1 March, 2023 by Ingrid Cnossen, Mervyn Freeman
On December 04, 2021, a total solar eclipse occurred over west Antarctica. Nearly an hour beforehand, a geomagnetic substorm onset was observed in the northern hemisphere. Eclipses are suggested to…1 March, 2023
The germline mutation rate determines the pace of genome evolution and is an evolving parameter itself. However, little is known about what determines its evolution, as most studies of mutation…Read more on Evolution of the germline mutation rate across vertebrates
1 March, 2023 by Alex Brisbourne, Andy Smith, Carlos Martin Garcia, Sofia-Katerina Kufner
The crystal orientation fabric of glacier ice impacts its strength and flow. Crystal fabric is therefore an important consideration when modelling ice flow. Here, we show that shear-wave splitting (SWS)…1 March, 2023 by Hamish Pritchard, Shuhong Wang
Glacier retreat is altering the water regime of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) as the region's climate changes, but there remain substantial gaps in our knowledge of recent glacier loss in…1 March, 2023 by Susan Gregory
White-blooded Antarctic icefishes, a family within the adaptive radiation of Antarctic notothenioid fishes, are an example of extreme biological specialization to both the chronic cold of the Southern Ocean and…Read more on Genomics of Secondarily Temperate Adaptation in the Only Non-Antarctic Icefish
1 March, 2023 by Peter Convey
The aim of the present study was to optimize the fermentation process for enhanced production of pravastatin by a wild-type Penicillium brefeldianum ESF21P strain using statistical approaches. Initial screening of…1 March, 2023 by Scott Hosking, Tom Andersson
Conditional neural processes (CNPs; Garnelo et al., 2018a) are attractive meta-learning models which produce well-calibrated predictions and are trainable via a simple maximum likelihood procedure. Although CNPs have many advantages,…28 February, 2023 by Peter Convey
Free-living terrestrial mites (Acari) have persisted through numerous glacial cycles in Antarctica. Very little is known, however, of their genetic diversity and distribution, particularly within the Ross Sea region. To…27 February, 2023 by Chester Sands, David Barnes, Nadescha Zwerschke, Simon Morley, Theresa Gossmann
Meaningful protection of global oceans lags far behind that of land and has taken little consideration of climate mitigation potential to date (such as through assessment of blue carbon stocks…27 February, 2023 by Jennifer Jackson
Assessing environmental changes in Southern Ocean ecosystems is difficult due to its remoteness and data sparsity. Monitoring marine predators that respond rapidly to environmental variation may enable us to track…24 February, 2023 by David Barnes, Jonathan Shanklin, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Invasive non-native species (INNS) are recognized as a major threat to island biodiversity, ecosystems, and economies globally. Preventing high-risk INNS from being introduced is the most cost-effective way to avoid…23 February, 2023 by Richard Horne
In this study, we use approximately 3 years of observations from the Exploration of energization and Radiation in Geospace (ERG/Arase) satellite to statistically study the meridional distribution of wave power…Read more on Latitudinal dependence of ground VLF transmitter wave power in the inner magnetosphere
20 February, 2023 by Clara Manno
Planktonic calcifying organisms play a key role in regulating ocean carbonate chemistry and atmospheric CO2. Surprisingly, references to the absolute and relative contribution of these organisms to calcium carbonate production…Read more on Pelagic calcium carbonate production and shallow dissolution in the North Pacific Ocean
17 February, 2023 by Jeremy Wilkinson
We present a comprehensive review of the current status of remotely sensed and in situ sea ice, ocean, and land parameters acquired over the Arctic and Antarctic and identify current…16 February, 2023 by Irena Vankova, James Smith, Keith Makinson, Keith Nicholls, Paul Anker, Peter Davis, Robert Arthern
Thwaites Glacier is one of the fastest-changing ice–ocean systems in Antarctica1,2,3. Much of the ice sheet within the catchment of Thwaites Glacier is grounded below sea level on bedrock that…Read more on Suppressed basal melting in the eastern Thwaites Glacier grounding zone
16 February, 2023 by Catrin Thomas, David Vaughan, James Smith, James Wake, Keith Makinson, Keith Nicholls, Paul Anker, Peter Davis, Catrin Thomas
