Antarctica

Lake Hillier: Pink Australian lake gets its colour from red and purple microbes

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DNA sequencing has revealed that a bright pink lake on an island off Western Australia gets its colour from a mix of salt-loving bacteria and algae Earth 10 March 2022 By Alice Klein Aerial view of Lake Hillier, Australia Tourism Western Australia The unusual bubblegum pink colour of a remote lake in Western Australia has … Read more

Antarctica: Soot from burning fossil fuels is making snow melt faster

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Vehicles and power generators in Antarctica produce black carbon pollution that settles on the snow, causing more of it to melt in the summer Environment 22 February 2022 By Chen Ly Esperanza Base, an Argentinian research station on the Antarctic Peninsula Mike Scharer / Alamy Pollution from increasing human activity in Antarctica is darkening the … Read more

‘Striking’ Expansion of Two Antarctic Flowering Plants Is a Climate Warning

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Flowering plants in the Antarctic region are rapidly expanding, scientists say, indicating the continuing effects of climate change on the continent. The findings suggest we may have reached a tipping point in this fragile, remote ecosystem.   A new study of this plant expansion looked at the two flowering plants native to Antarctica, Deschampsia antarctica … Read more

Flower growth in Antarctica is accelerating due to warming climate

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There are only two flowering plants native to Antarctica and both have seen an explosion in their numbers in the decade from 2009 to 2019 Environment 14 February 2022 By Alex Wilkins Deschampsia antarctica is one of two flowering plants native to Antarctica Nature/Getty Images Plants in Antarctica are growing more quickly due to climate … Read more

Antarctica’s Hidden Under-Ice Rivers Could Play a Significant Role in Sea-Level Rise

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Underneath Antarctica’s vast ice sheets there’s a network of rivers and lakes. This is possible because of the insulating blanket of ice above, the flow of heat from within the Earth, and the small amount of heat generated as the ice deforms.   Water lubricates the base of the ice sheets, allowing the ice to … Read more

‘Treasure Map’ Predicts The Hiding Places of 300,000 Meteorites Across Antarctica

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Although meteorites are known to fall all over the world, the environment and unique processes in Antarctica make them somewhat easier to find on the pristine, snowy landscape. Still, collecting meteorites in Antarctica is physically grueling and hazardous work.   But what if there was a “treasure map” which showed the most probable places to … Read more

Meteorite hunters rejoice: Antarctica probably harbors 300,000 undiscovered space rocks

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An artificial intelligence program suggests there may be hundreds of thousands of meteorites left for scientists to discover on the icy fields of Antarctica and reveals what may be the most likely places to unearth them, a new study finds. Nearly two-thirds of all meteorites recovered on Earth originate in Antarctica. The cold, dry nature … Read more

60 Million Fish Nests in Antarctica Found in Single Largest Breeding Colony to Date

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Scientists onboard an icebreaker in Antarctica were blown away when they spied a trove of 60 million icefish nests dotting the floor of the Weddell Sea. The bonanza of nurseries – each guarded by a ghostly looking parent – represents the largest known breeding colony of fish.   Autun Purser of the Alfred Wegener Institute was on the … Read more

Icefish: 60 million nests found in the seafloor near Antartica

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In the Weddell Sea near Antarctica, scientists have found the largest colony of fish nests in the world, covering 240 square kilometres Life 13 January 2022 By Jason Arunn Murugesu Adult icefish sitting on their nests under the ice in Antarctica Alfred Wegener Institute / PS124 AWI OFOBS team The largest colony of fish nests … Read more