The biology of polar regions
1 January, 2008 by Peter Convey
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A doubling in snow accumulation in the western Antarctic Peninsula since 1850
1 January, 2008 by Gareth Marshall, Liz Thomas
We present results from a new medium depth (136 metres) ice core drilled in a high accumulation site (73.59S,70.36W) on the south-western Antarctic Peninsula during 2007. The Gomez record reveals…Read more on A doubling in snow accumulation in the western Antarctic Peninsula since 1850
A change in seasonality in Greenland during a Dansgaard–Oeschger warming
1 January, 2008 by Eric Wolff, Liz Thomas, Robert Mulvaney
A new sub-seasonal chemical record is presented from the North Greenland Icecore Project (NorthGRIP) ice core during the onset of one of the longest and strongest interstadials of the last…Read more on A change in seasonality in Greenland during a Dansgaard–Oeschger warming
Linear tracks and restricted temperature ranges characterise penguin foraging pathways
1 January, 2008 by Andrew Fleming, Martin Collins, Philip Trathan
Marine predators are thought to follow sophisticated scale-dependent search strategies when seeking patchy and unpredictable prey. However, fine-scale information about these strategies has hitherto been difficult to obtain for diving…Read more on Linear tracks and restricted temperature ranges characterise penguin foraging pathways
Population assessments of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) breeding at an important Antarctic tourist site, Goudier Island, Port Lockroy, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
1 January, 2008 by Jaume Forcada, Philip Trathan
Goudier Island is located in the Palmer Archipelago, to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula; it is one of the most frequently visited tourist sites in Antarctica. A number of…The 2007 Antarctic ozone hole
1 January, 2008 by Jonathan Shanklin
The 2007 Antarctic ozone hole is reviewed from a variety of perspectives, making use of various Australian data and analyses. The 2007 ozone hole was relatively modest, particularly in comparison…Root-fungal associations of Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica in the maritime and sub-Antarctic
1 January, 2008 by Kevin Newsham
The two native Antarctic vascular plant species, Colobanthus quitensis and Deschampsia antarctica, were sampled from 15 points along a 1480 km latitudinal transect from South Georgia (54°S, 36°W) through to…The relationship between the Southern Hemisphere Annular Mode and Antarctic Peninsula summer temperatures: analysis of a high-resolution model climatology
1 January, 2008 by Andrew Orr, Gareth Marshall, John King
The large regional summer warming on the east coast of the northern Antarctic Peninsula (AP), which has taken place since the mid-1960s, has previously been proposed to be caused by…Effects of climate variation on the abundance and distribution of flamingos in the Galapagos Islands
1 January, 2008
El Nino Southern Oscillation events have been associated with large fluctuations in seabird and landbird populations of the Galapagos Islands. We reveal different effects of climatic variation on the abundance…Three-dimensional test simulations of the outer radiation belt electron dynamics including electron-chorus resonant interactions
1 January, 2008 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert
We present results from our three-dimensional (3-D) simulations using the Salammbô electron radiation belt physical model. We have run steady state and dynamic storm test case simulations to study the…Tectonic overview of the West Gondwana margin
1 January, 2008
The oceanic southern margin of Gondwana, from southern South America through South Africa, West Antarctica, New Zealand (in its pre break-up position), and Victoria Land to Eastern Australia is one…West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse – the fall and rise of a paradigm
1 January, 2008 by David Vaughan
It is now almost 30 years since John Mercer (1978) first presented the idea that climate change could eventually cause a rapid deglaciation, or “collapse”, of a large part of…Read more on West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse – the fall and rise of a paradigm
Flow-switching and water piracy between Rutford Ice Stream and Carlson Inlet, West Antarctica
1 January, 2008 by Andy Smith, David Vaughan, Hugh Corr, Hamish Pritchard
