An international group of scientists has observed a sudden increase in ice loss on the Southern Antarctic Peninsula, what was previously thought to be a stable region of Antarctica. Led by scientists from the University of Bristol (UK), the group has published their observations in the latest edition of Science. Using measurements of the elevation […]
Tag Archives | Antarctica
Viable ecosystems found in subglacial lake deep beneath West Antarctic Ice Sheet
Analysis of water samples taken from subglacial Lake Whillans – hidden beneath 2,600 feet of ice in Antarctica – has revealed a diverse and exotic microbial community. This provides the first definitive evidence that a functional microbial ecosystem exists beneath the Antarctic ice sheet, confirmingmore than a decade of speculation. The finding, detailed in the […]
New type of avian flu found in Antarctic penguins
An international team of researchers has identified a previously unknown avian influenza virus in a group of Adelie penguins from Antarctica. The new virus is described in a study published this week in mBio. Other research groups have previously detected influenza antibodies in Antarctic birds, but until now no one had detected an actual live […]
Ancient microbes found beneath ice of Antarctic lake
Scientists have discovered a viable community of bacteria that survives in a pitch-black, salty, and sub-zero environment beneath nearly 20 meters of ice in one of Antarctica’s most isolated lakes. Lake Vida, the largest of several lakes found in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, contains no oxygen and possesses the highest nitrous oxide levels of any […]
Glaciers May Be Shrinking But Antarctic Ice Sheet Gains Mass
While some climate change research suggests that global sea levels are rising due to global warming and the shrinkage of glaciers, a new study in Science has found that the interior of the East Antarctic ice sheet is actually gaining mass. Curt Davis, a researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia, observed the ice sheet over […]
Antarctic Glaciers In Widespread Retreat
Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducting a study of Antarctic glaciers have found that over the last 50 years, 87 percent of the 244 glaciers studied have retreated, and that average retreat rates have accelerated. The study was based on aerial and satellite photographs and was published […]