often recommended for long-term eddy covariance flux measurements because it offers a number of advantages over rotating into streamwise coordinates. For sites over complex,…Read more on A new continuous planar fit method for calculating fluxes in complex, forested terrain
1 October, 2015
The identification of year-round geographical ranges and the quantification of the degree of migratory connectivity are fundamental to the successful conservation of migratory bird populations. The Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus is…1 October, 2015 by Jeremy Wilkinson
Small-scale (~100 to 200 m) deformations of an Arctic sea ice floe were detected from multiple GPS-equipped buoys that were deployed on the same ice floe. Over a nine-month period…Read more on Small-scale deformation of an Arctic sea ice floe detected by GPS and satellite imagery
1 October, 2015
So, what does a doctor on a Sub-Antarctic research station do with only 11 young and fit people as potential patients? I get asked that a lot and I’ll endeavour…1 October, 2015 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
Reconstructing the growth and decay of palaeo-ice sheets is critical to understanding mechanisms of global climate change and associated sea-level fluctuations in the past, present and future. The significance of…Read more on On the reconstruction of palaeo-ice sheets: Recent advances and future challenges
1 October, 2015 by Kelly Hogan
Mapped topographic features are important for understanding processes that sculpt the Earth's surface. This paper presents maps that are the primary product of an exercise that brought together 27 researchers…Read more on Manual mapping of drumlins in synthetic landscapes to assess operator effectiveness
1 October, 2015 by Gareth Marshall, Paul Holland, Pierre Mathiot, Joakim Kjellsson
We examine the sensitivity of the Weddell and Ross seas to vertical mixing and surface freshwater forcing using an ocean–sea ice model. The high latitude Southern Ocean is very weakly…1 October, 2015 by Ed King
The measurement of ongoing ice-mass loss and associated melt water contribution to sea-level change from regions such as West Antarctica is dependent on a combination of remote sensing methods. A…1 October, 2015 by Katrin Linse
Recently discovered hydrothermal vent fields on the East Scotia Ridge (ESR, 56–60°S, 30°W), Southern Ocean, and the South West Indian Ridge (SWIR, 37°S 49°E), Indian Ocean, host two closely related…Read more on A new genus of large hydrothermal vent-endemic gastropod (Neomphalina: Peltospiridae)
1 October, 2015 by Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Peter Ward, Ryan Saunders
This study investigated spatial and temporal patterns in distribution, population structure and diet of Bolin's lanternfish Protomyctophum bolini, Tenison's lanternfish Protomyctophum tenisoni and gaptooth lanternfish Protomyctophum choriodon in the Scotia…Read more on Trophodynamics of Protomyctophum (Myctophidae) in the Scotia Sea (Southern Ocean)
1 October, 2015 by Robert Arthern
Ice-sheet models can be used to forecast ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland, but to fully quantify the risks associated with sea-level rise, probabilistic forecasts are needed. These require estimates…1 October, 2015 by Eugene Murphy
Analyses of satellite-derived chlorophyll data indicate that the phase of rapid phytoplankton population growth in the North Atlantic (the ‘spring bloom') is actually initiated in the winter rather than the…1 October, 2015 by John Turner
In situ observations, satellite imagery, numerical weather prediction, and reanalysis fields are used to investigate the synoptic and mesoscale environment of a strong wind event (SWE) at McMurdo Station/Ross Island…1 October, 2015 by Iain Staniland
Considerable uncertainties often surround the causes of long-term changes in population abundance. One striking example is the precipitous decline of southern sea lions (SSL; Otaria flavescens) at the Falkland Islands,…Read more on Disentangling the cause of a catastrophic population decline in a large marine mammal
1 October, 2015 by Alexander Brearley
The West Spitsbergen Current, which flows northward along the western Svalbard continental slope, transports warm and saline Atlantic water (AW) into the Arctic Ocean. A combined analysis of high-resolution seismic…Read more on Seismic reflection imaging of mixing processes in Fram Strait
29 September, 2015 by Iain Staniland
Background Although there have been recent advances in the development of animal-attached ‘proximity’ tags to remotely record the interactions of multiple individuals, the efficacy of these devices depends on the…23 September, 2015 by Kevin Newsham
The ever increasing microbial resistome means there is an urgent need for new antibiotics. Metagenomics is an underexploited tool in the field of drug discovery. In this study we aimed…21 September, 2015 by David Barnes
Climate forcing of sea-ice losses from the Arctic and West Antarctic are blueing the poles. These losses are accelerating, reducing Earth’s albedo and increasing heat absorption [1]. Subarctic forest (area…Read more on Antarctic sea ice losses drive gains in benthic carbon drawdown
15 September, 2015 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Robert Larter
Multibeam swath bathymetry data sets collected over the past two decades have been compiled to identify palaeo-ice stream pathways in the easternmost Amundsen Sea Embayment. We mapped ~ 3000 glacial…14 September, 2015 by David Pearce, Peter Convey
Recent advances in knowledge of patterns of biogeography in terrestrial eukaryotic organisms have led to a fundamental paradigm shift in understanding of the controls and history of life on land…Read more on Emerging spatial patterns in Antarctic prokaryotes
11 September, 2015 by Peter Convey
The global latitudinal gradient in biodiversity weakens in the high polar biome and so an alternative explanation for distribution of Arctic and Antarctic photoautotrophs is required. Here we identify how…Read more on Biogeography of photoautotrophs in the high polar biome
9 September, 2015 by Norman Ratcliffe, Philip Trathan
