Showing 11205 items
1 October, 2023 by Mark Evans
An almost complete ichthyosaur skeleton 10 m long was discovered in January 2021 at the Rutland Water Nature Reserve in the county of Rutland, UK. This was excavated by a small…1 October, 2023 by Peter Convey
Belgica antarctica Jacobs (Diptera: Chironomidae) is the only endemic insect found in the Antarctic Peninsula region and has stimulated considerable research interest. Due to recent rapid changes in regional climate…1 October, 2023 by Claire Waluda, Michael Dunn, Philip Trathan
Due to its persistence and potential ecological and health impacts, mercury (Hg) is a global pollutant of major concern that may reach high concentrations even in remote polar oceans. In…1 October, 2023 by Louise Sime, Qinggang Gao
To refine moisture-source and site-temperature reconstructions inferred from measurements from ice cores, we must understand moisture provenance from which Antarctic precipitation originates. Here, we discuss our current understanding of Antarctic…30 September, 2023 by Peter Convey
Cyanobacteria are one of the most important groups of photoautotrophic organisms, contributing to carbon and nitrogen fixation in mangroves worldwide. They also play an important role in soil retention and…28 September, 2023 by Paul Holland
We investigate feedbacks between subsurface continental shelf ocean temperatures and Antarctic glacial melt using a coupled climate model. The model was forced with SSP5-8.5 and an uncoupled projection of basal…28 September, 2023 by Roseanne Smith
Giant icebergs release cold, fresh meltwater as they drift, perturbing the physical conditions of the surface ocean. This study uses satellite-derived sea surface salinity and temperature measurements to explore the…27 September, 2023 by Eugene Murphy, Sally Thorpe
Understanding the vertical migration behaviour of Antarctic krill is important for understanding spatial distribution, ecophysiology, trophic interactions and carbon fluxes of this Southern Ocean key species. In this study, we…26 September, 2023 by Bryony Freer, Oliver Marsh
Tide-forced short-term migration of the grounding line (GL) of Antarctic ice shelves can impact ice dynamics at the ice sheet margins and obscures assessments of long-term GL advance or retreat.…7 September, 2023 by Kaitlin Naughten
Observations of ocean-driven grounding-line retreat in the Amundsen Sea Embayment in Antarctica raise the question of an imminent collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Here we analyse the committed…6 September, 2023 by Ashley Bennison
Many vertebrates show lateralized behaviour, or handedness, where an individual preferentially uses one side of the body more than the other. This is generally thought to be caused by brain…4 September, 2023 by Ananth Ranjithkumar, Markus Frey, Xin Yang
The Arctic warms nearly four times faster than the global average, and aerosols play an increasingly important role in Arctic climate change. In the Arctic, sea salt is a major…Read more on Arctic warming by abundant fine sea salt aerosols from blowing snow
1 September, 2023 by Peter Convey
We evaluated the diversity and enzymatic activities of culturable fungi recovered from cotton baits submerged for 2 years in Hennequin Lake, King George Island, and from benthic biofilms in Kroner…1 September, 2023 by Peter Convey
The high number of bipolar and widespread bryophyte and microbial taxa in the Antarctic flora suggests the effective Long-Distance Dispersal (LDD) of spores and other propagules from lower latitudes and…1 September, 2023 by Melody Clark
The wild poses a multifaceted challenge to the maintenance of cellular function. Therefore, a multistressor approach is essential to predict the cellular mechanisms which promote homeostasis and underpin whole-organism tolerance.…Read more on The environmental cellular stress response: the intertidal as a multistressor model
1 September, 2023 by Alvaro Arenas Pingarron, Carl Robinson, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan, Alvaro Pingarron Arenas
Polarimetric Airborne Scientific INstrument, mark 2 (PASIN2) is a 150 MHz coherent pulsed radar with the purpose of deep ice sounding for bedrock, subglacial channels and ice-water interface detection in…1 September, 2023 by Peter Convey
The majority of islands surrounding the Antarctic continent are poorly characterized in terms of microbial macroecology due to their remote locations, geographical isolation and access difficulties. The 2016/2017 Antarctic Circumnavigation…Read more on Expanding Antarctic biogeography: microbial ecology of Antarctic island soils