Thwaites Glacier represents 15% of the ice discharge from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and influences a wider catchment. Because it is grounded below sea level, Thwaites Glacier is thought…Read more on Heterogeneous melting near the Thwaites Glacier grounding line
15 February, 2023 by Teal Riley
Understanding subduction processes is critical in assessing the long-term evolution of the upper mantle and continental crust. We present new geochemical data on glassy submarine lavas from the Bransfield Strait,…13 February, 2023 by Ingrid Cnossen
Climate change is characterized by global surface warming associated with the increase of greenhouse gas population since the start of the industrial era. Growing evidence shows that the upper atmosphere…11 February, 2023 by Alex Burton-Johnson, Teal Riley
The LeMay Group accretionary complex of Alexander Island (Antarctic Peninsula) comprises a 4 km thick succession of variably deformed turbidites associated with thrust slices of ocean floor basalts. The depositional…8 February, 2023 by Peter Convey
We studied the fungal diversity present in soils sampled along a deglaciated chronosequence from para- to periglacial conditions on James Ross Island, north-east Antarctic Peninsula, using DNA metabarcoding. A total…7 February, 2023 by Ryan Saunders
Mesopelagic fishes play a central role in the transfer of energy through open-ocean food webs, particularly in the Southern Ocean where they are both important predators of zooplankton and a…2 February, 2023 by Paul Holland, Ryan Patmore
The ice shelf-ocean boundary current has an important control on heat delivery to the base of an ice shelf. Climate and regional models that include a representation of ice shelf…2 February, 2023 by Victoria Peck
Planktic foraminifera test iodine to calcium ratios represent an emerging proxy method to assess subsurface seawater oxygenation states. Several core-top studies show lower planktic foraminifera I/Ca ratios in locations with…Read more on Planktic foraminifera iodine/calcium ratios from plankton tows
2 February, 2023 by Qinggang Gao
Atmospheric vortex streets are a widely studied dynamical effect of isolated mountainous islands. Observational evidence comes from case studies and satellite imagery, but the climatology and annual cycle of vortex…Read more on Vortex streets to the lee of Madeira in a kilometre-resolution regional climate model
2 February, 2023 by Connor Bamford, Jennifer Jackson
- Baleen whales are predominately summer visitors to Antarctic waters, where they feed on large swarms of zooplankton, primarily Antarctic Krill (Euphausia superba). - Over 2 million whales were killed…Read more on The recovery of Antarctica’s giants – baleen whales
1 February, 2023 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Intensive human exploitation of the Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) in its primary population centre on sub-Antarctic South Georgia, as well as on other sub-Antarctic islands and parts of the…1 February, 2023 by Norman Ratcliffe
Anthropogenic climate change is resulting in spatial redistributions of many species. We assessed the potential effects of climate change on an abundant and widely distributed group of diving birds, Eudyptes…1 February, 2023 by Emma Young, Michael Meredith
A high-resolution ocean model is used to characterize the variability of the shelf circulation and cross-shelf transport around the South Georgia island (SG). The time-mean shelf circulation consists of a…Read more on Variability of the shelf circulation around South Georgia, Southern Ocean
1 February, 2023 by Shenjie Zhou
The ocean is forced by the atmosphere on a range of spatial and temporal scales. In numerical models the atmospheric resolution sets a limit on these scales and for typical…Read more on The Impact of Stochastic Mesoscale Weather Systems on the Atlantic Ocean
1 February, 2023 by Peter Convey, Peter Fretwell
Mapping spatiotemporal changes in the distribution of blue ice regions (BIRs) in Antarctica requires repeated, precise, and high-resolution baseline maps of the blue ice extent. This study demonstrated the design…30 January, 2023 by Hannah Cubaynes, Penny Clarke, Peter Fretwell
The use of very high-resolution (VHR) optical satellites is gaining momentum in the field of wildlife monitoring, particularly for whales, as this technology is showing potential for monitoring the less…Read more on Annotating very high-resolution satellite imagery: A whale case study
