Antarctic

A recent study led by glaciologist Benjamin Wallis has revealed the alarming instability of the Antarctic’s Cadman Glacier, which rapidly lost significant ice due to ocean warming. This highlights the urgent need for extensive ocean monitoring and raises concerns about other glaciers potentially facing similar rapid changes. The image above depicts the mountainous and icy coastline of the Antarctic Peninsula. Credit: Professor Anna Hogg Scientists have found that even seemingly stable glaciers in the Antarctic can…

By Lindsey Doermann, NASA Earth Observatory November 29, 2023 Satellite view of the summit crater of Mount Erebus on November 25, 2023, captured by the Operational Land Imager-2 on Landsat 9. The fiery and icy upper reaches of the Antarctic volcano pierced through a canopy of clouds. On a late spring day in 2023, the summit crater of Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano, emerged majestically above the clouds. Captured by Landsat 9’s Operational Land Imager-2 (OLI-2), this stunning view of the…

The Cadman Glacier before and after the collapse of the ice shelf. The image on the left was taken in 2017 and shows the ice shelf. An image taken this month, on the right, shows the loss of the ice shelf. Credit: European Commission, European Space Agency, Copernicus Sentinel-2 Data, Benjamin Wallis Scientists are warning that apparently stable glaciers in the Antarctic can "switch very rapidly" and lose large quantities of…

Recent research from the University of Otago indicates that the Antarctic ozone hole has been significantly larger and more persistent than commonly believed, not solely due to CFCs. The study links the hole to changes in the Southern Hemisphere’s climate and weather patterns, despite the Montreal Protocol’s efforts.A new study reveals the Antarctic ozone hole is larger and more enduring than thought, with complex factors beyond CFCs contributing to its persistence and impact on the Southern Hemisphere’s climate.Despite…

Credit: CC0 Public Domain Using historical records from around Australia, an international team of researchers have put forward the most accurate prediction to date of past Antarctic ice sheet melt, providing a more realistic forecast of future sea level rise. The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest block of ice on Earth, containing…

November 1, 20232min readCharting the seafloor with deep-diving animals can help scientists predict glacial and ice-sheet-melting physicsBy Ethan Freedman Credit: D. Parer/E. Parer-Cook/Minden PicturesHumans have sailed the oceans' surfaces for millennia, but their depths remain effectively uncharted. Only about a quarter of the seafloor has been mapped at high resolution. Maps of most regions display only approximate depths and often miss entire underwater mountains or canyons.So a group of researchers has recruited…

Researchers compared net ice accumulation in Antarctica for multiple stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) scenarios and a moderate emissions scenario with no SAI to historical levels between 1990–2009. Blue indicates a net gain in ice accumulation, while red indicates a net loss. Small dots indicate regions where no significant change is projected. The time period of comparison for the SAI scenarios and the moderate emissions scenario is 2050–2069.…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Projecting when and how fast the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will lose mass due to current and future global ocean warming—and the likely impact on sea level rise and coastal communities—is a priority for climate science. We know deep water flowing towards and around Antarctica is warming, and the…

2023 has gone from bad to worse for Earth's southern ocean.In February, climate researchers announced that Antarctica's sea ice had hit its lowest summer level since satellite records began 45 years ago.A few months later, in June, during what should be a 'winter growth phase', floating sea ice around Antarctica was still struggling to recover.A time series of sea ice in the southern ocean, put together by climate researchers at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shows July's coverage is well below…

Antarctica Scientific Expedition in 2019. Credit: Shuanglin LI The precipitation in West Antarctica, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula, exhibits large variability on the interannual time scale. In recent years, scientific research activities, tourism and fisheries have been experiencing remarkable growth there. Thus, understanding the variability of precipitation in West Antarctica, including the Antarctic Peninsula,…