Showing 11154 items
27 February, 2012 by Emily Shuckburgh, Howard Roscoe
New evidence from models, ozone measurements and balloon trajectories is presented that confirms the existence of a broad cohesive region of air at the edge of the Antarctic stratospheric vortex…Read more on The existence of the edge region of the Antarctic stratospheric vortex
1 February, 2012 by Mark Clilverd, Neil Cobbett
Using ground-based subionospheric radio wave propagation data from two very low frequency (VLF) receiver sites, riometer absorption data, and THEMIS satellite observations, we examine in detail energetic electron precipitation (EEP)…1 January, 2012
The Southern Ocean is the world's largest high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) region. However, satellite images highlight several areas associated with island chains and shallow topographic features which display high…Read more on Seasonal and spatial dynamics of iron availability in the Scotia Sea
1 January, 2012 by Anna Jones
The role of ice in the formation of chemically active halogens in the environment requires a full understanding because of its role in atmospheric chemistry, including controlling the regional atmospheric…1 January, 2012 by Peter Convey
Two species of chironomid midges are currently described in the genus Belgica Jacobs, 1900. Belgica antarctica Jacobs, 1900 is endemic to parts of the maritime Antarctic, and Belgica albipes (Séguy,…1 January, 2012 by Jennifer Jackson
Lineages undergoing rapid radiations provide exceptional opportunities for studying speciation and adaptation, but also represent a challenge for molecular systematics because retention of ancestral polymorphisms and the occurrence of hybridization…Read more on Species tree of a recent radiation: The subfamily Delphininae (Cetacea, Mammalia)
1 January, 2012 by Geraint Tarling, Simeon Hill
This paper aims to provide the overview needed to include krill in food-web models and to guide modellers to key sources of data. It describes the strengths of each method…1 January, 2012 by Paul Geissler, Sophie Fielding
The kinetics of food processing by zooplankton affects both their energy budgets and the biogeochemical fate of their fecal pellets. We sampled 40 schools of krill across the Scotia Sea…1 January, 2012 by Peter Ward
There is an enormous amount of data on Southern Ocean (SO) zooplankton, mostly on their distribution with a minority addressing rate processes. This review aims to summarise these data and…1 January, 2012
The consolidation and bond strength of rafted sea ice were investigated through a series of experiments undertaken in the Ice Physics Laboratory at the UCL. To simulate a section of…Read more on The consolidation and bond strength of rafted sea ice
1 January, 2012
The northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) is a small (approx. 25 g), insectivorous migrant with one of the largest ranges of any songbird in the world, breeding from the eastern Canadian…1 January, 2012 by Anna Jones, Eric Wolff, Howard Roscoe
NOx measurements were conducted at the Halley Research Station, coastal Antarctica, during the austral summer period 1 January–10 February 2005. A clear NOx diurnal cycle was observed with minimum concentrations…1 January, 2012
Winter ranges have been identified for most neotropical migrant bird species, those that spend the winter months in Central and South America and summer months in North America. Published accounts…Read more on The Northern Black Swift: Migration path and wintering area revealed
1 January, 2012 by Eugene Murphy, Geraint Tarling, Hugh Venables, Peter Ward, Sophie Fielding
The carbonate chemistry of the surface ocean is rapidly changing with ocean acidification, a result of human activities. In the upper layers of the Southern Ocean, aragonite—a metastable form of…Read more on Extensive dissolution of live pteropods in the Southern Ocean
1 January, 2012 by Geraint Tarling, Sophie Fielding
Anthropogenic ocean acidification is likely to have negative effects on marine calcifying organisms, such as shelled pteropods, by promoting dissolution of aragonite shells. Study of shell dissolution requires an accurate…1 January, 2012 by Geraint Tarling, Sophie Fielding
Limacina helicina antarctica is a common part of the Southern Ocean zooplankton community but little is known about its life cycle. Here we determine the population structure and standing stock…1 January, 2012 by Geraint Tarling
Pteropods are a group of holoplanktonic gastropods for which global biomass distribution patterns remain poorly described. The aim of this study was to collect and synthesise existing pteropod (Gymnosomata, Thecosomata…1 January, 2012 by Mark Belchier
This review summarises the available information on the biology and ecology of the lithodids at South Georgia and provides an overview of the development of a management regime for them.…1 January, 2012 by Andy Smith, David Vaughan, Ed King, Fausto Ferraccioli, Hamish Pritchard, Robert Larter
Current ice loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) accounts for about ten per cent of observed global sea-level rise1. Losses are dominated by dynamic thinning, in which forcings…Read more on Inland thinning of West Antarctic Ice Sheet steered along subglacial rifts
