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Model study of global mercury deposition from biomass burning
1 April, 2015 by Xin Yang
Mercury emissions from biomass burning are not well characterized and can differ significantly from year to year. This study utilizes three recent biomass burning inventories (FINNv1.0, GFEDv3.1, and GFASv1.0) and…Read more on Model study of global mercury deposition from biomass burning
Hermit crabs (Pagurus spp.) at their northernmost range: distribution, abundance and shell use in the European Arctic
31 March, 2015 by David Barnes
Hermit crabs are important components of Arctic benthic systems, yet baseline data on their densities and distribution patterns in this rapidly changing region are still scarce. Here we compile results…Hybridization and Back-Crossing in Giant Petrels (Macronectes giganteus and M. halli) at Bird Island, South Georgia, and a Summary of Hybridization in Seabirds
27 March, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Hybridization in natural populations provides an opportunity to study the evolutionary processes that shape divergence and genetic isolation of species. The emergence of pre-mating barriers is often the precursor to…Inferring palaeo-accumulation records from ice-core data by an adjoint-based method: application to James Ross Island’s ice core
27 March, 2015 by Carlos Martin Garcia, Hilmar Gudmundsson, Hugh Corr, Robert Mulvaney
Ice cores contain a record of snow precipitation that includes information about past atmospheric circulation and mass imbalance in the polar regions. We present a novel adjoint method to reconstruct…Return customers: foraging site fidelity and the effect of environmental variability in wide-ranging Antarctic fur seals
25 March, 2015 by Iain Staniland, Philip Trathan
Strategies employed by wide-ranging foraging animals involve consideration of habitat quality and predictability and should maximise net energy gain. Fidelity to foraging sites is common in areas of high resource…The contribution of zooplankton faecal pellets to deep carbon transport in the Scotia Sea (Southern Ocean)
25 March, 2015 by Clara Manno, Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Peter Enderlein, Sophie Fielding
The northern Scotia Sea contains the largest seasonal uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide yet measured in the Southern Ocean. This study examines one of the main routes by which this…Cryosphere: Entry beneath ice
16 March, 2015 by Peter Fretwell
Ice shelves in West Antarctica have been shown to melt where warm circumpolar deep water enters a sub-shelf cavity. A bathymetric reconstruction of Totten Glacier in East Antarctica suggests that…An atmospheric origin of the multi-decadal bipolar seesaw
10 March, 2015 by Xin Yang
A prominent feature of recent climatic change is the strong Arctic surface warming that is contemporaneous with broad cooling over much of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Longer global surface…Read more on An atmospheric origin of the multi-decadal bipolar seesaw
Extreme variation in migration strategies between and within wandering albatross populations during their sabbatical year, and their fitness consequences
9 March, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Migratory behavior, routes and zones used during the non-breeding season are assumed to have been selected to maximize fitness, and can lead to genetic differentiation. Yet, here we show that…Poor transferability of species distribution models for a pelagic predator, the grey petrel, Indicates contrasting habitat preferences across ocean basins
6 March, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Species distribution models (SDMs) are increasingly applied in conservation management to predict suitable habitat for poorly known populations. High predictive performance of SDMs is evident in validations performed within the…The impact of predation by marine mammals on Patagonian toothfish longline fisheries
4 March, 2015 by Mark Belchier, Philip Trathan
Predatory interaction of marine mammals with longline fisheries is observed globally, leading to partial or complete loss of the catch and in some parts of the world to considerable financial…Read more on The impact of predation by marine mammals on Patagonian toothfish longline fisheries
Migration routes and non-breeding areas of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) from the Azores
2 March, 2015 by Richard Phillips
We describe the migration routes and non-breeding areas of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) from the Azores Archipelago, based on ringing (banding) recoveries and tracking of three birds using geolocators. Over…Low post-glacial rebound rates in the Weddell Sea due to Late Holocene ice-sheet re-advance
1 March, 2015 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
Many ice-sheet reconstructions assume monotonic Holocene retreat for the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, but an increasing number of glaciological observations infer that some portions of the ice sheet may be…A comparative study of wave forcing derived from the ERA-40 and ERA-interim reanalysis data sets
1 March, 2015 by Hua Lu, John Turner, Thomas Bracegirdle, Tony Phillips