1 September, 2023 by Martin Rogers
Biological invasions may act as conduits for pathogen introduction. To determine which invasive non-native species pose the biggest threat, we must first determine the symbionts (pathogens, parasites, commensals, mutualists) they…1 September, 2023 by Richard Horne
The propagation of fast magnetosonic (MS) waves from high to extremely low L shells and their conversion into electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves is investigated with a ray tracing model…1 September, 2023 by Tom Jordan
Knowledge of Antarctica’s sedimentary basins builds our understanding of the coupled evolution of tectonics, ice, ocean, and climate. Sedimentary basins have properties distinct from basement-dominated regions that impact ice-sheet dynamics,…Read more on Antarctic sedimentary basins and their influence on ice-sheet dynamics
1 September, 2023 by Peter Convey
Biological invasions represent a growing threat to islands and their biodiversity across the world. The isolated sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic Ocean is a highly protected…1 September, 2023
Climate change is expected to have major negative effects on marine life across phylogenetic groups. Cephalopods, however, have life history characteristics that suggest they may benefit from certain climate change…29 August, 2023 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
Measurements of ionospheric flow vorticity can be used for studying ionospheric plasma transport processes, such as convection and turbulence, over a wide range of spatial scales. Here, we analyse probability…29 August, 2023 by Siddharth Gumber
The Cauvery Delta, the ‘Rice Bowl’ of India follows a time-tested cultivation pattern over several irrigation zones. However, in this era of the Anthropocene, it is now well-established that short-duration,…28 August, 2023 by Gaelle Veyssiere, Jeremy Wilkinson
As Arctic sea ice deteriorates, more light enters the ocean, causing largely unknown effects on the ecosystem. Using an autonomous biophysical observatory, we recorded zooplankton vertical distribution under Arctic sea…Read more on Sea-ice decline could keep zooplankton deeper for longer
25 August, 2023 by Anna Belcher, Clara Manno, Kate Hendry
The biological carbon pump is responsible for much of the decadal variability in the ocean carbon dioxide (CO2) sink, driving the transfer of carbon from the atmosphere to the deep…25 August, 2023 by Clara Manno, Victoria Peck
We all know that carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced from burning fossil fuels, and that it contributes to global warming. But have you heard about the “evil twin” of global…Read more on Sea Butterflies Defend Their Homes Against an Acidic Ocean
24 August, 2023 by Norman Ratcliffe, Peter Fretwell
The spring season of 2022 saw record low sea ice extent in Antarctica that persisted throughout the year. At the beginning of December, the Antarctic sea ice extent was tracking…24 August, 2023 by Carlos Martin Garcia, Robert Mulvaney
The European Beyond EPICA project aims to extract a continuous ice core of up to 1.5 Ma, with a maximum age density of 20 kyr m−1 at Little Dome C (LDC). We present…Read more on Stagnant ice and age modelling in the Dome C region, Antarctica
18 August, 2023 by James Kirkham
Despite their importance for regional water resource planning and as indicators of climate change, records of in situ glacier mass balance remain short and spatially sparse in the Himalaya. Here,…17 August, 2023 by Dieter Tetzner, Robert Mulvaney
Few ice cores from the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Sea sectors of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) extend back in time further than a few hundred years. The WAIS is…Read more on An age scale for new climate records from Sherman Island, West Antarctica
17 August, 2023 by Peter Convey
Phytoremediation is a plant-based approach to extract, stabilise, eliminate, or render pollutants into less harmful form. The study highlights the use of a native polar microalga as a means of…11 August, 2023 by Kevin Hughes
Non-native species introductions and establishment are having substantial and likely irreversible environmental impacts on Antarctic ecosystems and biodiversity. Non-native species, or species that live outside of their natural range, can…11 August, 2023
Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are top predators that can exert substantial top-down control of their Antarctic prey species. However, population trends and genetic diversity of leopard seals remain understudied, limiting…10 August, 2023 by Philip Trathan
Large-scale breeding failures, such as offspring die-offs, can disproportionately impact wildlife populations that are characterized by a few large colonies. However, breeding monitoring—and thus investigations of such die-offs—is especially challenging…10 August, 2023 by Ashley Bennison
Despite multiple studies examining the diving behavior of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) at coarse resolution over broad distances, there is still a paucity of high-resolution diving data collected in…10 August, 2023 by Scott Hosking, Raghul Parthipan
The modelling of small-scale processes is a major source of error in climate models, hindering the accuracy of low-cost models which must approximate such processes through parameterization. Red noise is…10 August, 2023 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Robert Mulvaney
We present a database of observational constraints on past Antarctic Ice Sheet changes during the last glacial cycle intended to consolidate the observations that represent our understanding of past Antarctic…9 August, 2023 by Paul Holland
A major source of uncertainty in future sea level projections is the ocean-driven basal melt of Antarctic ice shelves. While ice sheet models require a kilometre-scale resolution to realistically resolve…8 August, 2023 by Caroline Holmes, Jeremy Wilkinson, Kevin Hughes, Michael Meredith, Peter Convey, Thomas Bracegirdle
There is increasing evidence that fossil-fuel burning, and consequential global heating of 1.1°C to date, has led to the increased occurrence and severity of extreme environmental events. It is well…3 August, 2023 by Beverley Ager, Rumeysa Uzun, Feride Karatekin, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctica is a continent dedicated to ‘peace and science’ and subject to international consensus-based governance through the Antarctic Treaty System. Through the Treaty, decision-making powers are reserved to Consultative Parties,…Read more on The emerging contribution of Türkiye to Antarctic science and policy
3 August, 2023 by Richard Phillips
The Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris occurs in large numbers in the northern Maldives during the northeast monsoon season (December to April). These birds do not breed in the Maldives, but…3 August, 2023 by Dani Jones, Scott Hosking, Tom Andersson
Environmental sensors are crucial for monitoring weather conditions and the impacts of climate change. However, it is challenging to place sensors in a way that maximises the informativeness of their…Read more on Environmental sensor placement with convolutional Gaussian neural processes
1 August, 2023 by Alex Burton-Johnson
We present a new extensional tectonic model for the Cenozoic history of SE Asia and the opening of the South China Sea (SCS), proposing a feedback mechanism by which intracontinental…1 August, 2023 by Anna Belcher, Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Ryan Saunders, Sophie Fielding
Zooplankton form an integral component of epi- and mesopelagic ecosystems, and there is a need to better understand their role in ocean biogeochemistry. The export and remineralisation of particulate organic…1 August, 2023 by Clara Manno, Emily Rowlands, Sally Thorpe, Victoria Peck
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) plays a central role in the Antarctic marine food web and biogeochemical cycles and has been identified as a species that is potentially vulnerable to plastic…1 August, 2023 by Clara Manno, Emily Rowlands, Sally Thorpe, Victoria Peck
Estimated plastic debris floating at the ocean surface varies depending on modelling approaches, with some suggesting unaccounted sinks for marine plastic debris due to mismatches between plastic predicted to enter…Read more on Vertical flux of microplastic, a case study in the Southern Ocean, South Georgia
1 August, 2023 by Dani Jones
Fieldwork, including work done at sea, is a key component of many geoscientists' careers. Recent studies have highlighted the pervasive harassment faced by women and LGBTQ+ people during fieldwork. However,…1 August, 2023 by Eugene Murphy, Philip Trathan, Sally Thorpe
