1 January, 2010 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan
Subglacial outburst floods at the margins of the Antarctic and Laurentide Ice Sheets have been linked to changes in global ocean circulation and climate. The impact of palaeo-hydrological systems beneath…1 January, 2010 by David Vaughan, Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan
The West Antarctic Rift System provides critical geological boundary conditions for the overlying West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Previous geophysical surveys have traced the West Antarctic Rift System and addressed the…1 January, 2010 by Michael Meredith
Recent studies suggest that the variability in Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) properties in the Scotia Sea on time scales up to decadal may be linked to changes in the baroclinicity…Read more on Wind-controlled export of Antarctic Bottom Water from the Weddell Sea
1 January, 2010 by Andrew Orr
The progress achieved since 2005 in simulating today's climate with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model through improved physical parametrizations is described. Results are based on climate…Read more on The ECMWF model climate: Recent progress through improved physical parametrizations
1 January, 2010 by Eric Wolff
Sulfate (SO42-) and ammonium (NH4+) flux records over the last 150,000 years from both Antarctic EPICA ice cores (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica) are presented. The ice core…1 January, 2010 by Andy Smith
Modulation of the flow of Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica, has been reported previously at semi-diurnal, diurnal, fortnightly and semi-annual periods. A model that includes non-linear response to tidal forcing has…1 January, 2010 by Geraint Tarling, Sophie Fielding
We studied the relationship between the proximity of land and the distribution and swarming characteristics of Antarctic krill across the Scotia Sea in January and February 2003. Krill swarms identified…1 January, 2010 by Peter Convey
We studied the development of the Antarctic herb tundra vegetation formation in relation to the history of deglaciation across a range of habitats near H. Arctowski Research Station (King George…1 January, 2010 by David Barnes
A bipolar distribution is one in which a taxon occurs at high northern and southern latitudes but is absent in the latitudes between. In spite of the large distance between…1 January, 2010 by Thomas Lachlan-Cope
Sensitivity studies with global climate models show that, by their influence on the radiation balance, Antarctic clouds play a major role in the climate system, both directly at high southern…1 January, 2010
To determine the potential of Antarctic bivalve shells as biomonitors for environmental and climatic variations in polar marine areas, we developed a growth model for juvenile Adamussium colbecki Smith, 1902…1 January, 2010 by Robert Larter
Amundsen Sea Embayment: Tectonic and Climatic Evolution; Granada, Spain, 9 September 2009; Geoscientists working on the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) of West Antarctica met at a workshop during the First…Read more on Improving constraints on paleo-ice sheets in the Amundsen Sea Embayment
1 January, 2010
Only about 45% of the total CO2 emitted from fossil fuel burning and land use change stayed in the atmosphere on average during the past few decades. The remaining CO2…1 January, 2010
The international political commitment to limit global warming to 2 °C urgently requires the stabilisation of radiative forcing from carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere.…Read more on An International Carbon Office to assist policy-based science
1 January, 2010
About one quarter of the CO2 emitted to the atmosphere by human activities is absorbed annually by the ocean. All the processes that influence the oceanic uptake of CO2 are…Read more on Impact of climate change and variability on the global oceanic sink of CO2
1 January, 2010 by Alexander Tate, Philip Leat
New multibeam (swath) bathymetric sonar data acquired using an EM120 system on the RRS James Clark Ross, supplemented by sub-bottom profiling, reveals the underwater morphology of a not, vert, similar…1 January, 2010 by Melody Clark
The gilthead sea bream. Sparus auratus, and the European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, are two of the most important marine species cultivated in Southern Europe. This study aimed at increasing…1 January, 2010
Quantifying the equilibrium response of global temperatures to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is one of the cornerstones of climate research. Components of the Earth's climate system that…Read more on Earth system sensitivity inferred from Pliocene modelling and data
1 January, 2010
Changes in ocean circulation have been proposed as a trigger mechanism for the large coupled climate and carbon cycle perturbations at the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ca. 55 Ma). An…1 January, 2010 by Lloyd Peck, Simon Morley
Habitat temperature and mitochondrial volume density (Vv(mt,mf)) are negatively correlated in fishes, while seasonal acclimatization may increase Vv(mt,mf) or the surface density of the mitochondrial cristae (Sv(im,mt)). The effect of…1 January, 2010 by Lloyd Peck, Simon Morley