Rutford Ice Stream and Carlson Inlet are neighbouring glaciers in West Antarctica. Rutford Ice Stream flows at speeds greater than 350m a(-1), whereas Carlson Inlet, which has some similar dimensions…Dynamics of dimethylsulphoniopropionate and dimethylsulphide under different CO2 concentrations during a mesocosm experiment
1 January, 2008
The potential impact of seawater acidification on the concentrations of dimethylsulfide (DMS) and dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and the activity of the enzyme DMSP-lyase was investigated during a pelagic ecosystem CO2 enrichment…Empowering marine science through genomics
1 January, 2008 by Melody Clark
Marine scientists in Europe summarize their successes with genome technologies in the marine sciences and make a plea for a concerted international effort to raise greater public education for support.On the characteristics of internal tides and coastal upwelling behaviour in Marguerite Bay, west Antarctic Peninsula
1 January, 2008 by Andrew Clarke, Michael Meredith
Internal waves and coastal upwelling have important roles in both physical oceanography and marine ecosystems, via processes such as mixing of water masses and transfer of heat and nutrients to…Variability in intertidal communities along a latitudinal gradient in the Southern Ocean
1 January, 2008
Despite being one of the most intensely studied habitat types worldwide, the intertidal region around Antarctica has received little more than superficial study. Despite this, the first detailed study of…Remotely-sensed spatial dynamics of the Illex argentinus fishery, Southwest Atlantic
1 January, 2008 by Claire Waluda, Huw Griffiths, Paul Rodhouse
Illex argentinus, the Argentine short-finned squid, is an important species within the Patagonian shelf ecosystem, where it supports a major multi-national fishery. The fishing fleet operating in this region is…Read more on Remotely-sensed spatial dynamics of the Illex argentinus fishery, Southwest Atlantic
Origin of Jovian hiss in the extended Io torus
1 January, 2008 by Richard Horne
Plasma wave observations on Voyager, Ulysses, and Galileo have shown that whistler-mode hiss at frequencies below one kHz is continuously present in the extended Io torus of Jupiter. Cyclotron resonant…Density-driven Southern Hemisphere subpolar gyres in coupled climate models
1 January, 2008 by Michael Meredith, Zhaomin Wang
We investigate the representation of Southern Hemisphere subpolar gyres in 20 IPCC AR4 climate models. The models reproduce three southern subpolar gyres: the Weddell Gyre, Ross Gyre, and Australian-Antarctic Gyre,…Read more on Density-driven Southern Hemisphere subpolar gyres in coupled climate models
The summertime plankton community at South Georgia (Southern Ocean): comparing the historical (1926/27) and modern (post 1995) records.
1 January, 2008 by Michael Meredith, Peter Ward
The earliest comprehensive plankton sampling programme in the Southern Ocean was 32 undertaken during the early part of last century by Discovery Investigations to gain a 33 greater scientific understanding…Natural complexity
1 January, 2008 by Mervyn Freeman
The use of complexity-based approaches may help to advance our understanding of Earth as a system.Metamorphic rocks in the Antarctic Peninsula region
1 January, 2008 by Alexander Tate
The distribution of metamorphic rocks in the Antarctic Peninsula region, new quantitative peak pressure-temperature data along the Antarctic Peninsula, and a literature review on the current knowledge of metamorphic conditions…Read more on Metamorphic rocks in the Antarctic Peninsula region
Formation, transport and decay of an intense phytoplankton bloom within the High-Nutrient Low-Chlorophyll belt of the Southern Ocean
1 January, 2008 by Sally Thorpe
The blooms associated with South Georgia coincide with the largest predicted carbon sink in the Southern Ocean. A major injection of iron and silica is required to sustain them over…Rapid warming of the ocean around South Georgia, Southern Ocean, during the 20th century: Forcings, characteristics and implications for lower trophic levels
1 January, 2008 by Michael Meredith, Peter Ward
The Southern Ocean is known to have warmed considerably during the second half of the 20th century but there are few locations with data before the 1950s. In addition, assessments…Late Ordovician (Hirnantian) scolecodont clusters from the Soom Shale Lagerstatte, South Africa
1 January, 2008 by Rowan Whittle