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and Ice krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) are key species within Southern Ocean marine ecosystems. Given their importance in regional food webs, coupled with the uncertain impacts of…1 August, 2023 by Peter Convey
This study provides new species records (NRs) of macroalgal assemblages present in rocky habitats from the South Shetland Islands (SSI) and north-eastern Antarctic Peninsula (EAP), Weddell Sea. Surveys were conducted…1 August, 2023 by Andrew McDonald
Forecasting the block maxima of a future time window is a challenging task due to the difficulty in inferring the tail distribution of a target variable. As the historical observations…31 July, 2023 by Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Global measurements to characterize gravity wave (GW) parameters, distribution and main trends in the ITM are crucial. This white paper summarizes current GW measurement techniques operated from ground-based to space…Read more on Measurements of gravity wave global distributions and trends in the ITM
28 July, 2023 by Eugene Murphy, Sally Thorpe
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a key species of the Southern Ocean, impacted by climate change and human exploitation. Understanding how these changes affect the distribution and abundance of krill…27 July, 2023 by Geraint Tarling, Ryan Saunders, Victoria Fowler
In addition to diel vertical migration, individual zooplankton may also make a number of shorter-term migrations, or forays, into the surface layers from deeper depths. Direct observation of these forays…Read more on Detection of foray behaviour in the zooplankton of the Antarctic Polar Front region
23 July, 2023 by Gareth Chisham, Mai Mai Lam, Mervyn Freeman, Rob Shore
Forecasting of the effects of thermospheric drag on satellites will be improved significantly with better modeling of space weather effects on the high-latitude ionosphere, in particular the Joule heating arising…Read more on A Model of High Latitude Ionospheric Convection Derived From SuperDARN EOF Model Data
20 July, 2023 by Andrew Orr, Emily Potter
Runoff from glacierised Andean river basins is essential for sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people. By running a high-resolution climate model over the two most glacierised regions of Peru…Read more on A future of extreme precipitation and droughts in the Peruvian Andes
19 July, 2023 by Connor Bamford
In the design of protected areas for cetaceans, spatial maps rarely take account of the life-history and behaviour of protected species relevant to their spatial ambit, which may be important…19 July, 2023 by Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert, Thomas Daggitt
The outer radiation belt is a region of space comprising highly energetic electrons. During periods of extreme space weather, the number and energy of these electrons can rapidly vary. During…17 July, 2023 by Alice Fremand, Andy Smith, David Vaughan, Ed King, Elena Field, Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Hamish Pritchard, Peter Fretwell, Richard Hindmarsh, Tom Jordan, Richard Hindmarsh
One of the key components of this research has been the mapping of Antarctic bed topography and ice thickness parameters that are crucial for modelling ice flow and hence for…16 July, 2023 by Dani Jones
Ice sheet melting into the Southern Ocean can change the formation and properties of the Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW). Ocean models often mimic ice sheet melting by adding freshwater fluxes…15 July, 2023 by Robert Mulvaney
The Younger Toba Tuff eruption ∼74 ka ago in Indonesia, is among the largest known supereruptions in the Quaternary and its potential impact on the climate system and human evolution…13 July, 2023 by Michael Meredith
Glacial meltwater is an important environmental variable for ecosystem dynamics along the biologically productive Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) shelf. This region is experiencing rapid change, including increasing glacial meltwater discharge…Read more on Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Glacial Meltwater on the Antarctic Peninsula Shelf
11 July, 2023 by Kelly Hogan, Robert Larter
Improvements in the resolution of sea-floor mapping techniques have revealed extremely regular, sub-metre-scale ridge landforms produced by the tidal flexure of ice-shelf grounding lines as they retreated very rapidly (i.e.…Read more on Towards modelling of corrugation ridges at ice-sheet grounding lines
7 July, 2023 by Alex Burton-Johnson, Kelly Hogan, Philip Leat, Teal Riley
