Antarctica

Melting of Antartica's Thwaites Glacier observed by underwater robot: Study

Widespread cracks and crevasses were revealed in observations beneath the floating shelf of the vulnerable Thwaites Glacier of the Antarctic, where melting occurs more rapidly, contributing to its retreat and potentially to sea-level rise, according to a new study. The first-of-their-kind observations of the Florida-sized glacier was obtained by deploying the remotely operated Icefin underwater robot through a nearly 2,000-foot-deep borehole drilled in the ice, the study said. The research team from Cornell University, US, and international collaborators, captured the first close-up views of the critical point near the grounding line where Thwaites Glacier in western Antarctica - one of the continent's fastest changing and most unstable glaciers - meets the Amundsen Sea, the study said. From that area, the researchers concluded that Thwaites has retreated smoothly and steadily up the ocean floor since at least 2011. They found that flat sections covering much of the ice shelf's bas

Ozone layer slowly healing, hole to mend by 2066: United Nations report

Earth's protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says. A once-every-four-years scientific assessment found recovery in progress, more than 35 years after every nation in the world agreed to stop producing chemicals that chomp on the layer of ozone in Earth's atmosphere that shields the planet from harmful radiation linked to skin cancer, cataracts and crop damage. In the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole we see things getting better," said Paul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment. The progress is slow, according to the report presented Monday at the American Meteorological Society convention in Denver. The global average amount of ozone 18 miles (30 kilometers) high in the atmosphere won't be back to 1980 pre-thinning levels until about 2040, the report said. And it won't be back to normal in the Arctic until 2045. Antarctica, where it's so thin ..

Explained: What is Indian Antarctic Bill 2022 and why is it important

The Indian Antarctic Bill provides a regulatory framework for India's Antarctic activities through legal mechanisms

Irreversible damage

Erosion of glaciers must be slowed

What is driving heatwaves in Antarctica, Arctic & their impact on wildlife

Record-breaking heatwaves hit both Antarctica and the Arctic simultaneously this week, with temperatures reaching 47 degree C and 30 degree C higher than normal.

Global warming must stay below this level for west Antarctica's ice sheet

Scientists expect sea-level rise will exacerbate the damage from storm surges and coastal floods during the coming decades

Antarctica heading for climate crisis if carbon emissions aren't cut

Scientists say Antarctic ice sheet has physical tipping points, beyond which ice loss can accelerate out of control.

Third of Antarctic ice shelf area at collapse risk due to global warming

Over a third of the Antarctic's ice shelf area may be at risk of collapsing into the sea if global temperatures reach four degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, according to a study

Coronavirus pandemic reaches Antarctica, last untouched continent

Chilean authorities announced that 58 people that were at two military bases in Antarctica or on a navy ship that went to the continent tested positive for the new coronavirus

The Arctic, one place you don't want to get green is getting greener

Responsible for Earth's cooling, Arctic's sea ice cover shrank by 3.74 million square km in 2020

Vegetables to pajamas: Airlines invent ways to make money amid pandemic

Japan's ANA Holdings Inc. sold tickets for a charter flight to nowhere

Astronomers' paradise: The coldest and most remote point in Antarctica

Here on Earth, one can escape the grip of our zest for luminescence and seek out a remote corner of the world where nights are still black except for the distant stars

Mysterious, massive hole reopens in Antarctic sea ice: All you need to know

Ocean convection occurs within the polynya bringing warmer water to the surface that melts the sea ice

Deal struck for world's biggest marine reserve in Antarctica

Consensus is needed from all 24 member countries and the European Union

Antarctica now has a jaw-dropping luxury hotel

Go to the South Pole without roughing it at all

Why Antarctica isn't facing global warming threats

The study resolves a scientific conundrum, and an inconsistent pattern of warming often seized on by climate deniers