Antarctica

Nearly all of Antarctica’s iconic wildlife, from penguins to seals and whales, depend on krill, tiny crustaceans that make up the base of the food chain. Krill are also sought after by humans, who scoop them up using massive fishing boats, potentially putting whales in danger, scientists warn. The fishing…

On January 1, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured images of the Antarctica Amery ice shelf, showing that meltwater remained visible atop the ice sheet’s surface. By late 2024, Antarctica had already experienced significant melting along its coastal areas, even though the melt season was less than…

The Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica. (Image credit: Data courtesy of Landsat 8 satellite (Bands: 2, 3, 4, 8) & USGS. Data processed by Paul Quast. O.V.E.R.V.I.E.W. via Flickr, CC BY 2.0) "Warm" water is flowing toward one of Antarctica 's biggest ice shelves, which, if it melted, could dramatically…

Published Jan 13th, 2025 7:45PM EST An international team has successfully extracted the world’s oldest ice sample from Antarctica. Spanning 1.2 million years of climate history, this ancient ice core promises to unveil secrets about Earth’s past climate systems and help us understand the climate of Earth’s future. This achievement…

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Environment For decades, we studied only a tiny number of Antarctica's emperor penguins. Now robots and satellites are revealing surprising secrets about how they live By Colin Barras Facebook / Meta Twitter / X icon Linkedin Reddit Email The emperor penguin breeding season is fraught with danger Stefan Christmann/naturepl.com A…

At McMurdo Station, America’s main Antarctic base, temporary residents keep themselves busy with work and the station’s many amenities: a music room, bars, gyms, and a library. But even with the recent installation of Starlink internet connectivity, morale can be difficult to keep up during the months-long winter nights.  From…

New research finds that ice melt in Antarctica could lead to more subglacial eruptions, affecting volcanoes such as Mount Erebus, seen here. (Image credit: Josh Landis, U.S. Arctic Program, Public Domain) A slow climate feedback loop may be bubbling beneath Antarctica's vast ice sheet. The continent, divided east to west…

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). As the ship pulled away from the dock, I considered what lay before me: the darkening calm of the Beagle Channel, the terrifying swell of the Drake Passage, and then, glittering like a prize, Antarctica. This was a journey sparked 20…

Looking back on 2024, it wasn't a particularly stellar year for mankind. Regional wars, precarious global economics and the threat of climate change still hang over us. But why end the year with a frown? Rather, we should take heart from the many upbeat things that awed, inspired and entertained…