All posts tagged: Antarctic

What happens now bird flu has reached the Antarctic? – podcast | Science

What happens now bird flu has reached the Antarctic? – podcast | Science

Published by skeptic

The moment scientists had been dreading arrived late last year, when H5N1, or bird flu, was found for the first time in the Antarctic. Last week a king penguin on the island of South Georgia became the first in the region to be suspected to have died from the disease. The Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, tells Ian Sample why researchers have said the spread of bird flu through the Antarctic’s penguin colonies could signal ‘one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times’ How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know Source link

Antarctic penguins are now dying from the H5N1 strain of bird flu

Antarctic penguins are now dying from the H5N1 strain of bird flu

Published by skeptic

Scientists have confirmed the first known deaths from a contagious and highly pathogenic avian influenza strain called H5N1 in some Antarctic penguin species. H5N1 first arrived in the Antarctic in late 2023 and the virus has now been confirmed in some Gentoo penguins that were found dead in the Falkland Islands. Over 20 Gentoo chicks have been reported dead from the virus or are showing symptoms of bird flu. Other Gentoo penguins have been reported sick or dead at this same location, according to the Falkland Islands Department of Agriculture.  [Related: Seal pup die-off from avian flu in Argentina looks ‘apocalyptic.’] Possible case in King penguins Additionally, at least one King penguin is suspected to have died from bird flu. According to the Antarctic Wildlife Health Network which is part of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, this would be the first death from bird flu in this species. The suspected case was reported on South Georgia island, about 900 miles east of the Falklands. However, the extent of the virus spread is still being …

Warmer seas trigger skyrocketing ice loss in 3 Antarctic glaciers

Warmer seas trigger skyrocketing ice loss in 3 Antarctic glaciers

Published by skeptic

accelerate: To experience a change in velocity (speed). Antarctica: A continent mostly covered in ice, which sits in the southernmost part of the world. Arctic sea ice: Ice that forms from seawater and that covers all or parts of the Arctic Ocean. buoy: A floating device anchored to the bottom of a body of water. A buoy may mark channels, warn of dangers or carry instruments to measure the environment. coauthor: One of a group (two or more people) who together had prepared a written work, such as a book, report or research paper. Not all coauthors may have contributed equally. continent: (in geology) The huge land masses that sit upon tectonic plates. In modern times, there are six established geologic continents: North America, South America, Eurasia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. In 2017, scientists also made the case for yet another: Zealandia. current: A fluid — such as of water or air — that moves in a recognizable direction. dynamic: An adjective that signifies something is active, changing or moving. (noun) The change or range of variability …

World’s biggest iceberg moving beyond Antarctic waters | Antarctica

Published by Sam

One of the world’s largest icebergs is drifting beyond Antarctic waters, after being grounded for more than three decades, according to the British Antarctic Survey. The iceberg, known as A23a, split from the Antarctic’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986. But it became stuck to the ocean floor and had remained for many years in the Weddell Sea. Not any more. Recent satellite images reveal that the iceberg, weighing nearly a trillion metric tonnes, is now drifting quickly past the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, aided by strong winds and currents. The iceberg is about three times the size of New York City and more than twice the size of Greater London, measuring about 4,000 sq km (1,500 square miles). It’s rare to see an iceberg of this size on the move, said British Antarctic Survey glaciologist Oliver Marsh, so scientists will be watching its trajectory closely. As it gains steam, the colossal iceberg will probably be launched into the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This will funnel it toward the Southern Ocean on a path known …

The temperature of the Western Antarctic has fallen by 2 degrees in 20 years, study finds

The temperature of the Western Antarctic has fallen by 2 degrees in 20 years, study finds

Published by Sam

Thwaites Ice Shelf CREDIT: NASA/Wikipedia/Public Domain ” data-medium-file=”https://i1.wp.com/openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/thwaites-ice-shelf-antarctic-nasa-ice-wikipedia-public-domain.jpg?w=500&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i1.wp.com/openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/thwaites-ice-shelf-antarctic-nasa-ice-wikipedia-public-domain.jpg?w=500&ssl=1″ width=”500″ height=”333″ fifu-data-src=”https://i1.wp.com/openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/thwaites-ice-shelf-antarctic-nasa-ice-wikipedia-public-domain.jpg?w=500&ssl=1″ alt=”” class=”wp-image-62762″ srcset=”https://i1.wp.com/openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/thwaites-ice-shelf-antarctic-nasa-ice-wikipedia-public-domain.jpg?w=500&ssl=1 500w, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/thwaites-ice-shelf-antarctic-nasa-ice-wikipedia-public-domain.jpg?w=1000 1000w, https://openthewordblog.files.wordpress.com/2021/08/thwaites-ice-shelf-antarctic-nasa-ice-wikipedia-public-domain.jpg?w=768 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px”/>Thwaites Ice Shelf CREDIT: NASA/Wikipedia/Public Domain A strange thing is happening in the Antarctic, according to a recent study by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the temperature in part of Earth’s Southern region has actually fallen between 1999 and 2018, the DailySceptic reports. According to the AMS, the temperature in the Western Antarctic fell by 2 degrees over this 20-year period. The organization made up of international scientists came to this conclusion after studying several databases which are tracking temperatures from weather stations based in the Antarctic including the Marie Byrd station. The study also noted that for the most part, the weather stations consistently showed the same cooling trend taking place. In their report, the AMS blamed the cooling on natural causes most particularly the drop in the temperature in water temperature in the Eastern Pacific equatorial region. Of course, few in the mainstream media acknowledged this cooling trend or the report …

