eXXpedition All-Women Sailing Mission Sets Off to Map Global Ocean Plastic
our understanding of where ocean plastic comes from – and help pinpoint the most impactful solutions.The global expedition consists of 10 legs and 10 teams. With the first three legs fully crewed, today’s launch also opens applications for the remaining voyages – visiting the Arctic, Antarctica, Caribbean and North Pacific throughout 2026 and 2027. The last time eXXpedition set sail, over 10,000 women applied for just 300 crew places.Why this matters nowThe expedition comes at a critical moment for global ocean health and environmental policy. Despite widespread awareness, plastic pollution
The Politics of a Subsea Data Cable Link to Antarctica
Antarctica is the only continent without a fiber-optic connection.The technology required to get one there is available, but the creation of such infrastructure raises geopolitical questions, including its potential military use, say researchers from Germany.The US National Science Foundation has plans to build a subsea data cable link from New Zealand or Australia to its McMurdo research base in Antarctica. There’s been no update on the project under the current administration, and research funding has been cut to the Foundation, perhaps casting the plan in doubt.There’s another project
Activist Vessel Collides with Krill Harvesting Vessel off Antarctica
An environmental activist vessel deliberately collided with a Norwegian krill harvesting vessel near Antarctica on Tuesday, damaging its hull, the vessel's owner, Aker QRILL Company, said on Wednesday.The company said the Norway-flagged trawler Antarctic Sea was deliberately struck by Bandero, a 65-metre (213 ft) vessel operated by the Captain Paul Watson Foundation.Aker QRILL said Bandero struck near the stern of its vessel, where its diesel fuel tank sits, causing minor damage."If the steel plates ... had ruptured, it could have caused a spill. It was probably just luck that it didn't
Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust's 3D Model of Edurance to Go on Public Display
2026, the first time the model has been exhibited in Scotland. As the first major stop on its planned UK tour, its debut at Discovery Point, home of RRS Discovery, places the wreck of Endurance at the heart of one of the UK’s most important centers for polar and maritime history.Lost beneath Antarctic ice for more than a century, Endurance was discovered in 2022 by FMHT’s Endurance22 expedition. Lying at a depth of more than 3,000 meters, it remains one of the most remote and best-preserved shipwrecks ever found.Protected under the Antarctic Treaty and a strict conservation plan, the wreck
ATSB Releases Preliminary Report on Nuyina Grounding
An ATSB preliminary investigation report details the circumstances leading up to the brief grounding of the Australian research vessel Nuyina off Heard Island, 4,000 km south-west of Perth, October 13 last year.The grounding occurred while Nuyina, the Australian Antarctic Division’s research and supply vessel, was conducting drone survey operations over the shore of Heard Island, close to an area of uncharted seafloor.On board the vessel were 37 marine crew and 85 expeditioners.“Nuyina had several scientific instruments installed on a retractable drop keel, which at the time of the incident
Antarctic Sea Ice Extent Reaches Seasonal Minimum
Antarctic sea ice has likely reached its minimum extent for the year, at 2.58 million square kilometers (996,000 square miles) on February 26, 2026, according to scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder.The 2026 minimum ranks 16th lowest in the 48-year satellite record. This year’s minimum is much closer to average than the past four years, albeit still 260,000 square kilometers (100,000 square miles) below the 1981 to 2010 average. It is 730,000 square kilometers (282,000 square miles) above the record low set on February 21, 2023.
Scripps Awarded $15 Million for Environmental Surveys
its kind since Scripps became part of UC San Diego in 1960, will advance research in three key areas: monitoring of environmental DNA (eDNA) and other biomolecules in marine ecosystems, augmenting the renowned Argo network of ocean observing robots, and enhancing the study of ocean conditions beneath Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, often referred to as the Doomsday Glacier.A grant supporting the work of Scripps Director Emeritus Margaret Leinen will support analysis of eDNA — free-floating fragments of DNA shed by organisms into the environment — in understudied parts of the ocean to collect
Memorial Stone Placed at Grave of Antarctic Pioneer Captain John King Davis
A new memorial stone and plaque have been placed at the grave of Captain John King Davis, one of the mostly highly decorated navigators and mariners in the history of Antarctic exploration.Davis served as Chief Officer under Ernest Shackleton during the British Antarctic Nimrod Expedition in 1907 and captained the SY Aurora during the Australasian Antarctic Expedition in 1911, led by Sir Douglas Mawson.Despite his contributions, Captain Davis’s grave at the Melbourne General Cemetery has remained unmarked since his death in 1967.Earlier this month, members of the ANARE Club, including President
eDNA Analysis Detects Invasive Species from Biofouling
Antarctic scientists have trialed a DNA ‘barcoding’ technique that could improve biosecurity measures that help protect polar ecosystems from invasive marine species.The research, led by Australian Antarctic Program scientists, used environmental DNA (eDNA) in water samples, to detect species known to hitch-hike on ships’ hulls.The work was conducted during a voyage from Tasmania to sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, on MPOV Aiviq in 2022.Molecular biologist Dr Leonie Suter said the research showed that eDNA sampling could help ensure effective biosecurity practices (such as hull
February 2026