More than 20 partial scolecodout Clusters were recovered from the Soom Shale Lagerstatte, South Africa. The specimens were found in association with chitinozoans, algae, conodont apparatuses and the enigmatic needle-like…Generation of a buoyancy-driven coastal current by an Antarctic polynya
1 January, 2008
Descent and spreading of high salinity water generated by salt rejection during sea ice formation in an Antarctic coastal polynya is studied using a hydrostatic, primitive equation three-dimensional ocean model…Read more on Generation of a buoyancy-driven coastal current by an Antarctic polynya
The interpretation of spikes and trends in concentration of nitrate in polar ice cores, based on evidence from snow and atmospheric measurements
1 January, 2008 by Anna Jones, Eric Wolff
Nitrate is frequently measured in ice cores, but its interpretation remains immature. Using daily snow surface concentrations of nitrate at Halley (Antarctica) for 2004 - 2005, we show that sharp…The past 800 ka viewed through Antarctic ice cores
1 January, 2008 by Eric Wolff
The later parts of the Quaternary are of particular importance for assessing out ability to understand the future operation of the Earth because the main boundary conditions are similar to…Read more on The past 800 ka viewed through Antarctic ice cores
The significance of the moult cycle to cold tolerance in the Antarctic collembolan Cryptopygus antarcticus
1 January, 2008 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
Research into the ecophysiology of arthropod cold tolerance has largely focussed on those parts of the year and/or the life cycle in which cold stress is most likely to be…Mapping ionospheric backscatter measured by the SuperDARN HF radars – Part 2: Assessing SuperDARN virtual height models
1 January, 2008 by Gareth Chisham
The Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) network of HF coherent backscatter radars form a unique global diagnostic of large-scale ionospheric and magnetospheric dynamics in the northern and southern hemispheres.…Regional genetic diversity patterns in Antarctic hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctica Desv.)
1 January, 2008
Aim To determine patterns in diversity of a major Antarctic plant species, including relationships of Antarctic populations with those outside the Antarctic zone. Location Antarctic Peninsula, Maritime Antarctica, sub-Antarctic islands,…RRS James Clark Ross Cruise 139, 05 Dec-12 Dec 2005. Drake Passage Repeat Hydrography: WOCE Southern Repeat Section 1b – Burdwood Bank to Elephant Island
1 January, 2008 by Michael Meredith
This report describes the eleventh occupation of the Drake Passage section, established during the World Ocean Circulation Experiment as repeat section SR1b. It was first occupied by Southampton Oceanography Centre…Biodiversity and biogeography of southern temperate and polar bryozoans
1 January, 2008 by David Barnes, Huw Griffiths
Aim To describe the distribution of biodiversity and endemism of bryozoans in southern temperate and polar waters. We hypothesized that we would find: (1) no strong latitudinal richness gradient; (2)…Read more on Biodiversity and biogeography of southern temperate and polar bryozoans
Investigating turbulent structure of ionospheric plasma velocity using the Halley SuperDARN radar
7 December, 2007 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
We present a detailed analysis of the spatial structure of the ionospheric plasma velocity in the nightside F-region ionosphere, poleward of the open-closed magnetic field line boundary (OCB), i.e. in…The mid Pliocene Warm Period : a test-bed for integrating data and models
1 December, 2007
In this paper we present a summary of palaeoclimate modelling activities carried out for the mid Pliocene, and demonstrate how a combined data and modelling approach has led to significant…Read more on The mid Pliocene Warm Period : a test-bed for integrating data and models
Model uncertainty in the ecosystem approach to fisheries
1 November, 2007 by John Turner, Simeon Hill
Fisheries scientists habitually consider uncertainty in parameter values, but often neglect uncertainty about model structure. The importance of this latter source of uncertainty is likely to increase with the greater…Read more on Model uncertainty in the ecosystem approach to fisheries
Quasi-biennial modulation of the semidiurnal tide in the upper mesosphere above Halley, Antarctica
1 November, 2007
