Antarctica

• Wednesday, June 26th 2024 - 09:04 UTC

  The tipping point that melts large ice sheets, findings by BAS scientists

  

  A new and worrying way that large ice sheets can melt has been characterized by scientists for the first time. The research focuses on how relatively warm seawater can lap at the underside of ground-based ice, which can accelerate the movement of the ice into the ocean.

• Saturday, June 22nd 2024 - 06:37 UTC

  BAS three winter stations celebrate the longest night in Antarctica

  

  June 21st marks the longest night in Antarctica and a very special Midwinter’s Day with 47 people or ‘winterers’ living and working at British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) three winter stations: Rothera on the Antarctic peninsula, and King Edward Point and Bird Island on South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

• Saturday, June 22nd 2024 - 06:18 UTC

  IAATO measures and short term priorities for the coming 2024/25 Antarctica season

  

  The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) has announced a series of enhanced responsible tourism measures and short-term priorities as its members prepare for the 2024-25 season in Antarctica. According to a press release, these actions were agreed upon during the association’s annual meeting in Annapolis, United States, in late April.

• Tuesday, June 18th 2024 - 11:58 UTC

  State of Cetaceans 2024, ORCA report in oceans worldwide

  

  Marine Conservation Charity ORCA’s “State of the Cetaceans 2024”, (*) report is a fascinating glimpse into how the world’s whales and dolphins are coping with human impacts on the ocean. It analyses the extraordinary 330,000 kilometers of marine surveys conducted by ORCA in 2023, recording 55,604 whales and dolphins in oceans worldwide from the Arctic to the Antarctic, the North and South Atlantic, and the Pacific to the Mediterranean.

• Monday, June 10th 2024 - 09:10 UTC

  Antarctica tour companies working closely with IAATO in conservation measures

  

  Data collected by tour companies operating in Antarctica is bolstering conservation measures for whales and seals along the region’s Peninsula, according to a piece by Travel and Tour World news site.

• Saturday, June 8th 2024 - 09:46 UTC

  Unprotected red hydrocoral species found in Strait of Magellan

  

  Scientists in southern Chile have found in the Strait of Magellan a type of red hydrocoral, consisting of immobile animals similar in appearance to a plant or a rock. The specimens of “Errina Antarctica” were discovered in the Kawésqar National Reserve, a protected marine area more than 3,000 km from Santiago, it was reported Friday.

• Monday, June 3rd 2024 - 08:31 UTC

  Argentine Air Force Saab 340 makes new successful flight to Antarctica

  

  An Argentine Air Force (FAA) Saab 340 turboprop twin-engined aircraft made a successful flight to the Petrel Base in Antarctica on Saturday, thus proving once again the model's adaptability to the region.

• Tuesday, May 21st 2024 - 10:16 UTC

  Chilean authorities to discuss Antarctica issues on site

  

  Chilean Lower House's Defense Committee plans to convene at the Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva base in Antarctica this week to discuss the “prevailing geopolitical conditions” in the area after controversies with Argentina regarding sovereignty claims.

• Saturday, May 18th 2024 - 10:45 UTC

  BAS marine biologist elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society

  

  Professor Lloyd Peck, Science Leader and marine biologist at British Antarctic Survey (BAS), joins over 90 exceptional researchers from across the world in being elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences.

• Tuesday, May 14th 2024 - 10:26 UTC

  Russia claims to have found huge oil reserves in Antarctica; UK feels it could mean a complete new ball game

  

  The House of Commons’ Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) held a special session on Russian oil exploration in the polar region, following on claims that the Rosgeo oil exploration company had reported that its research vessel Alexander Karpinsky has completed a comprehensive subsurface geological survey, mapping very promising oil and gas prospects on the Antarctic oil shelves.