1 January, 2012 by Emma Boland, Emily Shuckburgh
Coherent jets are ubiquitous features of the ocean’s circulation, and their characteristics, such as orientation and energetics, may be influenced by topography. In this study, the authors introduce a large-scale,…Read more on The formation of nonzonal jets over sloped topography
1 January, 2012 by Thomas Bracegirdle
The current understanding of climate changes that have occurred in the last 50 years over Antarctica is presented with a focus on: (i) a summer warming of the eastern Antarctic…Read more on Detection and attribution of Antarctic climate change
1 January, 2012 by Gareth Marshall, Thomas Bracegirdle
In this study, surface and radiosonde data from staffed Antarctic observation stations are compared to output from five reanalyses [Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR), 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40), ECMWF Interim…1 January, 2012 by Eric Wolff
Abundant indirect evidence suggests that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) reduced in size during the Last Interglacial (LIG) compared to the Holocene. This study explores this possibility by comparing,…1 January, 2012
Field observations from the Trinity Peninsula Group at View Point on the Antarctic Peninsula indicate that thick, southward-younging and overturned clastic sedimentary rocks, comprising unusually coarse conglomeratic lenses within a…1 January, 2012 by Lloyd Peck
Global warming is a reality and its effects have been widely studied. However, the consequences for marine invertebrates remain poorly understood. Thus, the present study proposed to evaluate the effect…1 January, 2012 by Thomas Lachlan-Cope
Compared to other regions, little is known about clouds in Antarctica. This arises in part from the challenging deployment of instrumentation in this remote and harsh environment and from the…1 January, 2012 by Emilie Capron
The climate of the last glacial Marine Isotopic Stage 3 (MIS3) period is characterized by strong millennial-scale variability with a succession of Dansgaard–Oeschger events first identified in Greenland ice cores…Read more on Regional imprints of millennial variability during the MIS 3 period around Antarctica
1 January, 2012
We simulate the likely noisy situation near a reconnection region by superposing many 2D linear reconnection eigenmodes. The superposition of modes on the steady state X-type magnetic field creates multiple…Read more on Particle Acceleration in the Presence of Weak Turbulence at an X-Type Neutral Point
1 January, 2012 by Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark
The extensive regeneration ability of ophiuroids, particularly in relation to arm re-growth following amputation, is becoming increasingly recognized as a useful model system for understanding cellular differentiation and regeneration in…Read more on Intrinsic gene expression during regeneration in arm explants of Amphiura filiformis
1 January, 2012 by Peter Kirsch
The NERC Science Information Strategy Data Citation and Publication project aims to develop and formalise a method for formally citing and publishing the datasets stored in its environmental data centres.…1 January, 2012 by Jonathan Shanklin, Steve Colwell
The passage of a volcanic plume produced by the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in April 2010 was measured by the sunesky radiometers of the new European SkyRad (ESR) network. This…1 January, 2012 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a strong climate warming trend of + 0.53 °C (mean annual air temperature) over the last 50 years. In the Polar Regions, changes in vegetation…1 January, 2012 by Deb Shoosmith, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is one of the key components of ocean circulation, and a knowledge of its isotopic composition is essential to the use of neodymium (Nd) isotopes to…1 January, 2012 by Richard Phillips
The wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is regarded as a generalist predator, but can it be consistent in its foraging niche at an individual level? This study tested short- and long-term…Read more on Short- and long-term consistency in the foraging niche of wandering albatrosses
1 January, 2012 by David Pearce, Peter Convey
Despite an increasing number of Antarctic soil diversity assessments, understanding of the bacterial community composition in the arid soil environments of the maritime/continental Antarctic transitional zone remains lacking. Most documented…1 January, 2012 by David Pearce, Peter Convey
We adopted a statistical approach to identify environmental parameters which might be important in structuring the bacterial community in soils on the Antarctic Peninsula. An assessment of soil bacterial community…1 January, 2012 by David Pearce, Peter Convey
Since the advent of 16SrRNAgene-based molecular analysis, an increasing amount of work has been conducted on the Antarctic soilbacterial community. The majority of such studies suggest that the Antarctic soil…1 January, 2012 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey, Susie Grant
The Antarctic Treaty System, acknowledged as a successful model of cooperative regulation of one of the globe’s largest commons ( 1), is under substantial pressure. Concerns have been raised about…Read more on Challenges to the future conservation of the Antarctic
