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The Antarctic ozone hole during 2013
1 January, 2015 by Jonathan Shanklin
We review the 2013 Antarctic ozone hole, making use of various ground-based, in-situ and remotely-sensed ozone measurements, ground-based measurements of ultraviolet radiation and meteorological reanalyses. Based on analysis of 34…Antarctic palynology and palaeoclimate – a review
1 January, 2015 by Vanessa Bowman
The first exciting clues that Antarctica had not always been ice-covered were the leaf fossils of Glossopteris plants that Scott’s party brought back from the Beardmore Glacier region in 1912.…Read more on Antarctic palynology and palaeoclimate – a review
Autonomous phase-sensitive radio echo sounder for monitoring and imaging Antarctic ice shelves
1 January, 2015 by Keith Nicholls
A low-power, autonomous phase-sensitive radioecho sounder (ApRES) radar system has been developed at University College London, in collaboration with the British Antarctic Survey, for monitoring and imaging Antarctic ice shelves.…A new Last Interglacial temperature data synthesis as an improved benchmark for climate modeling.
1 January, 2015 by Emilie Capron
We compiled ice and marine records of high-latitude temperature changes and placed them on a common timescale. We also produced climatic time slices for 115, 120, 125, and 130 ka.…Past4Future: European interdisciplinary research on past warm climate periods.
1 January, 2015 by Emilie Capron
Past4Future was a Collaborative Project in the European Union’s Framework Programme 7; it aimed to generate knowledge about climate changes during the last two interglacials. The approach was to combine…Read more on Past4Future: European interdisciplinary research on past warm climate periods.
Increases in plasma sheet temperature with solar wind driving during substorm growth phases
28 December, 2014 by Mervyn Freeman
During substorm growth phases, magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause extracts ~1015 J from the solar wind which is then stored in the magnetotail lobes. Plasma sheet pressure increases to balance magnetic…The impact of polar stratospheric ozone loss on southern hemisphere stratospheric circulation and climate
22 December, 2014 by Howard Roscoe
The impact of polar stratospheric ozone loss resulting from chlorine activation on polar stratospheric clouds is examined using a pair of model integrations run with the fully coupled chemistry climate…Seasonal variability of the warm Atlantic Water layer in the vicinity of the Greenland shelf break
16 December, 2014 by Michael Meredith
The warmest water reaching the east and west coast of Greenland is found between 200 m and 600 m. Whilst important for melting Greenland's outlet glaciers, limited winter observations of this layer…The early origin of the Antarctic Marine Fauna and its evolutionary implications
10 December, 2014 by Alistair Crame, Jane Francis, Rowan Whittle, Vanessa Bowman
The extensive Late Cretaceous – Early Paleogene sedimentary succession of Seymour Island, N.E. Antarctic Peninsula offers an unparalleled opportunity to examine the evolutionary origins of a modern polar marine fauna.…Read more on The early origin of the Antarctic Marine Fauna and its evolutionary implications
A new Antarctic Peninsula glacier basin inventory and observed area changes since the 1940s
1 December, 2014 by David Vaughan
Glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula have recently shown changes in extent, velocity and thickness, yet there is little quantification of change in the mass balance of individual glaciers or the…Variable crustal thickness beneath Thwaites Glacier revealed from airborne gravimetry, possible implications for geothermal heat flux in West Antarctica
1 December, 2014 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Tom Jordan
Thwaites Glacier has one of the largest glacial catchments in West Antarctica. The future stability of Thwaites Glacier's catchment is of great concern, as this part of the West Antarctic…Variation of scavenger richness and abundance between sites of high and low iceberg scour frequency in Ryder Bay, west Antarctic Peninsula
1 December, 2014 by David Barnes
Physical disturbance, particularly from iceberg scour, is a major structuring force in polar benthic communities at shelf depths. Scouring kills and damages benthic organisms providing food for the abundant scavenging…Can the Antarctic terrestrial midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, tolerate life in water?