The Eliassen–Palm (E-P) flux divergences derived from ERA-40 and ERA-Interim show significant differences during northern winter. The discrepancies are marked by vertically alternating positive and negative anomalies at high latitudes…Holocene glacier fluctuations
1 March, 2015 by Dominic Hodgson
A global overview of glacier advances and retreats (grouped by regions and by millennia) for the Holocene is compiled from previous studies. The reconstructions of glacier fluctuations are based on…Carbon dynamics of the Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean
1 March, 2015 by Michael Meredith
The accumulation of carbon within the Weddell Gyre, and its exchanges across the gyre boundaries are investigated with three recent full-depth oceanographic sections enclosing this climatically-important region. The combination of…Read more on Carbon dynamics of the Weddell Gyre, Southern Ocean
Evolution of Derwael Ice Rise in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, over the last millennia
1 March, 2015 by Carlos Martin Garcia
Ice rises situated in the ice-shelf belt around Antarctica have a spatially confined flow regime with local ice divides. Beneath the divides, ice stratigraphy often develops arches with amplitudes that…Extreme relativistic electron fluxes at geosynchronous orbit: Analysis of GOES E > 2 MeV electrons
1 March, 2015 by John Isles, Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne
Relativistic electrons (E > 1 MeV) cause internal charging on satellites and are an important space weather hazard. A key requirement in space weather research concerns extreme events and knowledge…The role of ocean gateways in the dynamics and sensitivity to wind stress of the early Antarctic Circumpolar Current
1 March, 2015 by Dave Munday
The date of inception of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current is debated due to uncertainty in the relative opening times of Drake Passage and the Tasman Seaway. Using an idealized eddy-resolving…Seabirds mated for life migrate separately to the same places: behavioural coordination or shared proximate causes?
1 March, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Long-term pair bonds occur in diverse animal taxa, but they are most common in birds, and can last from a few years to a lifetime. In many of these species,…Invited Review: Climate change impacts in polar-regions: lessons from Antarctic moss bank archives
1 March, 2015
Global climate is changing, with heterogeneous effects on the biological world including direct impacts on plant phenology. The resilience and future dynamics of ecosystems will depend on their responsiveness to…Distribution, population structure and trophodynamics of Southern Ocean Gymnoscopelus (Myctophidae) in the Scotia Sea
1 March, 2015 by Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Peter Ward, Ryan Saunders
Gymnoscopelus braueri, Gymnoscopelus fraseri and Gymnoscopelus nicholsi are common in the Southern Ocean mesopelagic fish community. However, their ecology is poorly understood in the region. This study investigated spatial and…Analysis of the effectiveness of ground-based VLF wave observations for predicting or nowcasting relativistic electron flux at geostationary orbit
1 March, 2015 by Mark Clilverd
Post-storm relativistic electron flux enhancement at geosynchronous orbit has shown correlation with very low frequency (VLF) waves measured by satellite in situ. However, our previous study found little correlation between…Trapping and acceleration of upflowing ionospheric electrons in the magnetosphere by electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves
28 February, 2015 by Richard Horne
During geomagnetically active conditions upflowing field-aligned electrons which form part of the Birkland current system have been observed at energies of up to 100 eV. If the first adiabatic invariant…Validation of the summertime surface energy budget of Larsen C Ice Shelf (Antarctica) as represented in three high-resolution atmospheric models
27 February, 2015 by Amelie Kirchgaessner, Andrew Orr, John King, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
We compare measurements of the turbulent and radiative surface energy fluxes from an automatic weather station (AWS) on Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica with corresponding fluxes from three high-resolution atmospheric…Protection of Antarctic microbial communities – ‘out of sight, out of mind’
25 February, 2015 by Kevin Hughes
Recent advances in molecular biology techniques have shown the presence of diverse microbial communities and endemic species in Antarctica. Endemic microbes may be a potential source of novel biotechnologically important…Read more on Protection of Antarctic microbial communities – ‘out of sight, out of mind’
Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part II: South America
25 February, 2015 by Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
This paper is the second monograph of nine that describes the global records of limno-terrestrial water bears (Tardigrada). Here, we provide a comprehensive list of non-marine tardigrades recorded from South…Read more on Annotated zoogeography of non-marine Tardigrada. Part II: South America
The PAC2MAN mission: a new tool to understand and predict solar energetic events
17 February, 2015
An accurate forecast of flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) initiation requires precise measurements of the magnetic energy buildup and release in the active regions of the solar atmosphere. We…Read more on The PAC2MAN mission: a new tool to understand and predict solar energetic events
