Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier is speeding up again as its ice shelf is breaking up, and scientists say they've underestimated how quickly it may disappear.
Australian Antarctic Division
New research showing that ‘supercooled’ Southern Ocean clouds are different from any others on Earth, promises to improve climate and weather forecasting models.
It also raises tantalising questions about how microscopic life in the Southern Ocean affects Antarctic climate and weather.
The monkey (top) deck of Aurora Australis was fitted out with 64 instruments to measure cloud, aerosol, precipitation and radiation properties during summer 2017-18. Photo: Doug Thost
The findings come after an international team conducted four major field campaigns between 2016 and 2018 to measure clouds, aerosols (fine particles), precipitation (rainfall and snowfall), and the state of the atmosphere over the Southern Ocean, from ships, aircraft and a sub-Antarctic island.
The basics
Antarctica reported its first cases of Covid-19 in late December 2020. While scientists who observed strict quarantine rules sailed to the continent from the UK in November 2020, tourism remains severely restricted, with many cruise companies canceling their operations for the brief summer season.
What s on offer
A remote icy wilderness at the end of the world, trips to Antarctica have grown in popularity in recent years, with travelers sailing across the Drake Passage from South America to catch a glimpse of sprawling penguin colonies, breaching whales and rare seabirds.
Who can go
Because Antarctica is a scientific preserve, special teams have been able to restart research work on the continent from the end of 2020. While tourism isn t banned, the fact that most visitors can only arrive via ship means it s almost impossible to go right now, as many cruises are not running at this time.