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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 3rd 2025 - 03:20 UTC

Antarctica

  • Tuesday, December 17th 2024 - 10:07 UTC

    World's largest iceberg headed for South Georgia Island

    A larger ice formation broke off in 1986 from the Antarctic Filchner Ice Shelf when it cracked into three smaller pieces, A23a being one of them

    According to the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the 3,600 square kilometer iceberg known as A23a broke off from Antarctica and was reportedly going adrift in the South Atlantic, probably towards South Georgia Island. It is arguably the world's largest and oldest iceberg, with ice sheets 400 meters thick, and weighing almost one billion tons.

  • Tuesday, December 3rd 2024 - 20:07 UTC

    New facilities opened at a Russian base in Antarctica

    Over 60 scientists set sail on an Antarctica expedition aboard the Russian icebreaker Akademik Tryoshnikov

    Russia's Vostok Base in Antarctica has opened a new winter complex, the Institute of Arctic and Antarctic Studies (AARI) said in a statement: ”A new winter complex has been put into operation at the Vostok station in Central Antarctica (...) The new polar house will be used for the first time by the participants of the 70th Russian Antarctic expedition of the Institute of Arctic and Antarctic Studies,” the document mentioned.

  • Monday, December 2nd 2024 - 09:49 UTC

    Argentina celebrates 65th Anniversary of Antarctic Treaty

    Argentina has been a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty since it entered into force in 1961

    The Government of Argentina celebrated Sunday the 65th Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty which, Buenos Aires insisted in a statement, “established the exclusively peaceful use of Antarctica and promoted scientific cooperation on the sixth continent.”

  • Friday, November 29th 2024 - 10:00 UTC

    Schmidt Ocean Institute will explore South Atlantic Ocean in 2025

    The Institute’s research vessel, the Falcor(too), will map the waters surrounding the Antarctic Peninsula in the Bellingshausen Sea in early 2025.

    The California based Schmidt Ocean Institute (*) has announced its 2025 expedition schedule will take it to the South Atlantic Ocean, including Antarctica, South Georgia, Patagonian shelf, Mar del Plata and Uruguay.

  • Wednesday, November 27th 2024 - 07:59 UTC

    HMS Protector expedition to study impact of tourism and climate change in Antarctica

    The researchers from the University of Portsmouth, Dr Keiron Roberts and Dr Adele Julier, joined ice breaker HMS Protector for intensive weeks of scientific work (Pic Royal Navy)

    Scientists will study the impact of tourism and climate change on one of the world’s most unique and fragile environments during a Royal Navy expedition to Antarctica.

  • Wednesday, November 27th 2024 - 02:40 UTC

    Sunday was World Walrus Day, with some 25,000 along the Atlantic

    Reaching more than 3m long and weighing over a ton, walruses regularly spend most of their time on sea ice. They need ice to breed and to rest

    From their unmistakable tusks to their characteristic bristles (the envy of many a ‘Movember’ moustache!), the walrus is one of the Arctic’s most iconic species, and today (Sunday 24 November) is World Walrus Day!

  • Thursday, November 21st 2024 - 10:00 UTC

    Drones and images from space to count elephant seals in South Georgia

    Elephant seals viewed from a drone on South Georgia (Pic BAS)

    A team of researchers are using drones and satellite images from space to count southern elephant seals on the sub-Antarctic Island of South Georgia. Using remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) to capture detailed ‘on the ground’ photos; the team will compare these with satellite imagery taken from space. This work will update the last island-wide census, conducted nearly 30-years ago.

  • Saturday, November 16th 2024 - 10:56 UTC

    Argentina to open squid season South of parallel 44, January 2025

    The chronogram points out that between parallels 49 and 52 South, the opening of the squid season starts at zero hour of 2 January 2025.

    The Argentine Federal Fisheries Council decided to approve the opening of the next squid season south of parallel 44, beginning 10 January 2025. The decision responds to requests from two Argentine fishing organizations, CAPA and CEPA, with the purpose of optimizing catches and ensures the sustainability of the resource, with zone openings by stages and specific operational conditions of the fleet.

  • Monday, November 4th 2024 - 20:08 UTC

    New deep-sea video uncovers remarkable details of Shackleton’s Endurance wreck

    The leather boot may have belonged to Frank Wild, Shackleton’s second-in-command. “These are priceless historic treasures,” Bound added

    A recently released deep-sea video by the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust (FMHT) unveils remarkable finds aboard Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary ship Endurance, which sank over a century ago.

  • Saturday, November 2nd 2024 - 12:57 UTC

    New documentary “Endurance” chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton's legendary Antarctic voyage

    It will air on National Geographic starting 1 November, followed by Disney+ and Hulu from 2 November.

    A new documentary titled Endurance has premiered, bringing to life the remarkable survival story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated 1914 Antarctic expedition. The film, from National Geographic Documentary Films, combines restored archival footage of the century-old expedition with the modern-day quest to discover the wreckage of Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, which was found in 2022. The documentary is directed by Academy Award® winners Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, along with BAFTA® nominee Natalie Hewit.