Stable isotope values delineate the non-breeding distributions of sooty shearwaters Puffinus griseus in the North Pacific Ocean
17 February, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Following breeding, sooty shearwaters Puffinus griseus leave New Zealand waters and migrate to 1 of 3 distinct areas in the North Pacific Ocean, effectively exploiting environmental resources across a large…Attenuation of particulate organic carbon flux in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean, is controlled by zooplankton fecal pellets
16 February, 2015 by Geraint Tarling, Peter Ward
The Southern Ocean (SO) is an important CO2 reservoir, some of which enters via the production, sinking and remineralization of organic matter. Recent work suggests the fraction of production that…Ancient pre-glacial erosion surfaces preserved beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
16 February, 2015 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan
We present ice-penetrating radar evidence for ancient (pre-glacial) and extensive erosion surfaces preserved beneath the upstream Institute and Möller ice streams, West Antarctica. Radar data reveal a smooth, laterally continuous,…Read more on Ancient pre-glacial erosion surfaces preserved beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Reconstructing SALMFamide neuropeptide precursor evolution in the phylum Echinodermata: ophiuroid and crinoid sequence data provide new insights
2 February, 2015 by Melody Clark
The SALMFamides are a family of neuropeptides that act as muscle relaxants in echinoderms. Analysis of genome/transcriptome sequence data from the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Echinoidea), the sea cucumber Apostichopus…Changes in Holocene climate and the intensity of Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds based on a high-resolution palynological record from sub-Antarctic South Georgia
1 February, 2015 by Dominic Hodgson, Stephen Roberts
Sub-Antarctic South Georgia is a key region for studying climate variability in the Southern Hemisphere, because of its position at the core of the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Wind belt and…Differences in speciation progress in feather mites (Analgoidea) inhabiting the same host: the case of Zachvatkinia and Alloptes living on arctic and long-tailed skuas
1 February, 2015 by Elisabeth Biersma
Recent molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed that some apparently oligoxenous feather mite species are in fact monoxenous cryptic species with little morphological differentiation. In this study we analyzed two species,…A roadmap for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science for the next two decades and beyond
1 February, 2015 by David Vaughan, Jane Francis, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Peter Convey
Antarctic and Southern Ocean science is vital to understanding natural variability, the processes that govern global change and the role of humans in the Earth and climate system. The potential…Read more on A roadmap for Antarctic and Southern Ocean science for the next two decades and beyond
Emigration in emperor penguins: implications for interpretation of long-term studies
1 February, 2015 by Peter Fretwell
Site fidelity is an important evolutionary trait to understand, as misinterpretation of philopatric behavior could lead to confusion over the key drivers of population dynamics and the environmental or anthropogenic…Read more on Emigration in emperor penguins: implications for interpretation of long-term studies
The global relevance of the Scotia Arc: An introduction
1 February, 2015 by Philip Leat
The Scotia Arc, situated between South America and Antarctica, is one of the Earth’s most important ocean gateways and former land bridges. Understanding its structure and development is critical for…Read more on The global relevance of the Scotia Arc: An introduction
Microclimate and mass fluxes of debris laden ice surfaces in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica
1 February, 2015 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
This study investigates the microclimate and hydrology of debris-laden ice surfaces in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica, in early summer, focusing on the onset of melt. Measurements of energy and mass…North or south? Niche separation of endemic red-legged kittiwakes and sympatric black-legged kittiwakes during their non-breeding migrations
1 February, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Aim Species that breed sympatrically often occupy different foraging niches to mitigate competition for prey. When resource availability declines at the end of the breeding season, some animals migrate to…Tanaidacea of the Amundsen and Scotia Seas: an unexplored diversity
1 February, 2015 by David Barnes
The Scotia Arc and Amundsen Sea are contrasting regions within West Antarctica. The Scotia Sea shelf is well studied and central to the origin and diversity of the Southern Ocean…Read more on Tanaidacea of the Amundsen and Scotia Seas: an unexplored diversity
Pollution, habitat loss, fishing and climate change as critical threats to penguins
1 February, 2015 by Philip Trathan
