Found 13319 items
1 January, 2011
Late Miocene (c. 13-5 Ma) volcanic sequences of the Hallett Volcanic Province (HVP) crop out along > 250 km of western Ross Sea coast in northern Victoria Land. Eight primary…1 January, 2011 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Robert Larter
The Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) drains approximately 35% of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and is one of the most rapidly changing parts of the cryosphere. In order to…Read more on Deglacial history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the western Amundsen Sea Embayment
1 January, 2011
The study of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) is gaining an increasingly im-portant role within the geophysical community. Understanding the response of the Earth to loading is crucial in various contexts,…Read more on A benchmark study for glacial-isostatic adjustment codes
1 January, 2011
The 2007 International Polar Year (IPY) in the Antarctic was distinguished by strong regional and seasonal ice-atmosphere-ocean anomalies associated with an overall weakening of the prevailing westerly circulation. Here we…1 January, 2011 by Iain Staniland, Jaume Forcada
We compared Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella breeding at 2 contrasting sites on South Georgia: one high density colony at Bird Island and one lower density colony at Cooper Bay.…1 January, 2011 by Robert Mulvaney
Ice-core records of climate from Greenland and Antarctica show asynchronous temperature variations on millennial timescales during the last glacial period(1). The warming during the transition from glacial to interglacial conditions…1 January, 2011
Rhyolite eruptions in Iceland mostly take place at long-lived central volcanoes, examples of which are found associated with each of the present-day rift-zone ice caps. Subglacial eruptions at Kerlingarfjöll central…Read more on Explosive rhyolite tuya formation: classic examples from Kerlingarfjoll, Iceland
1 January, 2011 by Katrin Linse
Many members of the benthic fauna of the Antarctic continental shelf share close phylogenetic relationships to the deep-sea fauna adjacent to Antarctica and in other ocean basins. It has been…1 January, 2011 by Lloyd Peck
This review describes outcomes of a 2010 horizon-scanning exercise building upon the first exercise conducted in 2009. The aim of both horizon scans was to identify emerging issues that could…Read more on A horizon scan of global conservation issues for 2011
1 January, 2011 by Richard Horne
Effects of density decrease in plasma injection regions and a latitude-dependent wave normal angle distribution on the energization of electrons by whistler mode waves at Jupiter are investigated. Previous work…1 January, 2011 by Philip Trathan
How top avian predators are distributed at sea during the inter-breeding period remains poorly known. Here we focused on the pelagic seabird that is the single greatest avian consumer of…Read more on Inter-population segregation in the wintering areas of macaroni penguins
1 January, 2011 by Philip Trathan
For land-breeding marine organisms such as seabirds, knowledge about their habitat use has mainly been gained through studies of breeding individuals that are constrained to return frequently to their breeding…1 January, 2011 by Andy Smith
We present results from new geophysical data allowing modelling of the water flow within Subglacial Lake Ellsworth (SLE), West Antarctica. Our simulations indicate that this lake has a novel temperature…1 January, 2011 by Michael Thorne, Roger Worland, Melody Clark
The Arctic springtail, Megaphorura arctica Tullberg 1876 (Onychiuridae: Collembola), is one of the few organisms known to survive the extreme stresses of its environment by using cryoprotective dehydration. We have…1 January, 2011 by Philip Leat
The South Sandwich volcanic arc is sited on a young oceanic crust, erupts low-K tholeiitic rocks, is characterized by unexotic pelagic and volcanogenic sediments on the down-going slab, and simple…1 January, 2011 by Philip Trathan, Peter Fretwell
In 1948, a small colony of emperor penguins Aptenodytes forsteri was discovered breeding on Emperor Island (67 degrees 51' 52 '' S, 68 degrees 42' 20 '' W), in the…1 January, 2011 by Richard Phillips
Currently, 17 of 22 albatross species are listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Incidental mortality in fisheries is by…Read more on An assessment of seabird-fishery interactions in the Atlantic Ocean
1 January, 2011 by Jonathan Shanklin
The Antarctic ozone holes of 2008 and 2009 are reviewed from various perspectives, making use of a range of Australian data and analyses. In both years, ozone holes formed that…1 January, 2011 by Gareth Marshall, John Turner
The polar regions have experienced some remarkable environmental changes in recent decades, such as the Antarctic ozone hole, the loss of large amounts of sea ice from the Arctic Ocean…1 January, 2011