The Cenozoic development of the Scotia Sea and opening of Drake Passage led to the dispersal of crustal blocks of the North and South Scotia ridges that today have a…7 July, 2023 by Peter Convey
Introduction: Ecogeographical patterns in body size have been described across a wide range of vertebrate species. However, insects have shown inconsistent patterns in studies to date. Aquatic insects, particularly those…6 July, 2023 by Richard Phillips
Many seabird populations are declining, with fisheries bycatch as one of the greatest threats. Explicit risk criteria should be used to identify whether bycatch is a problem for particular species…4 July, 2023 by Elizabeth Pearmain, Richard Phillips
Plastic pollution is distributed patchily around the world’s oceans. Likewise, marine organisms that are vulnerable to plastic ingestion or entanglement have uneven distributions. Understanding where wildlife encounters plastic is crucial…Read more on Global assessment of marine plastic exposure risk for oceanic birds
4 July, 2023 by Anje-Margriet Neutel, David Barnes
Competitive hierarchies in diverse ecological communities have long been thought to lead to instability and prevent coexistence. However, system stability has never been tested, and the relation between hierarchy and…3 July, 2023 by Melody Clark
Polar regions play critical roles in the function of the Earth’s climate system, many of which are underpinned by their endemic biota. Whilst being home to some of the world’s…3 July, 2023 by Peter Convey
Research has confirmed that the utilisation of Antarctic microorganisms, such as bacteria, yeasts and fungi, in the bioremediation of diesel may provide practical alternative approaches. However, to date there has…1 July, 2023 by Richard Horne
Owing to the ever-present solar wind, our vast solar system is full of plasmas. The turbulent solar wind, together with sporadic solar eruptions, introduces various space plasma processes and phenomena…1 July, 2023 by Chester Sands
Understanding the drivers of evolutionary innovation provides a crucial perspective of how evolutionary processes unfold across taxa and ecological systems. It has been hypothesised that the Southern Ocean provided ecological…1 July, 2023 by Jane Francis
The late Palaeocene (Thanetian) Cross Valley Formation on Seymour Island is one of the few floras of this age in Antarctica. Understanding the diversity is critical for comparisons with coeval…Read more on Palaeocene high-latitude leaf flora of Antarctica Part 2: Tooth-margined angiosperms
1 July, 2023 by Alistair Crame
The Late Cenozoic flourishing of polar marine ecosystems, just when temperatures were reaching their lowest levels, has always seemed anomalous. Such an observation is coupled with an increasing volume of…Read more on Late Cenozoic evolution of the latitudinal diversity gradient
1 July, 2023 by John Turner
Numerous seabird species are experiencing population declines, and this trend is expected to continue or even accelerate in the future. To understand the effects of environmental change on seabird populations,…1 July, 2023 by Caitlin Frankish, Richard Phillips
Seabirds often spend time on the water in the vicinity of their breeding colonies at the start or end of foraging trips, which may be for bathing, social interaction, information…Read more on Rafting behaviour of albatrosses and petrels at South Georgia
1 July, 2023 by Kate Hendry
Glaciers and ice sheets are experiencing rapid warming under current climatic change and there is increasing evidence that glacial meltwaters provide key dissolved and dissolvable amorphous nutrients to downstream ecosystems.…Read more on Silicon isotopes highlight the role of glaciated fjords in modifying coastal waters
1 July, 2023 by Dani Jones, Emma Boland
The causes of decadal variations in global warming are poorly understood, however it is widely understood that variations in ocean heat content are linked with variations in surface warming. To…1 July, 2023 by Alex Brisbourne, Andy Smith, Robert Arthern
The slip of glaciers over the underlying bed is the dominant mechanism governing the migration of ice from land into the oceans, with accelerating slip contributing to sea-level rise. Yet…Read more on Highly variable friction and slip observed at Antarctic ice stream bed
1 July, 2023 by David Barnes
The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a hotspot of physical climate change, especially glacial retreat, particularly in its northern South Shetland Islands (SSI) region. Along coastlines, this process is opening…1 July, 2023 by Fausto Ferraccioli
