This is the 33rd issuance of the annual assessment now known as State of the Climate, published in the Bulletin since 1996. As a supplement to the Bulletin, its foremost function is to document the status and trajectory of many components of the climate system. However, as a series, the …
London: Researchers in Australia have claimed that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is on the road to recovery, 22 years after the Montreal Protocol to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and related ozone-destroying chemicals came into force. The team is the first to detect a recovery in baseline average …
The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and adjacent Scotia Sea support abundant wildlife populations, many of which were nearly extirpated by humans. This region is also among the fastest-warming areas on the planet, with 5–6 °C increases in mean winter air temperatures and associated decreases in winter sea-ice cover. These biological …
Whether Antarctica's ice will survive a warmer world is one of the great puzzles of climate science. Now it seems vast expanses of ice may have hung on for the past 200,000 years, surviving the last interglacial.
A novel explanation for the long-term temperature record in Antarctic ice cores invokes local solar radiation as the driving agent. This proposal will prompt palaeoclimate scientists to pause and to go back to basics.
Five crates of Scotch whisky were recovered by a team from New Zealand restoring an Antarctic hut used in 1909 by polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. Ice cracked some of the bottles but restorers from New Zealand’s Antarctic Heritage Trust said they are confident the crates contain intact bottles.” The whisky …
The disintegration of ice shelves, reduced sea-ice and glacier extent, and shifting ecological zones observed around Antarctica highlight the impact of recent atmospheric and oceanic warming on the cryosphere. Observations and models suggest that oceanic and atmospheric temperature variations at Antarctica's margins affect global cryosphere stability, ocean circulation, sea levels …
NEW DELHI: The potential for enhancing collaborative polar research between India and Norway is immense. This was the message of the Indo-Norwegian meeting titled
In 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlighted an urgent need to assess the responses of marine ecosystems to climate change. Because they lie in a high-latitude region, the Southern Ocean ecosystems are expected to be strongly affected by global warming. Using top predators of this highly productive ocean …
Fortunately for us, carbon monoxide (CO)—a toxic gas—is a very minor constituent of the atmosphere. It is produced by incomplete burning of fossil fuels and biomass (such as dry leaves and wood) and by the oxidation of methane and other volatile hydrocarbons in the atmosphere. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6011/1636.summary
We present a 650-year Antarctic ice core record of concentration and isotopic ratios (δ13C and δ18O) of atmospheric carbon monoxide. Concentrations decreased by ~25% (14 parts per billion by volume) from the mid-1300s to the 1600s then recovered completely by the late 1800s. δ13C and δ18O decreased by about 2 …
This study discusses the upwelling observed in Prydz Bay, coastal waters of East Antarctica. In February 2006, as a part of expedition to Larsemann Hills (East Antarctica) three hourly conductivity, temperature, depth (CTD) observations were carried out for three consecutive days in Prydz Bay coastal waters. This helped to understand …
Reliable forecasts of sea-level rise depend on accurately modelling the dynamics of polar ice sheets. A numerical framework that better reflects ice-sheet basal drag adds greater realism to such models.
Josh Halliday Google maps final corner of the planet as it launches Street View for Antarctica, Brazil and Ireland. A big bone of contention in many countries, Google's Street View mapping service on September 30 goes live in Brazil, Ireland and Antarctica, meaning Street View now has a presence in …
Biological diversity of the 72% of our planet covered by seawater is crucial to global resource security, ecosystem function and services, and climate dynamics. Current and future trends in marine biodiversity remain an important element to be fully assessed by the international community. It would be valuable to understand where …
London: Scientists have warned that a huge solar flare is due to erupt in 2013, which could paralyse Earth, causing blackouts and chaos. They fear that the giant explosion of energy from the Sun, a phenomenon which occurs only once every 100 years, could see power grids crash, communication systems …
International efforts to protect the ozone layer-the shield that protects life on Earth from harmful levels of ultraviolet rays-are a success and have stopped additional ozone losses and contributed to mitigating the greenhouse effect. The executive summary of the Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2010 provides new information about the …
The humble Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) bears a heavy burden. It may be just a small, shrimp-like crustacean, but its sheer abundance makes it one of the largest protein sources on Earth, eagerly sought by fish, penguins, whales