In the face of stochastic climatic perturbations, the overall stability of an ecosystem will be determined by the balance between its resilience and its resistance, but their relative importance is…1 January, 2011 by David Vaughan, David Barnes, Peter Fretwell
The West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) has long been considered vulnerable to rapid retreat and today parts are rapidly losing ice. Projection of future change in WAIS is, however, hampered…1 January, 2011 by Dominic Hodgson, Gareth Marshall, Stephen Roberts
We review the post-glacial climate variability along the East Antarctic coastline using terrestrial and shallow marine geological records and compare these reconstructions with data from elsewhere. Nearly all East Antarctic…1 January, 2011 by Michael Thorne, Melody Clark
Background Fish scales are an important reservoir of calcium and phosphorus and together with the skin function as an integrated barrier against environmental changes and external aggressors. Histological studies have…Read more on Skin healing and scale regeneration in fed and unfed sea bream, Sparus auratus
1 January, 2011 by Alistair Crame
Laocoetis piserai n. sp. (Hexactinellida, Porifera) from the mid-Cretaceous (i.e., Albian–Cenomanian) of James Ross Island is the first record of a fossil sponge from Antarctica. This new occurrence of a…Read more on First fossil sponge from Antarctica and its palaeobiogeographical significance
1 January, 2011 by Philip Trathan, Richard Phillips
Telemetry methods and remote sensing now make it possible to record the spatial usage of wide-ranging marine animals and the biophysical characteristics of their pelagic habitats. Furthermore, recent statistical advances…1 January, 2011 by Dominic Hodgson, Peter Fretwell, Robert Larter, Stephen Roberts
Precise relative sea level (RSL) data are important for inferring regional ice sheet histories, as well as helping to validate numerical models of ice sheet evolution and glacial isostatic adjustment.…Read more on A new Holocene relative sea level curve for the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
1 January, 2011
In this study we examined the hypothesis that, under conditions of replete macronutrients and iron in the Southern Ocean, phytoplankton abundance and specific N uptake rates are influenced strongly by…1 January, 2011 by Huw Griffiths, Katrin Linse, Rowan Whittle
Limopsis is one of the most speciose and widespread bivalve genera in the Southern Ocean at the present day. However, the fossil record of the genus is poorly known from…1 January, 2011
A discrete-element model of sea ice is used to study how a 900 change in wind direction alters the pattern of faults generated through mechanical failure of the ice. The…Read more on Modelling the reorientation of sea-ice faults as the wind changes direction
1 January, 2011 by Eric Wolff
Predicting how climate will change in the future requires a sound understanding of physical processes. This is underpinned by observation of how and why climate has changed in the past.…1 January, 2011 by Eric Wolff
The rising trend in atmospheric concentrations of methane over the past 5,000 years has been attributed to human agency. A modelling study, of a power that has only now become…1 January, 2011 by Eric Wolff
While the trends in greenhouse gas concentrations in recent decades are clear, their significance is only revealed when viewed in the context of a longer time period. Fortunately, the air…Read more on Greenhouse gases in the earth system: a palaeoclimate perspective
1 January, 2011 by Richard Phillips
Cephalopods are components of the diet of many predators worldwide. They are identified mainly using their chitinized upper and lower beaks, but because it has been assumed that the number…1 January, 2011 by Philip Trathan
As the spatial distribution of marine organisms is often affected by seasonal changes, pelagic seabirds may change their foraging areas in response to seasonal changes in the marine environment. Here,…1 January, 2011 by Eugene Murphy, Emma Young, Michael Meredith
The marine ecosystem on the shelf and open ocean adjacent to South Georgia is extraordinarily rich, with a history of commercial exploitation. Although much progress has been made, attempts at…1 January, 2011 by Melody Clark
Insects in the field are exposed to multiple bouts of cold, and there is increasing evidence that the fitness consequences of repeated cold exposure differ from the impacts of a…1 January, 2011 by Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne
Understanding the dynamics of the Earth's radiation belts is important for modeling and forecasting the intensities of energetic electrons in space. Wave diffusion processes are known to be responsible for…Read more on Effects of energy and pitch angle mixed diffusion on radiation belt electrons
16 December, 2010 by Liz Thomas, Louise Sime, Robert Mulvaney, Thomas Bracegirdle
This study uses ice core methanesulphonic acid (MSA) records from the Antarctic Peninsula, where temperatures have been warming faster than anywhere else in the Southern Hemisphere, to reconstruct the 20th…1 December, 2010 by Mark Clilverd
