Latest antarctic Stories
Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) Combines Research and EducationIn a unique and complex example of "science diplomacy," teams of U.S. and Swedish scientists are sailing this month aboard two research vessels to study the ecology of the Amundsen Sea, one of the least-explored and most productive bodies in Antarctic waters, and to gauge the potential effects of a changing climate on the Southern Ocean.The joint American and Swedish expedition, involving...
The National Science Foundation has signed a five-year, $34.5-million agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to operate a unique telescope--a cubic kilometer in volume--buried in the Antarctic ice sheet between 1,400 meters and 2,400 meters deep.The collaborative agreement covers the cost of operating the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, located in the ice under the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The observatory records the rare collisions of neutrinos, elusive sub-atomic...
NASA will hold a media teleconference at 2 p.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 15, from Punta Arenas, Chile, to discuss the agency's Operation IceBridge. Researchers are using seven instruments aboard NASA's DC-8 flying laboratory to map Antarctic ice surfaces and the features hidden below. The data are critical for understanding the dynamics of ice in West Antarctica and its impact on sea-level rise.During the briefing, IceBridge scientists will provide an overview of the multi-year mission and an...
An Indian mission leader said Saturday that the country will have its first scientific expedition to the South Pole on Monday to analyze environmental changes in the frozen continent over the past 1,000 years. Rasik Ravindra, head of the National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research, is going to lead the team of seven Indian scientists on the 40-day expedition from an Indian research base in the Antarctic to the South Pole. "No one has taken the route we will be taking to the South...
Gravity field satellites observe for the first time the fluctuations of ice mass of the Antarctic ice sheet due to El NinoThe change in the ice mass covering Antarctica is a critical factor in global climate events. Scientists at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences have now found that the year by year mass variations in the western Antarctic are mainly attributable to fluctuations in precipitation, which are controlled significantly by the climate phenomenon El Nino. They examined...
Searching below the surface of Antarctica for the mysterious neutrinoThere's nothing like temperatures that can reach minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit to keep you on your toes.For engineers Erik Verhagen and Camille Parisel, working in Antarctica on a project appropriately called "IceCube" is both challenging and exciting.While there are ways to get used to the harsh climate, these experts have to be very resourceful to fix technical difficulties so far away from...
Scientists returned this week to the Southern Hemisphere where NASA's Operation IceBridge mission is set to begin its second year of airborne surveys over Antarctica. The mission monitors the region's changing sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers.Researchers will make flights from Punta Arenas, Chile, on NASA's DC-8, a 157-foot airborne laboratory equipped with a suite of seven instruments. The focus is on re-surveying areas that are undergoing rapid change and embarking on new lines of...
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Scientists returned this week to the Southern Hemisphere where NASA's Operation IceBridge mission is set to begin its second year of airborne surveys over Antarctica. The mission monitors the region's changing sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO) Researchers will make flights from Punta Arenas, Chile, on NASA's DC-8, a...
WOOLRICH, Pa., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- For 180 years adventurers and travelers have relied on Woolrich apparel to help them reach some of the world's tallest peaks and most remote destinations. This fall, Woolrich returns to one of the world's coldest regions, Antarctica, in support of a unique scientific exploration. Woolrich first supported polar exploration in 1939 when it outfitted Admiral Byrd's third Antarctic expedition, which included extensive study of geology, biology,...
WATERBURY, Vt., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Quark Expeditions and SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment announced that California writer and photographer Chris Epting was awarded the grand prize in the Adventure with Julie competition that closed August 31, 2010. Chris was chosen by a panel of judges from five finalists, identified by popular vote. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100910/NE62314 ) (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100910/NE62314 ) Chris entered the...
Latest antarctic Reference Libraries
Antarctica is the Earths southernmost continent; it contains the geographic South Pole. It’s situated in the Antarctic area of the Southern Hemisphere, almost completely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is bordered by the Southern Ocean. It’s the fifth-largest continent at 5.4 million sq miles. On average, it is the driest, coldest, and windiest continent as well as having the highest average elevation of all the continents. Considered a desert, the annual precipitation is only 8...
The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) is a large true seal in the Lobodontini tribe. It is native to Antarctica, with its range consisting of a large “ring” that surrounds Antarctica. This seal will spend most of its time in the water instead of on land. The Weddell seal appears on the IUCN Red List with a conservation status of “Least Concern”. It is estimated this seal numbers over 800,000 individuals in the wild. First discovered in 1820s by a British sealing captain...
The crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus) is a true seal that can be found around the whole of Antarctica. Its range also includes small areas in South America, New Zealand, Africa, and Australia. It resides on the pack ice zone for the entire year, even as it shifts seasonally, and prefers to stay in the continental shelf area in water with a depth of less than 1,968 feet. Because the populations are so wide spread and are sufficiently mixed, there have been no subspecies found. Because...
The subantarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) was described by John Edward Gray, in 1872, when he recovered an individual from Australia, and this was the cause of the improper name of tropicalis. This seal can be found mainly in southern areas of the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean. It has a wide range, but prefers to breed in areas that are more northern than the Antarctic fur seal, as its name indicates. Gough Island located in the South Atlantic and Ile Amsterdam located in the...
The Antarctic Sea Urchin (Sterechinus neumayeri), is a species of sea urchin in the family Echinidae. It is found in the Antarctic Ocean living on the seafloor. It is common around the circumpolar waters, including the Balleny Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Terra Nova Bay, and Victoria Land. It is found at depths of about 820 feet. The colors of this species range from bright red to dull purple and can grow to 2 inches in diameter. The test (shell) is globular with...