Cumulative human impacts across the world's oceans are considerable. We therefore examined a single model taxonomic group, the penguins (Spheniscidae), to explore how marine species and communities might be at…Read more on Pollution, habitat loss, fishing and climate change as critical threats to penguins
Annual and seasonal movements of migrating short-tailed shearwaters reflect environmental variation in sub-Arctic and Arctic waters
1 February, 2015 by Richard Phillips
The marine ecosystems of the Bering Sea and adjacent southern Chukchi Sea are experiencing rapid changes due to recent reductions in sea ice. Short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris visit this region…Linking regional variation of epibiotic bacterial diversity and trophic ecology in a new species of Kiwaidae (Decapoda, Anomura) from East Scotia Ridge (Antarctica) hydrothermal vents
1 February, 2015 by David Pearce, Katrin Linse
We analyzed the diversity of bacterial epibionts and trophic ecology of a new species of Kiwa yeti crab discovered at two hydrothermal vent fields (E2 and E9) on the East…Constrained work output of the moist atmospheric heat engine in a warming climate
30 January, 2015 by Joakim Kjellsson
Incoming and outgoing solar radiation couple with heat exchange at Earth’s surface to drive weather patterns that redistribute heat and moisture around the globe, creating an atmospheric heat engine. Here,…Read more on Constrained work output of the moist atmospheric heat engine in a warming climate
Inclusion of mountain wave-induced cooling for the formation of PSCs over the Antarctic Peninsula in a chemistry-climate model
30 January, 2015 by Andrew Orr, Howard Roscoe, Scott Hosking
An important source of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), which play a crucial role in controlling polar stratospheric ozone depletion, is from the temperature fluctuations induced by mountain waves. However, this…Stage of HIV presentation at initial clinic visit following a community-based HIV testing campaign in rural Kenya
21 January, 2015
Background: The Kenyan Ministry of Health and partners implemented a community-based integrated prevention campaign (IPC) in Western Kenya in 2008. The aim of this study was to determine whether the…A cautionary note on the use of EESC-based regression analysis for ozone trend studies
16 January, 2015 by Howard Roscoe
Equivalent effective stratospheric chlorine (EESC) construct of ozone regression models attributes ozone changes to EESC changes using a single value of the sensitivity of ozone to EESC over the whole…Read more on A cautionary note on the use of EESC-based regression analysis for ozone trend studies
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) shallow water hydrocarbon seeps from Snow Hill and Seymour Islands, James Ross Basin, Antarctica
15 January, 2015 by Alistair Crame, Jane Francis
Fossil hydrocarbon seeps are present in latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) volcaniclastic shallow shelf sediments exposed on Snow Hill and Seymour Islands, James Ross Basin, Antarctica. The seeps occur in the Snow…Evolution and extinction of Maastrictian (Late Cretaceous) cephalopods from the López de Bertodano Formation, Seymour Island, Antarctica
15 January, 2015 by Alistair Crame, Jane Francis, Vanessa Bowman
One of the most expanded records to contain the final fortunes of ammonoid cephalopods is within the López de Bertodano Formation of Seymour Island, James Ross Basin, Antarctica. Located at…Circulation, retention and mixing of waters within the Weddell-Scotia Confluence, Southern Ocean: the role of stratified Taylor columns
13 January, 2015 by Andrew Meijers, Povl Abrahamsen, Hugh Venables, Michael Meredith
The waters of the Weddell-Scotia Confluence (WSC) lie above the rugged topography of the South Scotia Ridge in the Southern Ocean. Meridional exchanges across the WSC transfer water and tracers…Age-Related Variation in Foraging Behaviour in the Wandering Albatross at South Georgia: No Evidence for Senescence
9 January, 2015 by Richard Phillips
Age-related variation in demographic rates is now widely documented in wild vertebrate systems, and has significant consequences for population and evolutionary dynamics. However, the mechanisms underpinning such variation, particularly in…Winter foraging site fidelity of king penguins breeding at the Falkland Islands
1 January, 2015 by Iain Staniland, Norman Ratcliffe
Foraging site fidelity has profound consequences for individual fitness, population processes and the effectiveness of species conservation measures. Accordingly, quantifying site fidelity has become increasingly important in animal movement and…Read more on Winter foraging site fidelity of king penguins breeding at the Falkland Islands
Ocean acidification does not impact shell growth or repair of the Antarctic brachiopod Liothyrella uva (Broderip, 1833)
1 January, 2015 by Emma Cross, Lloyd Peck
Marine calcifiers are amongst the most vulnerable organisms to ocean acidification due to reduction in the availability of carbonate ions for skeletal/shell deposition. However, there are limited long-term studies on…Detection and quantification of oil under sea ice: the view from below
1 January, 2015 by Jeremy Wilkinson
