Our publications

Filtered view

Showing 13455 items

Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica

28 February, 2013 by Adrian Jenkins, Andy Smith, David Vaughan, Ed King, Fausto Ferraccioli, Hugh Corr, Hamish Pritchard, Peter Fretwell, Richard Hindmarsh, Tom Jordan, Richard Hindmarsh

We present Bedmap2, a new suite of gridded products describing surface elevation, ice-thickness and the seafloor and subglacial bed elevation of the Antarctic south of 60° S. We derived these…

Read more on Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica

The instability theory of drumlin formation and its explanation of their varied composition and internal structure

15 February, 2013 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh

Despite their importance in understanding glaciological processes and constraining large-scale flow patterns in palaeo-glaciology, there is little consensus as to how drumlins are formed. Attempts to solve the ‘drumlin problem’…

Read more on The instability theory of drumlin formation and its explanation of their varied composition and internal structure

Crustal architecture of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin in East Antarctica, as revealed from airborne gravity data

11 February, 2013 by Fausto Ferraccioli, Tom Jordan

The Wilkes Subglacial Basin, in the hinterland of the Transantarctic Mountains, represents one of the least understood continental-scale features in Antarctica. Aeromagnetic data suggests that this basin may be imposed…

Read more on Crustal architecture of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin in East Antarctica, as revealed from airborne gravity data

Magnetic susceptibilities of rocks of the Antarctic Peninsula: Implications for the redox state of the batholith and the extent of metamorphic zones

11 February, 2013 by Fausto Ferraccioli

A combination of 1555 magnetic susceptibility measurements from the Antarctic Peninsula between 65°S to 72°S (for which the raw data are made available), and petrological, structural and metamorphic data, has…

Read more on Magnetic susceptibilities of rocks of the Antarctic Peninsula: Implications for the redox state of the batholith and the extent of metamorphic zones

A new bipolar ice core record of volcanism from WAIS Divide and NEEM and implications for climate forcing of the last 2000 years

7 February, 2013 by Robert Mulvaney

Volcanism is a natural climate forcing causing short-term variations in temperatures. Histories of volcanic eruptions are needed to quantify their role in climate variability and assess human impacts. We present…

Read more on A new bipolar ice core record of volcanism from WAIS Divide and NEEM and implications for climate forcing of the last 2000 years

The spatial scale of ozone depletion events derived from an autonomous surface ozone network in coastal Antarctica

6 February, 2013 by Anna Jones, Eric Wolff, Neil Brough

To probe the spatial extent of tropospheric ozone depletion events during Antarctic spring, a network of 10 autonomous ozone monitors was established around the Dronning Maud Land sector of Antarctica…

Read more on The spatial scale of ozone depletion events derived from an autonomous surface ozone network in coastal Antarctica

First geomorphological record and glacial history of an inter-ice stream ridge on the West Antarctic continental shelf

1 February, 2013 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Robert Larter

Inter-ice stream areas cover significant portions of Antarctica's formerly glaciated shelves, but have been largely neglected in past geological studies because of overprinting by iceberg scours. Here, we present results…

Read more on First geomorphological record and glacial history of an inter-ice stream ridge on the West Antarctic continental shelf

Warming constrains bacterial community responses to nutrient inputs in a southern, but not northern, maritime Antarctic soil

1 February, 2013 by Kevin Newsham

We investigated the effects of increased soil temperature, water and nutrient availability on soil bacterial communities at Wynn Knolls on Signy Island (60 °S) in the northern maritime Antarctic and…

Read more on Warming constrains bacterial community responses to nutrient inputs in a southern, but not northern, maritime Antarctic soil

Inferring sites of subglacial erosion using the Pb isotopic composition of ice-rafted feldspar: Examples from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

1 February, 2013 by Victoria Peck

The delivery of ice-rafted debris (IRD) from glaciated margins is a function of ice sheet dynamics. Shifts in supply and sourcing of IRD can therefore identify episodes of ice sheet…

Read more on Inferring sites of subglacial erosion using the Pb isotopic composition of ice-rafted feldspar: Examples from the Weddell Sea, Antarctica

Hydrogen peroxide and ecdysone in the cryoprotective dehydration strategy of Megaphorura Arctica(Onychiuridae: Collembola)

1 February, 2013 by Roger Worland, Melody Clark

The Arctic springtail, Megaphorura arctica, survives sub-zero temperatures in a dehydrated state via trehalose-dependent cryoprotective dehydration. Regulation of trehalose biosynthesis is complex; based in part on studies in yeast and…

Read more on Hydrogen peroxide and ecdysone in the cryoprotective dehydration strategy of Megaphorura Arctica(Onychiuridae: Collembola)

The non-native chironomid Eretmoptera murphyi in Antarctica: erosion of the barriers to invasion

1 February, 2013 by Kevin Hughes, Michael Thorne, Roger Worland, Peter Convey

Antarctica is the continent least affected by invasive species, but climate change and increasing human activity are increasing this threat. Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems generally have low biodiversity with simple community…

Read more on The non-native chironomid Eretmoptera murphyi in Antarctica: erosion of the barriers to invasion

Sensitivity analysis identifies high influence sites for estimates of penguin krill consumption on the Antarctic Peninsula

1 February, 2013 by Norman Ratcliffe, Philip Trathan

Krill consumption by natural predators represents a critical link between surveys and models of standing krill biomass and the design of a sustainable krill fishery for the Scotia Sea. Antarctic…

Read more on Sensitivity analysis identifies high influence sites for estimates of penguin krill consumption on the Antarctic Peninsula

Prospects for a sustainable increase in the availability of long chain omega 3s: lessons from the Antarctic krill fishery.