1 January, 2012 by Kevin Hughes
Invasive alien species are among the primary causes of biodiversity change globally, with the risks thereof broadly understood for most regions of the world. They are similarly thought to be…1 January, 2012
We studied the seasonal lipid dynamics of Calanus finmarchicus from Loch Etive, a semi-enclosed fjordic environment on the west coast of Scotland, in relation to the diapause behavior of this…1 January, 2012 by Michael Thorne, Melody Clark
Several organisms display dormancy and developmental arrest at embryonic stages. Long-term survival in the dormant form is usually associated with desiccation, orthodox plant seeds and Artemia cysts being well documented…Read more on Long-Term Survival of Hydrated Resting Eggs from Brachionus plicatilis
1 January, 2012 by Terri Souster, Melody Clark, Terri Souster
Regeneration of arms in brittle stars is thought to proceed slowly in low temperature environments. Here a survey of natural arm damage and arm regeneration rates is documented in the…1 January, 2012 by Andrew Clarke
The mountainous island of South Georgia, situated in the cold but productive waters of the Southern Ocean, is one of the world’s most important seabird islands. It is estimated that…1 January, 2012 by Mark Clilverd
On 5 April 2010 a series of energetic electron injections, acceleration, and loss events appeared to induce an operational anomaly in the Galaxy 15 geosynchronous communications satellite. We describe the…1 January, 2012 by Claire Allen, Dominic Hodgson
Establishing accurate chronologies for Late Quaternary Antarctic marine sediments is often a challenge due to variable radiocarbon reservoir effects, the presence of coarse-grained glacial material and a lack of carbonate…1 January, 2012 by Claire Allen, Dominic Hodgson
Recent modeling suggests that changes in Southern Ocean sea-ice extent potentially regulated the exchange of CO2 release between the ocean and atmosphere during glacials. Unfortunately, a lack of high-resolution sea-ice…1 January, 2012 by Gabriele Stowasser, Hugh Venables, Martin Collins, Peter Enderlein, Sophie Fielding
Mesopelagic fish are a key component of the pelagic ecosystem throughout the world’s oceans. Opening and closing nets were used to investigate patterns in the distribution and abundance of mesopelagic…1 January, 2012 by Jennifer Jackson
Estimating the abundance of long-lived, migratory animals is challenging but essential for managing populations. We provide the first abundance estimates of endangered humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae from their breeding grounds…1 January, 2012 by Peter Convey
Some of the most rapidly changing ecosystems on our planet are located in the polar regions (IPCC 2007; Turner et al. 2009; SWIPA 2011). In some areas of the Arctic…Read more on The impacts of climate change on circumpolar biodiversity
1 January, 2012 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity is challenged by rapid climatic changes and expansion of the human footprint. As well as the potential for environmental damage at the local level, these challenges are…1 January, 2012 by David Vaughan
A high resolution surface topography Digital Elevation Model (DEM) is required to underpin studies of the complex glacier system on the Antarctic Peninsula. A complete DEM with better than 200m…1 January, 2012 by Howard Roscoe
Amounts of source gases with stratospheric sinks (CFCs, N2O, CH4) are affected by changes in BrewerDobson circulation. Source gases and their degradation products are important for atmospheric chemistry and climate.…1 January, 2012
Previous work has demonstrated that exposure to an hour of bright light in the morning and the evening during the Polar winter has beneficial effects on circadian phase. This study…1 January, 2012 by John King
This paper details the event, recording instrumentation, and verification of a new world extreme three-second average wind gust record of 113.3 m s–1, measured on Barrow Island, Australia, during the…1 January, 2012 by Philip Trathan, Richard Phillips, Stacey Adlard
In avian species that have evolved life-history strategies wherein molt and breeding overlap, there are potential conflicts between the regulatory roles of baseline prolactin and corticosterone in parental care (positive)…1 January, 2012 by Derren Fox, Philip Trathan, Richard Phillips
Physiological mechanisms mediating carryover effects, wherein events or activities occurring in one season, habitat, or life-history stage affect important processes in subsequent life-history stages, are largely unknown. The mechanism most…1 January, 2012 by Philip Trathan
It has long been held that Eudyptes penguins will only ever develop a maximum of two mature yolky follicles to match their invariant two-egg clutch, an idea inferred largely from…1 January, 2012 by Chester Sands, Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
Recent studies have suggested that some resident Antarctic biota are of ancient origin and may have been isolated for millions of years. The phylum Tardigrada, which is part of the…1 January, 2012 by Eric Wolff
