Latest Polynya Stories

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....

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...

Researchers from German Alfred Wegener Institute and KlimaCampus present forecasts on September minimumA critical minimum for Arctic sea ice can also be expected for late summer 2010. Scientists from the German "Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association (AWI)" in Bremerhaven and from "KlimaCampus" of the University of Hamburg have now published their projections in the current Sea Ice Outlook. The online publication compares the...

Frozen in time"¦ frozen in place"¦ frozen solid"¦ All of these phrases have been used to describe Antarctica, and yet they all belie the truth about this southerly point on the globe. Although the area is covered in ice and bears witness to some of the most extreme cold on the planet, this ecosystem is dynamic, not static, and change here has always been dramatic and intense. A report published in the March issue of Ecology argues that the extreme cold and environmental conditions of past...

Goddard -- Observations and computer models have long proven that the Arctic plays an important role in maintaining a stable climate on Earth. However, significant changes in the Arctic environment, especially those over the past decade, could lead to dramatic swings in weather and climate patterns across the rest of the globe, with potentially far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and human populations. Societies that have adapted to their current climates may be faced with highly...