We present an analysis of a long-term archive of horizontal wind data derived from meteor wind observations from a SuperDARN radar at Halley, Antarctica (76S, 27W). Systematic differences between the…Spiracle structure in ticks (Ixodida: Anactinotrichida: Arachnida): resume, taxonomic and functional significance
1 November, 2007
Spiracle and tracheal structure in the extant Ixodida is revised and shown to comprise 29 distinct component characters, some of which are common to all Anactinotrichida, while others are unique…Low-altitude measurements of 2–6 MeV electron trapping lifetimes at 1.5 ≤ L ≤ 2.5
1 October, 2007 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert
During the Halloween Storm period (October–November 2003), a new Van Allen belt electron population was powerfully accelerated. The inner belt of electrons formed in this process decayed over a period…Read more on Low-altitude measurements of 2–6 MeV electron trapping lifetimes at 1.5 ≤ L ≤ 2.5
Temporal variability of the descent of high-alitutude NOx inferred from ionospheric data
1 September, 2007 by Mark Clilverd
In this study we investigate periods of enhanced ionization in the mesosphere during Northern Hemisphere wintertime. Long-lasting ionization enhancements (days) are typically produced by solar proton events or by the…Electron acceleration in the Van Allen radiation belts by fast magnetosonic waves
1 September, 2007 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert
Local acceleration is required to explain electron flux increases in the outer Van Allen radiation belt during magnetic storms. Here we show that fast magnetosonic waves, detected by Cluster 3,…Read more on Electron acceleration in the Van Allen radiation belts by fast magnetosonic waves
Ray tracing of penetrating chorus and its implications for the radiation belts
1 August, 2007 by Nigel Meredith
Using ray tracing and suprathermal electron distributions from CRRES, the final propagation latitudes of typical chorus rays are calculated as a function of L, MLT, AE, and initial wave normal…Read more on Ray tracing of penetrating chorus and its implications for the radiation belts
Radio echo sounding of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica: Aperture synthesis processing and analysis of feasibility from space
1 August, 2007 by David Vaughan, Hugh Corr
Airborne radio echo sounding of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet over Pine Island Glacier was performed in the austral summer of 2004/2005 under the National Science Foundation's West Antarctic Ice…Improved dynamic geomagnetic rigidity cutoff modeling: testing predictive accuracy
18 July, 2007 by Mark Clilverd, Tracy Moffat-Griffin
. In the polar atmosphere, significant chemical and ionization changes occur during solar proton events (SPE). The access of solar protons to this region is limited by the dynamically changing…Read more on Improved dynamic geomagnetic rigidity cutoff modeling: testing predictive accuracy
Arctic and Antarctic polar winter NOx and energetic particle precipitation in 2002-2006
1 June, 2007 by Mark Clilverd
We report GOMOS nighttime observations of middle atmosphere NO2 and O-3 profiles during eight recent polar winters in the Arctic and Antarctic. The NO2 measurements are used to study the…Read more on Arctic and Antarctic polar winter NOx and energetic particle precipitation in 2002-2006
Parameterization of radiation belt electron loss timescales due to interactions with chorus waves
1 June, 2007 by Nigel Meredith
Wave-particle interactions lead to the loss of relativistic electrons from the outer radiation belt on timescales ranging from hours to weeks. For a fixed value of chorus wave amplitudes pitch-angle…On the association between northward turnings of the interplanetary magnetic field and substorm onsets
1 April, 2007 by Mervyn Freeman
We re-examine whether substorms are triggered by solar wind fluctuations or an internal magnetospheric instability by comparing the statistical associations between substorm onsets and (1) an external trigger definition, (2)…Rapid climate change and the role of ocean circulation
27 March, 2007 by Eric Wolff
The role of the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) in possible future rapid climate changes is much debated. The U.K. Natural Environment Research Council initiated a program called Rapid…Read more on Rapid climate change and the role of ocean circulation
Sensitivity of modelled atmospheric circulation to the representation of stable boundary layer processes