Feathers have been widely used to assess mercury contamination in birds as they reflect metal concentrations accumulated between successive moult periods: they are also easy to sample and have minimum…8 September, 2015 by Jaume Forcada
Chemical communication underpins virtually all aspects of vertebrate social life, yet remains poorly understood because of its highly complex mechanistic basis. We therefore used chemical fingerprinting of skin swabs and…1 September, 2015 by Kevin Newsham
l-isomeric amino acids and oligopeptides are thought to represent a key nitrogen (N) source for plants and soil microorganisms, bypassing the need to take up inorganic N, whilst self-cycling of…1 September, 2015 by Teal Riley
Calculating reliable temperatures of Mg-rich magmas is problematic because melt composition and KD(Fe-Mg)ol-liq, the key parameters of many traditional thermometers, are difficult to constrain precisely. The recently developed Al-in-olivine thermometer…1 September, 2015
When conducting marine seismic surveys it is important to know the vertical profile of the seismic streamer. Typically the streamer has a density that is different from the seawater; therefore…Read more on The vertical shape of a buoyant acoustic streamer between depth control units
1 September, 2015 by Xin Yang
Mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant that is known to have adverse effects on human health, and most human exposure to toxic methylmercury is through fish consumption. Soluble Hg compounds…1 September, 2015 by Michael Thorne, Melody Clark
The Brazilian oyster Crassostrea brasiliana was challenged to three common environmental contaminants: phenanthrene, diesel fuel water-accommodated fraction (WAF) and domestic sewage. Total RNA was extracted from the gill and digestive…1 September, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Aim Our current understanding of migratory strategies and the reasons for their high variability along the phylogenetic tree remains relatively poor. Most of the hypotheses relating to migration have been…1 September, 2015 by Jean-Baptiste Sallee
Understanding the responses of animals to the environment is crucial for identifying critical foraging habitat. Elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from the Kerguelen Islands (49° 20’ S, 70° 20’ E) have…1 September, 2015 by Michael Dunn
Long-term monitoring of seabird numbers around Antarctica has revealed that the chinstrap penguin (Pygoscelis antarctica) is largely declining throughout its range in the Scotia Arc. Whether archipelagos across this large…1 September, 2015 by Peter Convey
Plants inhabiting extreme environments may possess features allowing them to tolerate sudden abrupt changes in their environment, a phenomenon often known as ‘adaptability.’ However, ability or success in developing adaptability…1 September, 2015 by Alexander Brearley
In this study, we demonstrate that oceanic vertical velocities can be estimated from individual mooring measurements, even for non-stationary flow. This result is obtained under three assumptions: i. weak diffusion…Read more on Vertical flow in the Southern Ocean estimated from individual moorings
1 September, 2015 by Damien Guihen, Jeremy Robst, Norman Ratcliffe, Peter Enderlein
Penguins, and many other seabirds, often nest in the open in large colonies, and so are amenable to aerial survey. UAVs offer a flexible and inexpensive method of achieving this…Read more on A protocol for the aerial survey of penguin colonies using UAVs
1 September, 2015 by Norman Ratcliffe, Philip Trathan
Mercury emissions have increased over the past decades affecting even remote areas such as Antarctica. As gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) breed on many of the islands surrounding Antarctica, foraging close…1 September, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Microsatellite loci are ideal for testing hypotheses relating to genetic segregation at fine spatio-temporal scales. They are also conserved among closely related species, making them potentially useful for clarifying interspecific…1 September, 2015 by Gareth Marshall, Thomas Bracegirdle
Strong relationships exist between the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and surface air temperature (SAT) across much of Antarctica. Changes in the SAM will have a profound influence on future Antarctic…1 September, 2015 by Will Goodall-Copestake
Gene duplication and subsequent divergence can lead to the evolution of new functions and lineage specific traits. In sticklebacks, the successive duplication of the mucin-like gene (MUC19) into a tandemly-arrayed,…Read more on The molecular evolution of spiggin nesting glue in sticklebacks
1 September, 2015 by Peter Convey
Systematic surveys of the lichen floras of Schirmacher Oasis (Queen Maud Land, continental Antarctic), Victoria Land (Ross Sector, continental Antarctic) and Admiralty Bay (South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctic) were compared…Read more on Contrasting patterns in lichen diversity in the continental and maritime Antarctic
1 September, 2015 by Pierre Mathiot
Current ocean models have relatively large errors and biases in the Southern Ocean. The aim of this study is to provide a reanalysis from 1985 to 2006 assimilating sea surface…1 September, 2015 by Hugh Corr
Despite the importance of ice streaming to the evaluation of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) stability we know little about mid- to long-term dynamic changes within the Institute Ice Stream…1 September, 2015 by Robert Mulvaney
Climate changes in the North Atlantic region during the last glacial cycle were dominated by the slow waxing and waning of the North American ice sheet as well as by…1 September, 2015 by Jennifer Jackson
Capture-recapture studies offer a powerful tool to assess abundance, survival and population rate of change (λ). A previous capture-recapture study, based on DNA profiles, estimated that the IUCN-listed Endangered Oceania…1 September, 2015 by Jonathan Kingslake
In this paper we undertake a quantitative analysis of the dynamic process by which ice underneath a dry porous debris layer melts. We show that the incorporation of debris-layer airflow…