tagged w/ Antarctica
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My friend made this very sweet offbeat little video to help publicize my desire to go to Antarctica as your official blogger, AKA; penguin whisperer.My friend made this very sweet offbeat little video to help publicize my desire to go... more
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The world's only factory whaling ship may be driven from the Antarctic by tighter regulations.
The Nisshin Maru is vital to the operations of the Japanese whaling fleet, but it will run foul of new rules imposed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organisation, an investigation by the Herald has found.
The ship will fall foul of three new measures that will apply in Antarctic waters: the heavy fuel oil it uses will be banned; its hull-strength and safety will fail new requirements; and its annual dumping of thousands of tonnes of offal at sea will be rejected in the global nature reserve.
The regulations were backed by the Antarctic Treaty System after a series of accidents involving tourism cruise ships, including the sinking of the MS Explorer.
They pose a dilemma for Japan, one of the world's largest and most law-abiding shipping nations, and threaten to make the operation of its heavily subsidised whaling fleet even more costly.
The converted stern trawler processes and holds whale meat collected by Japan's "scientific research" program. Its chequered history includes two disabling ship fires and the deaths of three crew in accidents.
Following the last fire in 2007, New Zealand's then conservation minister, Chris Carter, said he was concerned about the potential for the Nisshin Maru to spill 1000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in the pristine Ross Sea.
The IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee met in London this week to approve a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Antarctic Treaty area (below 60 degrees South) by July 2011, because of the harm it could cause. Exceptions will be made for ships involved in safety or search-and-rescue operations, the IMO said.
Japanese records show all of its Antarctic whaling is done inside the treaty area.
The IMO's Guidelines For Ships Operating In Ice-Covered Waters calls for them to use industry-best-practice rules against "operational discharges", strengthening Antarctic Treaty rules that forbid dumping waste at sea.
Some of the institute's data checked by Greenpeace shows that about 40 per cent of whale carcasses - mainly bones, blood and other body parts - are dumped each year from Nisshin Maru. In its busiest season yet, 2005-06, 2118 tonnes of whale offal would have gone overboard.The world's only factory whaling ship may be driven from the Antarctic by tighter... more
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Quark Expeditions, who created this cute video, is seeking an official blogger to go on the ship to Antarctica in February 2010. I am trying to win this official blogger job ("Penguin Whisperer") and I think that, after watching this video, you'll agree that I am the best qualified candidate for the job.Quark Expeditions, who created this cute video, is seeking an official blogger to go... more
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In this video, extreme runner Ray Zahab shares an enthusiastic account of his record-breaking trek on foot to the South Pole -- a 33-day sprint through the snow.In this video, extreme runner Ray Zahab shares an enthusiastic account of his... more
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This beautifully done video shows breathtaking images of how Humpback Whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, hunt Krill, Euphausia superba, in Antarctic waters. This is a video clip from BBC's natural history masterpiece, Planet Earth.This beautifully done video shows breathtaking images of how Humpback Whales,... more
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This video is the trailer for DJ Spooky/Paul D. Miller's next large scale multimedia performance work: an acoustic portrait of a rapidly changing continent. Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica is a seventy minute performance featuring music combined with visual material from Getty Images' vast collection, creating a unique and powerful moment around man's relationship with nature.This video is the trailer for DJ Spooky/Paul D. Miller's next large scale... more
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This video of a trip to Antarctica includes lovely images of seals, penguins, gulls and other seabirds and breaching humpback whales!This video of a trip to Antarctica includes lovely images of seals, penguins, gulls... more
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I am competing for the opportunity to go to Antarctica in February 2010 -- a dream adventure that I've always wanted to pursue. But I am not the only one who thinks I will do a good job sharing this adventure with you. I include a list of others who also think I'd do an excellent job being your eyes and ears into the antarctic.I am competing for the opportunity to go to Antarctica in February 2010 -- a dream... more
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Astonishing time-lapse video set to music and filmed in Antarctica in and around McMurdo Station and Scott Base.Astonishing time-lapse video set to music and filmed in Antarctica in and around... more
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Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, whose struggle against breast cancer during a winter at the South Pole captivated the world, has died. She was 57.Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, whose struggle against breast cancer during a winter at... more
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When penguins get a call of nature, they're generally not too fussy where they go. And as they may stay in the same area for up to eight months at a time, the ice under their feet can lose its pure white lustre by the time they move on.
