29 March, 2023

Increased meltwater from glaciers and ice shelves around Antarctica is set to dramatically slow down Antarctic overturning circulation, with a potential collapse this century.

This will have dramatic impacts on Antarctic ecosystems and global ocean circulation.

Unfortunately the paper, published in Nature, isn't open access.

ABC article: Landmark study projects 'dramatic' changes to Southern Ocean by 2050

Guardian Article: Melting Antarctic ice predicted to cause rapid slowdown of deep ocean current by 2050

ABC radio interview: 'Dramatic' changes to Southern Ocean projected in new Nature study

27 Feb, 2023

Scientists report glaciers on the west Antarctic Peninsula flow up to 22% faster in the summer than the winter due to a combination of melting snow and warmer water in the ocean.

This is the first time scientists have documented the seasonal sensitivity of glaciers in Antarctica via satellite technology. This new information can be fed into predictive climate models to improve their accuracy.

Read a fantastic summary of this 2023 paper on the European Space Agency website.  

WHAT WILL THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA LOOK LIKE UNDER 1.5°C WARMING?

This article from 2019 is a great primer on the predicted effects of continued warming on the local atmosphere, ocean, ice and ecosystems.

"Warming of the Antarctic Peninsula in the latter half of the twentieth century was greater than any other terrestrial environment in the Southern Hemisphere . . ."

Read the full article here.

RESEARCH (AUG 2022) LINKS ANTARCTIC PENINSULA WARMING WITH MELTING OF ICE SHELVES IN WEST ANTARCTICA.

While a warming ocean appears to be the main factor behind melting ice shelves in West Antarctica, this new research shows that meltwater from AP glaciers may also play a role.

"Increased glacial runoff at the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the first signatures of a warming climate in Antarctica, emerges as a key trigger for increased ice shelf melt rates in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas."

"The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced sustained warming since at least the 1960s, attributed to shifting atmospheric patterns, such as an intensification of the Southern Annular Mode. This atmospheric warming, coupled with increases in ocean temperature along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) has led to glacier retreat along the coast."

The factors causing ice to melt in Antarctica are extremely complex. This remain an active area of research.

Read the article here.

Microplastics are an issue across the global ocean, and new research is helping us understand the scale of the issue on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Authors call for "urgent action to avoid and mitigate plastic and paint fragment inputs to the Southern Ocean."

Read the 2019 paper here, published in Nature.com.

Scientists report glaciers on the west Antarctic Peninsula flow up to 22% faster in the summer than the winter due to a combination of melting snow and warmer water in the ocean.

This is the first time scientists have documented the seasonal sensitivity of glaciers in Antarctica via satellite technology. This new information can be fed into predictive climate models to improve their accuracy.

Read a fantastic summary of this 2023 paper on the European Space Agency website.  

This paper, published in 2016, is a great introduction to how ballast water and hull hitchhikers on our ships may pose a threat to Antarctic ecosystems.

"Increasing ship traffic volumes and declining duration of sea ice in waters to the north and west of the Antarctic Peninsula mean the region may be at increased risk of non-native species introductions. Locations at particular risk may include the waters around popular visitor sites, such as Goudier Island, Neko Harbour, Whalers Bay, Cuverville Island and Half Moon Island, and around northern peninsula research stations."

Read the article here.

New research released in January 2022 reinforces earlier research on biofouling in the polar regions. As the Southern Ocean continues to warm, invasive introduced species, such as mussels, are more likely to gain a foothold in vulnerable Antarctic ecosystems.

"Our results show that biosecurity measures need to be implemented at a wider range of locations than they currently are. There are strict regulations in place for preventing non-native species getting into Antarctica, but the success of these relies on having the information to inform management decisions."

"Rapid environmental change in the Antarctic region is likely allowing new species to establish that were previously excluded by physiological barriers."

Read a summary of the paper, published January 2022 by researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey.

This 2020 paper 'provides a detailed baseline for quantifying future changes in Chinstrap penguin abundance, sheds new light on the environmental drivers of Chinstrap penguin population dynamics in Antarctica, and contributes to ongoing monitoring and conservation efforts at a time of climate change and concerns over declining krill abundance in the Southern Ocean.'

Read the paper on Nature.com

Several Adélie penguin colonies may have shrunk or disappeared around the Antarctic Peninsula, but did you know that in 2018, researchers captured imagery of an Adélie 'mega-colony' in the Danger Islands, off the northern tip of the AP?  

The images showed that Danger Islands play host to 751,527 pairs of Adélie penguins - more than the rest of AP region combined.

The formal identification of these colonies is important and, as the researchers say, they 'deserve special consideration in the negotiation and design of Marine Protected Areas in the region.'

Read the paper on Nature.com.

21 February, 2023

A new study covering 60% of the global chinstrap penguin population adds to growing body of evidence that their numbers are in steep, ongoing decline.

The study focuses on the Antarctic Peninsula and South Orkney Islands, where 60% of the global chinstrap population is found.

Read the full paper here.

You can read a summary from the Instituto Milénio Biodiversidad de Ecosistemas Antárticos y Subantárticos (BASE) here.