Emperor Penguins on Thin Sea Ice
2 November, 2023 by Philip Trathan
Emperor penguins are tough birds that breed on sea ice, which is the frozen surface of the ocean. They are famous for walking across the sea ice, to and from…Our publications
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FUTURE MACHINE: Making Myths & Designing Technology for a Responsible Future: Making Myths and Entanglement: Community engagement at the edge of participatory design and user experience
2 November, 2023 by John King
This paper explores the unique methods and strategies employed by a team of artists, in collaboration with engineers, programmers, a climate scientist, researchers and members of the public, who have…A broadscale shift in antarctic temperature trends
1 November, 2023 by John Turner
During the second half of the twentieth century, the Antarctic Surface Air Temperature (SAT) trends are characterized by fast warming over West Antarctica but mild cooling over East Antarctica. However,…Read more on A broadscale shift in antarctic temperature trends
Filling the data gaps: Transferring models from data-rich to data-poor deep-sea areas to support spatial management
1 November, 2023 by David Barnes
Spatial management of the deep sea is challenging due to limited available data on the distribution of species and habitats to support decision making. In the well-studied North Atlantic, predictive…Unsupervised machine learning detection of iceberg populations within sea ice from dual-polarisation SAR imagery
1 November, 2023 by Andrew Fleming, Anita Faul, Ben Evans, David Vaughan, Scott Hosking
Accurate quantification of iceberg populations is essential to inform estimates of Southern Ocean freshwater and heat balances as well as shipping hazards. The automated operational monitoring of icebergs remains challenging,…Sequence stratigraphy of a wave-dominated, tidally influenced delta in the Danian of Seymour Island, Antarctica: An integrated sedimentological–palaeoecological approach
1 November, 2023 by Alistair Crame, Jane Francis, Rowan Whittle, Vanessa Bowman
Lower Paleocene marine siliciclastics of the Sobral Formation (Seymour Island, Antarctica) form an important component of a key southern high latitude reference section for the Maastrichtian–Eocene. The formation comprises a…Offshore-onshore record of Last Glacial Maximum−to−present grounding line retreat at Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica
1 November, 2023 by Jonathan Adams, Joanne Johnson
Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, is the largest Antarctic contributor to global sea-level rise and is vulnerable to rapid retreat, yet our knowledge of its deglacial history since the Last…Reconstructing the Antarctic ice-sheet shape at the Last Glacial Maximum using ice-core data
1 November, 2023 by Louise Sime
The Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) is the Earth’s largest store of frozen water; understanding how it changed in the past allows us to improve projections of how it, and sea…A review of the effects of wind on the movement, behavior, energetics, and life history of seabirds
1 November, 2023 by Richard Phillips
For decades, studies have highlighted links between wind patterns and the behavior, ecology, distribution, energetics and life history of seabirds. However, only relatively recently have advancements in tracking technologies and…Retrieval of Snow Depth on Arctic Sea Ice From Surface-Based, Polarimetric, Dual-Frequency Radar Altimetry
28 October, 2023 by Jeremy Wilkinson
Snow depth on sea ice is an Essential Climate Variable and a major source of uncertainty in satellite altimetry-derived sea ice thickness. During winter of the MOSAiC Expedition, the “KuKa”…Historical occurrence of Antarctic icebergs within mercantile shipping routes and the exceptional events of the 1890s
27 October, 2023 by Jeremy Wilkinson
A major consideration for maritime activity in the Southern Hemisphere is the northern limit of icebergs, or the Southern Ocean Limit Of Known Ice (SOLOKI). This analysis of historical reports…Measuring seismic attenuation in polar firn: method and application to Korff Ice Rise, West Antarctica
26 October, 2023 by Alex Brisbourne, Andy Smith, Ronan Agnew
We present seismic measurements of the firn column at Korff Ice Rise, West Antarctica, including measurements of compressional-wave velocity and attenuation. We describe a modified spectral-ratio method of measuring the…The Southern Ocean Ecosystem Affects The Entire World
24 October, 2023 by Eugene Murphy, Jennifer Jackson, Nadine Johnston, Richard Phillips
The Southern Ocean, which flows around the Antarctic continent, is home to vast numbers of unique and remarkable animals, including penguins, albatrosses, petrels, seals, and whales. The ocean bursts into…Read more on The Southern Ocean Ecosystem Affects The Entire World
Unavoidable future increase in West Antarctic ice-shelf melting over the twenty-first century
23 October, 2023 by Kaitlin Naughten, Paul Holland
Ocean-driven melting of floating ice-shelves in the Amundsen Sea is currently the main process controlling Antarctica’s contribution to sea-level rise. Using a regional ocean model, we present a comprehensive suite…Characteristics and rarity of the strong 1940s westerly wind event over the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica
19 October, 2023 by Paul Holland, Pierre Dutrieux