Luckily, scientists have a reason to be excited over the excrement, using the reddish-brown areas of guano (sea bird poo) to plot the movements of emperor penguin breeding colonies.
Experts used satellite images to survey sea ice around 90per cent of Antarctica's coast, and were able to identify a total of 38 colonies, including 10 that were new, by looking for the tell-tale patches.
Experts need to track the movements of emperor penguins to monitor their response to climate change.
Mapping expert Peter Fretwell, from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), said: 'We can't see actual penguins on the satellite maps because the resolution isn't good enough. But during the breeding season the birds stay at a colony for eight months. The ice gets pretty dirty and it's the guano stains that we can see.'
BAS penguin ecologist Dr Phil Trathan said: 'This is a very exciting development. Now we know exactly where the penguins are, the next step will be to count each colony so we can get a much better picture of population size. Using satellite images combined with counts of penguin numbers puts us in a much better position to monitor future population changes over time.'When penguins get a call of nature, they're generally not too fussy where they... more
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Hi current,
Penguins, albatrosses, killer whales and of course people can all jump for joy at the latest news from the Republic of South Africa! The country is set to establish one of the world's largest Marine Protected Areas (MPA) around its Prince Edward Islands. This inspiring achievement will help reduce the ecological impacts of fisheries, particularly on endangered seabirds.
Send a note to South Africa's Environment Minister thanking his department for creating this 11,846 square mile ocean sanctuary >>
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFm.e/zj0p/bAsaE
The Prince Edward Islands in the Southern Ocean is amongst the world's most important and diverse regions. But until now, the islands have been threatened by illegal and irresponsible fishing practices.
This bold step will provide critical habitat for many unique species, including 13 percent of the world's King Penguins population, five species of Albatross, 14 species of petrels, three species of seals and killer whales.
Encourage the Republic of South Africa to keep up the good work! >>
http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFm.e/zj0p/bAsaE
"This is a historic day in marine conservation in South Africa. All of South Africa's current MPAs are located very close inshore. The commitment of the first large offshore MPA moves South Africa into a new era of marine conservation," Dr Deon Nel, head of the WWF Sanlam Living Waters Partnership, said.
Thank you, Currenties, for making a difference to ocean wildlife today.
From Care2
Truly,
Robyn E.
Care2 Petition Site Team
Take action link: http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AFm.e/zj0p/bAsaEHi current,
Penguins, albatrosses, killer whales and of course people can all jump... more
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A massive iceberg with enough freshwater in it to fill Sydney Harbour 135 times over is about to break off the Mertz glacier in Antarctica -- that is 30 per cent of the world's annual water consumption.
Scientists are not sure if it is a natural event or if global warming is to blame. But a joint Australian and French team hope to find out.
The Mertz Glacier is near Commonwealth Bay in East Antarctica.
It flows into the southern ocean for 140 kilometres before it drops icebergs into the sea.
A large crack has formed about half way along the Mertz Glacier, which means it is going to drop a very large iceberg.
French glaciologist Benoit Legresy is measuring the break-up.
"Just at the moment, it's undergoing a massive calving event which promises to release an iceberg which will be between 20 to 25 kilometres wide and 75 kilometres long by about 400 to 500 metres thick," he said.A massive iceberg with enough freshwater in it to fill Sydney Harbour 135 times over... more
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Using sonar technology from onboard ships, scientists from British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the German Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) captured the most extensive, continuous set of images of the seafloor around the Amundsen Sea embayment ever taken. This region is a major drain point of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and considered by some scientists to be the most likely site for the initiation of major ice sheet collapse.
The sonar images reveal an ‘imprint’ of the Antarctic ice sheet as it was at the end of the last ice age around 10 thousand years ago. The extent of ice covering the continent was much larger than it is today. The seabed troughs and channels that are now exposed provide new clues about the speed and flow of the ice sheet. They indicate that the controlling mechanisms that move ice towards the coast and into the sea are more complex than previously thought.
end of excerptUsing sonar technology from onboard ships, scientists from British Antarctic Survey... more
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The Wilkins Ice Shelf collapsed in Antarctica, a glacier larger than Rhode Island. If ice melting like this continues, there could be a catastrophic rise in sea level that would affect communities at low sea level or near deltas like Bangledesh and Florida. Scientists look to Global Warming as the cause. What job do we as Americans have to control our carbon emissions? What is the best way to get people on a national and global level to work together? Could it be that a crises like global warming that affects the world could be a prompt for the nations of the world to work together against a common enemy? DiméThe Wilkins Ice Shelf collapsed in Antarctica, a glacier larger than Rhode Island. If... more
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TROMSOE, Norway (Reuters) – An area of an Antarctic ice shelf almost the size of New York City has broken into icebergs this month after the collapse of an ice bridge widely blamed on global warming, a scientist said Tuesday.
more in the link...TROMSOE, Norway (Reuters) – An area of an Antarctic ice shelf almost the size of... more
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At least in EAST Antarctica!