1 December, 2014 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
1. Early-season flooding and ice entrapment at sub-zero temperatures pose significant challenges to any polar terrestrial invertebrate. 2. The chironomid midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, is native to the sub-Antarctic island of…Read more on Can the Antarctic terrestrial midge, Eretmoptera murphyi, tolerate life in water?
Inter-annual variability in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) density at South Georgia, Southern Ocean: 1997 – 2013
1 December, 2014 by Claire Waluda, Eugene Murphy, Geraint Tarling, Gabriele Stowasser, Jonathan Watkins, Peter Enderlein, Philip Trathan, Sophie Fielding
Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are a key species in Southern Ocean ecosystems, maintaining very large numbers of predators, and fluctuations in their abundance can affect the overall structure and functioning…The structural and dynamic responses of Stange Ice Shelf to recent environmental change
1 December, 2014
Stange Ice Shelf is the most south-westerly ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula, a region where positive trends in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures have been recently documented. In this paper,…Read more on The structural and dynamic responses of Stange Ice Shelf to recent environmental change
Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice shelf and the impact of foehn winds
1 December, 2014 by John King
A common precursor to ice shelf disintegration, most notably that of Larsen B Ice Shelf, is unusually intense or prolonged surface melt and the presence of surface standing water. However,…Read more on Surface melt and ponding on Larsen C Ice shelf and the impact of foehn winds
Bedgap – where next for Antarctic subglacial mapping?
1 December, 2014 by Hamish Pritchard
The recently published Bedmap2 datasets mark the culmination of several decades of subice and subocean Antarctic topographic surveying by many nations, but maps of the topographic data distribution show that…Read more on Bedgap – where next for Antarctic subglacial mapping?
Can bottom ice algae tolerate radiative and temperature changes?
1 December, 2014 by Peter Convey
Sea ice algae are significant primary producers of the ice-covered marine environment, growing under typically cold, dim conditions. During ice break-up they are released to the water column, where temperatures…Read more on Can bottom ice algae tolerate radiative and temperature changes?
Transcriptome of the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
1 December, 2014 by Michael Thorne, Melody Clark
Although the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) is an important commercial species, there is still a deficit with regard to the number of transcripts in the databases, which can be accessed…Read more on Transcriptome of the Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)
Estimating ocean currents from the shapes of laterally steered streamer arrays
1 December, 2014 by Emily Shuckburgh
When conducting marine seismic surveys, ocean currents noticeably perturb seismic streamers from their desired location. To accurately monitor a reservoir, the receivers in the streamers must be as close as…Read more on Estimating ocean currents from the shapes of laterally steered streamer arrays
The effect of meltwater plumes on the melting of a vertical glacier face
1 December, 2014 by Adrian Jenkins, Paul Holland, Satoshi Kimura
Freshwater produced by the surface melting of ice sheets is commonly discharged into ocean fjords from the bottom of deep fjord-terminating glaciers. The discharge of the freshwater forms upwelling plumes…Read more on The effect of meltwater plumes on the melting of a vertical glacier face
Full-depth englacial vertical ice-sheet velocities measured using phase-sensitive radar
1 December, 2014 by Carlos Martin Garcia, Ed King, Hugh Corr, Hamish Pritchard, Jonathan Kingslake, Richard Hindmarsh, Robert Mulvaney, Richard Hindmarsh
We describe a geophysical technique to measure englacial vertical velocities through to the beds of ice sheets without the need for borehole drilling. Using a ground-based phase-sensitive radio-echo sounder (pRES)…Read more on Full-depth englacial vertical ice-sheet velocities measured using phase-sensitive radar
Magnetic local time variation and scaling of poleward auroral boundary dynamics
1 December, 2014 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
The balance of dayside and nightside reconnection processes within the Earth's magnetosphere, and its effect on the amount of open magnetic flux threading the ionosphere is well understood in terms…Read more on Magnetic local time variation and scaling of poleward auroral boundary dynamics
Sex identification in Gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) and Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) penguins: Can flow cytometry be used as a reliable identification method?
