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Articles on Antarctica

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An Antarctic icebreaker sails past a penguin. But conservationists are still waiting for their own breakthrough. John B. Weller

Why are talks over an East Antarctic marine park still deadlocked?

Australia is among nations calling for a 1 million square km marine park off East Antarctica. But Russia and China remain opposed, and a recent summit yet again failed to seal the deal.
Clouds over Australia’s Davis Research Station, containing ice particles that activate ozone-depleting chemicals, triggering the annual ozone hole. Barry Becker/BOM/AAD

After 30 years of the Montreal Protocol, the ozone layer is gradually healing

The treaty to limit the destruction of the ozone layer is hailed as the most successful environmental agreement of all time. Three decades on, the ozone layer is slowly but surely returning to health.
Melting Antarctic ice can trigger effects on the other side of the globe. NASA/Jane Peterson

How Antarctic ice melt can be a tipping point for the whole planet’s climate

The climate secrets contained in an ancient tree that lived through abrupt global change reveal how Antarctica can trigger rapid warming in the north by dumping cold water into the Southern Ocean.
The analysis of large amounts of ice from Antarctica’s Taylor Valley has helped scientists to tease apart the natural and human-made sources of the potent greenhouse gas methane. Hinrich Schaefer

Antarctic ice reveals that fossil fuel extraction leaks more methane than thought

Analysis of 12,000-year-old Antarctic ice reveals that methane leaks from fossil fuel extraction play a larger role than previously thought.
The authors have collaborated on an Antarctic research project, investigating tiny ice crystals and their role in climate. Gabby O'Connor's Studio Antarctica/Johanna Mechem

When artists get involved in research, science benefits

When artists and scientists get together, they fuel each other’s creativity and inquiry.
Celebrity cows: Southern Girl and Iceberg enjoy a ‘hay cocktail’ at the Commodore Hotel in New York. Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center, contact for re-use

Cows in Antarctica? How one expedition milked them for all their worth

What would possess an Antarctic expedition to take dairy cows to the icy continent? Back in 1933, Admiral Byrd did so for reasons of image-making, publicity and territorial ambition.
The crack along the Larsen C ice has grown significantly over the past few weeks. EPA/NASA/John Sonntag

Don’t worry about the huge Antarctic iceberg – worry about the glaciers behind it

A huge iceberg is set to break free from Antarctica. While the iceberg isn’t hugely concerning, it could herald the breakup of the entire Larsen C ice shelf, which could trigger more sea-level rise.
Adélie penguin at the Mt Siple breeding colony, West Antarctica. Jasmine Lee

The winners and losers of Antarctica’s great thaw

Climate change is set to expand Antarctica’s ice-free area, potentially helping native species to flourish but also paving the way for invasive species to gain a foothold.
Furious winds keep the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Anarctica free of snow and ice. Calcites found in the valleys have revealed the secrets of ancient subglacial volcanoes. Stuart Rankin/Flickr

Volcanoes under the ice: melting Antarctic ice could fight climate change

Melting ice from Antartica could feed vast plankton blooms, trapping carbon in the ocean. To understand this complex mechanism, researchers looked at volcanoes deep under glaciers.

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