Temperature and mitochondrial plasticity are well studied in fishes, but little is known about this relationship in invertebrates. The effects of habitat temperature on mitochondrial ultrastructure were examined in three…Read more on Ultrastructure of pedal muscle as a function of temperature in nacellid limpets
1 January, 2010 by Philip Leat
Geochemical provinciality of the Karoo continental flood basalt (CFB) province is complicated by the great diversity of magma types. Our geochemical and Nd and Sr isotopic data indicate derivation of…1 January, 2010
Polar ice is known to be one of the most anisotropic natural materials. For a given fabric the polycrystal viscous response is strongly dependent on the actual state of stress…1 January, 2010 by Janet Silk, Richard Phillips, Vsevolod Afanasyev
This is the first comprehensive study of at-sea activity patterns of albatrosses during the nonbreeding period, based on data from combination geolocator–immersion loggers deployed on the wandering albatross Diomedea exulans,…Read more on Free as a bird? Activity patterns of albatrosses during the nonbreeding period
1 January, 2010
Terrestrial and oceanic ecosystem components of the Earth System models (ESMs) are key to predict the future behavior of the global carbon cycle. Ocean ecosystem models represent low complexity compared…1 January, 2010 by Philip Leat
The Grunehogna Craton (GC, East Antarctica) is interpreted as part of the Archaean Kaapvaal Craton of southern Africa prior to Gondwana breakup. The basement of the GC is exposed only…1 January, 2010 by Gareth Marshall
The deuterium excess of polar ice cores documents past changes in evaporation conditions and moisture origin. New data obtained from the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C…Read more on An abrupt change of Antarctic moisture origin at the end of Termination II
1 January, 2010
Climate models show strong links between Antarctic and global temperature both in future and in glacial climate simulations. Past Antarctic temperatures can be estimated from measurements of water stable isotopes…Read more on EPICA Dome C record of glacial and interglacial intensities
1 January, 2010 by Peter Convey
Three mineral soil and four ornithogenic soil sites were sampled during summer 2006 at Cierva Point (Antarctic Peninsula) to study their bacterial, microalgal and faunal communities in relation to abiotic…1 January, 2010
A multidisciplinary provenance study, including in situ U-Pb dating of detrital titanite, was undertaken on the enigmatic low-grade metasediments of the Colonsay Group, SW Scotland to determine their source and…1 January, 2010
Metasediments of the early Dalradian Grampian Group (Erris Group) and probable equivalents (Inishkea Division) structurally overlie Palaeoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic Annagh Gneiss Complex orthogneisses in NW Mayo, Ireland. Sm-Nd isotopic data…1 January, 2010
Whole-rock Sm-Nd model ages of 1601 Ma (lower Laggan Formation) and 1674 Ma (upper Blackrock Formation) suggest a late Palaeoproterozoic, early Mesoproterozoic source for the rnetasediments of the Bowmore Sandstone…Read more on Dalradian Grampian Group affinity for the Bowmore Sandstone Group, Islay, SW Scotland
1 January, 2010 by Peter Convey
Spatial and temporal environmental variation in terrestrial Antarctic ecosystems are known to impact species strongly at a local scale, but the ways in which organisms respond (e.g. physiologically, behaviourally) to…1 January, 2010 by Peter Convey
Measurement of metabolic rates (made at 10A degrees C) of individuals of the springtail Cryptopygus antarcticus travei from six geographically distinct populations on sub-Antarctic Marion Island were combined with mitochondrial…1 January, 2010 by Peter Convey
We examined the genetic structure among populations and regions for the springtails Cryptopygus antarcticus antarcticus and Gomphiocephalus hodgsoni (Collembola) to identify potential historical refugia and subsequent colonization routes, and to…1 January, 2010 by Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
Echiniscus corrugicaudatus sp. nov., (Heterotardigrada; Echiniscidae) was found in the limited vegetation from the inland nunataks of Ellsworth Land, West Antarctica. The tardigrade fauna of this a rarely explored region…1 January, 2010 by Andrew Clarke, Deb Shoosmith, Terri Souster, Hugh Venables, Michael Meredith, Terri Souster
In recent decades, the west Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has warmed more rapidly than anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere. Associated with this, there has been a marked shortening of the…1 January, 2010 by Eric Wolff
As the planet cooled from peak warmth in the early Cenozoic, extensive Northern Hemisphere ice sheets developed by 2.6 Ma ago, leading to changes in the circulation of both the…Read more on Temperature and precipitation history of the Arctic
1 January, 2010 by Vsevolod Afanasyev
With the development of archival light level geolocators weighing only 1 g, their deployment on medium size waders is now possible. Trials showed that attachment via leg flag rather than…1 January, 2010 by Tracy Moffat-Griffin
An imaging riometer uses the absorption of cosmic radio noise as a means of measuring electron density enhancements in the D region of the ionosphere. It employs a ground-based phased…Read more on Calibrating an imaging riometer: determination of the true beam azimuth angle position