1 December, 2014 by Philip Trathan
An important scientific question in ecology is how to differentiate males from females that have similar morphology. In penguins, due to their monomorphic plumage, it is difficult to determine gender.…The James Ross Island and the Fletcher Promontory ice-core drilling projects
1 December, 2014 by Robert Mulvaney
Following on from the successful project to recover an ice core to bedrock on Berkner Island, similar drilling equipment and logistics were used on two further projects to recover ice…Read more on The James Ross Island and the Fletcher Promontory ice-core drilling projects
Control of sedimentation by active tectonics, glaciation and contourite-depositing currents in Endurance Basin, South Georgia
1 December, 2014 by Alexander Tate, Philip Leat
Endurance Basin is an elongate broadly WNW-ESE trending basin located on the northern margin of the Scotia Sea, adjacent to the southern margin of the South Georgia micro-continent. Bathymetric and…Composition and evolution of the Ancestral South Sandwich Arc: implications for the flow of deep ocean water and mantle through the Drake Passage gateway
1 December, 2014 by Philip Leat
The Ancestral South Sandwich Arc (ASSA) has a short life-span of c.20 m.y. (Early Oligocene to Middle-Upper Miocene) before slab retreat and subsequent ‘resurrection’ as the active South Sandwich Island…Boundary mixing in Orkney Passage outflow
1 December, 2014 by Povl Abrahamsen, Michael Meredith
One of the most remarkable features of contemporary oceanic climate change is the warming and contraction of Antarctic Bottom Water over much of global ocean abyss. These signatures represent changes…Technical innovations and optimizations for intermediate ice-core drilling operations
1 December, 2014 by Robert Mulvaney
The British Antarctic Survey, in collaboration with Laboratoire de Glaciologie et Géophysique de l’Environnement, has in recent years successfully drilled to bedrock on three remote sites around the Antarctic Peninsula.…Read more on Technical innovations and optimizations for intermediate ice-core drilling operations
Assessing penguin colony size and distribution using digital mapping and satellite remote sensing
1 December, 2014 by Claire Waluda, Michael Dunn, Peter Fretwell
Changes in penguin abundance and distribution can be used to understand the response of species to climate change and fisheries pressures, and as a gauge of ecosystem health. Traditionally, population…Freezing of ridges and water networks preserves the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains for millions of years
28 November, 2014 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan
Once an ice sheet grows beyond a critical thickness, the basal thermal regime favors melting and development of subglacial water networks. Subglacial water is necessary for bedrock erosion, but the…Measurements of OH and RO2 radicals at Dome C, East Antarctica
26 November, 2014 by Markus Frey
Concentrations of OH radicals and the sum of peroxy radicals, RO2, were measured in the boundary layer for the first time on the East Antarctic Plateau at the Concordia Station…Read more on Measurements of OH and RO2 radicals at Dome C, East Antarctica
The identity of juvenile Polynoidae (Annelida) in the Southern Ocean revealed by DNA taxonomy, with notes on the status of Herdmanella gracilis Ehlers sensu Augener
25 November, 2014 by Katrin Linse
Using molecular data (CO1, 16S and H3 genes), we provide evidence for a long-held view that Southern Ocean scaleworms (Polynoidae) morphologically agreeing with Herdmanella gracilis sensu Augener, 1929 Ehlers sensu…Sensitivity of the Weddell Sea sector ice streams to sub-shelf melting and surface accumulation
24 November, 2014 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan
A recent ocean modelling study indicates that possible changes in circulation may bring warm deep-ocean water into direct contact with the grounding lines of the Filchner–Ronne ice streams, suggesting the…Remote sensing the plasmasphere, plasmapause, plumes and other features using ground-based magnetometers
18 November, 2014 by Mark Clilverd
The plasmapause is a highly dynamic boundary between different magnetospheric particle populations and convection regimes. Some of the most important space weather processes involve wave-particle interactions in this region, but…Permafrost and snow monitoring at Rothera Point (Adelaide Island, Maritime Antarctica): implications for rock weathering in cryotic conditions.
