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Unexpectedly uneven distribution of functional trade-offs explains cranial morphological diversity in carnivores

16 April, 2024 by Marie Attard

Functional trade-offs can affect patterns of morphological and ecological evolution as well as the magnitude of morphological changes through evolutionary time. Using morpho-functional landscape modelling on the cranium of 132…

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Intraguild predation in pinnipeds: Southern sea lions prey upon adult female South American fur seals in the Falkland Islands

1 April, 2024 by Kayleigh Jones

Intraguild predation, where a dominant predator kills and consumes a subordinate predator that is a potential competitor, is taxonomically and geographically widespread among mammalian carnivores (Palomares & Caro, 1999; Polis…

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Detection of plastic, cellulosic micro-fragments and microfibers in Laternula elliptica from King George Island (Maritime Antarctica)

1 April, 2024 by Simon Morley

It is generally acknowledged that microplastic pollutants are prevalent in ocean waters and sediments across a range of tropical, temperate, subpolar, and polar regions. The waters surrounding King George Island…

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Testing the resilience, physiological plasticity and mechanisms underlying upper temperature limits of Antarctic marine ecto-therms

29 March, 2024 by Elaine Fitzcharles, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark, Rebecca Smith, Rose Stainthorp, Simon Morley

Antarctic marine ectotherms live in the constant cold and are characterised by limited resilience to elevated temperature. Here we tested three of the central paradigms underlying this resilience. Firstly, we…

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Synchronous timing of return to breeding sites in a long-distance migratory seabird with ocean-scale variation in migration schedules

22 March, 2024 by Richard Phillips

Background Migratory birds generally have tightly scheduled annual cycles, in which delays can have carry-over effects on the timing of later events, ultimately impacting reproductive output. Whether temporal carry-over effects…

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The challenge to understand the zoo of particle transport regimes during resonant wave-particle interactions for given survey-mode wave spectra

13 March, 2024 by Nigel Meredith

Quasilinear theories have been shown to well describe a range of transport phenomena in magnetospheric, space, astrophysical and laboratory plasma “weak turbulence” scenarios. It is well known that the resonant…

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Advances in remote sensing of emperor penguins: first multi-year time series documenting trends in the global population

13 March, 2024 by Philip Trathan, Peter Fretwell

Like many polar animals, emperor penguin populations are challenging to monitor because of the species' life history and remoteness. Consequently, it has been difficult to establish its global status, a…

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A framework for estimating the anthropogenic part of Antarctica’s sea level contribution in a synthetic setting

11 March, 2024 by Alexander Bradley, Rosie Williams, David Bett, Paul Holland, Robert Arthern

The relative contributions of anthropogenic climate change and internal variability in sea level rise from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet are yet to be determined. Even the way to address…

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Observing change in pelagic animals as sampling methods shift: the case of Antarctic krill

8 March, 2024 by Alison Cleary, Anna Belcher, Cecilia Liszka, Eugene Murphy, Geraint Tarling, Jaume Forcada, Nadine Johnston, Philip Trathan, Ryan Saunders, Simeon Hill, Sophie Fielding

Understanding and managing the response of marine ecosystems to human pressures including climate change requires reliable large-scale and multi-decadal information on the state of key populations. These populations include the…

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Diesel−biodegradation and biosurfactant−production by Janthinobacterium lividum AQ5-29 and Pseudomonas fildesensis AQ5-41 isolated from Antarctic soil

1 March, 2024 by Peter Convey

Given the substantial diesel demand in Antarctic operations, the means of addressing ecological restoration following its inappropriate release are attracting attention from researchers. The Madrid Protocol mandates the use of…

Read more on Diesel−biodegradation and biosurfactant−production by Janthinobacterium lividum AQ5-29 and Pseudomonas fildesensis AQ5-41 isolated from Antarctic soil

Chorus wave power at the strong diffusion limit overcomes electron losses due to strong diffusion

27 February, 2024 by Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert, Thomas Daggitt

Earth’s radiation belts consist of high-energy charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field. Strong pitch angle diffusion of electrons caused by wave-particle interaction in Earth’s radiation belts has primarily been…

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Synchronous retreat of Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers in response to external forcings in the presatellite era

26 February, 2024 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, James Kirkham, Kelly Hogan, Robert Larter

Today, relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water is melting Thwaites Glacier at the base of its ice shelf and at the grounding zone, contributing to significant ice retreat. Accelerating ice loss…

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Southward migration of the zero-degree isotherm latitude over the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Peninsula: cryospheric, biotic and societal implications

20 February, 2024 by Lloyd Peck

The seasonal movement of the zero-degree isotherm across the Southern Ocean and Antarctic Peninsula drives major changes in the physical and biological processes around maritime Antarctica. These include spatial and…

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Source variations in volatile contents of Bransfield Strait back-arc and Phoenix/West Scotia mid-ocean ridge lavas, northern Antarctic Peninsula

20 February, 2024 by Teal Riley

We present the first volatile contents (H2O, CO2, Cl, F, S) of young (< 6 Ma) submarine basaltic glasses from the Phoenix and West Scotia mid-ocean ridges and the Bransfield Strait…

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Evaporative controls on Antarctic precipitation: an ECHAM6 model study using innovative water tracer diagnostics

13 February, 2024 by Alison McLaren, Louise Sime, Qinggang Gao, Thomas Bracegirdle

Improving our understanding of the controls on Antarctic precipitation is critical for gaining insights into past and future polar and global environmental changes. Here we develop innovative water tracing diagnostics…

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Review of Satellite Remote Sensing and Unoccupied Aircraft Systems for Counting Wildlife on Land

8 February, 2024 by Ellen Bowler, Hannah Cubaynes, Marie Attard, Penny Clarke, Peter Fretwell, Richard Phillips

Although many medium-to-large terrestrial vertebrates are still counted by ground or aerial surveys, remote-sensing technologies and image analysis have developed rapidly in recent decades, offering improved accuracy and repeatability, lower…

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An outsider on the Antarctic Peninsula: A new record of the non-native moth Plodia interpunctella (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

5 February, 2024 by Peter Convey

We report the first record of the microlepidopteran Plodia interpunctella beyond the South Shetland Islands at the Chilean Yelcho scientific station (64°52′33.1428″ S; 63°35′1.9572″ W), Doumer Island, close to the…

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Assessing the trophic ecology of Southern Ocean Myctophidae: the added value of DNA metabarcoding

1 February, 2024 by Alison Cleary, Jennifer Freer, Martin Collins

Lanternfishes (Myctophidae) are key components of mesopelagic fish communities globally. In the Southern Ocean, incomplete information on myctophid diets limits our understanding of their energetics, interactions and wider ecosystem impact.…

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The Extraordinary March 2022 East Antarctica “Heat” Wave. Part I: Observations and Meteorological Drivers

1 February, 2024 by John King, Thomas Bracegirdle

Between 15 and 19 March 2022, East Antarctica experienced an exceptional heat wave with widespread 30°–40°C temperature anomalies across the ice sheet. This record-shattering event saw numerous monthly temperature records…

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TerrANTALife 1.0 Biodiversity data checklist of known Antarctic terrestrial and freshwater life forms

1 February, 2024 by Huw Griffiths, Kevin Hughes, Lloyd Peck, Peter Convey

Incomplete species inventories for Antarctica represent a key challenge for comprehensive ecological research and conservation in the region. Additionally, data required to understand population dynamics, rates of evolution, spatial ranges,…

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