Traditional measures for detecting oil spills in the open-ocean are both difficult to apply and less effective in ice-covered seas. In view of the increasing levels of commercial activity in…Read more on Detection and quantification of oil under sea ice: the view from below
Laboratory measurements of high-frequency, acoustic broadband backscattering from sea ice and crude oil
1 January, 2015 by Jeremy Wilkinson
Recent decreases in summer sea ice cover are spurring interest in hydrocarbon extraction and shipping in Arctic waters, increasing the risk of an oil spill in ice covered waters. With…Taking the sting out of darting: Risks, restraint drugs and procedures for the chemical restraint of Southern Hemisphere otariids
1 January, 2015 by Iain Staniland
The need to manage otariid populations has necessitated the development of a wide range of capture methods. Chemical restraint by remote drug delivery (i.e., darting) is a highly selective method…Ocean glider observations of iceberg-enhanced biological production in the northwestern Weddell Sea
1 January, 2015 by Adrian Jenkins
Icebergs affect local biological production around Antarctica. We used an ocean glider to observe the effects of a large iceberg that was advected by the Antarctic Slope Current along the…Using the unique spectral signature of guano to identify unknown seabird colonies
1 January, 2015 by Andrew Fleming, Peter Fretwell, Richard Phillips
Despite the threats faced by seabirds in both terrestrial and marine habitats, even basic knowledge of the locations of colonies, population sizes and trends is lacking for many remote areas…Read more on Using the unique spectral signature of guano to identify unknown seabird colonies
Cavity use throughout the annual cycle of a migratory woodpecker revealed by geolocators
1 January, 2015
The importance of cavities as roost sites in migratory species is often unknown because it is challenging to monitor cavity use during the non-breeding period. We documented cavity use throughout…Recent trends in the Southern Ocean eddy field
1 January, 2015 by Povl Abrahamsen, Michael Meredith
Eddies in the Southern Ocean act to moderate the response of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) to changes in forcing. An updated analysis of the Southern Ocean satellite altimetry record…Orographic disturbances of surface winds over the shelf waters adjacent to South Georgia
1 January, 2015 by Andrew Orr, Daniel Bannister, Emma Young, Scott Hosking, John King, Tony Phillips
This study seeks to quantify the influence of South Georgia's orography on regional surface winds. A typical case study characterized by large-scale westerly winds is analysed using a high-resolution setup…Estimation of ice shelf melt rate in the presence of a thermohaline staircase
1 January, 2015 by Emily Venables, Keith Nicholls, Satoshi Kimura
Diffusive convection–favorable thermohaline staircases are observed directly beneath George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica. A thermohaline staircase is one of the most pronounced manifestations of double-diffusive convection. Cooling and freshening of…Read more on Estimation of ice shelf melt rate in the presence of a thermohaline staircase
High density of ice krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) in the Amundsen sea coastal polynya, Antarctica
1 January, 2015 by Sophie Fielding
High densities of ice krill Euphausia crystallorophias were observed along six acoustic transects within the Amundsen Sea Coastal Polynya, Antarctica. Two-frequency acoustic backscatter data was examined in the austral summers…A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2015
1 January, 2015 by Lloyd Peck
This paper presents the results of our sixth annual horizon scan, which aims to identify phenomena that may have substantial effects on the global environment, but are not widely known…Read more on A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2015
Relationship between non-breeding migratory movements and stable isotopes of nitrogen and carbon from primary feathers in black-tailed gull Larus crassirostris
1 January, 2015 by Philip Trathan
Various seabird foraging strategies during the non-breeding season have recently been revealed by combining the use of bio-logging devices and the study of stable isotopic signatures (δ15N and δ13C) from…Thick and deformed Antarctic sea ice mapped with autonomous underwater vehicles
1 January, 2015 by Jeremy Wilkinson
Satellites have documented trends in Antarctic sea-ice extent and its variability for decades, but estimating sea-ice thickness in the Antarctic from remote sensing data remains challenging. In situ observations needed…Read more on Thick and deformed Antarctic sea ice mapped with autonomous underwater vehicles
The Antarctic ozone hole during 2013
1 January, 2015 by Jonathan Shanklin
We review the 2013 Antarctic ozone hole, making use of various ground-based, in-situ and remotely-sensed ozone measurements, ground-based measurements of ultraviolet radiation and meteorological reanalyses. Based on analysis of 34…Antarctic palynology and palaeoclimate – a review
1 January, 2015 by Vanessa Bowman
The first exciting clues that Antarctica had not always been ice-covered were the leaf fossils of Glossopteris plants that Scott’s party brought back from the Beardmore Glacier region in 1912.…Read more on Antarctic palynology and palaeoclimate – a review
A new Last Interglacial temperature data synthesis as an improved benchmark for climate modeling.
