New water circulation pattern discovered in Antarctic Ross Ice Shelf
An underwater robot operated by Cornell University has revealed a previously unknown water circulation pattern in a crevasse within the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica.
Ozone hole over Antarctica soars to one of its largest sizes on record, Hunga Tonga eruption possible cause
On September 16, 2023, a significantly large ozone hole stretched over Antarctica, covering an area of 26 million km3 (10.04 million mi3), prompting a deeper look into the possible causes. The fluctuating size of the ozone hole is a yearly phenomenon, with a notable increase from August to October, and a decrease as temperatures in the southern hemisphere’s stratosphere rise towards the year’s end.
Concordia station records Antarctica’s lowest January temperature on record
The temperature at Concordia weather station in Antarctica dropped to -51.2 °C (-60.1 °F) at 18:18 UTC on January 31, 2023, marking the lowest January temperature in Antarctica since meteorological observations there started in 1956.
Decades-long growing rift in Brunt Ice Shelf finally breaks, creating new iceberg, Antarctica
On January 22, 2023, a massive rift on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica finally gave way, resulting in the formation of a new iceberg measuring 1 550 km2 (~600 mi2). The U.S. National Ice Center has named it Iceberg A-81. The rift, spanning most of the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica, appeared ready to spawn an iceberg in 2019, posing an uncertain future for scientific infrastructure and a human presence on the shelf that was first established in 1955 by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
New 2022 world’s lowest temperature set on April 14 at the Vostok Station, Antarctica
A new 2022 world’s lowest temperature was set on April…
South Pole registers coldest winter on record
A weather station at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station registered record cold winter temperatures this season (April – September), averaging at -61.1 °C (-77.9 °F) and breaking the previous record set in 1976 at -60.6 °C (-77 °F). Weather records…
Large meteoritic event over Antarctica 430 000 years ago
An international team of scientists has found new evidence that a low-altitude meteoritic event occurred over Antarctica 430 000 years ago. Cosmic particles recovered on the summit of Walnumfjellet indicate that an unusual touchdown event reached the continent's…
Scientists discover east Antarctica’s magnetic link to its ancient neighbors in Gondwana
An international team of scientists was able to determine where Antarctica has been linked to its former neighbors in the supercontinent Gondwana. Using geology and satellites, the researchers discovered high-resolution details about the missing links between…
Shallow M7.1 earthquake hits South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
An intense earthquake swarm continues in Bransfield Strait, Antarctica, with a very strong and shallow earthquake registered by CSN Chile and EMSC as M7.1 at 23:36 UTC on January 23, 2021. USGS is reporting it as M6.9 at a depth of 9.6 km (6 miles). The epicenter…
Antarctica hit by 30 000 earthquakes in 3 months
More than 30 000 earthquakes have been registered in the Bransfield Strait, an ocean channel between the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, since the end of August 2020, according to the University of Chile. The strait is now expanding 15 cm (6…