EartherClimate Change

Antarctic Exploration Vessel Which Should Be Named Boaty McBoatface But Tragically Isn’t Launches

The RSS Sir David Attenborough—the polar exploration vessel that, in April 2016, participants in an internet poll overwhelmingly voted to christen Boaty McBoatface—launched on Saturday, with defensive research officials still defending their decision to override the results of the vote. Per the Guardian, British Antarctic Survey director Jane Francis addressed the controversy directly as the … Continued

Tech News

Here’s What Antarctica’s Hugest Iceberg Has Been Doing Since It Broke Free

It was a year ago at this time that Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf gave birth to Iceberg A-68, one of the largest chunks of ice ever recorded. A new timelapse video made from satellite imagery shows the rift, calving, and subsequent journey of the iceberg over the past 12 months. Iceberg A-68 is the … Continued

EartherEarth Science

The Coldest Temperature Ever Observed on Earth Is Bonkers

As one might expect, the desolate and remote East Antarctic Plateau is home to Earth’s coldest temperatures. What is surprising, however, is that these bitter temps are even colder than previously thought—reaching nearly -148 degrees Fahrenheit (-100 degrees Celsius). That’s according to an updated analysis of satellite data first reported in 2013. At the time, … Continued

EartherEarth Science

West Antarctica’s Springy Bedrock Is Some Rare Good News For Its Ice

A team of scientists has learned that the ground beneath West Antarctica’s most vulnerable glaciers is weirdly bouncy. The finding suggests this critical sector of the ice sheet might have a hidden defense against runaway collapse, but how much that helps us depends on if we take action to rein in climate change. The results, … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Antarctic Researchers Are Having More Solstice Fun Than You

It’s the solstice, and what better way to celebrate than going to a party. Perhaps there’ll be a little wine, some cheese, a lovely platter of crudites. Maybe it’ll be on a roof or in a backyard. Delightful! I can assure that however you spend the solstice, though, it will be lame in comparison to … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Antarctica Is Losing An Unfathomable Amount of Ice

Three trillion tons of ice is an near impossible thing to wrap your head around. Even the standard comparisons—it’s 1.2 billion Olympic swimming pools—don’t really make it compute any better. But it’s that very profound nature that makes what’s happening in Antarctica so alarming. New findings published in Nature on Wednesday show that the seventh … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Giant Iceberg Is Screwed

There’s no shortage of going-ons on Earth that astronauts can see from space: auroras, towering clouds, volcanic eruptions. Now, there’s a grim addition to the list: a (once) massive iceberg that’s got a date with death. In March 2000, the biggest iceberg ever to peel off the Ross Ice Shelf began its 18-year trek in … Continued

EartherEarth Science

There Are Earthquakes Going Off Beneath East Antarctica’s Ice

If there’s a final frontier on the surface of our planet, it’s East Antarctica, a vast region of largely-unexplored mountains and canyons covered in a mantle of ice thousands of feet thick. The latest indication of how little we know about East Antarctica? We basically just learned it’s seismically active. Until now, exactly nine seismic … Continued

EartherEnvironmental Justice

Antarctica’s First Pride Celebration Is Officially Here

More than scientific research goes down in Antarctica. With Pride Month officially starting Friday, celebrations are popping off at all ends of the world—including near the South Pole. Who said a continent devoted to ice, climate and Earth science can’t also be a place for the queerios of the world to party? After all, we … Continued

EartherEarth Science

This Video Is All Your Kid Needs to Understand Climate Science

Lessons on climate change don’t require wonky charts or boring lectures. They can sometimes be as simple—and cute—as an animated video featuring penguins, an elephant seal, and some researchers ready for the freezing temperatures of Antarctica. That’s the takeaway from this video released during the Hay Festival, which strives to present art and science ideas … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Mind-Boggling Canyons Discovered Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

Antarctica’s icy mantle hides a truly fantastical world, and we’re still trying to understand its contours. Case in point: a new study has revealed three monstrous canyons on par with the Grand Canyon. The discovery is both wow-worthy and vital to understanding what will happen to Antarctica’s ice as it melts. Scientists have long wondered … Continued

Tech News

New Evidence Points to an Unbroken, Million-Year-Long Ice Core in Antarctica

Imagine an unbroken chronological record, dating back a million years, of temperature and atmospheric conditions on Earth. Such a thing could indeed exist in the form of an ancient and undisturbed Antarctic ice core, according to a recent survey. Ice cores are like a window to the past, allowing scientists to observe and document climatic … Continued

EartherClimate Change

That Time It Reached 55 Degrees In Antarctica During Winter 

In recent years, warm winds have caused winter temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula to spike well above freezing. The winds have spurred major melt, causing lakes to form on ice sheets that can eventually accelerate their collapse. Oh, and climate change could make the conditions that spurred the winds worse. Great! These insights, which come … Continued

EartherEarth Science

You’ve Never Seen a Map of Antarctica Like This Before

Our planet is a cool and good planet. To prove this point, I would simply point you to the map above. The ethereal black and white image shows the thickness of all of Antarctica’s ice. It speaks to both the grandeur of the seventh continent and human ingenuity. Why humanity is on a course to … Continued

EartherConservation

Scientists Need Your Help Spotting Seals in Antarctica

Michelle LaRue has a problem: She only has one set of eyes. That’s a big issue when you’re an ecologist who uses satellite imagery to understand what’s going on with Weddell Seals, the southernmost mammal on the planet. The seals can help us unlock secrets about how coastal ecosystems and fisheries function in Antarctica, as … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Antarctica Is Getting Snowier

The world’s largest hunk of ice, the Antarctic ice sheet, holds enough frozen water to put cities like Miami several hundred feet under. How much Antarctica shrinks in the future will depend on the balance between what’s melting away, and what’s being added when it snows. A new study published in the journal Climate of … Continued

ScienceSpace & Spaceflight

These Superb Antarctic Veggies Are a Tasty Preview for a Menu on Mars

As temperatures outside dipped to well below freezing, and as blizzards pounded the Antarctic research station, German scientists were carefully tending to a remarkable veggie garden—one requiring no soil or natural sunlight. The success of their first harvest, which produced vibrant-looking lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, and other treats, represents a promising test run for similar greenhouses … Continued

EartherEarth Science

Antarctica’s Ice Is Becoming Unhinged

The two most important words you need to know to understand the fate of our coastlines are “grounding line.” Those words describe where Antarctica’s voluminous ice shelves begin to float, holding back a wall of ice on land. A study published on Monday in Nature Geoscience is among the first to create a detailed snapshot … Continued

EartherClimate Change

Boaty McBoatface Has Returned From Its Most Perilous Mission Yet

Our favorite autonomous underwater vehicle, Boaty McBoatface, has completed a two-month mission in which it explored a massive ice shelf in Antarctica’s southern Weddell Sea. Swimming nearly a kilometer beneath the surface, and with hardly any human assistance or oversight, Boaty spent over 50 hours directly beneath the Antarctic ice. Boaty completed its inaugural mission … Continued

ScienceBiology

Poo Stains Seen From Space Lead to Discovery of Massive Penguin ‘Supercolony’

After noticing the telltale signs of guano streaks on satellite imagery, an international team of researchers set out to count the number of penguins on Antarctica’s aptly named Danger Islands. They found a previously undetected supercolony of over 1.5 million Adélie penguins—a surprising result, given how poorly these aquatic birds are doing just 100 miles … Continued