The Mt. Melbourne Volcanic Field is a quiescent volcanic complex located in Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, mostly covered by ice. Its inner structure has remained largely unknown, due to the…1 July, 2023 by Marie Attard
Many of the world's 10 000 bird species lay coloured or patterned eggs. The large diversity of eggshell patterning among birds, achieved through pigment, has been attributed to a few…Read more on Surface texture heterogeneity in maculated bird eggshells
30 June, 2023 by Peter Convey
While long-range transport is believed to be the primary source of mercury (Hg) in Antarctica, it is known that seabirds transport organic matter, nutrients, and contaminants from the sea to…Read more on Ornithogenic mercury input to soils of Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica
29 June, 2023 by Sally Thorpe, Simeon Hill
Antarctic krill are very important animals. They are well-known as the food of ocean giants such as blue whales, but they also feed many other animals and help to slow…29 June, 2023 by Alex Brisbourne, Andy Smith
Although over 600 Antarctic subglacial lakes have been identified using radar and satellite observations, the bathymetry and bed properties, which are key to understanding conditions within the lake, have been…Read more on Bathymetry and bed conditions of Lago Subglacial CECs, West Antarctica
28 June, 2023 by Markus Frey
The amount of snow on Arctic sea ice impacts the ice mass budget. Wind redistribution of snow into open water in leads is hypothesized to cause significant wintertime snow loss.…28 June, 2023 by Huw Griffiths, Katrin Linse, Peter Enderlein
Deep-sea benthic fauna is vital for a well-functioning marine ecosystem but is increasingly under threat from a changing environment. To monitor and conserve this fauna, an understanding of their large-scale…Read more on Pan-Atlantic Comparison of Deep-Sea Macro- and Megabenthos
27 June, 2023
Numerous terrestrial and marine organisms, including cephalopods, are capable of light emission. In addition to communication, bioluminescence is used for attraction and defense mechanisms. The present review aims to: (i)…Read more on Bioluminescence in cephalopods: biodiversity, biogeography and research trends
26 June, 2023 by Alexandra Weiss, Andrew Meijers, Dave Munday, Dani Jones, Emma Boland, Povl Abrahamsen, Alexander Brearley, Michael Meredith, Shenjie Zhou
The 5-year Ocean Regulation of Climate by Heat and Carbon Sequestration and Transports (ORCHESTRA) programme and its 1-year extension ENCORE (ENCORE is the National Capability ORCHESTRA Extension) was an approximately…26 June, 2023 by Andrew Meijers, Povl Abrahamsen, Fabian Haumann, Geraint Tarling, Alexander Brearley, Mark Barham, Michael Meredith
The Southern Ocean upper-layer freshwater balance exerts a global climatic influence by modulating density stratification and biological productivity, and hence the exchange of heat and carbon between the atmosphere and…26 June, 2023 by Andrew Meijers
The Southern Ocean is an extreme environment. The vast area it covers, roaring winds, mountainous seas and treacherous ice all combine to make it both a challenge and a privilege…26 June, 2023 by Andrew Meijers, Povl Abrahamsen, Alexander Brearley, Michael Meredith, Natasha Lucas, Shenjie Zhou
The Southern Ocean greatly contributes to the regulation of the global climate by controlling important heat and carbon exchanges between the atmosphere and the ocean. Rates of climate change on…Read more on Southern ocean carbon and heat impact on climate
26 June, 2023 by Andrew Meijers
The effect of the Southern Ocean on global climate change is assessed using Earth system model projections following an idealized 1% annual rise in atmospheric CO2. For this scenario, the…Read more on The role of the Southern Ocean in the global climate response to carbon emissions
22 June, 2023 by Andrew Meijers, Dani Jones, Michael Meredith, Shenjie Zhou, Ute Hausmann
The Weddell Gyre is a major feature of the Southern Ocean and an important component of the planetary climate system; it regulates air–sea exchanges, controls the formation of deep and…21 June, 2023 by Huw Griffiths
The Southern Ocean is a productive and biodiverse region, but it is also threatened by anthropogenic pressures. Protecting the Southern Ocean should start with well-informed Marine Ecosystem Assessments of the…