1 January, 2010 by Howard Roscoe
Measurements of NO and NO2 were made at a surface site (55.28 degrees N, 77.77 degrees W) near Kuujjuarapik, Canada during February and March 2008. NOx mixing ratios ranged from…1 January, 2010 by Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Simon Morley
To fully understand how species distributions will respond to changing environments it is essential to understand the mechanisms underlying variation in animal performance and the relative importance of different ecological…1 January, 2010 by Iain Staniland
In order to investigate the extent to which Perfluorinated Contaminants (PFCs) have permeated the Southern Ocean food web to date, a range of Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and Antarctic-migratory biota were analysed…1 January, 2010 by Jaume Forcada
A major challenge in ecology is to understand the impact of increased environmental variability on populations and ecosystems. To maximize their fitness in a variable environment, life history theory states…Read more on Bet-hedging response to environmental variability, an intraspecific comparison
1 January, 2010 by Kevin Newsham
The biology and ecology of Cephaloziella varians, the most widespread and abundant liverwort in Antarctica, are reviewed. A description of the species is given, together with information on its geographical…Read more on The biology and ecology of the liverwort Cephaloziella varians in Antarctica
1 January, 2010 by Kevin Newsham
The leafy liverwort Lophozia excisa, which is colonised by basidiomycete fungi in other biomes and which evidence suggests may be colonised by mycorrhizal fungi in Antarctica, was sampled from L,onie…1 January, 2010 by David Pearce, Kevin Newsham
Bacterial community composition was determined by culture-independent PCR-based methods in two soils differing markedly in their water, C, N and P contents sampled from Mars Oasis on Alexander Island, western…1 January, 2010 by Ed King, Richard Hindmarsh, Robert Larter, Richard Hindmarsh
The submarine glacial geomorphology and sedimentology of the cross-shelf troughs and the adjacent continental slope around the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica have been the focus of a series of…1 January, 2010 by David Barnes, Lloyd Peck, Simon Morley
Pronounced seasonality in photoperiod and phytoplankton availability drives key physiological processes in many Antarctic primary consumers. To test the hypothesis that carnivores would be less markedly affected by environmental seasonality…Read more on Seasonal physiology and ecology of Antarctic marine benthos predators and scavengers
1 January, 2010 by Carlos Martin Garcia
Calving from tidewater glaciers and ice shelves accounts for around half the mass loss from both polar ice sheets, yet the process is not well represented in prognostic models of…1 January, 2010 by Adrian Jenkins, Deb Shoosmith
We demonstrate the first use of marine mammal dive-depth data to improve maps of bathymetry in poorly sampled regions of the continental shelf. A group of 57 instrumented elephant seals…Read more on Seals map bathymetry of the Antarctic continental shelf
1 January, 2010 by Anna Jones, David Pearce, Kevin Hughes, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
A study of air-borne microbial biodiversity over an isolated scientific research station on an ice-shelf in continental Antarctica was undertaken to establish the potential source of microbial colonists. The study…Read more on Biodiversity of air-borne microorganisms at Halley station Antarctica
1 January, 2010 by Andrew Clarke, Andrew Fleming, David Barnes, Lloyd Peck
Feedbacks on climate change so far identified are predominantly positive, enhancing the rate of change. Loss of sea-ice, increase in desert areas, water vapour increase, loss of tropical rain forest…Read more on Negative feedback in the cold: ice retreat produces new carbon sinks in Antarctica
1 January, 2010 by Lloyd Peck
Geographical variations in animal characters are one of the main subjects for study in macroecology. Variation with latitude has received special interest. Articulated brachiopods are possibly the commonest macrofossil with…Read more on Variation in size of living articulated brachiopods with latitude and depth
1 January, 2010 by Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Simon Morley
Animals can respond to temperature change by the following means: using physiological flexibility (including acclimation); or adapting; or migrating, with acclimation proposed as the major mechanism dictating prospects for survival…Read more on Poor acclimation capacities in Antarctic marine ectotherms
1 January, 2010 by Victoria Peck
To date, no conclusive evidence has been identified for intermediate or deep water cooling associated with the > 1 parts per thousand benthic delta O-18 increase at the Eocene-Oligocene transition…1 January, 2010 by Richard Phillips
The United Nations, under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has proclaimed 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. This has led to numerous initiatives to highlight…Read more on Eradications of invasive mammals from islands: why, where, how and what next?
