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UrduUniversity of Washington researchers show that the all-time record low in winter sea ice extent in 2023 can be explained by warm Southern Ocean conditions and patterns in the winds that circled Antarctica months earlier, allowing forecasts for sea ice coverage around the South Pole to be generated six or more months in advance. This could support regional and global weather and climate models.
Tag: Southern Ocean
One or many? Exploring the population groups of the largest animal on Earth
New research shows that Antarctic blue whales are likely a single population, rather than several isolated populations — information that will help conservationists as the whales, the world’s largest animal, try to recover from historic lows due to 20th century whaling.
Polar experiments reveal seasonal cycle in Antarctic sea ice algae
New research provides the first measurements of how sea-ice algae and other single-celled life adjust to the dramatic seasonal rhythms in the ocean surrounding Antarctica, offering clues to what might happen as this environment shifts under climate change.
Tectonic shift in Southern Ocean caused dramatic ancient cooling event
New research has shed light on a sudden cooling event 34 million years ago, which contributed to formation of the Antarctic ice sheets.
Why lists of worldwide bird species disagree
Biologists set out to compare four main lists of bird species worldwide to find out how the lists differ—and why. They found that although the lists agree on most birds, disagreements in Southeast Asia and the Southern Ocean could mean that some species are missed by conservation ecologists.
Atmospheric Rivers Help Create Massive Holes in Antarctic Sea Ice
Warm, moist rivers of air in Antarctica play a key role in creating massive holes in sea ice in the Weddell Sea and may influence ocean conditions around the vast continent as well as climate change, according to Rutgers co-authored research. Scientists studied the role of long, intense plumes of warm, moist air – known as atmospheric rivers – in creating enormous openings in sea ice. They focused on the Weddell Sea region of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica, where these sea ice holes (called polynyas) infrequently develop during the winter.
Antarctic sea-ice models improve for the next IPCC report
A study of 40 sea ice models finds they all project that the area of sea ice around Antarctica will decrease by 2100, but the amount of loss varies between the emissions scenarios.
More protections needed to safeguard biodiversity in the Southern Ocean
Current marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean need to be at least doubled to adequately safeguard the biodiversity of the Antarctic, according to a new CU Boulder study.
Almost Alien: Antarctic Subglacial Lakes are Cold, Dark and Full of Secrets
More than half of the planet’s fresh water is in Antarctica. While most of it is frozen in the ice sheets, underneath the ice pools and streams of water flow into one another and into the Southern Ocean surrounding the continent. Understanding the movement of this water, and what is dissolved in it as solutes, reveals how carbon and nutrients from the land may support life in the coastal ocean.