Antarctica – News Stories About Antarctica - Page 12

Aussies Chip Airfield Out
of Antarctic Icefield

Jan 11, 2008 9:20 AM CST

Aussies Chip Airfield Out of Antarctic Icefield

Environmental minister on passenger flight

(Newser) - A new runway carved from glacial ice and leveled with lasers will permit regular passenger flights from Australia to Antarctica for the first time, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. An Airbus A319 carrying Aussie scientists and dignitaries made today's inaugural landing on the 2.5-mile-long Wilkins runway, named after Sir...

'Christmas Punch-up'
Rocks South Pole

Dec 27, 2007 5:28 PM CST

'Christmas Punch-up' Rocks South Pole

Two Antarctic workers engage in Yuletide combat

(Newser) - The North Pole is usually abuzz with activity this time of year, but the South Pole was rocked by a "drunken Christmas punch-up," between two men in a remote research station at the bottom of the world. The Guardian reports both men—one with a broken jaw—were...

Antarctica Gets High-Def Map

Nov 28, 2007 1:21 PM CST

Antarctica Gets High-Def Map

Interactive satellite imagery is available free online

(Newser) - A new high-definition, real-color interactive map of Antarctica unveiled yesterday will give a bird's-eye view of the frozen continent, MSNBC reports. But the virtual tour isn't just for pointy-headed scientists—it's also available free online to anyone. Satellite imagery was collected into a 100-billion-pixel database that is zoomable and searchable.

Last Survivors Land in Chile

Nov 25, 2007 6:04 PM CST

Last Survivors Land in Chile

Passengers share harrowing tales

(Newser) - A military plane flew the last 77 survivors of a sunken tour ship to Chile today, BBC reports. Some evacuees had already gone to the capital, Santagios, to return to their home countries. Others gave detailed, personal accounts of the shipwreck, revealing their fears of freezing to death and their...

First Survivors Land in Chile

UPDATED

Nov 24, 2007 3:52 PM CST

First Survivors Land in Chile

Airlift begins to bring them from island to Chilean mainland

(Newser) - An air force plane transported about half of the survivors from yesterday's Antarctic shipwreck to Chile today, BBC reports. The others—79 of the Explorer's 156 passengers—may spend a second night on a remote island due to bad weather. A Chilean air force spokesman said the survivors did "...

New Zealand to Japanese Whalers:
Go Home!

Nov 19, 2007 3:42 AM CST

New Zealand to Japanese Whalers: Go Home!

'Deception' blasted as fleet sails for 'research'

(Newser) - As a Japanese whaling fleet churned to Antarctic waters, a furious New Zealand prime minister today blasted the "deception" of Japan's claim that the killing ships will conduct research rather than commercial whaling. It would be better "if the Japanese stayed home," said Helen Clark. The fleet...

UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming

Nov 17, 2007 6:18 AM CST

UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming

Earth at 'tipping point' of irreversible catastrophe: UN chief Ban Ki-Moon

(Newser) - The last and most forceful of a series of UN reports on climate change unveiled today urges swift action to avoid "abrupt and irreversible" damage to the environment. Melting glaciers will cause a rapid rise in sea levels, wiping out vulnerable species and destroying water and food supplies for...

China Widens Antarctic Presence

Nov 6, 2007 4:49 PM CST

China Widens Antarctic Presence

The race for the continent's seabed continues

(Newser) - China will build its third Antarctic research facility, expanding its presence on the continent as the international race for rights to the seabed heats up. As melting ice caps open the possibility of mining the seabed, countries including Chile, Argentina, and the UK are scrambling to claim portions of the...

Britain to Claim Antarctic Seabed

Oct 17, 2007 9:28 AM CDT

Britain to Claim Antarctic Seabed

Bid follows this summer's Arctic territory scramble

(Newser) - Britain will submit a claim to the UN for 386,000 square miles of Antarctica, its foreign office said today, joining the international race to grab a piece of the mineral- and oil-rich territory as global warming makes it more accessible. The move violates a 1959 treaty, which Britain signed,...

Arctic Melt Nears 'Tipping Point'

Sep 30, 2007 2:15 PM CDT

Arctic Melt Nears 'Tipping Point'

Bigger, dark sea will melt what's left faster, scientists fear

(Newser) - Arctic ice has shrunk so significantly this past summer that scientists fear the region is at a dangerous "tipping point" that could trigger accelerated melting and dangerous consequences for weather patterns and environments. Ice shrank 20% below 2005’s record low. Scientists theorize that the darker sea holds more...

Frozen DNA
Survives After
8 Million Years

Aug 7, 2007 9:15 PM CDT

Frozen DNA Survives After 8 Million Years

Microorganisms from Antarctica look like Martian data

(Newser) - Scientists have nixed the notion that glaciers are lifeless blocks of ice by thawing chunks containing Antarctic organisms and watching them successfully divide on their own, the Los Angeles Times reports. The study suggests that these microorganisms, ranging from 100,000 to 8 million years old, could yield DNA and...

Live Earth From The Bottom of the Earth - Nunatak Wails

Jul 7, 2007 2:24 PM CDT

Live Earth From The Bottom of the Earth - Nunatak Wails

(Newser) - You've probably been wondering about the Live Earth Concert performance that is coming from Antarctica. How many bands? Can I get a front row seat? The answers are: one band, called Nunatak, consisting of 5 British scientists stationed at Rothera and all 17 seats are sold out. ...

Rio Reverses Live Earth Ban

Jul 6, 2007 8:56 AM CDT

Rio Reverses Live Earth Ban

Environmental show will go ahead as planned

(Newser) - The Rio incarnation of Live Earth, the ecofriendly concert extravaganza scheduled for tomorrow on all seven continents, is back on. Security concerns led a judge to put the kibosh on the event, which is expected to draw up to a million would-be environmentalists to Copacabana beach, but organizers have lined...

Climate Change Accelerates

May 18, 2007 9:59 AM CDT

Climate Change Accelerates

Global warming impedes oceans' carbon absorption, leading to ... global warming

(Newser) - Oceans that absorb a quarter of all the carbon belched into the atmosphere every day are losing their capacity to do so, accelerating global warming by as much as 30%. New research, which focuses on the compromised ability of Antarctica's Southern Ocean to soak up carbon emissions, suggests that climate...