15 November, 2014 by Roger Worland, Peter Convey
In February 2009 a new permafrost borehole was installed close to the British Antarctic Survey Station at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island (67.57195°S 68.12068°W). The borehole is situated at 31 m…HO2NO2 and HNO3 in the coastal Antarctic winter night: A “lab-in-the-field” experiment
12 November, 2014 by Anna Jones, Eric Wolff, Neil Brough
Observations of peroxynitric acid (HO2NO2) and nitric acid (HNO3) were made during a 4 month period of Antarctic winter darkness at the coastal Antarctic research station, Halley. Mixing ratios of…Read more on HO2NO2 and HNO3 in the coastal Antarctic winter night: A “lab-in-the-field” experiment
JR274 physical oceanographic analyses
10 November, 2014 by Sally Thorpe
This report gives a physical oceanographic context to the sampling carried out during RRS James Clark Ross cruise JR274, 09 Jan—12 Feb 2013, part of the UK Sea Surface Consortium…Pelagic distribution of Gould’s Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera): linking shipboard and onshore observations with remote-tracking data
3 November, 2014 by Richard Phillips
This study describes and compares the pelagic distribution and migratory patterns of the two subspecies of Gould’s Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera), and contrasts data obtained from tracking birds at sea using…The atmospheric boundary layer structure over the open and ice-covered Baltic Sea: in situ measurements compared to simulations with the regional model REMO
1 November, 2014 by Amelie Kirchgaessner
The regional model REMO, which is the atmospheric component of the coupled atmosphere–ice–ocean–land climate model system BALTIMOS, is tested with respect to its ability to simulate the atmospheric boundary layer…Temporal and spatial structure of multi‐millennial temperature changes at high latitudes during the Last Interglacial
1 November, 2014 by Emilie Capron, Eric Wolff, Louise Sime
The Last Interglacial (LIG, 129–116 thousand of years BP, ka) represents a test bed for climate model feedbacks in warmer-than-present high latitude regions. However, mainly because aligning different palaeoclimatic archives…The BAS ice shelf hot water drill: design, methods and tools
1 November, 2014 by Keith Makinson, Paul Anker
The 2011/12 Antarctic field season saw the first use of a new British Antarctic Survey (BAS) ice-shelf hot-water drill system on the Larsen C and George VI ice shelves. Delivering…Read more on The BAS ice shelf hot water drill: design, methods and tools
Seaweed biodiversity in the south-western Antarctic Peninsula: Surveying macroalgal community composition in the Adelaide Island / Marguerite Bay region over a 35-year time span
1 November, 2014 by Peter Convey
The diversity of seaweed species of the south-western Antarctic Peninsula region is poorly studied, contrasting with the substantial knowledge available for the northern parts of the Peninsula. However, this is…A temperate former West Antarctic ice sheet suggested by an extensive zone of bed channels
1 November, 2014 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Tom Jordan
Several recent studies predict that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will become increasingly unstable under warmer conditions. Insights on such change can be assisted through investigations of the subglacial landscape,…Looking through drumlins: testing the application of ground-penetrating radar
1 November, 2014 by Ed King
Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is becoming a commonly applied technique in geomorphology. However, its use in the study of subglacial bedforms has yet to be fully explored and exploited. This paper…Read more on Looking through drumlins: testing the application of ground-penetrating radar
Spatial and seasonal variability of the air-sea equilibration timescale of carbon dioxide
1 November, 2014 by Dani Jones
The exchange of carbon dioxide between the ocean and the atmosphere tends to bring waters within the mixed layer toward equilibrium by reducing the partial pressure gradient across the air-water…Electron losses from the radiation belts caused by EMIC waves
1 November, 2014 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert, Tobias Kersten
Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron (EMIC) waves cause electron loss in the radiation belts by resonating with high energy electrons at energies greater than about 500 keV. However, their effectiveness has not…Read more on Electron losses from the radiation belts caused by EMIC waves
What characterizes planetary space weather?
