Polar News and Notes Current News

What was the climate like when the earth was warmer than it is today? To find the answer, researchers in a group called Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) are trying to reconstruct a warm period that existed 3 million years ago.
Led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), scientists are examining fossils from the […]

The European Space Agency reports new rifts on the Wilkins Ice Sheet, which is connected to two islands by a strip of ice. The rifts could cause the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula to destroy the strip, or bridge, of ice that has been preventing the shelf from breaking away.  
Wilkins Ice Sheet, […]

Researchers led by Richard Alley of Pennsylvania State University believe they have a way of predicting how fast “calving events” will occur on an ice shelf. Their model, briefly described in a press release from the university and reported in the November 28 issue of Science, will prove helpful as more “calves,” or icebergs, are […]

Scientists studying the rare yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes), an endangered species found in New Zealand, made a surprising discovery: a new penguin species. The only catch? It’s extinct.
Researchers used genetic analysis as well as morphological evidence from bones and discovered that the oldest specimens were different enough to represent a new species (Megadyptes waitaha). They theorize […]

December 4 will be the seventh International Polar Day and the focus is on modern-day research taking place at both poles. With the theme Above the Polar Regions, background information and activities will feature polar meteorology, atmospheric sciences, astronomy, and polar observations from space.
Teachers and others are invited to use resources from the Above the […]