Environment

• Monday, May 8th 2017 - 17:50 UTC

  The Falklands penguins that would not explode

  

  The Falklands and the efforts to clear minefields left by the Argentine invasion in 1982, which have become de facto nature reserves for penguins, will be aired on BBC Radio 4 under the heading of “Listen to Exploding Penguins”, presented by Peter Gibbs and produced by Matthew Teller. The presentation will be Tuesday 9 May at 15:30 UK time.

• Friday, May 5th 2017 - 10:53 UTC

  Falkland Islands basin shows signs of being among world's largest craters

  

  A basin in the Falkland Islands exhibits traits of a large impact crater, according to a new analysis by a team of United States, Argentine and Paraguayan scientists. The structure measures approximately 250 kilometers, or more than 150 miles, in diameter and is described in the latest issue of the journal Terra Nova.

• Friday, May 5th 2017 - 07:47 UTC

  Falklands discusses Brexit impact on environmental funding with UKOTs

  

  The consequences of the UK leaving the European Union on environmental funding of UK Overseas Territories (UKOTs) which includes the Falklands, was the subject of a meeting in Aldernay between representatives of 11 territories last week.

• Tuesday, May 2nd 2017 - 22:31 UTC

  BAS describes how warm, dry winds weaken Antarctic ice shelves

  

  New research describes for the first time the role that warm, dry winds play in influencing the behaviour of Antarctic ice shelves. Making a presentation at a European conference scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) explain how spring and summer winds, known as föhn winds, are prevalent on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, West Antarctica and creating melt pools.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 10:17 UTC

  Argentine Icebreaker Irizar is back undergoing sea trials, readying for Antarctica sailing

  

  Argentina's Navy icebreaker ARA Almirante Irizar is back on sea trials following almost ten years of recovery and refurbishing after she caught fire in 2007 when returning from Antarctica and was considered almost a wreck given the magnitude of the damages experienced.

• Thursday, April 27th 2017 - 09:55 UTC

  Major cruise line fined US$ 40 million for deliberate vessel pollution

  

  A major cruise line with ships that call on the Caribbean will have to pay a US$40 million penalty, the largest-ever for crimes involving deliberate vessel pollution. The sentence has been imposed on Princess Cruise Lines Ltd by US District Judge Patricia Seitz in Miami, for illegally dumping oil-contaminated waste overboard and falsifying official logs to conceal the discharges.

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 08:10 UTC

  Twelve million penguins in Antarctica, according to the 2017 SOAP report

  

  April 25 is World Penguin Day, timed to coincide with the annual northward march to the sea of Antarctic penguins, as autumn edges toward winter in that part of the world. There are 12 million penguins in Antarctica, according to a new report – the inaugural State Of Antarctic Penguins 2017 (SOAP) report – also released on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, April 26th 2017 - 07:45 UTC

  On World Penguin Day scientists call for more protection of Antarctic wildlife

  

  The world needs to do more to protect the Antarctic wilderness and its wildlife, scientists warned Tuesday, as they marked World Penguin Day. The flightless seabirds—a favorite with children for their clumsy, waddling gait—offer a useful yardstick for researchers to judge the health of their habitat

• Tuesday, April 25th 2017 - 06:28 UTC

  Major earthquake rocks Santiago: no human losses, energy and cell phone networks partially down

  

  A strong earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck off the west coast of Chile on Monday, rocking the capital Santiago and briefly causing alarm along the Pacific Coast but sparing the quake-prone nation of any serious damage. The quake was centered about 137 km from Santiago, and some 35 km west of the coastal city of Valparaiso.

• Saturday, April 22nd 2017 - 13:00 UTC

  Cruise to assess micro-plastic pollution in Spain's northern waters and sediments

  

  Researchers from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) have started an oceanographic survey to assess micro-plastic contamination in both water and sediments off the coast of Galicia and Cantabria.