Glaciers in the Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica are rapidly retreating and contributing to sea level rise. Ice loss is occurring primarily via exposure to warm ocean water, which…The “Trojan horse” strategy: Seed fungal endophyte symbiosis helps to explain the invasion success of the grass, Poa annua, in Maritime Antarctica
17 October, 2023 by Elisabeth Biersma, Kevin Newsham, Peter Convey
Aim Poa annua L. (annual bluegrass) is presently the sole invasive vascular plant species to have successfully established in Maritime Antarctica, where it poses a significant conservation threat to native…Mollusca collected by Agassiz trawl from the 2016 SO-AntEco (JR15005) expedition to the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica – data
17 October, 2023 by Huw Griffiths, Katrin Linse
This dataset contributes to the knowledge of macro- and megafaunal Mollusca associated with a range of benthic habitat types in the South Orkney Islands, Antarctica, an exceptionally diverse region of…Ice Shelf Water Structure Beneath the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica
16 October, 2023 by Peter Davis
Understanding ice shelf water (ISW) structure is crucial for studying the basal melting of ice shelves. In this study, we performed large-eddy simulation experiments to assess ISW structure and basal…Read more on Ice Shelf Water Structure Beneath the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica
Deepening of Southern Ocean gateway leads to abrupt onset of a deep-reaching meridional overturning circulation
16 October, 2023 by Dave Munday
During the Eocene and the Eocene-Oligocene transition, the lower cell of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC), associated with bottom water formation, underwent changes associated with the geological evolution of Southern…Best practices for using drones in seabird monitoring and research
15 October, 2023 by Norman Ratcliffe
Over the past decade, drones have become increasingly popular in environmental biology and have been used to study wildlife on all continents. Drones have become of global importance for surveying…Read more on Best practices for using drones in seabird monitoring and research
Linear polarization signatures of atmospheric dust with the SolPol direct-sun polarimeter
12 October, 2023 by Joseph Ulanowski
Dust particles in lofted atmospheric layers may present a preferential orientation, which could be detected from the resulting dichroic extinction of the transmitted sunlight. The first indications were provided relatively…Temperature variability over the past three centuries in the coastal region of Princess Elizabeth Land, Antarctica, reconstructed from ice core stable isotope records
10 October, 2023 by Robert Mulvaney
High-resolution stable isotope records obtained from Antarctic ice cores can be used as proxies to investigate past climatic changes in Antarctica, overcoming the spatiotemporal limitations of observational and instrumental records.…Interpopulation differences and temporal synchrony in rates of adult survival between two seabird colonies that differ in population size and distance to foraging grounds
3 October, 2023 by Victoria Warwick-Evans
Understanding the processes that drive interpopulation differences in demography and population dynamics is central to metapopulation ecology. In colonial species, populations are limited by local resource availability. However, individuals from…Satellite image survey of beluga whales in the southern Kara Sea
1 October, 2023 by Hannah Cubaynes, Peter Fretwell
The use of satellite imagery to find, count and monitor whales in remote and hard to access areas has shown some promise, but few satellite studies have, as yet, provided…Read more on Satellite image survey of beluga whales in the southern Kara Sea
An expert-driven framework for applying eDNA tools to improve biosecurity in the Antarctic
1 October, 2023 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Signatories to the Antarctic Treaty System’s Environmental Protocol are committed to preventing incursions of non-native species into Antarctica, but systematic surveillance is rare. Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods provide new opportunities…Cryophilic Tardigrada have disjunct and bipolar distribution and establish long-term stable, low-density demes
1 October, 2023 by Sandra McInnes, Sandra McInnes
Glaciers are inhabited by various cryophilic organisms ranging from single celled to multicellular, like Tardigrada (water bears). Owing to their scattered distribution, glaciers represent extremely fragmented habitats, and it remains…Contrasting impacts of non-native isopods and springtails on ecosystem processes under simulated Antarctic climate conditions
1 October, 2023 by Peter Convey
Climate change, coupled with the introduction of non-native organisms, represent major threats to the functioning of ecosystems, especially in species-poor communities such as polar terrestrial ecosystems. In this laboratory study,…Spatial overlap between South American fur seal foraging effort and commercial trawl fisheries in the Falkland Islands
1 October, 2023 by Kayleigh Jones
Interactions between seals and commercial fisheries can pose a significant threat to the conservation status of seal populations. In the Falkland Islands, home to over 50% of the global South…Extreme warm events in the South Orkney Islands, Southern Ocean: Compounding influence of atmospheric rivers and föhn conditions