Based on the fundamental and distinctive physical properties of polycrystalline ice lh, the chemical and temperature profiles within the polar ice sheets, and the observed selective partitioning of bacteria into…1 January, 2012
Migratory divides are contact zones between breeding populations that use divergent migratory routes and have been described in a variety of species. These divides are of major importance to evolution,…1 January, 2012 by Mark Clilverd
On 4 August 2010 a moderate geomagnetic storm occurred with minimum Dst of −65 nT and maximum Kp of 7−. Shortly after the onset of this storm, VLF chorus was…Read more on Simultaneous observation of chorus and hiss near the plasmapause
1 January, 2012 by Kevin Newsham
We investigated the relationships between fungal community composition, latitude and a range of physicochemical parameters in 58 soils sampled from a 2370 km latitudinal gradient between South Georgia (54°S, 38°W)…1 January, 2012 by Peter Convey
global changes are prompting scientists and governments to consider the risk of extinction of species inhabiting environments influenced by ice. Concerted, multidisciplinary, international programmes aimed at understanding life processes, evolution…1 January, 2012 by Gareth Marshall
A 200-year proxy for northerly air mass incursions (NAMI) into central and western West Antarctica is developed from the examination of 19 shallow (21–150 m deep) Antarctic ice-core non-sea-salt (nss)…Read more on An ice-core proxy for northerly air mass incursions into West Antarctica
1 January, 2012 by Huw Griffiths, Katrin Linse
Sponges play a key role in Antarctic marine benthic community structure and dynamics and are often a dominant component of many Southern Ocean benthic communities. Understanding the drivers of sponge…Read more on Diversity and distribution patterns in high southern latitude sponges
1 January, 2012
The roots of a British Antarctic policy can be traced, paradoxically, back to the establishment of a meteorological station by the Scottish Antarctic Expedition in the South Orkneys, in 1903,…Read more on From Scotia to ‘Operation Tabarin’: developing British policy for Antarctica
1 January, 2012
For over 50 years the Antarctic has been governed through the Antarctic Treaty, an international agreement now between 49 nations of whom 28 Consultative Parties (CPs) undertake the management role.…Read more on Leadership in politics and science within the Antarctic Treaty
1 January, 2012 by Mervyn Freeman
Background: Ecologists are collecting extensive data concerning movements of animals in marine ecosystems. Such data need to be analysed with valid statistical methods to yield meaningful conclusions. Principal Findings: We…1 January, 2012 by William Block
Juvenile instars of four species of the oribatid mite family Ameronothridae— Alaskozetes antarcticus intermedius, Ameronothrus lineatus, Halozetes crozetensis and Pseudantarcticola georgiae—are described and illustrated in detail. Known juvenile instars of…Read more on Morphology of juvenile instars of Ameronothridae (Acari: Oribatida)
1 January, 2012 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
During the 1960s, the midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, was transferred from sub-Antarctic South Georgia (55oS 37oW) where it is endemic to a single location on maritime Antarctic Signy Island (60oS 45oW).…1 January, 2012 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
A directional primary succession with moderate species replacement was quantitatively characterized on Signy Island in zones of a glacial valley corresponding to their age since deglaciation. A continuous increase in…1 January, 2012 by Keith Makinson, Keith Nicholls
Observations were made of ocean microstructure and horizontal currents adjacent to Brunt Ice Shelf in the southeastern Weddell Sea. Periods of in situ supercooled water extending as deep as 65…Read more on Observations of Thermohaline Convection adjacent to Brunt Ice Shelf
1 January, 2012 by Hugh Venables, Jonathan Watkins, Martin Collins, Peter Enderlein, Sophie Fielding
Multifrequency acoustic backscatter data were examined from transects at eight stations across the Scotia Sea, from the South Orkneys to the north west of South Georgia. These transects were repeated…1 January, 2012 by Victoria Peck
Two major types of glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (GDGTs) are commonly used in paleoecological and paleoclimatological reconstructions: isoprenoidal and branched GDGTs. In aquatic environments, it was originally assumed that isoprenoidal…1 January, 2012 by Philip Trathan
Several methods, each with specific advantages and disadvantages, are frequently used to obtain diet samples from seabirds. The collection of regurgitates (REG) as well as samples from the stomach water-off-load…1 January, 2012 by Elaine Fitzcharles
Correct identification of species forms the basis of all biological studies from individual genetic variation to population genetics, stock assessments and understanding whole ecosystems. This often relies on skilled taxonomists…1 January, 2012 by Geraint Tarling, Philip Trathan, Sophie Fielding
Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (hereafter ‘krill’) occur in regions undergoing rapid environmental change, particularly loss of winter sea ice. During recent years, harvesting of krill has increased, possibly enhancing stress…1 January, 2012 by Philip Leat, Robert Mulvaney, Teal Riley
