Antarctica

• Friday, May 9th 2014 - 06:13 UTC

  Strong commitment to support Marine Protected Areas in Southern Ocean

  

  The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC) joined member states of the Antarctic Treaty, along with observer and expert organizations, in Brasilia this week to discuss measures for the protection of the Antarctic environment.

• Wednesday, May 7th 2014 - 06:21 UTC

  Live avian influenza virus discovered in Antarctica Adélie penguins

  

  Researchers have found a new type of avian influenza virus in a group of Adélie penguins (pygoscelies adeliae) from Antarctica. Aeron Hurt, PhD, a senior research scientist at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza in Melbourne, Australia, said that this is the first time that a distinct, live flu virus has been found in these birds.

• Friday, May 2nd 2014 - 08:51 UTC

  South Georgia re-adjusts license conditions to reduce sea birds by-catches

  

  One of the most significant seabird by-catches in over a decade occurred in the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) Marine Zone last week, by the Chilean longliner Antarctic Bay.

• Monday, April 28th 2014 - 23:29 UTC

  IAATO estimates 36.545 tourists will travel to Antarctica next season 2014/15

  

  New figures released on Monday by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), estimate that 36,545 tourists will travel with IAATO members to Antarctica next season, 2014-2015. The information was reported at the first day of the 37th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) in Brasilia, which IAATO attend as Invited Experts.

• Friday, April 25th 2014 - 23:19 UTC

  NASA and BAS tracking major Antarctic iceberg, B31, now in open waters

  

  NASA has lately spotted a gigantic iceberg in Antarctica, identified as B31 and together with UK's BAS (British Antarctic Survey), is busy tracking the monster island of ice, which has now escaped into open waters. Despite its sheer size and mass, --experts estimate that the giant iceberg is approximately 600 square kilometres in size--, monitoring is not going to be an easy task with the coming of the Antarctic winter and ensuing darkness.

• Friday, April 25th 2014 - 21:24 UTC

  UK £200 million new polar research vessel will ensure presence in Antarctica and he South Atlantic

  

  The British government will fund a new £200 million polar research ship to put UK scientists at the forefront of climate and ocean research in both Antarctica and the Arctic, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced on Friday in a speech.

• Friday, April 11th 2014 - 12:19 UTC

  Coins to celebrate South Georgia's Grytviken Church centenary

  

  The Treasury of South Georgia & The South Sandwich Islands have issued a new crown which celebrates the centennial of one of the Island group’s most well-known and recognized landmarks: the Grytviken Church.

• Saturday, April 5th 2014 - 03:31 UTC

  IAATO moves their office to Newport, Rhode Island

  

  The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) which currently has 116 members, announced that their office has moved from Providence to Newport, Rhode Island.

• Monday, March 31st 2014 - 16:29 UTC

  Japan abides International Court of Justice ruling to halt whaling program

  

  The UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Japan must temporarily halt its whaling program in the Antarctic. It agreed with Australia, which brought the case in May 2010, that the program was not for scientific research as claimed by Tokyo.

• Tuesday, March 25th 2014 - 22:20 UTC

  South Georgia reindeer eradication project to recover natural environment almost completed

  

  After many years of planning, and two field seasons on the ground, the main part of the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, SGSSI, Reindeer Eradication Project is now all but done, according to the latest South Georgia newsletter. An estimated 3.140 animals have been sacrificed over a six-week period.