1 November, 2014 by Emma Woodfield, Richard Horne
Space weather has become a mature discipline for the Earth space environment. With increasing efforts in space exploration, it is becoming more and more necessary to understand the space environments…New constraints on the timing of West Antarctic ice sheet retreat in the eastern Amundsen Sea since the Last Glacial Maximum
1 November, 2014 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Robert Larter
Glaciers flowing into the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) account for > 35% of the total discharge of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and have thinned and retreated dramatically over…The biogeophysical effects of extreme afforestation in modeling future climate
1 November, 2014 by Zhaomin Wang
Afforestation has been deployed as a mitigation strategy for global warming due to its substantial carbon sequestration, which is partly counterbalanced with its biogeophysical effects through modifying the fluxes of…Read more on The biogeophysical effects of extreme afforestation in modeling future climate
Characteristics of precipitating energetic electron fluxes relative to the plasmapause during geomagnetic storms
1 November, 2014 by Mark Clilverd
In this study we investigate the link between precipitating electrons from the Van Allen radiation belts and the dynamical plasmapause. We consider electron precipitation observations from the Polar Orbiting Environmental…Rapid sea-level rise along the Antarctic margins in response to increased glacial discharge
31 October, 2014 by Michael Meredith, Paul Holland
The Antarctic shelf seas are a climatically and ecologically important region, and are at present receiving increasing amounts of freshwater from the melting of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its…Cephalopod fauna of South Pacific waters: new information from breeding New Zealand wandering albatrosses
22 October, 2014
Cephalopods play an important ecological role in the Southern Ocean, being the main prey group of numerous top predators. However, their basic ecology and biogeography is still poorly known, particularly…The role of the Sun in long-term change in the F2 peak ionosphere: new insights from EEMD and numerical modelling
16 October, 2014 by Ingrid Cnossen
We applied Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) for the first time to ionosonde data to study trends in the critical frequency of the F2 peak, foF2, and its height, hmF2,…Survey Analysis of Chorus Intensity at Saturn
15 October, 2014 by Emma Woodfield, Richard Horne
In order to conduct theoretical studies or modeling of pitch angle scattering of electrons by whistler mode chorus emission at Saturn, a knowledge of chorus occurrence and magnetic intensity levels,…Missing driver in the Sun–Earth connection from energetic electron precipitation impacts mesospheric ozone
14 October, 2014 by Mark Clilverd
Energetic electron precipitation (EEP) from the Earth’s outer radiation belt continuously affects the chemical composition of the polar mesosphere. EEP can contribute to catalytic ozone loss in the mesosphere through…Dissolution dominating calcification process in polar pteropods close to the point of aragonite undersaturation
6 October, 2014 by Geraint Tarling, Sophie Fielding
Thecosome pteropods are abundant upper-ocean zooplankton that build aragonite shells. Ocean acidification results in the lowering of aragonite saturation levels in the surface layers, and several incubation studies have shown…The cosmopolitan moss Bryum argenteum in Antarctica: Recent colonisation or in situ survival?
1 October, 2014 by Elisabeth Biersma, Peter Convey
Since the onset of glaciation following the Oligocene (30–28 Ma), the prevalence of increasingly cold conditions has shaped the evolution of the Antarctic biota. Two hypotheses, postglacial recruitment from extra-regional…Halocarbons associated with Arctic sea ice
1 October, 2014 by Howard Roscoe
Short-lived halocarbons were measured in Arctic sea-ice brine, seawater and air above the Greenland and Norwegian seas (∼81°N, 2 to 5°E) in mid-summer, from a melting ice floe at the…Biogeochemical responses to nutrient, moisture and temperature manipulations of soil from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands in the Maritime Antarctic
1 October, 2014 by Kevin Newsham
We have investigated how the microbially-driven processes of carbon (C) mineralization (respiration) and nitrogen (N) mineralization/immobilization in a soil from the northern Maritime Antarctic respond to differences in water availability…Diversity of toxin and non-toxin containing cyanobacterial mats of meltwater ponds on the Antarctic peninsula: a pyrosequencing approach
1 October, 2014 by David Pearce, Peter Convey
Despite their pivotal role as primary producers, there is little information as to the diversity and physiology of cyanobacteria in the meltwater ecosystems of polar regions. Thirty cyanobacterial mats from…Met Office unified model high resolution simulations of a strong wind event in Antarctica