1 January, 2015 by Emilie Capron
We compiled ice and marine records of high-latitude temperature changes and placed them on a common timescale. We also produced climatic time slices for 115, 120, 125, and 130 ka.…Past4Future: European interdisciplinary research on past warm climate periods.
1 January, 2015 by Emilie Capron
Past4Future was a Collaborative Project in the European Union’s Framework Programme 7; it aimed to generate knowledge about climate changes during the last two interglacials. The approach was to combine…Read more on Past4Future: European interdisciplinary research on past warm climate periods.
Increases in plasma sheet temperature with solar wind driving during substorm growth phases
28 December, 2014 by Mervyn Freeman
During substorm growth phases, magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause extracts ~1015 J from the solar wind which is then stored in the magnetotail lobes. Plasma sheet pressure increases to balance magnetic…The impact of polar stratospheric ozone loss on southern hemisphere stratospheric circulation and climate
22 December, 2014 by Howard Roscoe
The impact of polar stratospheric ozone loss resulting from chlorine activation on polar stratospheric clouds is examined using a pair of model integrations run with the fully coupled chemistry climate…Seasonal variability of the warm Atlantic Water layer in the vicinity of the Greenland shelf break
16 December, 2014 by Michael Meredith
The warmest water reaching the east and west coast of Greenland is found between 200 m and 600 m. Whilst important for melting Greenland's outlet glaciers, limited winter observations of this layer…The early origin of the Antarctic Marine Fauna and its evolutionary implications
10 December, 2014 by Alistair Crame, Jane Francis, Rowan Whittle, Vanessa Bowman
The extensive Late Cretaceous – Early Paleogene sedimentary succession of Seymour Island, N.E. Antarctic Peninsula offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine the evolutionary origins of a modern polar marine fauna.…Read more on The early origin of the Antarctic Marine Fauna and its evolutionary implications
A new Antarctic Peninsula glacier basin inventory and observed area changes since the 1940s
1 December, 2014 by David Vaughan
Glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula have recently shown changes in extent, velocity and thickness, yet there is little quantification of change in the mass balance of individual glaciers or the…Variable crustal thickness beneath Thwaites Glacier revealed from airborne gravimetry, possible implications for geothermal heat flux in West Antarctica
1 December, 2014 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Tom Jordan
Thwaites Glacier has one of the largest glacial catchments in West Antarctica. The future stability of Thwaites Glacier's catchment is of great concern, as this part of the West Antarctic…Variation of scavenger richness and abundance between sites of high and low iceberg scour frequency in Ryder Bay, west Antarctic Peninsula
1 December, 2014 by David Barnes
Physical disturbance, particularly from iceberg scour, is a major structuring force in polar benthic communities at shelf depths. Scouring kills and damages benthic organisms providing food for the abundant scavenging…Can the Antarctic terrestrial midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, tolerate life in water?
1 December, 2014 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
1. Early-season flooding and ice entrapment at sub-zero temperatures pose significant challenges to any polar terrestrial invertebrate. 2. The chironomid midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, is native to the sub-Antarctic island of…Read more on Can the Antarctic terrestrial midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, tolerate life in water?
