Antarctica Archives - State of the Planet

Polar Climate Ambassadors

Why Care About the Polar Regions? These Polar Climate Ambassadors Will Tell You.

The polar regions are a critical aspect of the climate crisis, but polar science is not always accessible, especially to young students. The Polar Climate Ambassadors program seeks to help close this gap. 

by |August 30, 2023

Fast-Wasting Antarctic Glacier Lost Ice Even Faster in Past, Raising Concerns for Future

Some time in the past 200 years, Antarctica’s giant Thwaites Glacier saw a period of retreat much faster than even that observed in recent years. It could be a warning of rapid sea-level rise in the near future.

by |September 6, 2022

How Is Climate Change Affecting Ocean Waters and Ecosystems?

Biological oceanographer Hugh Ducklow describes decades of work in far-flung places to understand the evolving ecology of the oceans. The picture is not always clear.

by |August 29, 2022

In Sediments Below Antarctic Ice, Scientists Discover a Giant Groundwater System

For the first time, scientists have mapped in detail water locked in a deep basin far under the Antarctic ice. The discovery could have implications for how the continent reacts to, or even contributes to, climate change.

by |May 5, 2022

Defying Some Expectations, Southern Ocean Did Not Increase Carbon Uptake in Ice Ages

In much of the world ocean, there is evidence that iron-rich dust blowing from land has fertilized algae during cold period, increasing uptake of carbon from the air, and keeping things frigid. Not here, says a new study.

by |April 19, 2022

Solar Energy Explains Fast Yearly Retreat of Southern Ocean Sea Ice

Sea ice in the Southern Ocean retreats each year much faster than it develops. This has puzzled scientists, but the explanation turns out to be simple.

by |March 28, 2022
ice shelf and sea ice

Sea Ice That Slowed the Flow of Antarctic Glaciers Abruptly Shatters In Three Days

Since 2011, a mass of sea ice from the Larsen B ice shelf helped stabilize the landward glaciers, but the stopgap rapidly disintegrated in January 2022.

by |March 11, 2022

Weddell Seal Population May Be Much Lower Than Previously Thought

High-resolution satellite images allowed researchers to do a more comprehensive head count than ever before, and revealed patterns in the seals’ distribution.

by |February 4, 2022
tedesco looking at laptop computer while sitting on ice sheet

Marco Tedesco: Snow Man

Although his parents wanted him to become an electrical engineer, Tedesco felt drawn to a life of research. Then he fell in love with snow. Now he is among the most well-respected and quoted polar experts in the world.

by |January 13, 2022
The calving front of Thwaites Glacier.

Crucial Antarctic Glacier Likely to Collapse Much Earlier than Expected

Thwaites Glacier, dubbed Antarctica’s ‘doomsday glacier,’ has been predicted to undergo dramatic changes, with its ice shelf likely to break apart in as little as five years.

by |December 17, 2021