When iceberg A68 calved from Antarctica's Larsen C Ice Shelf it exposed an undersea ecosystem hidden for 120,000 years. To understand how this ecosystem will respond to environmental changes, a team led by the British Antarctic Survey will explore the 5,818 km² (2,246 mi²) of newly-exposed seabed.
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Deep beneath Antartica’s glaciers, formed by steam from active volcanos, are extensive subglacial cave networks. A team has, for the time, examined soil samples for traces of DNA and revealed these caves could hold a much more diverse set of organisms than previously thought.
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Scientists working in Antarctica have drilled the oldest ice core ever found. Dating back an estimated 2.7 million years, this ice sample is more than 1.5 million years older than any other previously recovered and offers a rich insight into the climate of the planet millions of years ago.
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You may have found some old leftovers at the back of your fridge, but they're likely to pale in comparison to a fruitcake recently found in one of the huts used by Captain Robert Falcon Scott during his ill-fated expedition of 1910-13. The "almost edible" fruitcake is over a hundred years old.
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On July 12, a giant iceberg was born as a chunk some 6,000 km2 (2,300 mi2) broke away from the Larsen C ice shelf in Antarctica. But it seems the saga isn’t over yet: the remaining cracks are spreading towards a feature that’s integral to the stability of the rest of the ice shelf.
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An Antarctic suspense story has come to an end with one of the largest icebergs ever observed breaking off the Larsen C Ice Shelf. The slow-motion breakup was closely monitored by scientists, who say that the 6,000 km² (2,300 mi²) ice floe represents 10 percent of the shelf.
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The Larson C ice shelf in Antarctica is creeping closer to breaking off, and when it does, it’s set to form one of the biggest icebergs on record. The ESA’s CryoSat is keeping watch from above, and scientists have now estimated the dimensions of this inevitable iceberg and where it might drift.
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Boaty McBoatface, arguably the most famous scientific submersible in the world, has returned to port triumphant after completing its first Antarctic mission. During the expedition, the submarine tested its operational capabilities while gathering valuable scientific data at extreme depths.
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Scientists observing the rift in the Larsen C Ice Shelf in West Antarctica have reported dramatic cracking over the past week. The rift has grown 11 miles (17 km) over the last seven days, bringing it to within 8 mi (13 km) of breaking off and producing one of the largest ever recorded icebergs.
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According to a new study, Antarctica is increasingly turning green in response to rising temperatures. Researchers from the University of Exeter have taken core samples from moss banks along the Antarctic Peninsula, and found that biological activity has ramped up massively over the last 50 years.
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