Scientists uncover largest volcanic region on Earth under West Antarctica

Scientists uncover largest volcanic region on Earth under West Antarctica

A remote survey suggested by third-year university student discovered 91 volcanoes in a massive region known as the West Antarctic Rift System. The volcanoes range in height from 100 m to 3 850 m (328 to 12 631 feet). A study conceived by a third-year student at the…

Huge Antarctic iceberg finally breaks free

Huge Antarctic iceberg finally breaks free

After months of ‘hanging by a thread’, a vast iceberg the size of Norfolk has finally broken off Antarctica’s Larsen C Ice Shelf. Around 30 m (98 feet) of this 190 m (623 feet) thick block of ice sits above the sea surface. Scientists now have…

Antarctic sea ice growth explained by natural variability

Antarctic sea ice growth explained by natural variability

A newly published study offers evidence that the negative phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO), which is characterized by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific, has created favorable conditions for additional…

Two massive icebergs break off Nansen Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Two massive icebergs break off Nansen Ice Shelf, Antarctica

Two massive icebergs broke off the Antarctic coastline over the weekend, threatening valuable scientific equipment deployed by New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). NIWA scientists have been monitoring satellite images of the…

Scientists venture to Antarctica to uncover origin of modern vertebrates

Scientists venture to Antarctica to uncover origin of modern vertebrates

An international team of researchers led by paleontologists from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the University of Texas at Austin, Ohio University and the American Museum of Natural History are set to travel to Antarctica in search for evidence that some…

NASA study claims Antarctica gains ice, not contributing to sea level rise

NASA study claims Antarctica gains ice, not contributing to sea level rise

A new study led by NASA's glaciologists Jay Zwally, says that an increase in Antarctic snow accumulation that began 10 000 years ago is currently adding enough ice to the continent to outweigh the increased losses from its thinning glaciers. The research…

Significant eruptions of Mount Erebus reported, Antarctica

Significant eruptions of Mount Erebus reported, Antarctica

One of the larger eruptions of Antarctica's Mount Erebus this year occurred at 09:12 UTC on December 4, 2014 and ejected bombs onto the summit cone of Erebus, Mount Erebus Volcano Observatory (MEVO) reports.Mount Erebus is one of several volcanoes in the McMurdo Vol