Antarctica

• Tuesday, March 29th 2016 - 02:26 UTC

  Argentina makes official presentation of new continental shelf outer limit

  

  Argentina on Monday made the official presentation of the outer limit of its continental platform, passed by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, CLCS, on March 11, during a media conference which included officials from the foreign ministry, officers from the Navy and Coast Guard, scientists and lawmakers.

• Wednesday, March 23rd 2016 - 05:48 UTC

  Panel of experts will name the new UK polar research vessel

  

  The name of a new British polar research vessel will be chosen by a panel of experts, even if the public overwhelmingly votes to call it Boaty McBoatface. Lord West, ex-First Sea Lord, said he was rather proud “silly names” had been suggested but hoped none were chosen.

• Monday, March 14th 2016 - 23:42 UTC

  World famous toothfish poaching vessel caught and destroyed in Indonesia

  

  Indonesian authorities on Monday bombed the last major ship internationally wanted for years of illegally taking toothfish from southern waters, reiterating a strong message to would-be poachers who enter the country's waters.

• 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.

• Friday, February 26th 2016 - 07:19 UTC

  Australian icebreaker stranded in Antarctica next to Mawson Station

  

  Freezing winds are continuing to hamper the rescue of 68 people from an Australian icebreaker ship stranded in Antarctica. Aurora Australis was on a supply mission to Mawson Station when it broke its mooring and ran aground in Horseshoe Harbour on Wednesday.

• 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.

• Friday, February 19th 2016 - 04:49 UTC

  New study reveals patterns in Antarctic tourism: more visitors but highly concentrated in area

  

  Results from a new study examining 20 years of commercial cruise activity in the Antarctic Peninsula region have important implications for Antarctic visitor management. The paper was published online this week in the journal Antarctic Science, according to the latest release from IAATO.

• Thursday, February 18th 2016 - 07:16 UTC

  Russian Patriarch holds mass at the Bellingshausen Antarctic base

  

  Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill on Wednesday served mass at Russia’s Bellingshausen Antarctic station on Waterloo Island and raised a prayer for the entire world. It was the last leg of the Patriarch's Latin American tour that included a meeting with Pope Francis in Cuba, ending a Christianity schism of almost a thousand years.

• Thursday, February 18th 2016 - 06:32 UTC

  Punta Arenas expects to become homeport for an Antarctica cruise line

  

  Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile is encouraged by the cruise industry prospects for its port and facilities: this season Norwegian Sun has returned with at least ten calls and for 2016/2017 a line will be cruising to Antarctica with Punta Arenas as a home port.

• Tuesday, February 16th 2016 - 08:30 UTC

  Blocked access to food in Antarctica kills an estimated 150.000 Adelie penguins

  

  Scientists say an estimated 150,000 Adelie penguins have been wiped out on Antarctica's Cape Denison in the five years since a giant iceberg blocked their main access to food. A study recently published in the journal Antarctic Science says the B09B iceberg crashed with the Mertz Glacier Tongue and got stuck in Commonwealth Bay, an area that was rarely covered by sea-ice, making it ideal for Adelie penguin colonies.