Clues in seafloor sediments reveal that relatively warm water beneath western Antarctic ice shelves, a major factor in today's massive ice sheet retreat, also fueled some past ice loss.
Antarctica
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Notorious Ocean Current Is Far Stronger Than Previously Thought
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the only ocean current to circle the planet and the largest wind-driven current on Earth. It's also 30% more powerful than scientists realized.
Posted inScience Updates
Space Weather from a Southern Point of View
A recently completed instrument array in Antarctica provides a more complete understanding of the near-Earth space environment.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Air-Sea Interactions Influence Major Southern Wind Belt
Ocean and atmospheric data provide evidence for how sea surface temperatures affect the Southern Annular Mode.
Posted inScience Updates
New Approaches for Air-Sea Fluxes in the Southern Ocean
Air-Sea Fluxes for the Southern Ocean: Strategies and Requirements for Detecting Physical and Biogeochemical Exchanges; Frascati, Italy, 21–23 September 2015
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Antarctica Gets a New Gravity Map
A comprehensive collection of variation in Earth's gravity could aid studies of the Antarctic geoid and of Antarctica's geology and ice sheet dynamics.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Ocean Waves Vibrating the Ross Ice Shelf
Scientists use seismic stations to study ice shelf vibrations generated by ocean waves to better understand their impact on the integrity of the Ross Ice Shelf.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Tracking the Fate of Antarctica's Ice
New, more accurate satellite data provide researchers with ice shelf thickness measurements that will allow for better ice loss monitoring.
Posted inScience Updates
Drones in a Cold Climate
As climate change reshapes the Earth's polar regions, scientists turn to drone-mounted cameras to measure sea ice. One expedition found out that flying drones near Antarctica isn't easy.
Posted inScience Updates
The Future of Antarctic Subglacial Lake Exploration
Antarctic Subglacial Lake Exploration: First Results and Future Plans; Chicheley Hall, U. K.; 30–31 March 2015