New Pb analyses of K feldspars (Kfs) from Archaean–Mesozoic crystalline rocks from across the Weddell Sea region of Antarctica show Pb isotopic compositions that vary geographically. Five distinct basement provinces…1 January, 2012 by Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
The number of described species on the planet is about 1.9 million, with ca. 17,000 new species described annually, mostly from the tropics. However, taxonomy is usually described as a…1 January, 2012 by Jaume Forcada, Philip Trathan
The compound effects of changing habitats, ecosystem interactions, and fishing practices have implications for the management of Antarctic krill and conservation of its predators. For Antarctic pack-ice seals, an important…1 January, 2012 by Richard Phillips
Marine environments are greatly affected by climate change, and understanding how this perturbation affects marine vertebrates is a major issue. In this context, it is essential to identify the environmental…1 January, 2012
This study investigates the statistical significance of the trends of station temperature time series from the European Climate Assessment & Data archive poleward of 60°N. The trends are identified by…1 January, 2012
This study investigates the significance of trends of four temperature time series—Central England Temperature (CET), Stockholm, Faraday-Vernadsky, and Alert. First the robustness and accuracy of various trend detection methods are…1 January, 2012
The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential of reduced order models to reproduce the extreme event and predictability characteristics of higher dimensional dynamical systems. A nonlinear toy…Read more on Predictability of extreme events in a nonlinear stochastic-dynamical model
1 January, 2012 by Richard Phillips
Aim: An understanding of the non-breeding distribution and ecology of migratory species is necessary for successful conservation. Many seabirds spend the non-breeding season far from land, and information on their…1 January, 2012 by Peter Fretwell
Studying emperor penguins used to be a job for heroes. But penguins leave traces; thanks to high-resolution satellites they can waddle but they cannot hide. Peter Fretwell comes in from…1 January, 2012 by Andrew Fleming, Adrian Fox, Norman Ratcliffe, Philip Trathan, Peter Fretwell
Our aim was to estimate the population of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes fosteri) using a single synoptic survey. We examined the whole continental coastline of Antarctica using a combination of medium…1 January, 2012 by Thomas Bracegirdle
An unusually deep (961 hPa) hurricane-like polar low over the Barents Sea during 18–21 December 2002 is studied by a series of fine-mesh (3 km) experiments using the Weather Research…1 January, 2012 by Jennifer Jackson
Sixteen years of fluke photo identifications have been used to create datasets of the New Caledonia humpback whale breeding ground (IWC sub-stock E2). Estimates of abundance have been calculated using…Read more on An anomalous increase in the New Caledonia humpback whales breeding sub-stock E2
1 January, 2012 by Povl Abrahamsen
The fourth workshop of the South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC 4) took place in Simons Town, South Africa, on 27-29 September 2011. The main objectives of the workshop were…Read more on South Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (SAMOC) – Fourth Workshop
1 January, 2012
and sea level for the past 50 Ma have increased. In parallel, efforts to model ice sheet changes during this period have been ongoing. We review published paleodata and modeling…1 January, 2012 by Emily Shuckburgh, Jean-Baptiste Sallee, Michael Meredith
The Diapycnal and Isopycnal Mixing Experiment in the Southern Ocean (DIMES) was designed as a multi-pronged US and UK CLIVAR effort to measure and to better understand diapycnal mixing and…Read more on The Diapycnal and Isopycnal Mixing Experiment: A First Assessment
1 January, 2012 by David Vaughan
Over the last two decades, the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) has been losing mass at an increasing rate, enhancing its contribution to sea-level rise (SLR). The recent increases in ice…1 January, 2012 by Paul Holland
A numerical model for an interacting ice shelf and ocean is presented in which the iceshelf base exhibits a channelized morphology similar to that observed beneath Petermann Gletscher’s (Greenland) floating…Read more on Ice-shelf basal channels in a coupled ice/ocean model
1 January, 2012 by Hilmar Gudmundsson
Longitudinal surface structures (“flowstripes”) are common on many glaciers but their origin and significance are poorly understood. In this paper we present observations of the development of these longitudinal structures…Read more on Longitudinal surface structures (flowstripes) on Antarctic glaciers
1 January, 2012 by Eugene Murphy, Geraint Tarling, Will Goodall-Copestake
Estimates of genetic diversity represent a valuable resource for biodiversity assessments and are increasingly used to guide conservation and management programs. The most commonly reported estimates of DNA sequence diversity…