1 October, 2014 by Andrew Orr, Scott Hosking, John Turner, Tony Phillips
During winter much of the Antarctic coast is susceptible to severe and hazardous strong wind events (SWEs) associated with the enhancement of katabatic winds by synoptic weather systems. In this…Potter Cove, west Antarctic Peninsula, shallow water meiofauna: a seasonal snapshot
1 October, 2014 by Peter Convey
The meiobenthic community of Potter Cove (King George Island, west Antarctic Peninsula) was investigated, focusing on responses to summer/winter conditions in two study sites contrasting in terms of organic matter…Read more on Potter Cove, west Antarctic Peninsula, shallow water meiofauna: a seasonal snapshot
Reproductive morphology of the deep-sea protobranch bivalves Yoldiella ecaudata, Yoldiella sabrina, and Yoldiella valettei (Yoldiidae) from the Southern Ocean
1 October, 2014 by Katrin Linse
The protobranch bivalves of the Southern Ocean are poorly understood ecologically, despite their high abundances in soft sediments from the shelf to the deep sea. The subclass has a long…First evidence of widespread active methane seepage in the Southern Ocean, off the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia
1 October, 2014 by Katrin Linse
An extensive submarine cold-seep area was discovered on the northern shelf of South Georgia during R/V Polarstern cruise ANT-XXIX/4 in spring 2013. Hydroacoustic surveys documented the presence of 133 gas…Sources of uncertainty in projections of 21st century westerly wind changes over the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica, in CMIP5 climate models
1 October, 2014 by Scott Hosking, John Turner, Thomas Bracegirdle, Tony Phillips
The influence of changes in winds over the Amundsen Sea has been shown to be a potentially key mechanism in explaining rapid loss of ice from major glaciers in West…Bridging the Krill Divide: Understanding Cross-Sector Objectives for Krill Fishing and Conservation
1 October, 2014 by Cheryl Knowland, Rachel Cavanagh, Simeon Hill, Susie Grant
In June 2014, the ICED programme, the British Antarctic Survey and WWF co-hosted a two day workshop entitled “Understanding the objectives for krill fishing and conservation in the Scotia Sea…Individual consistency and sex differences in migration strategies of Scopoli’s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea despite year differences
1 October, 2014 by Richard Phillips
Recently-developed capabilities for tracking the movements of individual birds over the course of a year or longer has provided increasing evidence for consistent individual differences in migration schedules and destinations.…Mycothalli of the hepatic Barbilophozia hatcheri in Antarctica: distribution and identities of mycobionts
1 October, 2014 by Kevin Newsham, Will Goodall-Copestake
Forty-four herbarium specimens of the hepatic Barbilophozia hatcheri, collected from across the entire range of the species in Antarctica (54–68 °S), were examined for fungal colonisation. Mycothalli, consisting of hyaline…Hydrostatic Pressure and Temperature Effects on the Membranes of a Seasonally Migrating Marine Copepod
1 October, 2014 by Geraint Tarling
Marine planktonic copepods of the order Calanoida are central to the ecology and productivity of high latitude ecosystems, representing the interface between primary producers and fish. These animals typically undertake…Contrasting Trans-Atlantic Migratory Routes of Nearctic Purple SandpipersCalidris maritimaAssociated with Low Pressure Systems in Spring and Winter
1 October, 2014
Bird migration is generally scheduled to avoid other energetically expensive events in the annual cycle (e.g. moult) and seasons when survival can be difficult (e.g. northern winters). Purple Sandpipers winter…Absence of a Medieval Climate Anomaly, Little Ice Age and twentieth century warming in Skarvsnes, Lützow Holm Bay, East Antarctica
1 October, 2014 by Dominic Hodgson, Stephen Roberts
Palaeoclimate changes, such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly and the Little Ice Age, are well-defined in the Northern Hemisphere during the past 2000 years. In contrast, these anomalies appear to…Three-dimensional stochastic modeling of radiation belts in adiabatic invariant coordinates
29 September, 2014 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert
A 3-D model for solving the radiation belt diffusion equation in adiabatic invariant coordinates has been developed and tested. The model, named REM (for Radbelt Electron Model), obtains a probabilistic…Sustaining observations in the polar oceans
28 September, 2014 by Povl Abrahamsen
Polar oceans present a unique set of challenges to sustained observations. Sea ice cover restricts navigation for ships and autonomous measurement platforms alike, and icebergs present a hazard to instruments…Solar-wind-driven geopotential height anomalies originate in the Antarctic lower troposphere
