Tag: Antartica

• Wednesday, March 2nd 2016 - 07:45 UTC

  Brazil begins reconstruction of Antarctica base “Comandante Ferraz” lost to fire in 2012

  

  A symbolic ceremony launching the reconstruction of Brazil's “Comandante Ferraz” Antarctic base was held at the Chilean Antarctic Institute in Punta Arenas with the attendance of top officials from both countries. The Brazilian base, located in King George Island was a total loss back in February 2012 caused by a fire that started at the power room.

• Tuesday, February 23rd 2016 - 06:43 UTC

  Argentina celebrates 112th anniversary of flag flying and presence in Antarctica

  

  Argentina Antarctica Day was celebrated on Monday 22 February, recalling the 112th anniversary of the first time the country's flag was flown at the Meteorological and Magnetic Observatory in the Laure Island, South Orkneys in 1904.

• Tuesday, February 2nd 2016 - 06:24 UTC

  IAATO animated briefings for Antarctic visitors

  

  New videos have been developed by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) to brief travelers en route to Antarctica. They reinforce actions visitors need to take to ensure their visit is safe and environmentally sensitive.

• Friday, January 15th 2016 - 08:06 UTC

  Strong hints of a vast canyon system hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet

  

  A vast, previously unrecognized canyon system could be hidden under the Antarctic ice sheet. Hints of its presence are seen in the shape of the white continent's surface, in a largely unexplored region called Princess Elizabeth Land. If confirmed by a proper geophysical survey - now under way - the winding canyon network would be over 1,000km long and in places as much as 1km deep.

• Thursday, November 26th 2015 - 17:39 UTC

  UK's Cammell Laird will build BAS new £200 million polar research ship

  

  The Birkenhead shipyard Cammell Laird said it saw off competition from Europe and beyond including Korea and Singapore to be selected as the preferred bidder to build a new vessel for the UK-funded Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). The contract was signed last week and it is expected that full production will start in June next year, and on completion the vessel will be operated by NERC’s British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

• Saturday, May 16th 2015 - 08:13 UTC

  Polar Code does not adequately protect Antarctic environment from shipping, says ASOC

  

  The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition voiced its disappointment over the lack of any significant new provisions in Part II of the Polar Code that would adequately protect the Antarctic environment from shipping. The London-based UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday adopted Part II of the Polar Code concerning pollution prevention.

• Friday, May 1st 2015 - 05:45 UTC

  Antarctica Blood Falls could be connected to subsurface lakes system

  

  The McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica are some of the most extreme desert regions on the planet. But new research indicates that the region may actually be full of salty, extremely cold groundwater. The water may even connect surrounding lakes into a massive network, and it probably hosts extreme microbial life.

• Thursday, April 30th 2015 - 07:21 UTC

  Number of tourists visiting Antarctica was down, according to IAATO

  

  The number of adventurous tourists visiting Antarctica dipped in the 2014-15 austral season but is expected to bounce back this year, according to visitor totals released by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).

• Wednesday, March 11th 2015 - 05:48 UTC

  “Our Lady of Malvinas” arrives in Antarctica; she will be enshrined in Ushuaia on 2 April

  

  The replica of an image at the Argentine Darwin cemetery and which was blessed by Pope Francis arrived this week to Argentina's Antarctica base Marambio, the last leg of its passage to Tierra del Fuego and austral islands, “where it will enshrined on 2 April, on a new anniversary of the Malvinas war”, according to the country's official news agency Telam.

• Tuesday, January 27th 2015 - 07:21 UTC

  Largest glacier in East Antarctica melting fast because of warm ocean water

  

  The largest glacier in East Antarctica, containing ice equivalent to a six-meter rise in global sea levels, is melting due to warm ocean water, Australian scientists said on Monday.