Latest Antarctica Stories
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online In a new study that ends 20 years of uncertainty, an international team of satellite experts have produced the most accurate assessment of ice losses from Antarctica and Greenland to date. Published in the journal Science, the landmark study shows that the melting of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets has contributed 11.1 millimeters to global sea levels since 1992, amounting to one fifth of all sea level rise over the survey...
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An international team of experts supported by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) has combined data from multiple satellites and aircraft to produce the most comprehensive and accurate assessment to date of ice sheet losses in Greenland and Antarctica and their contributions to sea level rise. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO ) In a landmark study published Thursday in the journal Science, 47...
COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The melting rate of certain glaciers in Antarctica is unmistakably accelerating and the most direct link to global warming is in the unknown adjustment of the surrounding Southern Ocean. That leads to not only an uncertain future stability of the icy continent but also raises questions about the pace of sea level rise around the world, according to work by a Texas A&M University researcher. (Logo:...
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online A rapid response between global temperatures and ice volume/sea-level that could lead to sea-levels rising by over 3 feet have been revealed by a new study from the University of Southampton. Global ice-volume variability has been one of the main feedback mechanisms in climate change during the last few million years. This is because of the strong reflective properties of large ice sheets. Scientists reconstruct ice volume...
Alan McStravick for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online A new study by NASA and the British Antarctic Survey tries to explain the increase of ice cover in the Antarctic that is seemingly contrary to the effects of climate change that have been witnessed over the previous two decades. In their report, they purport they have the first direct evidence that this increase in sea ice cover is due to changing winds that have had an impact on the changes to Antarctic sea ice drift. The...
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online While global warming has caused extensive melting of sea ice in the Arctic region in recent years, the opposite phenomenon has been occurring in Antarctica, and now experts believe they've discovered the reason why. In a report released Sunday, a team of scientists revealed that shifting wind patterns surrounding the southernmost continent have resulted in slight increase in regional sea ice. That conclusion comes following an...
ESA The first plane to reach Antarctic research base Concordia in nine months landed yesterday, bringing fresh food and replacements for the crew that spent winter in one of the most isolated places on Earth. Summer has definitely arrived. Concordia research station in Antarctica is a place of extremes. In winter, no sunlight is seen for almost four months and the typical crew of 12-15 live in complete isolation. In summer, the Sun stays above the horizon and over 50 scientists flock to...
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online New research, partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), shows that the breeding population of chinstrap penguins has significantly declined as temperatures have increased on the Antarctic Peninsula. Changing climatic conditions, rather than the impact of tourism, has the greatest effect on the chinstrap population. The findings of this study, conducted by a research team with the Antarctic Site Inventory (ASI), have...
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online The future of Australia’s once highly touted Wilkins airstrip, built to link the country with its research stations in Antarctica, is in jeopardy as warmer temperatures have caused the $46-million runway carved from glacial ice to soften and melt. The Australian government announced on Wednesday that it was looking at both temporary and permanent alternatives for supplying its research stations on the frozen continent. "There...
Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online Over the past few years, researchers have consistently shown an overall decrease in the size of the Arctic ice cap—particularly during the summer months when the most melting occurs. However, a new study from NASA scientists has shown that this melt off around the Arctic is accompanied by the record expansion of sea ice around Antarctica, when the Southern Hemisphere is experiencing its colder temperatures of the year....
Latest Antarctica 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 Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii) is a true seal in the Phocidae family, and can only be found on pack ice in Antarctica. This species was formally described by James Clark Ross in 1841, during his British Antarctic Expedition. It is very uncommon to see in its range and rarely leaves the pack ice, with stray individuals occurring off southeast Australia or sub-Antarctic islands. The Ross seal can reach an average length between 5.5 and 6.9 feet, although some females can reach up to 8.2...
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 Antarctic Silverfish, (Pleuragramma antarcticum), is a member of the Notothenioidei family of fish. It is widely distributed around the Antarctic, but has largely disappeared from the western side of the northern Antarctic Peninsula based on 2010 research funded by the National Science Foundation. It is also found throughout the Southern Ocean. It grows to an average size of 6 inches, but has been known to reach lengths of up to 10 inches. It is usually pink with a silver tint, and...
Cryolophosaurus, meaning "cold crest lizard", is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic Period (Pliensbachian Age). It is known from the Hanson Formation (previously known as the Upper Falla Formation). It was discovered by paleontologist Dr. William Hammer in 1991. It was the first carnivorous dinosaur to be discovered in Antarctica. It was also the first dinosaur from Antarctica to be officially named. Dr. William Hammer and his team unearthed the dinosaur during the...
