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☆ Ukraine’s Troops Came From Antarctica and Ballet, and It Still Needs More Fighters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Alistair Macdonald | Oksana Pyrozhok | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BAKHMUT, Ukraine—A scientist who swapped Antarctica for Bakhmut, a famed ballet dancer and the actor who dubbed Captain America into Ukrainian all left stellar careers to fight on the front line. All three ended up hospitalized or dead, highlighting that while ordinary Ukrainians are committed, fighting with an improvised army poses danger not only for combatants but also for Ukraine’s prospects on the battlefield as it mobilizes fresh volunteers and conscripts.

☆ See inside the former Emirates Airbus A340 that flies passengers to Antarctica by landing on a runway made of ice
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

For example, the company flies a large number of scientists to and from research stations, as well as luggage, cargo, and equipment, so the A340 would be more appropriate than the G550 for those missions. Inside HiFly's Airbus A340 it flies in partnership with White Desert to Antarctica.

☆ The most dangerous cruise routes, ports, and destinations are in parts of the world where conditions are unpredictable — and help is nowhere nearby, travel analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

But some cruise destinations and routes are prone to dangerous conditions and risky activity. These are some of the most dangerous cruise locations around the world. AntarcticaThe world's southernmost continent is among the most beautiful — and dangerous — cruise destinations, according to Chiron and Klein. Cruise passengers during a lifeboat drill in the Northwest Passage near Nunavut, Canada. National Park Service via APCruise lines avoid dangerous portsWhile rough seas and high winds can make ocean travel dangerous, uncertainties on land pose their own risks for visitors.

[1/3] An Icefin is seen in the water as scientists work in the field at the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica in this undated handout picture obtained by Reuters on February 14, 2023. Becka Bower/Cornell University/Handout via REUTERSMEXICO CITY, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Scientists studying Antarctica's vast Thwaites Glacier - nicknamed the Doomsday Glacier - say warm water is seeping into its weak spots, worsening melting caused by rising temperatures, two papers published in Nature journal showed on Wednesday. As part of the International Thwaites Glacier collaboration - the biggest field campaign ever attempted in Antarctica - a team of 13 U.S. and British scientists spent about six weeks on the glacier in late 2019 and early 2020. "Warm water is getting into the weakest parts of the glacier and making it worse," Schmidt told Reuters. Scientists have previously depended on satellite images to show the behavior of the ice, making it difficult to get granular details.

☆ ‘The Ship Beneath the Ice’ Review: Endurance Found
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Michael O Donnell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

One of the best adventure books ever written begins with a failure. “The order to abandon ship was given at 5 p.m.” So opens Alfred Lansing’s “Endurance” (1959), the definitive account of Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 attempt to sail to Antarctica and cross it on foot. The eponymous ship was trapped in ice for nine months and eventually sank after being crushed by the pack. But in the Antarctic—here was a burden which challenged every atom of his strength.” His leadership and willpower kept the men’s resolve intact through months of suffering, yet his optimism faltered after the loss of the Endurance. In his diary, Shackleton recorded the ship’s sinking and then the simple line, “I cannot write about it.”

☆ Spate of passenger deaths aboard Antarctic cruises prompts Coast Guard to investigate as the 'treacherous' destination rises in popularity and access
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Coast Guard is assisting with probes into four deaths on Antarctic cruise ships last year. The small boat capsized with six passengers onboard near Elephant Island in Antarctica, the Coast Guard said. Portugal is leading the investigation while the Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board conduct a marine casualty probe into the deaths. Another American was injured in an inflatable zodiac while traveling with Norway's Viking Polaris near Damoy Point, Antarctica, according to the Coast Guard. Norway is heading both investigations stemming from the Viking Polaris, the Coast Guard said.