Russian delegation stymies creation of Antarctic conservation area | Antarctica

Published by Sam

A major international conference on the Antarctic marine environment has failed to agree on new conservation areas despite hearing evidence the southern continent is facing a range of crises, including historically low sea ice levels, plummeting wildlife numbers and the first cases of bird flu. Longstanding proposals to create nearly 4m sq km of marine protected areas did not receive consensus support largely due to opposition from the Russian government delegation, which arrived late due to visa-related delays and then repeatedly stalled discussions, according to multiple sources at the meeting in Hobart. With significant agreement not possible, the meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources in Hobart pushed debate on proposals for protected areas near the western Antarctic peninsula, in the Weddell Sea and in east Antarctica into next year. Observers said the two-week meeting of 26 national governments and the European Union was presented with scientific evidence that the conservation areas were needed to preserve critical foraging and breeding grounds for penguins, toothfish, seals, and whales, and to reach …

Antarctic sea ice shrinks to lowest annual maximum level on record, data shows | Antarctica

Published by Sam

Antarctica has likely broken a new record for the lowest annual maximum amount of sea ice around the continent, beating the previous low by a million square kilometres. The new mark is the latest in a string of records for the continent’s sea ice, as scientists fear global heating could have shifted the region into a new era of disappearing ice with far reaching consequences for the world’s climate and sea levels. Each September Antarctica’s sea ice reaches its maximum extent. The average between 1981 and 2010 was 18.71m sq km. But the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said preliminary analysis suggested the sea ice reached a maximum of 16.96m sq km on 10 September and had fallen away since then. The 2023 maximum was 1.75m sq km below the long term average and about 1m sq km below the previous record low maximum set in 1986. Dr Will Hobbs, a sea ice scientist at the University of Tasmania, said that since April the rate of growth in Antarctica’s sea ice had …

I’ve spent 40 years in Antarctic research. Right now it’s facing a climate emergency so we must not put vital science on ice | Dana M Bergstrom for the Conversation

Published by Sam

After decades immersed in Antarctic science, I’ve learned that physical and biological changes rarely occur smoothly. More often than not, they unfold in sharp steps. Right now, Antarctica’s climate and ecosystems are experiencing disturbing changes. Much of this winter’s sea ice is missing. A crucial ocean current is slowing down, and glaciers and ice shelves are disintegrating. On land, fragile moss ecosystems are collapsing. Majestic emperor penguins may be heading for extinction. And pollution from human activity in Antarctica has left a toxic legacy. It’s almost certain things will get worse. On Friday, hundreds of international scientists called for an urgent expansion – not contraction – of Southern Ocean science in response to the emerging climate crisis. This adds to the scientific chorus claiming we have only a narrow window to save the planet. I’ve spent 40 years in Antarctic and subantarctic research. Some 22 of those were spent at the federal government’s Australian Antarctic Division; my final day there was last Thursday. No longer a public servant, I feel compelled, as a private citizen …

‘Virtually certain’ extreme Antarctic events will get worse without drastic action, scientists warn | Antarctica

Published by Sam

It is “virtually certain” that future extreme events in Antarctica will be worse than the extraordinary changes already observed, according to a new scientific warning that stresses the case for immediate and drastic action to limit global heating. A new review draws together evidence on the vulnerability of Antarctic systems, highlighting recent extremes such as record low sea ice levels, the collapse of ice shelves, and surface temperatures up to 38.5C above average over East Antarctica in 2022 – the world’s largest ever recorded heatwave. Records for Antarctic sea ice, which varies every year between a February minimum and a September maximum, “have been tumbling in recent years”, said study co-author Dr Caroline Holmes, a polar climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey. “One clear metric of how things are changing is that the summer minimum has broken a new record three times in the past seven years,” she said at a press briefing. Sea ice extent in July 2022 hit a record low for that time of year, but was surpassed by a new …

‘Something weird is going on’: search for answers as Antarctic sea ice stays at historic lows | Antarctica

Published by Sam

Most mornings since the end of March and before Will Hobbs has done much at all other than make a coffee, he scrolls his inbox looking for one particular email. Generated and sent automatically from a colleague, the email arrives just after 4am and gives the latest data from a US government satellite showing how much sea ice is floating around Antarctica. “Unprecedented is a word that gets bandied around a lot, but it doesn’t really get to just how shocking this is,” says Hobbs, a sea ice scientist at the University of Tasmania. “It is very much outside our understanding of this system.” In February, the floating sea ice around Antarctica hit a record low for the second year running. Since satellites started tracking the region’s ice in 1979, there had never been less ice. As it does every year, as the temperatures around the continent plunged towards winter, the sea ice started to return. But the moderate alarm from scientists at that record low – coming only a year after a previous record …