28 September, 2014 by Gareth Chisham, Mai Mai Lam, Mervyn Freeman
We use National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data to estimate the altitude and time lag dependence of the correlation between the interplanetary magnetic field component,…Insights into ice stream dynamics through modeling their response to tidal forcing
25 September, 2014 by Hilmar Gudmundsson, Sebastian Rosier
The tidal forcing of ice streams at their ocean boundary can serve as a natural experiment to gain an insight into their dynamics and constrain the basal sliding law. A…Read more on Insights into ice stream dynamics through modeling their response to tidal forcing
Simulating the Earth’s radiation belts: internal acceleration and continuous losses to the magnetopause
23 September, 2014 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert
In the Earth's radiation belts the flux of relativistic electrons is highly variable, sometimes changing by orders of magnitude within a few hours. Since energetic electrons can damage satellites it…Large mixing ratios of atmospheric nitrous acid (HONO) at Concordia (East Antarctic plateau) in summer: a strong source from surface snow?
19 September, 2014 by Markus Frey
During the austral summer 2011/2012 atmospheric nitrous acid was investigated for the second time at the Concordia site (75°06' S, 123°33' E) located on the East Antarctic plateau by deploying…Commercial fishing vessel as research vessels in the Antarctic – requirements and solutions exemplified with a new vessel
17 September, 2014 by Jonathan Watkins
The climate-induced changes presently seen in the ecosystems of the Antarctic region require a precautionary approach with respect to the human use of these ecosystems. In particular, resource harvesting requires…Downslope föhn winds over the Antarctic Peninsula and their effect on the Larsen Ice Shelves
16 September, 2014 by John King, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
Mesoscale model simulations are presented of a westerly föhn event over the Antarctic Peninsula mountain ridge and onto the Larsen C ice shelf, just south of the recently collapsed Larsen…A community-based geological reconstruction of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum
15 September, 2014 by Dominic Hodgson, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Joanne Johnson, Robert Larter, Robert Mulvaney, Stephen Roberts, William Dickens
A robust understanding of Antarctic Ice Sheet deglacial history since the Last Glacial Maximum is important in order to constrain ice sheet and glacial-isostatic adjustment models, and to explore the…Trans-equatorial migration of Short-tailed Shearwaters revealed by geolocators
15 September, 2014 by Janet Silk, Richard Phillips
Until recent decades, details of the migratory movements of seabirds remained largely unknown owing to the difficulties in following individuals at sea. Subsequent advances in biologging technology have greatly increased…Read more on Trans-equatorial migration of Short-tailed Shearwaters revealed by geolocators
Reconstruction of changes in the Weddell Sea sector of the Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum
15 September, 2014 by Dominic Hodgson, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Robert Larter, Robert Mulvaney
The Weddell Sea sector is one of the main formation sites for Antarctic Bottom Water and an outlet for about one fifth of Antarctica's continental ice volume. Over the last…Terrestrial and submarine evidence for the extent and timing of the Last Glacial Maximum and the onset of deglaciation on the maritime-Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands
15 September, 2014 by Dominic Hodgson, James Smith, Stephen Roberts, William Dickens
This paper is the maritime and sub–Antarctic contribution to the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR) Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics (PAIS) community Antarctic Ice Sheet reconstruction. The overarching aim…Reconstruction of changes in the Amundsen Sea and Bellingshausen Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum
15 September, 2014 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Joanne Johnson, Robert Larter
Marine and terrestrial geological and marine geophysical data that constrain deglaciation since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) of the sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) draining into the…Retreat history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum
15 September, 2014 by Dominic Hodgson, Stephen Roberts
The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) is the largest continental ice mass on Earth, and documenting its evolution since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is important for understanding its present-day…Read more on Retreat history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet since the Last Glacial Maximum