Antarctica

The near-Earth asteroid 2025 TF (red crosshairs) came about as close to Earth as the International Space Station on Wednesday (Oct. 1), evading detection until hours later. (Image credit: ESA / Las Cumbres Observatory) A small asteroid zoomed past Earth closer than most satellites last week — and astronomers didn't…

The remains of the Endurance, which sank in 1915 Science History Images / Alamy It has been 110 years since Endurance, often described as the strongest wooden ship ever built, sank after becoming trapped in sea ice near Antarctica. But a reassessment of the evidence reveals that Endurance was actually…

Melting ice sheets in Antarctica will raise sea levels DurkTalsma/Getty Images Antarctica may have passed a climate tipping point of no return, scientists are warning, with mounting evidence that a sudden slump in sea ice formation since 2016 is linked to human-induced ocean warming. For decades, Antarctic sea ice levels…

Please complete security verification This request seems a bit unusual, so we need to confirm that you're human. Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green. Thank you for your cooperation! Press and hold the button If you believe this is an error, please contact our support…

Right now, cold air high above Antarctica is up to 35ºC warmer than normal. Normally, strong winds and the lack of sun would keep the temperature at around –55°C. But it’s risen sharply to around –20°C. The sudden heating began in early September and is still taking place. Three separate…

Antarctica is warmer than it should be Eyal Bartov / Alamy Since the beginning of September, temperatures in the atmosphere above Antarctica have soared by over 35°C (63°F), while wind speeds have halved and ozone depletion has suddenly stalled. This kind of upheaval should happen only once every 20 years…

This map of subglacial lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet shows 85 lakes newly identified in a study published in Nature in September 2025. The data for this inventory comes from ESA’s CryoSat mission, which used its radar altimetry instrument to acquire data between 2010 and 2020. Red triangles denote…

Annual mean Antarctic sea ice changes through time, according to different future atmospheric carbon dioxide scenarios. Credit: Li et al, 2025. Satellite observations have documented a pronounced decline in Antarctic sea ice extent since 2014, with especially sharp losses in recent years. Whether Antarctica's declining sea ice can recover hinges…

September 16, 2025 3 min read The Ozone Hole Is Steadily Shrinking because of Global Efforts After nearly 40 years of global efforts, the ozone hole over Antarctica is continuing to heal By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson A 3D rendering of the ozone hole evolution in 2025. CAMS…

Partial solar eclipse at the bottom of the world closes out the year's sun and moon spectaclesRead More