1 October, 2023 by Andrew Orr, Ella Gilbert, Hua Lu, John King, Steve Colwell, Thomas Bracegirdle, Tony Phillips
Extreme warm events in the South Orkney Islands (SOIs) are investigated using synoptic observations from Signy and Orcadas stations for 1947-1994 and 1956-2019, respectively. Defining the extremes as temperatures exceeding…The non‐local impacts of Antarctic subglacial runoff
1 October, 2023 by Paul Holland
Little is known about Antarctic subglacial hydrology, but based on modeling, theory and indirect observations it is thought that subglacial runoff enhances submarine melt locally through buoyancy effects. However, no…Read more on The non‐local impacts of Antarctic subglacial runoff
Excavating the ‘Rutland Sea Dragon’: The largest ichthyosaur skeleton ever found in the UK (Whitby Mudstone Formation, Toarcian, Lower Jurassic)
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…A chromosome map of Belgica antarctica Jacobs (Diptera: Chironomidae) from Antarctica, including chromosome variability
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…Circumpolar assessment of mercury contamination: the Adélie penguin as a bioindicator of Antarctic marine ecosystems
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…Exploring the origin of Antarctic precipitation for an improved climatic interpretation of ice-core records
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…Unveiling The Diversity of Periphytic Cyanobacteria (Cyanophyceae) from Tropical Mangroves in Penang, Malaysia
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…Future Response of Antarctic Continental Shelf Temperatures to Ice Shelf Basal Melting and Calving
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…Impact of Giant Iceberg A68A on the Physical Conditions of the Surface South Atlantic, Derived Using Remote Sensing
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…Plasticity and seasonality of the vertical migratory behaviour of Antarctic krill using acoustic data from fishing vessels
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…Modes of Antarctic tidal grounding line migration revealed by Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) laser altimetry
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.…The stability of present-day Antarctic grounding lines – Part 2: Onset of irreversible retreat of Amundsen Sea glaciers under current climate on centennial timescales cannot be excluded
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…Handedness and individual roll-angle specialism when plunge diving in the northern gannet
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…Arctic warming by abundant fine sea salt aerosols from blowing snow
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
Communities of culturable freshwater fungi present in Antarctic lakes and detection of their low-temperature-active enzymes
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…Investigating aerial diversity of non-fungal eukaryotes across a 40º latitudinal transect using DNA metabarcoding
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…The environmental cellular stress response: the intertidal as a multistressor model
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
Polarimetric airborne scientific instrument, mark 2, an ice‐sounding airborne synthetic aperture radar for subglacial 3D imagery
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…Expanding Antarctic biogeography: microbial ecology of Antarctic island soils
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
Histopathological screening of Pontogammarus robustoides (Amphipoda), an invader on route to the United Kingdom
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…Modeling the Propagation of Fast Magnetosonic Waves and Their Conversion to Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves at Low L Shells
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…Antarctic sedimentary basins and their influence on ice-sheet dynamics
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
First record of the introduced ladybird beetle, Coccinella undecimpunctata Linnaeus (1758), on South Georgia (sub-Antarctic)
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…Impact of climate change on the distribution and habitat suitability of the world’s main commercial squids
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…Separating contributions to plasma vorticity in the high-latitude ionosphere from large-scale convection and meso-scale turbulence
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…The impact of short-duration precipitation events over the historic Cauvery basin: a study on altered water resource patterns and associated threats
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,…Sea-ice decline could keep zooplankton deeper for longer
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
Seasonal cycles of biogeochemical fluxes in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean: A stable isotope approach
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…Sea Butterflies Defend Their Homes Against an Acidic Ocean
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
Record low 2022 Antarctic sea ice led to catastrophic breeding failure of emperor penguins
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…Stagnant ice and age modelling in the Dome C region, Antarctica
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