30 January, 2023 by Mark Clilverd
The lower thermosphere-ionosphere (LTI) is a key transition region between Earth’s atmosphere and space. Interactions between ions and neutrals maximize within the LTI and in particular at altitudes from 100…25 January, 2023 by Neil Cobbett, Tracy Moffat-Griffin
The mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT, 80–100 km) region is an important boundary between Earth's atmosphere below and space above and may act as a sensitive indicator for anthropogenic climate change. Existing…25 January, 2023 by Alexander Bradley
We study the bendocapillary instability of a liquid droplet that part fills a flexible walled channel. Inspired by experiments in which a periodic pattern emerges as droplets of liquid are…Read more on Bendocapillary Instability of Liquid in a Flexible-Walled Channel
24 January, 2023 by Liz Thomas
A new meteorological dataset derived from records of Antarctic automatic weather stations (here called the AntAWS dataset) at 3 h, daily and monthly resolutions including quality control information is presented here.…Read more on The AntAWS dataset: a compilation of Antarctic automatic weather station observations
23 January, 2023 by Nadine Johnston
Sea ice is a key habitat in the high latitude Southern Ocean and is predicted to change in its extent, thickness and duration in coming decades. The sea-ice cover is…Read more on Biological responses to change in Antarctic sea ice habitats
19 January, 2023 by Chester Sands, David Barnes
The removal of carbon from the atmosphere for a long period (sequestration) is an increasingly pressing societal need in order to mitigate the negative effects of climate change. Investment and…16 January, 2023 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey, Rachel Cavanagh
Climate change is increasingly affecting Antarctica and the rest of the world. Urgent policy responses are needed to mitigate its associated impacts. Engagement of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM),…15 January, 2023 by Mervyn Freeman
Auroral zones are regions where, in an average sense, aurorae due to solar activity are most likely spotted. Their shape and, similarly, the geographical locations most vulnerable to extreme space…12 January, 2023 by Geraint Tarling, Kate Hendry, Petra Ten Hoopen, Sally Thorpe
We present a database from substantial collections of macronutrient data made on 20 oceanographic cruises, primarily from around the island of South Georgia and the Scotia Sea. This sector of…12 January, 2023 by Dieter Tetzner, Teal Riley
Over the last few decades, numerous geological studies have been carried out in the South Shetland Islands, which have greatly contributed to a better understanding of its geological evolution. However,…Read more on The South Shetland Islands, Antarctica: unified lithostratigraphy and geological map
12 January, 2023 by Patrick Keith, Philip Hollyman, Simeon Hill
Food web interactions govern how ecosystems respond to climate change and biodiversity loss. Modularity, where subgroups of species interact more often with each other than with species outside their subgroup,…Read more on Trophic structuring of modularity alters energy flow through marine food webs
12 January, 2023 by Mark Clilverd
Daedalus MASE (Mission Assessment through Simulation Exercise) is an open-source package of scientific analysis tools aimed at research in the Lower Thermosphere-Ionosphere (LTI). It was created with the purpose to…6 January, 2023 by Alex Burton-Johnson, Teal Riley
Periods of cessation, resumption and enhanced arc activity are recorded in the Cretaceous igneous rocks of the Antarctic Peninsula. We present new geochronological (LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb) analyses of 36 intrusive…Read more on Cretaceous magmatism in the Antarctic Peninsula and its tectonic implications
4 January, 2023 by Bianca Perren, Stephen Roberts
The timing and impact of deglaciation and Holocene readvances on the terrestrial continental margins of the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) have been well-studied but are still debated. Potter Peninsula on King…4 January, 2023 by Fausto Ferraccioli
The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSMs) in interior East Antarctic Craton are entirely buried under the massive ice sheet, with a ~50–60 km thick crust and ~200 km thick lithosphere, but…4 January, 2023 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity is simple compared with other regions of the Earth, with many higher taxonomic groups not represented owing to the continent’s isolation, the severe climatic conditions and the…3 January, 2023 by Maximilian Lowe, Robert Larter, Tom Jordan
The Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) separate the warmer lithosphere of the Cretaceous-Tertiary West Antarctic rift system and the colder and older provinces of East Antarctica. Low velocity zones beneath the TAM…1 January, 2023 by Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Tidal variability in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) during September 2019 Southern hemisphere minor sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) is investigated utilizing ground-based meteor radar wind observations from the equatorial,…1 January, 2023 by Lloyd Peck
Antarctic marine species live in one of the most thermally stable environments on Earth. They have evolved in these cold stable conditions for many millions of years. The long period…Read more on Responding to warming in polar oceans: A commentary on Molina et al. (2022)
1 January, 2023 by Huw Griffiths, Rowan Whittle
The timing of the first appearance of animals is of crucial importance for understanding the evolution of life on Earth. Although the fossil record places the earliest metazoans at 572–602 Ma,…Read more on Animal survival strategies in Neoproterozoic ice worlds
1 January, 2023 by Hugh Venables, Mairi Fenton, Michael Meredith
Seasonal cycling in carbon, alkalinity, and nutrients in landfast sea ice in Hangar Cove, Adelaide Island, West Antarctic Peninsula, were investigated during winter, spring, and summer 2014–2015. Temporal dynamics were…Read more on Carbon and nutrient cycling in Antarctic landfast sea ice from winter to summer
1 January, 2023 by Huw Griffiths
The Southern Ocean is showing one of the most rapid responses to human-induced global change, thus acting as a sentinel of the effects on marine species and ecosystems. Ocean warming…1 January, 2023 by Alex Burton-Johnson, Philip Leat, Teal Riley
The Antarctic Peninsula preserves geological evidence of a long-lived continental margin with intrusive, volcaniclastic and accretionary complexes indicating a convergent margin setting from at least the Cambrian to the Cenozoic.…1 January, 2023 by Kate Hendry
Riverine dissolved silicon (DSi) and biogenic silica (BSi) are modulated along the estuarine gradient by several biotic and abiotic processes governed by physical forcings. An important area controlling silicon transport…1 January, 2023 by Clara Manno
Thecosome pteropods are a dominant group of calcifying pelagic molluscs and an important component of the food web. In this study, we characterise spring pteropod distribution throughout the Mediterranean Sea,…Read more on Shelled pteropod abundance and distribution across the Mediterranean Sea during spring
1 January, 2023 by Jeremy Wilkinson
Properties of the surface mixed layer (ML) are critical for understanding and predicting atmosphere-sea ice-ocean interactions in the changing Arctic Ocean. Mooring measurements are typically unable to resolve the ML…Read more on Acoustic sensing of ocean mixed layer depth and temperature from uplooking ADCPs
1 January, 2023 by Clara Manno
The reproductive strategy of planktonic foraminifera, key pelagic calcifiers, has long remained elusive, hampering efforts to understand and model their population dynamics. This is particularly critical in polar oceans where…1 January, 2023 by Louise Sime
This paper presents an overview of emerging research at the Manifest Data Lab a collective of artists and climate scientists who employ climate data experimentally in public settings. We discuss…Read more on Political atmospherics: climate visualisations at the Manifest Data Lab
1 January, 2023 by Gareth Chisham, Mai Mai Lam, Mervyn Freeman, Rob Shore
Models of the high-latitude ionospheric electric field are commonly used to specify the magnetospheric forcing in thermosphere or whole atmosphere models. The use of decades-old models based on spacecraft data…1 January, 2023 by Eugene Murphy
The dynamics of marine systems at decadal scales are notoriously hard to predict—hence references to this timescale as the “grey zone” for ocean prediction. Nevertheless, decadal-scale prediction is a rapidly…1 January, 2023
Squid play a major role in the Southern Ocean food web. However, their age and growth remain poorly studied. Here, using upper and lower beaks of Moroteuthopsis longimana collected from…1 January, 2023 by Lloyd Peck