AARDDVARK data from a radio wave receiver in Sodankyla, Finland have been used to monitor transmissions across the auroral oval and just into the polar cap from the very low…1 December, 2010 by Mark Clilverd
We report a comparison of Solar Anomalous Magnetospheric Particle Explorer detected relativistic electron microbursts and short-lived subionospheric VLF perturbations termed FAST events, observed at Sodankyl Geophysical Observatory, Finland, during 2005.…1 December, 2010 by John King, Paul Holland
The winter advance of the sea ice edge in the Bellingshausen Sea is frequently interrupted by periods of rapid retreat lasting a few days. The frequency and duration of such…Read more on Analysis of a rapid sea ice retreat event in the Bellingshausen Sea
1 December, 2010 by Mark Clilverd
The full potential of whistlers for monitoring plasmaspheric electron density variations has not yet been realized. The primary reason is the vast human effort required for the analysis of whistler…1 December, 2010 by Mark Clilverd
It has long been recognized that whistler-mode waves can be trapped in plasmaspheric whistler ducts which guide the waves. For nonguided cases these waves are said to be "nonducted", which…1 December, 2010
During winter the ocean surface in polar regions freezes over to form sea ice. In the summer the upper layers of sea ice and snow melts producing meltwater that accumulates…1 December, 2010 by Richard Horne
Strong electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves have been observed by Cassini associated with local plasma injection regions in the Saturnian magnetosphere. Using measured electron distributions from the Cassini plasma spectrometer,…17 November, 2010 by Nigel Meredith
This study explores the manner in which the plasmapause is responsible for dictating which magnetospheric source regions of ELF/VLF chorus are able to propagate to and be received by midlatitude…Read more on Role of the plasmapause in dictating the ground accessibility of ELF/VLF chorus
11 November, 2010 by Richard Horne
Plasmaspheric plumes created during disturbed geomagnetic conditions have been suggested as a major cause of increased occurrences of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves at these times. We have catalogued occurrences…1 November, 2010 by Richard Horne
Coupling between the Rice Convection Model and Ring Current-Atmospheric Interactions Model codes is used to simulate the dynamical evolution of ring current ion phase space density and the thermal electron…Read more on Global simulation of magnetosonic wave instability in the storm time magnetosphere
1 November, 2010 by Mark Clilverd
Geomagnetic storms triggered by coronal mass ejections and high-speed solar wind streams can lead to enhanced losses of energetic electrons from the radiation belts into the atmosphere, both during the…1 October, 2010 by John King, Thomas Lachlan-Cope
Polynyas play an important role in the regional meteorology and oceanography of the high latitudes and in the global ocean circulation. Unique low-level observations of an Antarctic coastal polynya, the…Read more on Convective heat transfer over thin ice covered coastal polynyas
1 October, 2010
A discrete element model is used to study shear rupture of sea ice under convergent wind stresses. The model includes compressive, tensile, and shear rupture of viscous elastic joints connecting…Read more on Effect of shear rupture on aggregate scale formation in sea ice
10 September, 2010 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
The open-closed magnetic field line boundary (OCB) delimits the region of open magnetic flux forming the polar cap in the Earth’s ionosphere. We present a reliable, automated method for determining…1 September, 2010 by David Vaughan, Liz Thomas, Robert Arthern, Robert Mulvaney
We describe in situ measurements of the compaction of Antarctic snow. At three different sites in Antarctica, the rate of compaction was measured hourly, over various depth intervals, for up…Read more on In situ measurements of Antarctic snow compaction compared with predictions of models
1 September, 2010 by Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith, Robert Larter
Multibeam swath bathymetry and sub-bottom profiler data are used to establish constraints on the flow and retreat history of a major palaeo-ice stream that carried the combined discharge from the…1 September, 2010 by Richard Horne
Chorus, a naturally occurring magnetospheric electromagnetic wave, is believed to be the result of a long chain of physical processes starting with supergranular circulation at the sun. The interaction of…Read more on Introduction to the special section on Chorus: Chorus and its role in space weather
21 August, 2010 by Peter Kirsch, Richard Horne
