Britlift Spreader Proves Value on Royal Research Ship
Ship (RRS) Sir David Attenborough, one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world.Operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), this multidisciplinary research platform operates year-round, spending the northern summer in Arctic. During the southern hemisphere summer it is based in Antarctica where its duties include bringing people, equipment and supplies to BAS research stations. The 129m long vessel has a 50-tonne crane for loading and unloading good and equipment, which can include vehicles and plant equipment in excess of 30t.“When lifting vehicles with the crane, we need
Grander Canyons
slope, and they are an important source of ocean biodiversity, they transport sediment and pollution and they can create hydrocarbon reservoirs.Despite their size and importance, they are still a frontier for scientific research - a new 6,890-foot (2,100 meter) canyon was discovered last year off Antarctica by acousticians on board the icebreaker RSV Nuyina.Earlier this year, scientists at MBARI developed a new investigative technology, Geo-Sense, a new portable instrument that uses distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology for long-term, high-resolution monitoring of geological processes in canyons
A Graveyard for Glaciers
on glacier and snowmelt for freshwater.Ice loss from glaciers contributed around 21% of the total sea-level rise over the period 1993–2018, around half the contribution from expansion due to ocean warming (42%) but larger than contributions from melting of the ice sheets in Greenland (15%) and Antarctica (8%).“The conversation about climate change can be very abstract, with many devastating statistics and sophisticated scientific models that may feel incomprehensible,” said Rice University anthropologist Cymene Howe back in 2019 when a memorial was unveiled, the first of its kind in
WMO Documents Spiraling Climate Impacts
record all occurred in the past 18 years. The annual minimum and maximum of Antarctic sea-ice extent were each the second lowest in the observed record from 1979.The minimum daily extent of sea-ice in the Arctic in 2024 was 4.28 million km2, the seventh lowest extent in the 46-year satellite record. In Antarctica, the minimum daily extent tied for the second lowest minimum in the satellite era and marked the 3rd consecutive year that minimum Antarctic sea-ice extent dropped below 2 million km2. These are the three lowest Antarctic ice minima in the satellite record.Extreme events and impactsExtreme weather
Denman Glacier Has Already Lost Over 250 Billion Tons of Ice
The Denman Glacier is one of the largest and fastest-melting glaciers in East Antarctica and alone holds a potential sea level rise of 1.5 meters.In nearly three decades, the 20-kilometer (12-mile) wide glacier has already retreated some five kilometers (nearly three miles) and lost over 250 billion tons of ice.The deepest point on continental Earth has been identified under the glacier. This ice-filled canyon reaches 3.5km (11,500ft) below sea level. Only in the ocean are there deeper ones. The canyon (known as the Denman Trough) is mostly cut off from the sea due to all the glacial ice inside and
The World’s Most Powerful Ocean Current Could Slow by 2050
New research from the University of Melbourne, Australia, indicates that the more Antarctic ice melts and the more the ocean is flooded by melt water, the more the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is likely to slow down.The ACC is located just to Australia’s south. It flows around Antarctica and connects our planet’s three major ocean basins – the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.The ACC is more than 100 times stronger than the current of the Amazon River and five times stronger than the Gulf Stream.It’s a powerful current that separates the Antarctic continent
Schmidt Ocean Institute Successfully Concludes Inaugural Antarctic Expedition
After a year of preparing the ship and crew, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) has completed its first science expedition to Antarctica. The three-week expedition, which ended in early January, was ambitious in its science scope and required operational refinements to navigate safely in unfamiliar environmental conditions.“Operating our ship in the Southern Ocean marks a significant milestone in Schmidt Ocean Institute’s history,” said Eric King, senior director of maritime infrastructure. “R/V Falkor (too) performed exceptionally well
Ice Navigation: Every Voyage is Different
It’s late in the season so Captain Duke Snider, sailing on a resupply voyage from New Zealand to Antarctica, is expecting virtually no sea, just glacial ice.Snider has been an ice navigator for decades, and he has seen the ocean change, not just here in the polar south, but in Arctic waters as well.“Variability is much greater than in the past when we could expect an ice breakup to occur within a calendar week, year after year, whether it was the Arctic or the Antarctic,” he says. “Now, you have to look at each year individually and be more alert than ever before, particularly
Royal Canadian Navy Vessel to Visit Antarctica
On January 10, the Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Margaret Brooke departed Halifax, Canada, on an historic mission - the first circumnavigation of South America and first visit to Antarctica by a Royal Canadian Navy vessel.As part of Operation PROJECTION – South America, the Harry DeWolf-class Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) will visit ports across South America to strengthen international relationships in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada. While in Antarctica, the ship will support Canadian scientific research, hosting a team of government scientists on board.The Navy says
February 2025