1 March, 2007 by John King
We examine the sensitivity of the modelled climate of the third generation Hadley Centre climate model to changes in the parametrization of surface and boundary-layer fluxes under stable stratification. Replacing…Effects of tropical sea surface temperature (SST) errors on the Antarctic atmospheric circulation of HadCM3
1 March, 2007 by John Turner, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
This paper investigate the large mean sea level pressure errors in the HadCM3 atmosphere-ocean global climate model around Antarctica and finds them to be caused by the sea surface temperature…Glacial/interglacial changes in mineral dust and sea-salt records in polar ice cores: sources, transport, and deposition
24 February, 2007 by Eric Wolff
Sea salt and mineral dust records as represented by Na+ and Ca2+ concentrations, respectively, in Greenland and Antarctic ice cores show pronounced glacial/interglacial variations. For the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)…Circumpolar connections between Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba Dana) populations: investigating the roles of ocean and sea ice transport
1 February, 2007 by Eugene Murphy, Jonathan Watkins, Sally Thorpe
Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana, has a heterogeneous circumpolar distribution in the Southern Ocean. Krill have a close association with sea ice which provides access to a critical food source…Taking issue with PPARC over STP
1 January, 2007
Following the PPARC programmatic review announced in the spring of last year, with its gloomy outlook for solar–terrestrial physics, three young scientists in the field mobilized the junior members of…Investigating the turbulent structure of ionospheric plasma velocities on open and closed magnetic field lines
1 January, 2007 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
In this paper we review some recent work investigating the turbulent structure of the ionospheric plasma velocity in the polar and auroral regions. The studies make use of spatially distributed…Plasma astrophysics: Acceleration of killer electrons
1 January, 2007 by Richard Horne
Relativistic electrons in the outer Van Allen belt wreak havoc with satellites in geosynchronous orbit, but how they reach such high energies has been unclear. New data identify gyro-resonant wave-particle…Read more on Plasma astrophysics: Acceleration of killer electrons
Antarctic ecology: from genes to ecosystems. Part 2: Evolution, diversity and function
1 January, 2007 by Andrew Clarke, Eugene Murphy, Nadine Johnston
The Antarctic biota has evolved over the last 100 million years in increasingly isolated and cold conditions. As a result, Antarctic species, from micro-organisms to vertebrates, have adapted to life…Read more on Antarctic ecology: from genes to ecosystems. Part 2: Evolution, diversity and function
The Italian-British Antarctic geophysical and geological survey in northern Victoria Land 2005-06 – towards the International Polar Year 2007-08
1 January, 2007 by Fausto Ferraccioli
During the summer season 2005-06 a major scientific collaboration between the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the Italian Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA) carried out airborne geophysical investigations…Ice core records as sea ice proxies: An evaluation from the Weddell Sea region of Antarctica
1 January, 2007 by Eric Wolff, Robert Mulvaney
Ice core records of methanesulfonic acid (MSA) from three sites around the Weddell Sea are investigated for their potential as sea ice proxies. It is found that the amount of…Lactation and mother–pup behaviour in the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus: an unusual pattern for a phocid
1 January, 2007 by Jaume Forcada
This paper presents baseline information on maternal behaviour and lactation in the Mediterranean monk seal, with particular focus on the age at which pups are weaned. The study was conducted…A new species of Pareledone (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from Antarctic Peninsula Waters
1 January, 2007
During recent cruises aboard RV Polarstern in the Antarctic Peninsula region, a new species of benthic octopodid was discovered whose generic affinities based on morphological characteristics were uncertain. Molecular sequence…Read more on A new species of Pareledone (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from Antarctic Peninsula Waters
