All articles tagged with #antarctica
A new Antarctic Science study suggests Blood Falls’ rust-red color comes from iron oxide formed when the Taylor Glacier's heavy subglacial brine experiences pressure-driven bursts, linking glacier dynamics to subglacial hydrology; climate-change effects on the region remain uncertain.
New research published in Antarctic Science explains Blood Falls: the red water is iron oxide formed by ancient subterranean bacteria, while the liquid is a hypersaline brine kept unfrozen at -20°C; eruptions occur when pressure builds in subglacial channels beneath Taylor Glacier, forcing brine out in bursts and briefly slowing the glacier, with warming's future effects still unknown.
Scientists completed a seven-year upgrade to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory by drilling six holes about 1.5 miles deep at the South Pole and stringing hundreds of light sensors through the ice, creating a denser network to catch fleeting neutrino footprints and help answer fundamental questions about the universe.
An underwater camera off the South Shetland Islands captured the first footage of a sleeper shark in Antarctic waters at about 1,608 feet depth, suggesting the species ranges farther south than previously known; researchers from Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre note that ocean warming could be expanding its habitat.
New findings show iron released from melting West Antarctic ice is chemically altered and not usable by marine algae, potentially reducing the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide. If ice loss continues, less algae could form, diminishing carbon uptake and possibly accelerating warming and sea-level rise.
A new study maps Antarctica’s gravity hole and shows it has strengthened over tens of millions of years, coinciding with major climate shifts and glacier growth. Using global earthquake data to 'scan' the planet’s interior, researchers aim to understand how interior gravitational changes might influence ice-sheet dynamics and sea levels, though a direct causal link isn’t yet proven.
A multinational team drilled beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, reaching 523 meters of ice and 228 meters of ancient rock and sediment, and found marine organisms and shell fragments that indicate parts of the region were once open ocean. These findings shed light on past warmer climates over the last roughly 23 million years and could help improve predictions of future sea-level rise as the ice sheet retreat cycles are better understood.
A high‑resolution survey around Antarctica identified 332 submarine canyons, some deeper than 4,000 meters, with distinct eastern and western morphologies that challenge prior climate assumptions. These canyons regulate exchanges between the continental shelf and the deep Southern Ocean, channeling warm water toward ice shelves to accelerate melting while exporting freshwater that influences global ocean circulation. The dataset enables more realistic seafloor topography in climate models, though direct flow measurements are still limited and further mooring/observational campaigns are planned.
A Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre camera off the South Shetland Islands captured a 3-4 meter sleeper shark at about 490-500 meters depth in near-freezing 1.27°C water, challenging the belief that sharks don’t inhabit the Antarctic Ocean. Researchers say the population there is likely sparse and hard to detect, and warming oceans could drive sharks toward the region, with limited year-round monitoring at that depth leaving room for surprises.
Scientists drilled 523 meters through the Crary Ice Rise on the Ross Ice Shelf and recovered 228 meters of sediment, finding evidence that parts of West Antarctica were once open ocean as recently as about 23 million years ago. The findings help decode past ocean temperatures and environmental conditions to improve predictions of future ice loss and sea‑level rise; samples are being analyzed in New Zealand after transport from Antarctica.
Scientists link Antarctica’s Blood Falls red plume to a subglacial brine drainage event beneath Taylor Glacier, showing the red water is a signal of pressure changes and hidden water movement under the ice. The discharge temporarily lowered surface ice velocity and disturbed lake stratification, highlighting a tight ice–rock–lake connection and suggesting expanded sensor networks for future study.
Satellites from EUMETSAT, GEO-KOMPSAT-2A, and NOAA’s GOES-19 captured striking views of the Feb. 17 annular solar eclipse as the Moon’s shadow crossed Antarctica, highlighting the ring-of-fire and noting a total lunar eclipse will occur on March 3.
An international SWAIS2C team drilled a 523‑metre hole through West Antarctica’s Crary Ice Rise to recover a 228‑metre sediment core—the deepest ever retrieved beneath an ice sheet. Preliminary dating, based on fossilized algae, suggests a 23‑million-year archive that includes warmer-than-present periods, providing new insight into how far the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has retreated in the past and whether warming could trigger irreversible loss, with significant implications for future sea levels.
Scientists using an undersea camera recorded the first footage of a southern sleeper shark in Antarctic waters near the South Shetland Islands at about 1,600 feet depth and 2°C. The sighting challenges the assumption that Antarctic seas are too cold for sharks and suggests a warm deeper layer may enable occasional southward incursions; climate-change–related warming could drive more sharks toward the region, but data remain sparse, underscoring the need for further study of the Antarctic ecosystem.
A Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre camera off the South Shetland Islands captured a 3–4 meter sleeper shark at about 490–500 meters depth in near-freezing 1.27°C water, possibly the first confirmed record of a shark that far south in the Antarctic Ocean; researchers note such sightings are rare due to remoteness and limited deep-water cameras, and warming oceans could be nudging species toward Antarctica.