Antarctic Environment
Current changes in the ocean around Antarctica are disturbingly close to conditions 14,000 years ago that led to the rapid melting of the Antarctic ice sheets and a three metre rise in global sea levels. New research published in Nature Scientific Reports found that at the end of the last ice age, Antarctic ocean temperatures [...]
ALE uses blue-ice airfields to land wheeled aircraft in Antarctica. These snow-free areas are a cornerstone of our operations. But what are blue-ice fields? How are they formed? And what makes them so special? Blue-ice fields are glacial areas that remain snow-free. Most of the Antarctic ice sheet is covered by snow, since the accumulation [...]
The glaciated and alpine topography of the Sentinel Range in the Ellsworth Mountains provides excellent climbing terrain for mountaineers with eight of the ten highest peaks in Antarctica being located here. While the majority of visitors to the area come to climb, this region of the continent has plenty to offer adventurers and geologists in [...]
With the approach of the solstice, stations around Antarctica are gearing up for Midwinter celebrations.
Believe it or not, keeping things cool - or even frozen - in Antarctica can be a real challenge due to fluctuating temperatures and the realities of living on a moving glacier, in the most remote corner of the globe.
After 6 months 'night', the sun is an odd sight on the horizon and seeing it is a bit of a watershed moment. So says Keith, in his blog "Life at the South Pole".
Photos taken by ALE guests in Antarctica put a new spin on the old saying, "Take nothing but photos. Leave nothing but footprints" and show that footprints can be both intriguing and enduring.
In the early hours of Christmas Day (Tuesday 25 December 2012) Professor Martin Siegert, Principal Investigator of the Subglacial Lake Ellsworth experiment, confirmed that the mission to drill into the lake has been called off for this Antarctic season. Drilling had been proceeding well, but was stopped when the team was unable to link the [...]
Antarctica is the highest, driest and most remote of all continents yet we know remarkably little about its weather and how it fits into the global picture. A new research project aims to change that...
“Antarctica is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind bogglingly big it is.” * And knowing exactly where you are is important for explorers and expeditions. So what do they rely on? Well, maps, of course but because Antarctica is so huge, very little of it has been mapped. Existing Topographic Maps Whole [...]