The Latest Breaking News from Antarctic

Will Antarctica one day be green?

New research indicates Antarctica’s melting ice is allowing plants to thrive, an ominous shift for the continent

Salon · Oct 19, 2024

Tasmania to remain Australia's Antarctic gateway

Tasmania will remain home to the nation's Antarctic icebreaker, the RSV Nuyina, and gateway to the Southern Ocean following a $188 million deal.

AAP · Oct 16, 2024

Endurance review – Shackleton’s ill-fated Antarctic expedition, relived

Shackleton’s remarkable 1914 mission gets a stirring retelling by the directors of Free Solo as a fine cast of experts search for the remains of his ship

The Guardian - UK · Oct 13, 2024

‘Coolest job on Earth’: Antarctica welcomes new postmaster

UK Antarctic Heritage Trust fills vacancy at world’s most southerly post office, as well as recruiting team to monitor wildlife and carry out building repairs

The Guardian - UK · Oct 9, 2024

Antarctica is ‘greening’ at dramatic rate as climate heats

Analysis of satellite data finds plant cover has increased more than tenfold over the last few decades

The Guardian - UK · Oct 4, 2024

Bizarre polar vortex over Antarctica delayed ozone hole opening, scientists say

The Antarctic ozone hole usually starts forming in early August, but rare warming events and a strangely elongated polar vortex this year may have delayed its arrival.

LiveScience · Sep 24, 2024

License To Krill: There’s A New Threat To Whales And Its Just as Bad as the Last One

Whales feed for roughly 100 days out of each year; depending on the species, an adult whale may consume 1 to 6 tons of krill in a day.

Inverse · Sep 19, 2024

Antarctic krill store as much carbon as the world’s mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds

Antarctic krill – shrimp-like crustaceans that inhabit the icy waters surrounding Antarctica – may be small (around 5cm) but they have an enormous total biomass, similar to that of the global human population. However, while humans pump ever more carbon into the atmosphere, krill are working in reverse. They are…

The Conversation · Sep 17, 2024

'Surprising' warmth above Antarctica is earliest observed on record

Temperature fluctuations above Antarctica in winter show the earliest warming of the stratosphere on record.

Space · Sep 16, 2024

Whales are recovering from near extinction, but industrial fishing around Antarctica competes for their sole food source

The Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica is the world’s largest feeding ground for baleen whales – species like humpbacks that filter tiny organisms from seawater for food. In the 20th century, whalers killed roughly 2 million large whales in the Southern Ocean. Some populations, like the Antarctic blue whale, were reduced…

The Conversation · Sep 10, 2024