A long-term mass-balance reconstruction (1974–2021) and a decadal in situ mass-balance record (2011–2021) of Rikha Samba Glacier, central Himalaya
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,…An age scale for new climate records from Sherman Island, West Antarctica
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
Harnessing Diesel-Degrading Potential of an Antarctic Microalga from Greenwich Island and Its Physiological Adaptation
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…Terrestrial non-native species in Antarctica: introduction, impact and management response
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…Genetic diversity and demographic history of the leopard seal: A Southern Ocean top predator
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…Investigating two consecutive catastrophic breeding seasons in a large king penguin colony
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…High‐resolution diving data collected from foraging area reveal that leatherback turtles dive faster to forage longer
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…Using Probabilistic Machine Learning to Better Model Temporal Patterns in Parameterizations: a case study with the Lorenz 96 model
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…Antarctic Ice Sheet paleo-constraint database
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…Modelling Antarctic ice shelf basal melt patterns using the one-layer Antarctic model for dynamical downscaling of ice–ocean exchanges (LADDIE v1.0)
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…Antarctic extreme events
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…The emerging contribution of Türkiye to Antarctic science and policy
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
Lesser Noddy Anous tenuirostris migration from a non-breeding area in the northern Maldives to a breeding site in the Seychelles
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…Environmental sensor placement with convolutional Gaussian neural processes
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
Continental rifting in the South China Sea through extension and high heat flow: An extended history
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…Carbon budgets of Scotia Sea mesopelagic zooplankton and micronekton communities during austral spring
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…Scoping intergenerational effects of nanoplastic on the lipid reserves of Antarctic krill embryos
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…Vertical flux of microplastic, a case study in the Southern Ocean, South Georgia
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
Navigating Gender at Sea
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,…Quantifying circumpolar summer habitat for Antarctic krill and Ice krill, two key species of the Antarctic marine ecosystem
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…New records and updated distributional patterns of macroalgae from the South Shetland Islands and northern Weddell Sea, Antarctica
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…Self-Recover: Forecasting Block Maxima in Time Series from Predictors with Disparate Temporal Coverage Using Self-Supervised Learning
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…Measurements of gravity wave global distributions and trends in the ITM
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
An intercomparison of models predicting growth of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba): The importance of recognizing model specificity
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…Detection of foray behaviour in the zooplankton of the Antarctic Polar Front region
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
A Model of High Latitude Ionospheric Convection Derived From SuperDARN EOF Model Data
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
A future of extreme precipitation and droughts in the Peruvian Andes
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
Ecological habitat partitioning and feeding specialisations of coastal minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) using a recently designated MPA in northeast Scotland
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…A New Four‐Component L*‐Dependent Model for Radial Diffusion Based on Solar Wind and Magnetospheric Drivers of ULF Waves
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…Antarctic Bedmap data: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) sharing of 60 years of ice bed, surface, and thickness data
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…Antarctic Bottom Water Sensitivity to Spatio‐Temporal Variations in Antarctic Meltwater Fluxes
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…Bipolar ice-core records constrain possible dates and global radiative forcing following the ∼74 ka Toba eruption
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…Remote Sensing of Sea Surface Glacial Meltwater on the Antarctic Peninsula Shelf
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
Towards modelling of corrugation ridges at ice-sheet grounding lines
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
Cretaceous – Paleogene tectonic reconstructions of the South Scotia Ridge and implications for the initiation of subduction in the Scotia Sea
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…