1 January, 2010 by Richard Phillips
Fisheries are increasingly adopting ecosystem approaches to better manage impacts on non-target species. Although deliberate dumping of plastics at sea is banned, not all fisheries legislation prohibits discarding of gear…1 January, 2010 by Michael Thorne
Background Calcium ion is tightly regulated in body fluids and for euryhaline fish, which are exposed to rapid changes in environmental [Ca2+], homeostasis is especially challenging. The gill is the…1 January, 2010 by Eric Wolff
Arctic sea-ice extent and volume are declining rapidly. Several studies project that the Arctic Ocean may become seasonally ice-free by the year 2040 or even earlier. Putting this into perspective…1 January, 2010 by Martin Collins
The ichthyofauna of ocean margin regions is characterised by a succession of different species occurring at different depths. This study was aimed at determining whether the resultant pattern of species…1 January, 2010 by Richard Phillips
Marine environments experience seasonal variation in physical and biological parameters, with consequent changes in predator distributions. During the breeding period, proximity to suitable feeding sites is essential for central place…1 January, 2010 by Rowan Whittle
Adamussium jonkersi sp. nov. is described from the Late Oligocene Destruction Bay Formation, Wrona Buttress area, King George Island (South Shetlands), West Antarctica. The unit, characterized by volcanic sandstone, is…Read more on A new fossil Adamussium (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) from Antarctica
1 January, 2010 by Norman Ratcliffe
The introduction of mammal predators to islands often results in rapid declines in the number and range of seabirds. On Ascension Island the introduction of cats in 1815 resulted in…1 January, 2010 by Richard Phillips
Pelagic seabirds are central place foragers during breeding and variation in foraging trip duration and range reflect differences in diet and chick provisioning, through the exploitation of divergent habitats of…1 January, 2010 by Eugene Murphy, Jonathan Watkins, Peter Enderlein, Philip Trathan, Sophie Fielding
The South Georgia region supports a large biomass of krill that is subject to high inter-annual variability. The apparent lack of a locally self-maintaining krill population at South Georgia means…1 January, 2010 by Peter Ward
Plankton are the main food source in the majority of marine ecosystems and have a crucial role in climate change through primary production and the export of carbon to the…Read more on A global continuous plankton recorder programme
1 January, 2010 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand
An increase in whole ocean alkalinity during glacial periods could account, in part, for the drawdown of atmospheric CO2 into the ocean. Such an increase was inevitable due to the…Read more on Evidence for elevated alkalinity in the glacial Southern Ocean
1 January, 2010 by Teal Riley
Silicic volcanism at c. 168 Ma has been identified previously on the Antarctic Peninsula, and the Mapple Formation, which includes those volcanic rocks, has been defined and documented from one…1 January, 2010 by Michael Meredith
By connecting the ocean basins and the upper and lower limbs of the ocean overturning circulation, the Southern Ocean plays a critical role in the global ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycles…1 January, 2010 by Dominic Hodgson, Huw Griffiths, Michael Thorne, Stephen Roberts
Glaciers in small mountain cirques on South Georgia respond rapidly and sensitively to changes in South Atlantic climate. The timing and rate of their deglaciation can be used to examine…1 January, 2010 by Paul Rodhouse
This manuscript was produced as an introduction to this publication emanating from CIAC '09, the recent triennial symposium of the Cephalopod International Advisory Council. Given the importance of one of…1 January, 2010 by Paul Rodhouse
Satellite-tracked squid predators and fish-finding acoustics were used to locate squid concentrations at the Antarctic Polar Front, then to sample them with a midwater trawl. Near-surface hauls were dominated by…1 January, 2010 by Simeon Hill
There is growing interest in models of marine ecosystems that deal with the effects of climate change through the higher trophic levels. Such end-to-end models combine physicochemical oceanographic descriptors and…1 January, 2010 by Eric Wolff
Diatom assemblages in marine cores and sea salt deposition fluxes in ice cores have been used as sea ice proxies in the southern hemisphere. Here, a marine and an ice…1 January, 2010