30 January, 2013 by Simeon Hill

• The global summit on nutrition, health and human behaviour (GSNHHB) identified the objective of increasing “the availability of long chain Omega‐3 (especially docosahexaenoic acid) for human consumption in a…

Read more on Prospects for a sustainable increase in the availability of long chain omega 3s: lessons from the Antarctic krill fishery.

Bunched black (and grouped grey) swans: Dissipative and non-dissipative models of correlated extreme fluctuations in complex geosystems

28 January, 2013

I review the hierarchy of approaches to complex systems, focusing particularly on stochastic equations. I discuss how the main models advocated by the late Benoit Mandelbrot fit into this classification,…

Read more on Bunched black (and grouped grey) swans: Dissipative and non-dissipative models of correlated extreme fluctuations in complex geosystems

Transcriptome of the dead: characterisation of immune genes and marker development from necropsy samples in a free-ranging marine mammal

24 January, 2013 by Jaume Forcada, Michael Thorne, Philip Trathan

Background Transcriptomes are powerful resources, providing a window on the expressed portion of the genome that can be generated rapidly and at low cost for virtually any organism. However, because…

Read more on Transcriptome of the dead: characterisation of immune genes and marker development from necropsy samples in a free-ranging marine mammal

Multiple-colony winter habitat use by murres Uria spp. in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean: implications for marine risk assessment

9 January, 2013 by Richard Phillips

Limited knowledge of year-round seabird distributions hinders efforts to assess consequences of anthropogenic threats and climate-induced changes in the marine environment. In particular, there is urgent need to understand how…

Read more on Multiple-colony winter habitat use by murres Uria spp. in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean: implications for marine risk assessment

Behavioural mapping of a pelagic seabird: combining multiple sensors and a hidden Markov model reveals the distribution of at-sea behaviour

6 January, 2013 by Richard Phillips

The use of miniature data loggers is rapidly increasing our understanding of the movements and habitat preferences of pelagic seabirds. However, objectively interpreting behavioural information from the large volumes of…

Read more on Behavioural mapping of a pelagic seabird: combining multiple sensors and a hidden Markov model reveals the distribution of at-sea behaviour

Antarctic Thresholds – Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation” (AnT-ERA), a new SCAR-biology programme

1 January, 2013 by Eugene Murphy, Lloyd Peck, Thomas Bracegirdle

Stresses on Antarctic ecosystems result from environmental change, including extreme events, and from (other) human impacts. Consequently, Antarctic habitats are changing, some at a rapid pace while others are relatively…

Read more on Antarctic Thresholds – Ecosystem Resilience and Adaptation” (AnT-ERA), a new SCAR-biology programme

Combining ice core records and ice sheet models to explore the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice sheet during the Last Interglacial period

1 January, 2013 by Eric Wolff

This study evaluates the influence of plausible changes in East Antarctic Ice sheet (EAIS) thickness and the subsequent glacio-isostatic response as a contributor to the Antarctic warming indicated by ice…

Read more on Combining ice core records and ice sheet models to explore the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice sheet during the Last Interglacial period

Strong dynamical modulation of the cooling of the polar stratosphere associated with the Antarctic ozone hole

1 January, 2013 by Andrew Orr, Howard Roscoe, Scott Hosking, Thomas Bracegirdle

A model simulation forced by prescribed ozone depletion shows strong dynamical modulation of the springtime cooling of the polar stratosphere associated with the Antarctic ozone hole. The authors find that…

Read more on Strong dynamical modulation of the cooling of the polar stratosphere associated with the Antarctic ozone hole

An unusual hermaphrodite reproductive trait in the Antarctic brooding bivalve Lissarca miliaris (Philobryidae) from the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean

1 January, 2013 by Katrin Linse

The Antarctic marine environment is extreme in its low temperatures and short periods of primary productivity. Invertebrates must therefore adapt to maximise reproductive output where low temperature and limited food…

Read more on An unusual hermaphrodite reproductive trait in the Antarctic brooding bivalve Lissarca miliaris (Philobryidae) from the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean

How do cephalopods become available to seabirds: can fish gut contents from tuna fishing vessels be a major food source of deep-dwelling cephalopods?

1 January, 2013

Cephalopods are important prey for numerous seabird species. However, the physical mechanisms by which cephalopods (particularly species considered as deep-dwelling) become available to seabirds are poorly understood, and it has…

Read more on How do cephalopods become available to seabirds: can fish gut contents from tuna fishing vessels be a major food source of deep-dwelling cephalopods?

Higher precision estimates of regional polar warming by ensemble regression of climate model projections

19 December, 2012 by Thomas Bracegirdle

This study presents projections of twenty-first century wintertime surface temperature changes over the high-latitude regions based on the third Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP3) multi-model ensemble. The state-dependence of the…

Read more on Higher precision estimates of regional polar warming by ensemble regression of climate model projections

The effect of energetic electron precipitation on middle mesospheric night-time ozone during and after a moderate geomagnetic storm

19 December, 2012 by David Newnham

Using a ground-based microwave radiometer at Troll Station, Antarctica (72°S, 2.5°E, L = 4.76), we have observed a decrease of 20–70% in the mesospheric ozone, coincident with increased nitric oxide,…

Read more on The effect of energetic electron precipitation on middle mesospheric night-time ozone during and after a moderate geomagnetic storm

Dietary variation in chick-feeding and self-provisioning Cape Petrel Daption capense and Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica

17 December, 2012 by Philip Trathan

Food web knowledge is a prerequisite for adequate resource management in the Antarctic ecosystem. Accurate dietary specifications for the major consumers within the Antarctic ecosystem are needed. Procellariid species are…

Read more on Dietary variation in chick-feeding and self-provisioning Cape Petrel Daption capense and Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica