Antarctica

• Friday, November 2nd 2012 - 23:12 UTC

  UK confirms BAS first-class scientific research and Antarctica strategic presence

  

  Plans to merge the British Antarctic Survey (closely linked to the Falkland Islands) and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have been ruled out, Science minister David Willetts announced. In a written statement he said the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) had decided not to proceed with the proposal.

• Friday, November 2nd 2012 - 08:36 UTC

  CCAMLR fails to reach agreement on new marine protected areas in Antarctica

  

  Governments meeting in Australia have failed to reach agreement on new marine protected areas for the Antarctic Ocean. A decision has been deferred until July 2013 when all the relevant science will be considered.

• Thursday, October 25th 2012 - 23:48 UTC

  Antarctic ozone hole in 2012, the second smallest in the last 20 years, says NASA

  

  The average area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole this year was the second smallest in the last 20 years, according to data from NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites. Scientists attribute the change to warmer temperatures in the Antarctic lower stratosphere.

• Wednesday, October 24th 2012 - 05:38 UTC

  South Georgia government in Norway for reindeer eradication project and krill fishery

  

  A team from the government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands was in Norway during September to advance in the planning for the reindeer eradication project which is expected to begin on New Year and to discuss about the krill fishery, reports the South Georgia Newsletter September edition.

• Wednesday, October 24th 2012 - 05:34 UTC

  ‘Ice Project’ will feature film on Shackleton and search for his vessel Endurance

  

  There are impressive plans to mark the centenary of British explorer Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Endurance expedition with a search for the wreck of the vessel on the sea floor in the Weddell Sea and a feature film based on the failed expedition, shipwreck and subsequent survival and heroic rescue the stranded men.

• Tuesday, October 23rd 2012 - 20:51 UTC

  Australian icebreaker ‘Aurora Australis’ caught in packed Antarctic ice

  

  The Australian icebreaker Aurora Australis is stuck in ice 80 nautical miles from the Antarctic coast. The vessel is heading to the frozen continent with 50 scientists from around the world to study the relationship between sea ice and marine life.

• Tuesday, October 23rd 2012 - 07:18 UTC

  South Georgia plans to expand Marine Protected Areas; could affect krill fishery

  

  The government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, GSGSSI, announced a vast Marine Protected Areas around the Island in February and it is likely there is more protection to come that could affect krill fishing and long-lining, reports the September edition of the South Georgia newsletter.

• Tuesday, October 23rd 2012 - 01:46 UTC

  South Georgia cruise season beats the trend and expects better one in 2012/13

  

  A small increase in cruise ship visitors to South Georgia compared to the previous season bucks the trend of the Antarctic region. In the 2011/12 season tourists to the Antarctic fell by 22%, whereas in South Georgia they increased 8%, according to the September edition of the South Georgia Newsletter.

• Monday, October 22nd 2012 - 03:43 UTC

  BAS contractors’ team shoot horror movie ‘South of Sanity” in Antarctica

  

  A fictional feature film has been shot in Antarctica for the first time. Scottish climbing instructor and documentary-maker Kirk Watson filmed South of Sanity while working for British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

• Friday, October 19th 2012 - 02:23 UTC

  Environmental groups call for more protected zones off East Antarctica

  

  Thirty environmental groups on Thursday issued a joint appeal for upcoming talks on establishing protected zones in the seas off East Antarctica to widen the scope of the marine haven.