» Antarctica



Antarctica: Greenpeace and EU to campaign for “largest marine protected area on Earth”

Greenpeace Press Release, 27th October 2017: Greenpeace has launched a global campaign for an Antarctic Sanctuary, covering 1.8 million square kilometres of ocean, to protect whales, penguins and other wildlife. Following a failure to agree strong marine protection in the East Antarctic [Footnote1], Greenpeace has called for governments to show “greater vision and ambition” in […]

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Huge Antarctic ice-shelf breakaway predicted, but “not climate related”

BBC News reports, 6th January 2017: An iceberg expected to be one of the 10 largest ever recorded is ready to break away from Antarctica, scientists say. A long-running rift in the Larsen C ice shelf grew suddenly in December and now just 20km of ice keeping the 5,000 sq km piece from floating away. […]

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Agreement on Antarctic marine park signed

The Guardian reports, 28th October 2016: More than 1.5m sq km of the Ross Sea around Antarctica will be protected under the deal brokered between 24 countries and the European Union. It means 1.1m sq km of it — an area about the size of France and Spain combined — will be set aside as […]

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Will Russia agree to an international marine reserve in the Ross Sea and Antarctica?

The Guardian reports, 17th October 2016: An international agreement to protect some of Antarctica’s unique and pristine marine ecosystems could be reached within a fortnight, with scientists and conservationists hopeful of a breakthrough after five years of failed negotiations. Delegates from 24 nations and the European Union gathered in Hobart on Monday to commence two […]

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A collapse in Antarctic ice sheets could raise sea levels by 2 metres by 2100

The Guardian reports, 30th March 2016: Sea levels could rise far more rapidly than expected in coming decades, according to new research that reveals Antarctica’s vast ice cap is less stable than previously thought. The UN’s climate science body had predicted up to a metre of sea level rise this century — but it did […]

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Double edged sword as Southern Ocean “regains” its capacity to absorb atmospheric CO2

The Guardian reports, 11th September 2015: The Southern Ocean has started to absorb more greenhouse gases after a period when the vast ocean’s uptake had slumped by about a half, a study has found. The ocean’s role as a crucial carbon “sink” appeared to be waning throughout the 1990s, but after 2002 it began to […]

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Further evidence of serious Antarctic ice melting

The Independent reports, 21st May 2015: A sudden and massive melting of glaciers in a part of the Antarctic that was thought to be relatively stable has been detected by satellites monitoring the polar ice sheet, scientists have said. Many glaciers in the Southern Antarctic Peninsula have become unstable since 2009, releasing vast amounts of […]

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Antarctic ice shelves melting dramatically

The Guardian reports, 26th March 2015: “The ice around the edge of Antarctica is melting faster than previously thought, potentially unlocking metres of sea-level rise in the long-term, researchers have warned. “A team of US scientists looked at 18 years’ worth of satellite data and found the floating ice shelves that skirt the continent are […]

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Collapse of West Antarctic ice sheet is “now irreversible”

Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, reports in The Observer, 17th May 2014: “Last Monday, we hosted a Nasa conference on the state of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which, it could be said, provoked something of a reaction. “This Is What a Holy Shit Moment for Global Warming Looks Like,” ran […]

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Magellanic and Adelie penguins experiencing pressure “due to climate change”

The Guardian reports, 30th January 2014: “Penguins are in peril because of extreme environmental conditions linked to climate change, research has shown. Two new studies highlight the plight of penguin colonies trying to cope with the effects of global warming in Argentina and Antarctica. At both locations, the beguiling birds face an uncertain future. Climate […]

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Marine life migrating to the Poles and cooler waters, probably due to climate change

The Guardian reports, 5th August 2013: “Rising ocean temperatures are rearranging the biological make-up of our oceans, pushing species towards the poles by 7kms every year, as they chase the climates they can survive in, according to new research. The study, conducted by a working group of scientists from 17 different institutions, gathered data from […]

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First evidence of ocean acidification affecting marine life in the Southern Ocean

The shells of marine snails – known as pteropods – living in the seas around Antarctica are being dissolved by ocean acidification according to a new study published this week in the journal Nature Geoscience. These tiny animals are a valuable food source for fish and birds and play an important role in the oceanic […]

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Steps taken to strengthen marine reserves in Antarctica

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has held its annual meetings (2012) in Hobart, Australia, resulting in new measures strengthening marine conservation in the Southern Ocean. Main outcomes of CCAMLR’s annual meeting 2012 Research will be conducted in five Antarctic areas where little or no research has previously been carried out. […]

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New evidence that seismic testing harms marine life

Scallop fishermen believe a new study will prove that seismic testing by oil and gas exploration companies in Bass Strait, Tasmania, is responsible for the deaths of marine life. The Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies will carry out the research, which will concentrate on the effects of seismic activity on scallops and rock lobsters. […]

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