☆ Space power China to build ground stations on Antarctica to support satellites
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China's global network of ground stations to support a growing number of satellites and outer space ambitions has drawn concern from some nations that it could be used for espionage, a suggestion China rejects. In 2020, Sweden's state-owned space company, which had provided ground stations that helped fly Chinese spacecraft and transmit data, declined to renew contracts with China or accept new Chinese business due to "changes" in geopolitics. The project was part of broader initiatives aimed at building China's marine economy and turning China into a marine power, according to China Space News. A Chinese-built ground station in Argentina's Patagonia has stirred concerns about its purpose despite China's assurance that the station's goal is peaceful space observation and spacecraft missions. China in October launched the last of three modules of its space station, which became the second permanently inhabited outpost in low-earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station.

☆ As ice recedes, Italian ship makes record journey into Antarctic
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Jan 31 (Reuters) - An Italian ice-breaker carrying scientists researching in the Antarctic has sailed further south than any ship has done before, the organisers of the voyage said on Tuesday, a further sign of how ice is retreating around the poles. The Laura Bassi vessel reached a point with the coordinates of 78° 44.280 S in the Bay of Whales in the Ross Sea, according to Italy's National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics. The voyage was made possible by an unusual lack of ice in the area, it said. Satellite analysis last year showed that Antarctica's coastal glaciers are shedding icebergs more rapidly than nature can replenish. A previous voyage with a different vessel to the same area in 2017 came up against impenetrable ice, he said.

☆ Moving species emerges as last resort as climate warms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Moving species to save them — once considered taboo — is quickly gaining traction as climate change upends habitats. Concerns persist that the novel practice could cause unintended harm the same way invasive plants and animals have wreaked havoc on native species. “Climate change is causing a greater need for this — for taking a species outside its known historical range.”A pending change to the U.S. “In the future, some species’ ranges may shift due to climate change, or their current habitats might become unsuitable due to invasive species encroachment,” Armstrong said in an email. Humanity has been moving species around for centuries, often inadvertently and sometimes causing great harm.

☆ Scientists unearth megaraptors, feathered dinosaur fossils in Chile's Patagonia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Marion Giraldo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Scientists in Chile's Patagonia region are unearthing the southernmost dinosaur fossils recorded outside Antarctica, including remains of megaraptors that would have dominated the area's food chain before their mass extinction. The specimens, according to University of Chile researcher Jared Amudeo, had some characteristics not present in Argentine or Brazilian counterparts. "The enormous variation we are seeing, the biological diversity, was also responding to very powerful environmental stimuli," Leppe said. "This world was already in crisis before (the meteorite) and this is evidenced in the rocks of the Rio de las Chinas Valley," he said. Reporting by Marion Giraldo; Writing by Sarah Morland, Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The planet had one of its hottest years on record in 2022, as ocean heat soared and sea ice coverage in Antarctica melted to near-record lows, two federal science agencies announced Thursday. Last year was the fifth-warmest in recorded history, with global average surface temperatures that were 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit (about 0.8 degrees Celsius) warmer than the 20th century average, according to the latest yearly analysis by NASA. A separate report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that Earth had its sixth-warmest year on record. That’s not a robust change,” Gavin Schmidt, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said Thursday in a news briefing. The key thing is the long-term trends, and they’re very consistent from one record [to the next].”

☆ Blood Falls gushes red water from Antarctica's ice. It took scientists 106 years to figure out what causes its color.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

"Among the big questions here are 'how does an ecosystem function below glaciers? ', 'How are they able to persist below hundreds of meters of ice and live in permanently cold and dark conditions for extended periods of time, in the case of Blood Falls, over millions of years?," Jill Mikucki, a microbiologist and the study's lead author, said in a press release. Blood Falls overlooking Lake Bonney. Peter West / NSFSource: National Science Foundation

☆ UN says ozone layer slowly healing, hole to mend by 2066
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

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. “In the upper stratosphere and in the ozone hole we see things getting better,” said Paul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment. Natural weather patterns in the Antarctic also affect ozone hole levels, which peak in the fall. A third generation of those chemicals, called HFC, was banned a few years ago not because it would eat at the ozone layer but because it is a heat-trapping greenhouse gas. The report also warned that efforts to artificially cool the planet by putting aerosols into the atmosphere to reflect the sunlight would thin the ozone layer by as much as 20% in Antarctica.