The slot-region between Earth's inner and outer electron radiation belts was observed on 24 February 2004 by the satellite STSAT-1 to be populated by quasi-trapped electrons of energy 100-400 keV.…1 August, 2010 by Mark Clilverd, Paul Breen, Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Transmissions from three U.S. VLF (very low frequency) transmitters were received at Churchill, Canada, during an event study in May to November, 2007. This period spans four cycles of recurrent…Read more on Energetic outer radiation belt electron precipitation during recurrent solar activity
1 August, 2010 by Nigel Meredith
Wave-particle interactions can play a key role in the process of transfer of energy between different electron populations in the outer Van Allen radiation belt. We present a case study…Read more on Wave-particle interactions in the equatorial source region of whistler-mode emissions
1 August, 2010 by Claire Allen, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James Smith
Cores from a contourite drift on the continental slope in the NW Weddell Sea, Antarctica, contain up to four sandy foraminifer-rich layers (WA1–4), with dispersed ice-rafted debris (IRD), interbedded with…1 July, 2010
Geological constraints on ice-sheet deglaciation are essential for improving the modelling of ice masses and understanding their potential for future change. Here we present a detailed interpretation of depositional environments…1 July, 2010 by Adrian Jenkins, Pierre Dutrieux
Thinning ice in West Antarctica, resulting from acceleration in the flow of outlet glaciers, is at present contributing about 10% of the observed rise in global sea level. Pine Island…1 July, 2010 by Richard Horne
The global distribution and spectral properties of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the He+ band are simulated for the 21 April 2001 storm using a combination of three different…1 July, 2010 by Richard Hindmarsh, Richard Hindmarsh
Increase in ice-shelf melting is generally presumed to have triggered recent coastal ice-sheet thinning. Using a full-Stokes finite element model which includes a proper description of the grounding line dynamics,…Read more on Coupling of ice-shelf melting and buttressing is a key process in ice-sheets dynamics
25 June, 2010
We study the dynamics of dimethylsulphide (DMS) and dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) using the global ocean biogeochemistry model PlankTOM5, which includes three phytoplankton and two zooplankton functional types (PFTs). We present a…Read more on Simulating dimethylsulphide seasonality with the Dynamic Green Ocean Model PlankTOM5
2 June, 2010 by Andy Smith, Ed King, Hugh Corr
Subglacial Lake Ellsworth has been proposed as a candidate for direct measurement and sampling, to identify microbial life and extract sedimentary climate records. We present a detailed characterization of the…1 June, 2010 by Gareth Chisham, Mervyn Freeman
We present, for the first time, the probability density function (PDF) of ionospheric vorticity measurements made by the SuperDARN HF radars. We show that the PDF is typically heavy-tailed and…Read more on On the non-Gaussian nature of ionospheric vorticity
1 June, 2010 by Teal Riley
The results of lithological mapping using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data for the Wright Peninsula region of Adelaide Island, Antarctic Peninsula are compared with existing geological…1 May, 2010 by Andrew Clarke
1. We present a statistical analysis of the scaling of resting (basal) metabolic rate, BMR, with body mass, Bm and body temperature, Tb, in mammals. 2. Whilst the majority of…Read more on Scaling of basal metabolic rate with body mass and temperature in mammals
1 May, 2010 by Adrian Jenkins, Paul Holland
In the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula observations show diminishing sea ice and a rapid warming of atmosphere and ocean. These changes have led to the collapse of ice shelves…Read more on Ice and ocean processes in the Bellingshausen Sea, Antarctica
23 April, 2010 by Kevin Hughes
The Antarctic Treaty and associated agreements have little to say specifically on bioprospecting activities within the Treaty area. Consequently, Antarctic bioprospecting has elicited much debate within the Antarctic community, particularly…13 April, 2010 by Michael Meredith
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the world’s largest oceanic flow (∼135 million cubic meters per second), is an important component of the ocean climate, as it connects the three major…1 April, 2010
Rafting is one of the important deformation mechanisms of sea ice. This process is widespread in the north Caspian Sea, where multiple rafting produces thick sea ice features, which are…Read more on A model for the consolidation of rafted sea ice
1 April, 2010 by Mai Mai Lam, Nigel Meredith, Richard Horne, Sarah Glauert, Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Energetic electrons are deposited into the atmosphere from Earth's inner magnetosphere, resulting in the production of odd nitrogen (NOx). During polar night, NOx can be transported to low altitudes, where…Read more on Origin of energetic electron precipitation >30 keV into the atmosphere
1 April, 2010 by Mark Clilverd, Mai Mai Lam