We present the results of our 14th horizon scan of issues we expect to influence biological conservation in the future. From an initial set of 102 topics, our global panel…Read more on A global biological conservation horizon scan of issues for 2023
1 January, 2023 by Richard Phillips
The increasing number of offshore wind farms (OWFs) proposed off the Brazilian coast is a biodiversity management challenge that needs to be addressed with strategic and targeted environmental impact assessments.…1 January, 2023 by Melody Clark
The Second International Symposium on Cellular and Organismal Stress Responses took place virtually on September 8–9, 2022. This meeting was supported by the Cell Stress Society International (CSSI) and organized…1 January, 2023 by Michael Thorne
On the Mekong River, north of Stung Treng town in northeastern Cambodia, and below the border with Laos, lies an area of riverine seasonally flooded forest designated as an internationally…1 January, 2023 by Andrew Kavanagh, Ingrid Cnossen
The SWIMMR (Space Weather Instrumentation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk) programme is improving the UK’s capability for space weather monitoring and prediction. The thermosphere part of the programme (SWIMMRT) focuses on…Read more on Days to Decades: Forecasting Neutral Densities in Low Earth Orbit
1 January, 2023 by James Kirkham, Kelly Hogan, Robert Larter
High-resolution 3D seismic data are used to analyse the infill of buried tunnel valleys in the North Sea. The level of detail provided by the high-resolution three-dimensional seismic data (6.25…Read more on Tunnel valleys as geohazards: new insights from high-resolution 3D seismic data
28 December, 2022 by Kaitlin Naughten, Paul Holland, Pierre Dutrieux
Warm ocean waters drive rapid ice-shelf melting in the Amundsen Sea. The ocean heat transport toward the ice shelves is associated with the Amundsen Undercurrent, a near-bottom current that flows…27 December, 2022 by Mark Clilverd
Geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) are induced in electrical power transmission networks during geomagnetic disturbances. Understanding the magnitude and duration of the GIC expected during worst-case extreme storm scenarios is vital…25 December, 2022 by Alex Brisbourne, Sofia-Katerina Kufner
Firn densification profiles are an important parameter for ice-sheet mass balance and palaeoclimate studies. One conventional method of investigating firn profiles is using seismic refraction surveys, but these are difficult…22 December, 2022 by Lloyd Peck, Simon Morley
Thermal tolerance windows are key indicators of the range of temperatures tolerated by animals and therefore, a measure of resilience to climate change. In the ocean, where ectotherms are immersed,…22 December, 2022 by James Smith, Kaitlin Naughten, Paul Holland, Pierre Dutrieux, Thomas Bracegirdle
Ocean-driven ice loss from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is a significant contributor to sea-level rise. Recent ocean variability in the Amundsen Sea is controlled by near-surface winds. We combine…22 December, 2022 by Elisabeth Biersma, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity faces multiple threats, from invasive species to climate change. Yet no large-scale assessments of threat management strategies exist. Applying a structured participatory approach, we demonstrate that existing…Read more on Threat management priorities for conserving Antarctic biodiversity
21 December, 2022 by Dave Munday
The early Cenozoic opening of the Tasmanian Gateway (TG) and Drake Passage (DP), alongside the synergistic action of the westerly winds, led to a Southern Ocean transition from large, subpolar…21 December, 2022 by Alessandro Cavallo, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Victoria Sleight
Adult molluscs produce shells with diverse morphologies and ornamentations, different colour patterns and microstructures. The larval shell, however, is a phenotypically more conserved structure. How do developmental and evolutionary processes…21 December, 2022
Two commercially important scallop species of the genus Pecten are found in Europe: the north Atlantic Pecten maximus and the Mediterranean Pecten jacobaeus whose distributions abut at the Almeria–Orán front.…21 December, 2022 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand
Observations of rapid ongoing grounding line retreat, ice shelf thinning and accelerated ice flow from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may forebode a possible collapse if global temperatures continue…17 December, 2022 by Mark Clilverd