☆ Bernard Kalb, longtime foreign affairs newsman, dies at 100
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

“You have a historical memory to call upon and you see the trust of American foreign policy and other foreign policy,” he said. “Anything that hurts America’s credibility, hurts America.”New York Times columnist William Safire praised the resignation. “In his final official act, Bernard Kalb rose above ‘State Department spokesman’ to become the spokesman for all Americans who respect and demand the truth,” Safire wrote. At CBS Marvin and Bernard were known as “The Kalbs,” but Bernard lived somewhat in the shadow of his younger brother. One widely circulated, but apocryphal, story had their mother calling the CBS foreign desk in New York and saying: “Hello, this is Marvin Kalb’s mother.

☆ The Earth's ozone layer is slowly recovering, UN report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

In this NASA false-color image, the blue and purple shows the hole in Earth's protective ozone layer over Antarctica on Oct. 5, 2022. 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. The Earth's protective ozone layer is on track to recover within four decades, closing an ozone hole that was first noticed in the 1980s, a United Nations-backed panel of experts announced on Monday. The findings of the scientific assessment, which is published every four years, follow the landmark Montreal Protocol in 1987, which banned the production and consumption of chemicals that eat away at the planet's ozone layer. The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere protects the Earth from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, which is linked to skin cancer, eye cataracts, compromised immune systems and agricultural land damage.

☆ Map shows the ice sheets and glaciers melting that scientists most fear will be the source of catastrophic rising sea levels
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Annie Fu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Melting ice that could tip sea level rise into catastrophic levelsSource: NASA Ice ViewerChart: Annie Fu/InsiderWhile it's easier to plan for a steady sea level rise, scientists are very concerned about what would happen if huge chunks of ice collapse and abruptly change sea levels. The Antarctic ice sheet is much bigger than the ice sheet on Greenland. If they were to melt totally, the Greenland ice sheet would contribute about 23 ft to the sea levels, while the Antarctic ice sheet holds enough ice to raise sea levels by 58 feet. Local sea level variationGlobal mean sea level rise is only a snapshot of the whole picture. Because sea levels are influenced by the local environment, the sea level rise can be much higher locally than it is on a global scale.

☆ 6 climate wins from 2022 that are worth celebrating
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Sweeping climate legislation passed, climate candidates won, and animals got important protections. Here are six of the year's highlights in climate progress, according to experts. But through it all, there was encouraging progress on climate that's worth celebrating. Peter B. de Menocal, president of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, told Insider that the event featured the first-ever Ocean Pavilion. "I want to invite other Indigenous communities in Ecuador and the world to join these collective fights happening in Amazonia," Lucitante previously told Insider.

☆ I spent $5,700 to travel to Antarctica on an expedition cruise ship. Here are 9 things I think everyone should know before going.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

It also has an onboard spa, a gym, a pool, and a hot tub, but that's about as far as the luxuries go. And, as you can imagine, the pool was never open, and the jacuzzi was only available half the time. The pool was on deck 6 while the hot tub was right above it on deck 7. The pool wasn't used due to the cold and winds. Taylor Rains/Insider

☆ A man was arrested after his female colleague said he was suffocating her at a National Science Foundation base in Antarctica. Assault and harassment on the bases are considered a problem per a report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A man at a National Science Foundation base in Antarctica was charged with assaulting a female colleague. Officials charged Stephen Tyler Bieneman with assault within the maritime and territorial jurisdiction, according to a criminal complaint filed on December 12. Assault, especially sexual assault against women, has been long documented in the remote base of Antarctica. Over 70% of female respondents and nearly 50% of male respondents said sexual harassment is a problem within the US Antarctic Program, while 47% of female respondents and 33% of male respondents said sexual assault is a problem. "Every woman I knew down there had an assault or harassment experience that had occurred on ice," one person said in the report.