Inter-annual variability in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) density at South Georgia, Southern Ocean: 1997 – 2013
1 December, 2014 by Claire Waluda, Eugene Murphy, Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Jonathan Watkins, Peter Enderlein, Philip Trathan, Sophie Fielding
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are a key species in Southern Ocean ecosystems, maintaining very large numbers of predators, and fluctuations in their abundance can affect the overall structure and functioning…The structural and dynamic responses of Stange Ice Shelf to recent environmental change
1 December, 2014
Stange Ice Shelf is the most south-westerly ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula, a region where positive trends in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures have been recently documented. In this paper,…Read more on The structural and dynamic responses of Stange Ice Shelf to recent environmental change
Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice shelf and the impact of foehn winds
1 December, 2014 by John King
A common precursor to ice shelf disintegration, most notably that of Larsen B Ice Shelf, is unusually intense or prolonged surface melt and the presence of surface standing water. However,…Read more on Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice shelf and the impact of foehn winds
Bedgap – where next for Antarctic subglacial mapping?
1 December, 2014 by Hamish Pritchard
The recently published Bedmap2 datasets mark the culmination of several decades of subice and subocean Antarctic topographic surveying by many nations, but maps of the topographic data distribution show that…Read more on Bedgap – where next for Antarctic subglacial mapping?
Can bottom ice algae tolerate radiative and temperature changes?
1 December, 2014 by Peter Convey
Sea ice algae are significant primary producers of the ice-covered marine environment, growing under typically cold, dim conditions. During ice break-up they are released to the water column, where temperatures…Read more on Can bottom ice algae tolerate radiative and temperature changes?
Transcriptome of the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
1 December, 2014 by Michael Thorne, Melody Clark
Although the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) is an important commercial species, there is still a deficit with regard to the number of transcripts in the databases, which can be accessed…Read more on Transcriptome of the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
Estimating ocean currents from the shapes of laterally steered streamer arrays
1 December, 2014 by Emily Shuckburgh
When conducting marine seismic surveys, ocean currents noticeably perturb seismic streamers from their desired location. To accurately monitor a reservoir, the receivers in the streamers must be as close as…Read more on Estimating ocean currents from the shapes of laterally steered streamer arrays
The effect of meltwater plumes on the melting of a vertical glacier face
1 December, 2014 by Adrian Jenkins, Paul Holland, Satoshi Kimura
Freshwater produced by the surface melting of ice sheets is commonly discharged into ocean fjords from the bottom of deep fjord-terminating glaciers. The discharge of the freshwater forms upwelling plumes…Read more on The effect of meltwater plumes on the melting of a vertical glacier face
Full-depth englacial vertical ice-sheet velocities measured using phase-sensitive radar
1 December, 2014 by Carlos Martin Garcia, Ed King, Hugh Corr, Hamish Pritchard, Jonathan Kingslake, Richard Hindmarsh, Robert Mulvaney, Richard Hindmarsh
We describe a geophysical technique to measure englacial vertical velocities through to the beds of ice sheets without the need for borehole drilling. Using a ground-based phase-sensitive radio-echo sounder (pRES)…Read more on Full-depth englacial vertical ice-sheet velocities measured using phase-sensitive radar
Magnetic local time variation and scaling of poleward auroral boundary dynamics
1 December, 2014 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
The balance of dayside and nightside reconnection processes within the Earth's magnetosphere, and its effect on the amount of open magnetic flux threading the ionosphere is well understood in terms…Read more on Magnetic local time variation and scaling of poleward auroral boundary dynamics
Sex identification in Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) and Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) penguins: Can flow cytometry be used as a reliable identification method?
1 December, 2014 by Philip Trathan
An important scientific question in ecology is how to differentiate males from females that have similar morphology. In penguins, due to their monomorphic plumage, it is difficult to determine gender.…The James Ross Island and the Fletcher Promontory ice-core drilling projects
1 December, 2014 by Robert Mulvaney
Following on from the successful project to recover an ice core to bedrock on Berkner Island, similar drilling equipment and logistics were used on two further projects to recover ice…Read more on The James Ross Island and the Fletcher Promontory ice-core drilling projects