Photoformation of hydroxyl radical on snow grains at Summit, Greenland
1 January, 2007
We measured the photoformation of hydroxyl radical (OH) on snow grains at Summit, Greenland during the spring and summer. Midday rates of OH formation in the snow phase in the…Read more on Photoformation of hydroxyl radical on snow grains at Summit, Greenland
Behaviour of tracer diffusion in simple atmospheric boundary layer models
1 January, 2007
1-D profiles and time series from an idealised atmospheric boundary layer model are presented, which show agreement with boundary layer measurements of polar NOx. Diffusion models are increasingly being used…Read more on Behaviour of tracer diffusion in simple atmospheric boundary layer models
A high-resolution aeromagnetic survey over the Cape Roberts Rift Basin: correlations with seismic reflection and magnetic susceptibility log data. Extended abstract
1 January, 2007 by Fausto Ferraccioli
A high resolution aeromagnetic survey (altitude 125 m asl, spacing 500 m , area 800 km2) was carried out in 1994 offshore of Cape Roberts by the GITARA (German ITalian…Aeromagnetic anomaly patterns reveal buried faults along the eastern margin of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin (East Antarctica)
1 January, 2007 by Fausto Ferraccioli
The Wilkes Subglacial Basin (WSB) is the major morphological feature recognized in the hinterland of the Transantarctic Mountains. The origin of this basin remains contentious and relatively poorly understood due…Aeromagnetic search for Cenozoic magmatism over the Admiralty Mountains Block (East Antarctica)
1 January, 2007 by Fausto Ferraccioli
Cenozoic magmatic rocks of the Transantarctic Mountains provide an important window on the tectonic and magmatic processes of the West Antarctic Rift System. Previous aeromagnetic investigations in northern Victoria Land…Climate change and invasibility of the Antarctic benthos
1 January, 2007 by Andrew Clarke, Lloyd Peck
Benthic communities living in shallow-shelf habitats in Antarctica (Read more on Climate change and invasibility of the Antarctic benthos
Evidence for a CO increase in the SH during the 20th century based on firn air samples from Berkner Island, Antarctica
1 January, 2007 by Robert Mulvaney
Trends of carbon monoxide (CO) for the past 100 years are reported as derived from Antarctic firn drilling expeditions. Only one of 3 campaigns provided high quality results. The trend…Disturbance, colonization and development of Antarctic benthic communities
1 January, 2007 by David Barnes
A decade has yielded much progress in understanding polar disturbance and community recovery—mainly through quantifying ice scour rates, other disturbance levels, larval abundance and diversity, colonization rates and response of…Read more on Disturbance, colonization and development of Antarctic benthic communities
Richness, abundance and shell use of subarctic and arctic hermit crabs
1 January, 2007 by David Barnes
Hermit crabs are an obvious, common and abundant feature of global shallow water environments but almost nothing is known of their ecology at their extreme latitudinal ranges, the Arctic and…Read more on Richness, abundance and shell use of subarctic and arctic hermit crabs
Growth rate and its variability in erect Antarctic bryozoans
1 January, 2007 by David Barnes, Katrin Linse
Climate is altering rapidly in parts of the Arctic and Antarctic but we know little about how marine organisms are responding to, or might respond to such changes. Knowledge of…Read more on Growth rate and its variability in erect Antarctic bryozoans
Are Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet grounding events manifest in sedimentary cycles on the adjacent continental rise?
1 January, 2007 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand
The direct record of Late Miocene–Early Pliocene Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet expansions from a previously published seismostratigraphic study of the outer shelf at Ocean Drilling Program Site 1097 is compared…Application of liposome and stable isotope tracer techniques to study polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in marine zooplankton
1 January, 2007
We investigated the ability of four species of marine zooplankton to synthesize polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) during pulse-chase tracer experiments. Liposomes containing a deuterium labelled precursor fatty acid, D5-18:3n-3, were…