Substorms are short-lived but significant reconfigurations of the geomagnetic field during which energetic particles are injected into the inner magnetosphere close to magnetic midnight. There is currently a need to…16 December, 2022 by Claire Waluda, Danielle Buss, Jennifer Jackson
Following their near extirpation by industrial whaling of the 20th century, the population status of Southern Hemisphere fin whales (SHFW) remains unknown. Systematic surveys estimating fin whale abundance in the…15 December, 2022 by Robert Larter
The end of the Eocene greenhouse world was the most dramatic phase in the long-term Cenozoic cooling trend. Here we use 75,000 km of multi/single channel seismic reflection data from…15 December, 2022 by Kate Hendry
The protection of organic carbon through association with iron minerals (FeR) is an important factor in its stabilisation, long-term storage, and burial efficiency in marine sediments. However, large uncertainties still…15 December, 2022
Cephalopods are important in Arctic marine ecosystems as predators and prey, but knowledge of their life cycles is poor. Consequently, they are under-represented in the Arctic ecosystems assessment models. One…14 December, 2022 by Ben Evans
The coastal protection function provided by the vegetation of tidal wetlands (e.g. salt marshes) will play an important role in defending coastlines against storm surges in the future and depend…14 December, 2022 by Elisabeth Biersma, Guy Hillyard, Kevin Newsham
The influence of climate change on microbial communities inhabiting the sparsely vegetated patterned ground soils that are widespread across the High Arctic is poorly understood. Here, in a four-year experiment…12 December, 2022
Environmental science is primarily concerned with assessing the impacts of changing environmental conditions on the state of the natural world. The UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has recently published…Read more on Developing an Information Management Framework for Environmental Digital Twins (IMFe).
8 December, 2022 by Jasmine Lee, Kevin Hughes
Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments are facing increasing pressure from multiple threats. The Antarctic Treaty System regularly looks to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) for the provision of…6 December, 2022 by Jonathan Adams, Joanne Johnson, Stephen Roberts
Evidence for the timing and pace of past grounding line retreat of the Thwaites Glacier system in the Amundsen Sea embayment (ASE) of Antarctica provides constraints for models that are…6 December, 2022 by Peter Convey
We assessed the fungal and fungal-like sequence diversity present in marine sediments obtained in the vicinity of the South Shetland Islands (Southern Ocean) using DNA metabarcoding through high-throughput sequencing (HTS).…2 December, 2022 by John King, John Turner, Thomas Caton Harrison, Thomas Bracegirdle
Low-level easterly winds encircling Antarctica help drive coastal currents which modify transport of circumpolar deep water to ice shelves, and the formation and distribution of sea ice. Reanalysis datasets are…Read more on Reanalysis representation of low-level winds in the Antarctic near-coastal region
1 December, 2022 by Emma Woodfield
Jupiter has the most complex and energetic radiation belts in our Solar System and one of the most challenging space environments to measure and characterize in-depth. Their hazardous environment is…Read more on The in-situ exploration of Jupiter’s radiation belts
1 December, 2022 by Gareth Marshall, John Turner
Early reanalyses are less than optimal for investigating the regional effects of ozone depletion on Southern Hemisphere (SH) high-latitude climate because the availability of satellite sounder data from 1979 significantly…1 December, 2022 by Alex Burton-Johnson, Kelly Hogan, Philip Leat, Teal Riley
The Cenozoic development of the Scotia Sea and opening of Drake Passage evolved in a complex tectonic setting with sea-floor spreading accompanied by the dispersal of continental fragments and the…Read more on Crustal block origins of the South Scotia Ridge
1 December, 2022 by Ryan Patmore
The vertical front of ice shelves represents a topographic barrier for barotropic currents that transport a considerable amount of heat towards the ice shelves. The blocking effect of the ice…Read more on The dynamics of a barotropic current impinging on an ice front