"The results of ice-core drilling and sea ice monitoring indicate there is no large-scale melting of ice over most of Antarctica, although experts are concerned at ice losses on the continent's western coast.
Antarctica has 90 per cent of the Earth's ice and 80 per cent of its fresh water, The Australian reports. Extensive melting of Antarctic ice sheets would be required to raise sea levels substantially, and ice is melting in parts of west Antarctica. The destabilisation of the Wilkins ice shelf generated international headlines this month.
However, the picture is very different in east Antarctica, which includes the territory claimed by Australia.
East Antarctica is four times the size of west Antarctica and parts of it are cooling. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research report prepared for last week's meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in Washington noted the South Pole had shown "significant cooling in recent decades".
Australian Antarctic Division glaciology program head Ian Allison said sea ice losses in west Antarctica over the past 30 years had been more than offset by increases in the Ross Sea region, just one sector of east Antarctica.
"Sea ice conditions have remained stable in Antarctica generally," Dr Allison said."At least in EAST Antarctica!
"The results of ice-core drilling and sea ice... more
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A living time capsule of sorts has been found buried under hundreds of feet of Antarctic ice -a colony of microbes that have been sealed off from the rest of the world for more than 1.5 million years.
The finding, detailed in the April 17 issue of the journal Science, could serve as a model for how life might survive on icy planets elsewhere in the galaxy.
The microbes, which live without light or oxygen, were detected in meltwater flowing out from Taylor Glacier, one of the outlet glaciers of the vast East Antarctic Ice Sheet in the otherwise ice-free McMurdo Dry Valleys.
The Dry Valleys are considered one of Earth's most extreme deserts, devoid of animals and complex plants.
Scientists took water samples from Blood Falls, a curious blood-red waterfall-like feature that sporadically flows from the edge of Taylor Glacier.
Analyses revealed that the glacier water held microorganisms that use sulfur compounds to extract iron in the bedrock below the glacier (this iron also accounts for the rusty hue of the water).
"When I started running the chemical analysis on [the samples], there was no oxygen. That was when this got really interesting, it was a real 'eureka' moment," said researcher Jill Mikucki, who conducted the research, which was supported by the National Science Foundation, while a graduate student at Montana State University and a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University. She currently works at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
The researchers can't drill down to the pool that is home to the microbes because the ice is too thick and too far back from the edge of the glacier, but they think the pool is less than 3 miles (5 kilometers) across and was formed about 1.5 million to 2 million years ago.
Genetic tests suggest that the microbes are similar to ones found in marine environments today, which the researchers think are a remnant of a larger population of microbes that once lived in a fjord or sea that was cut off when sea levels fell and left the pool behind. The pool was eventually capped off by the flowing glacier.
"It's a bit like finding a forest that nobody has seen for 1.5 million years," said study team member Ann Pearson of Harvard. "Intriguingly, the species living there are similar to contemporary organisms, and yet quite different - a result, no doubt, of having lived in such an inhospitable environment for so long."
end of excerpt.A living time capsule of sorts has been found buried under hundreds of feet of... more
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Researchers have discovered a new kind of microbial life flourishing in a dark, icy-cold pool underneath an Antarctic glacier. The finding has implications for how life might have survived on Earth during the coldest, grimmest epochs.
Blood Falls, a rusty red discolouration on the face of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica, occasionally gushes forth a transparent, briny, iron-rich liquid that quickly oxidizes and turns red, staining the ice below.Researchers have discovered a new kind of microbial life flourishing in a dark,... more
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This 20 minute video explains how ice cores and climate models are used to predict future climate. No warm and fuzzies, just the science. Travel with a scientist from his field site in Antarctica where ancient ice is collected, to the labs where measurements are made to determine how greenhouse gases change climate, to the computer facilities used to predict future climate.This 20 minute video explains how ice cores and climate models are used to predict... more
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