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FORGOTTEN HISTORY: Southern ocean - Caught on Camera

Antarctica’s sudden sea ice loss is one of the most extreme and confusing events in the modern climate record. Scientists now know why it's happening.

In 2015, after decades of relative stability, Antarctica's sea ice suddenly began to disappear. Sea ice extent reached a record low in 2023, and scientists have now figured out what happened in that period.

LiveScience

Is NZ defence and intelligence policy aligning with AUKUS in all but name?

Across the Pacific and the Southern Ocean, New Zealand has been trying to strike a careful balance in its defence and surveillance approach.

The Conversation

Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global

If you ever find yourself on Macquarie Island – a narrow, wind-lashed ridge halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica – the first thing you’ll notice is the wildlife. Elephant seals sprawl across dark beaches. King penguins march up mossy slopes. Albatrosses circle over vast, treeless uplands.

The Conversation

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An underwater observatory keeping the pulse of the Southern Ocean for nearly 30 years yields fresh results

In a world affected by climate change, the Southern Ocean plays an outsized role. It absorbs up to 40% of the human-caused emissions taken up by the oceans while also being home to some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems.

The Conversation

Antarctic sea ice collapse linked to a mysterious spike in ocean salt

Satellite imagery has revealed a yet-to-be-explained rise in the Southern Ocean's salinity. It could be a key factor in the decline of the region's sea ice.

LiveScience

Antarctic research is in decline, and the timing couldn’t be worse

Ice loss in Antarctica and its impact on the planet – sea level rise, changes to ocean currents and disturbance of wildlife and food webs – has been in the news a lot lately. All of these threats were likely on the minds of the delegates to the annual Antarctic…

The Conversation

Tiny dips in sea level reveal flow of climate-regulating underwater waterfalls

Beneath the surface of the Southern Ocean, vast volumes of cold, dense water plunge off the Antarctic continental shelf, cascading down underwater cliffs to the ocean floor thousands of metres below. These hidden waterfalls are a key part of the global ocean’s overturning circulation – a vast conveyor belt of…

The Conversation

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Southern elephant seals are adaptable – but they struggle when faced with both rapid climate change and human impacts

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are an iconic species of the Southern Ocean. But with rapid environmental changes in their ocean home, the seals’ population range has been shifting.

The Conversation

Sand-sized fossils hold secrets to the history of climate change

Between 18,000 and 11,000 years ago, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere suddenly shot up. This caused rapid global warming, the mass melting of glaciers, and the end of the last ice age.

The Conversation

Past climate change ‘shifts ocean currents and winds in Southern Ocean’

Analysis of global climate patterns from past 1.5 million years reveal links between ocean circulation and climate changes.

The Independent UK

Tasmania to remain Australia's Antarctic gateway

Tasmania will remain home to the nation's Antarctic icebreaker, the RSV Nuyina, and gateway to the Southern Ocean following a $188 million deal.

AAP

Whales are recovering from near extinction, but industrial fishing around Antarctica competes for their sole food source

The Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica is the world’s largest feeding ground for baleen whales – species like humpbacks that filter tiny organisms from seawater for food. In the 20th century, whalers killed roughly 2 million large whales in the Southern Ocean. Some populations, like the Antarctic blue whale, were reduced…

The Conversation

‘Two incredible extreme events’: Antarctic sea ice on cusp of record winter low for second year running

Last year Antarctica’s sea ice was 1.6m sq km below average – the size of Britain, France, Germany and Spain combined. This week it had even less than that

The Guardian - AU

Giant waves, monster winds and Earth’s strongest current: here’s why the Southern Ocean is a global engine room

The Southern Ocean is wild and dynamic. It experiences Earth’s strongest winds and largest waves. It is home to city-sized icebergs and the biggest ocean current on the globe, as well as tiny turbulent flows that fit inside a teacup.

The Conversation

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The Conversation

Floating robots reveal just how much airborne dust fertilises the Southern Ocean – a key climate ‘shock absorber’

The Southern Ocean, a region critical to Earth’s climate, hosts vast blooms of microscopic ocean plants known as phytoplankton. They form the very basis of the Antarctic food web.

AAP

Japan-bought patrol ship to ramp up anti-whaling fight

A former fisheries vessel has been bought from the Japanese government by anti-whaling activists for use in the Southern Ocean.

The Guardian - AU

The vast new whaling ‘mother ship’ that Japan hopes will revive a shrinking industry

A new $47m vessel is preparing for its maiden voyage in coastal waters, but there are fears the Kangei Maru could one day mean a return to hunting in the Southern Ocean

AAP

Record voyage to uncover Antarctic climate mysteries

Scientists have set off on an almost 10,000km voyage to uncover information about the Southern Ocean that could shed light on the future of climate change.

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AAP

Deep sea dormant volcanoes mapped for first time

Scientists hope mapping long-dormant volcanoes in the Southern Ocean can lead to a better understanding of a crucial current surrounding Antarctica.

AAP

Robot's three-year mission to gather ocean data

Scientists on the CSIRO research vessel Investigator have recovered a deep water robot that has spent three years gathering data in the Southern Ocean.

The Conversation

Increasing melting of West Antarctic ice shelves may be unavoidable – new research

The rate at which the warming Southern Ocean melts the West Antarctic ice sheet will speed up rapidly over the course of this century, regardless of how much emissions fall in coming decades, our new research suggests. This ocean-driven melting is expected to increase sea-level rise, with consequences for coastal…

AAP

Evidence of climate change impact on ocean, Antarctica

Climate change has impacted the ecosystem and species of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica, a five-year study by 200 scientists shows.

The Conversation

More than 200 scientists from 19 countries want to tell us the Southern Ocean is in trouble

While the Southern Ocean around Antarctica has been warming for decades, the annual extent of winter sea ice seemed relatively stable – compared to the Arctic. In some areas Antarctic sea ice was even increasing.

The Guardian - AU

Is the climate crisis finally catching up with Antarctica? Finding the answer has never been more pressing

Our inability to confidently predict sea level rise between an extremely challenging two metres and a civilisation-ending 10 metres is an exemplar of the problem facing researchers

The Conversation

Fractured foundations: how Antarctica's 'landfast' ice is dwindling and why that's bad news

There’s more to Antarctic ice than meets the eye. Sea ice is not a uniform crust overlying the salty Southern Ocean.

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