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Antarctica in the time of corona virus

While millions of people around the world are coping with COVID-19 lockdowns, scientists and support staff in Antarctica are preparing to ‘lockdown’ for their winter isolation. They will be completely cut off from the rest of the world in…
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2020/04/29/science.aaz5845

Images show Antarctic ice loss in exceptional detail

Data from space is allowing scientists to understand ice loss in Antarctica as never before. The high resolution images are both beautiful and concerning, illustrating in great detail where ice is thinning. See more here: https://www.nyt…

Microplastics found in 10 year old ice core

Scientists have found microplastics in an ice core taken from east Antarctica in 2009. It's not clear where the plastic came from. But it's possible that it is the result of local pollution from visitors to the continent (researchers and tourists) …
By Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith - Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus), CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40573659
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Blue whales return!

Can we change things for the better? Here's a good news story to encourage anyone working to protect the wildlife of our planet. A team led by the British Antarctic Survey spotted 55 blue whales on a recent expedition to South Georgia (a…
https://www.npr.org/2020/02/21/808187601/-antarctica-melts-nasa-says-showing-effects-of-record-heat?t=1582463400638
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NASA images reveal impact of Antarctic heatwave

The recent record temperatures (up to 18.3 degrees C) on the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula have cause rapid ice melt - and NASA's satellite images show the devastating effect. Up to an inch of snowpack melted in just one day. Although…
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Record high temperatures in Antarctic

Summer temperatures in Antarctica have been hitting record highs. Earlier this month, the temperature rose above 20 degrees C for the first time, provoking further concerns about ice melt and rising sea levels. Already, scientists are seeing…
Image: © Rob Robbins/USAP Diver

Robot discovers surprisingly warm water under Thwaites Glacier

Scientists have sent an underwater robot called Icefin to explore under the Thwaites Glacier and they have made a worrying discovery. The water temperatures are unusually warm. "Warm waters in this part of the world, as remote as they may…
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Researching the ‘doomsday’ glacier

In a new report, the BBC explains why the melting of the Thwaites glacier could bring catastrophe, not just to Antarctica, but also to maritime cities around the world. With a mix of diagrams, photos and text, the report tells the story of…

Lengthy stays in Antarctica shrink brains

An extended stay in a remote Antarctic research station is the closest thing to a long space journey that humans can experience without leaving Earth. But scientists have discovered that the isolation and unchanging views have an impact on the…

Antarctica under threat from invasive species

Over millennia, Antarctica's geographic isolation has created a unique biological environment. However, this is increasingly under threat from climate change and human visitors. People bring species that could never reach the continent on their…