Zonal and meridional winds have been measured in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere at polar latitudes using two ground-based meteor radars. One radar is located at Rothera (68° S,…1 January, 2010 by Annette Scheffer, Philip Trathan
Marine predators are thought to utilise oceanic features adjusting their foraging strategy in a scale-dependent manner. Thus, they are thought to dynamically alter their foraging behaviour in response to environmental…1 January, 2010 by Geraint Tarling
Early feeding studies on Meganyctiphanes norvegica described the morphology of the feeding appendages and the actual process of food uptake and digestion. Insights into diurnal, seasonal and ontogenetic pattern in…Read more on Food and feeding in northern krill (Meganyctiphanes norvegica sars)
1 January, 2010 by Michael Meredith
Climate change will alter marine ecosystems; however, the complexity of the food webs, combined with chronic undersampling, constrains efforts to predict their future and to optimally manage and protect marine…Read more on How do polar marine ecosystems respond to rapid climate change?
1 January, 2010 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
Free-surface thin-film flows can principally be described by two types of models. Lubrication models assume that shear stresses are dominant in the force balance of the flow and are appropriate…1 January, 2010 by Gareth Marshall
Over the last four decades there has been a trend to earlier summer breakup of the sea ice in western Hudson Bay, Canada. This sea ice is critical for the…Read more on A step-change in the date of sea-ice breakup in western Hudson Bay
1 January, 2010 by Andy Smith, David Vaughan
The basic theory of crevasse formation suggests that crevasses initiate at or near the surface. However, due to variations in stress with depth, it has been suggested that it is…1 January, 2010 by Geraint Tarling, Will Goodall-Copestake
Background: All crustaceans periodically moult to renew their exoskeleton. In krill this involves partial digestion and resorption of the old exoskeleton and synthesis of new cuticle. Molecular events that underlie…1 January, 2010
A state-of-the-art complex marine ecosystem model, PlankTOM5 2, simulating the distribution of five plankton functional types (PFTs, mixed phytoplankton, diatoms, coccolithophores, micro and mesozooplankton), was implemented separately in two medium…1 January, 2010 by Pierre Dutrieux
[1] We present results from the first zonal transect of iron, aluminum, and manganese conducted from the western source region of the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) to the central equatorial Pacific.…1 January, 2010 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne
This paper analyses a unique set of continuous high-quality well-calibrated observations of natural ELF/VLF radio waves, in the range 0.3-10 kHz, made at Halley Research Station, Antarctica (76 degrees S,27…1 January, 2010 by Michael Meredith
The transports associated with the Subantarctic Front (SAF) and the Polar Front (PF) account for the majority of the volume transport of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). After passing through…Read more on The flow of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current over the North Scotia Ridge
1 January, 2010 by Iain Staniland
Foragers show adaptive responses to changes within their environment, and such behavioural plasticity can be a significant driving force in speciation. We investigated how lactating Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella,…1 January, 2010
New high-resolution deuterium excess (d) data from the two EPICA ice cores drilled in Dronning Maud Land (EDML) and Dome C (EDC) are presented here. The main moisture sources for…1 January, 2010 by Lloyd Peck
Horizon scanning identifies emerging issues in a given field sufficiently early to conduct research to inform policy and practice. Our group of horizon scanners, including academics and researchers, convened to…Read more on A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2010
1 January, 2010
We examine global phylogeography of the two forms of giant petrel Macronectes spp. Although previously considered to be a single taxon, and despite debate over the status of some populations…Read more on Speciation and phylogeography of giant petrels Macronectes
1 January, 2010 by Keith Makinson
The Eastern Weddell Ice Shelves (EWIS) are believed to modify the water masses of the coastal current and thus preconditions the water mass formation in the southern and western Weddell…