The coupling of the Van Allen radiation belts to the Earth's atmosphere through precipitating particles is an area of intense scientific interest. Currently, there are significant uncertainties surrounding the precipitating…26 March, 2010
In 2008 the temporal focus of the Palaeoclimate Modelling Intercomparison Project was expanded to include a model intercomparison for the mid-Pliocene warm period (3.29–2.97 million years ago). This project is…1 February, 2010 by Mark Clilverd
A type of electromagnetic phenomenon has been found in the electric VLF data measured by the low Earth orbit DEMETER satellite, which was nonidentified earlier as a different class of…Read more on An unusual VLF signature structure recorded by the DEMETER satellite
1 February, 2010 by Hugh Venables
Most of the Southern Ocean is a high-nutrient, low-chlorophyll (HNLC) area. There are exceptions to this situation downstream of some of the islands, where iron from the islands or surrounding…1 January, 2010 by Richard Phillips
We investigated the concentrations of 22 essential and non-essential elements among a community of Procellariiformes (and their prey) to identify the extent to which trophic position and foraging range governed…1 January, 2010
Plants, both above- and belowground, offer diverse habitats for microbial colonization and growth. Plant-microbe interactions lie at the heart of plant performance and ecology. Plants provide various growth substrates and…1 January, 2010 by Melody Clark
Many organisms have evolved the ability to enter into and revive from a dormant state. They can survive for long periods in this state (often even months to years), yet…1 January, 2010 by Amelie Kirchgaessner
This paper presents results of a combined analysis of cloud observations made at the Antarctic base Faraday/Vernadsky between 1960 and 2005 and sea ice concentration from the HadISST1 data set.…Read more on An analysis of cloud observations from Vernadsky, Antarctica
1 January, 2010 by Emily Shuckburgh
Meridional cross sections of effective diffusivity in the Southern Ocean are presented and discussed. The effective diffusivity, K-eff, characterizes the rate at which mesoscale eddies stir properties on interior isopycnal…Read more on Enhancement of mesoscale eddy stirring at steering levels in the Southern Ocean
1 January, 2010 by Claire Allen, Dominic Hodgson
Analyses of a 12 m marine sediment core from Neny Fjord, Marguerite Bay, Antarctic Peninsula (68.2571°S, 66.9617°W), yield a high-resolution record of Holocene climate variability. The sediments preserve signals of…1 January, 2010
The MarQUEST (Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Modelling Initiative in QUEST) project was established to develop improved descriptions of marine biogeochemistry, suited for the next generation of Earth system models. We…Read more on Marine ecosystem models for earth systems applications: The MarQUEST experience
1 January, 2010 by Andrew Clarke
Phytoplankton assemblages from seasonally sea-ice covered Ryder Bay (Adelaide Island, Antarctica) were studied over three austral summers (2004–2007), to link sea-ice variability and environmental conditions with algal speciation. Typical of…Read more on Seasonal progression of diatom assemblages in surface waters of Ryder Bay, Antarctica
1 January, 2010 by Hilmar Gudmundsson, Robert Arthern
As simulations of 21st-century climate start to include components with longer timescales, such as ice sheets, the initial conditions for those components will become critical to the forecast. This paper…Read more on Initialization of ice-sheet forecasts viewed as an inverse Robin problem
1 January, 2010 by Pierre Dutrieux
A complex pattern of zonal currents below the thermocline has been observed in the equatorial Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The currents have typical speeds from 10 to 15 cm s−1…Read more on Deep equatorial ocean circulation induced by a forced- dissipated Yanai beam
1 January, 2010 by Vsevolod Afanasyev
Since 1899 ringing (or banding) remained the most important source of information about migration routes, stopover sites and wintering grounds for birds that are too small to carry satellite-based tracking…Read more on Year-round tracking of small trans-Saharan migrants using light-level geolocators
1 January, 2010 by Philip Trathan
Long-distance migration enables many organisms to take advantage of lucrative breeding and feeding opportunities during summer at high latitudes and then to move to lower, more temperate latitudes for the…1 January, 2010 by Eric Wolff
The papers in this issue originate from a symposium held in Venice in November 2008 to celebrate the official end of the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA).…Read more on Climate of the last million years: new insights from EPICA and other records
1 January, 2010
Glacial terminations during the late Pleistocene epoch are associated with changes in insolation. They are also punctuated by millennial-scale climate shifts, characterized by a weakening and subsequent strengthening of the…Read more on Extreme deepening of the Atlantic overturning circulation during deglaciation