☆ 5 of the wildest experiments tardigrades have survived in the name of science
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Water bears can go years without food or water and endure extreme radiation and temperatures. When the water bears returned to Earth, the scientists discovered that 68% survived. A thawed tardigrade survived being frozen for 3 decadesIn 2016, scientists at Japan's National Institute of Polar Research examined tardigrades retrieved from a frozen moss sample collected in Antarctica in 1983. Still, in a 2020 study, researchers found that long-term exposure to high temperatures, even in their hibernated state, can kill tardigrades in only a day. Tardigrades survived being shot out of a high-speed gunSome scientists believe that tardigrades may be capable of spreading life to different planets.

☆ See inside the Ocean Endeavor, a ship that sails to Antarctica. Rooms can go for over $10,000.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

While at first, I was a little worried about being in a triple, the room proved to be one of the biggest on the ship. Inside were four beds, including three that pointed toward the side of the ship and one that faced back to front. Excuse the mess, it was a hectic embarkation day. My roommate snagged the far left bed and quickly realized how easy it was to fall out of it during the journey through the infamous Drake Passage, but more on that later. Taylor Rains/Insider

☆ Runners brave the cold for Antarctic Ice Marathon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Courageous runners braved snow and freezing temperatures this week for the Antarctic Ice Marathon, won by Ireland's Sean Tobin who organisers said clocked a record time on the continent. The event, the 17th of its kind, took place on Wednesday at Union Glacier, with more than 60 competitors from 20 nations taking part. "You just sink (into the snow)... One turn I took, I just went completely legless and hit the ground. Race director Richard Donovan said Tobin had recorded "the fastest marathon ever run in Antarctica". Becca Pizzi, from the United States, won the women's race with a time of 4:24.15.

☆ As TikToks about Antarctic tourism go viral, some worry about the environmental costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Morgan Sung | Morgan Sung Is A Trends Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Drake Passage is the body of water between the southernmost tip of Chile and Antarctica's northern peninsula. Travel company Oceanwide Expeditions describes the Drake Passage as a "lively little waterway" and the "gateway to the Antarctic." Many TikTok users expressed fascination with the Antarctic travel content, but were also perplexed with the sudden influx of videos about visiting the largely barren continent. In wake of the influx of travel content about Antarctica, some on TikTok have raised concerns over the environmental impact of Antarctic tourism. In a post responding to Ramos' video about the Drake Passage, TikTok creator jijis.m0m showed screenshots of articles about pollution in Antarctica.

☆ An unexpected force may be speeding up glacier melt across the globe: colorful algae blooms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Now he sees bright pink and red algae blooms every year. Dr. Matt DaveyScientists like Maréchal think these algae blooms are getting larger and more frequent as rising global temperatures melt glaciers worldwide. Glacier algae seems to be booming, but scientists have a lot to learnResearcher Matt Davey samples snow algae at Lagoon Island, Antarctica. Ice algae and snow algae are different types of microorganisms, and different fields of study, but they both affect glaciers. A strip of "blood snow" filled with red algae cuts across a dark bloom of purple algae in Greenland.

☆ Scientists accidentally found life under 3,000 feet of ice in Antarctica. 'Never in a million years' would they have expected it, the lead scientist said.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The creatures were found attached to a boulder in the arctic seas under the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf. Experts from the British Antarctic Survey drilled through 2,860 feet of ice before making the discovery. —British Antarctic Survey (@BAS_News) February 15, 2021The Filchner-Ronne ice shelf is a massive floating ice sheet that stretches out from Antarctica. An annotated satellite image of the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf. Google Maps/InsiderThe Filchner-Ronne ice shelf is the second-biggest ice shelf in Antarctica.

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