The Road To Antarctica

Today's Drilling Rush Looks as Crude as Whale Oil Folly

Washington Post  |  Jul 16, 08 10:37 AM CDT

(Newser) - On an otherwise deserted patch of Arctic ice stands an abandoned settlement, proof that humans once lived here. Nearby lies a reminder of why they came: dozens of massive whale skulls, still bleeding oil into the ground. Men once flocked to this land for whale oil, Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post; now our dependence on a different kind of oil might change it forever. More »

Arctic Boom Awash in Green Risk

Yale Environment 360  |  Jul 10, 08 1:42 PM CDT

(Newser) - As the Arctic sea ice melts, it’s uncovering vast resources, leading to an international energy and mining rush. Companies are lining up to explore the region, and nations are reviving Arctic border disputes in hopes of tapping its wealth. But the exploitation of the area’s resources could have dire environmental consequences, Ed Struzik writes on Yale Environment 360. More »

With 16K Condoms, Antarctic Base Ready for Winter

The Press  |  Jun 11, 08 7:13 AM CDT

(Newser) - The McMurdo Antarctic station got a vital shipment last month just before the southern winter descended—a year's supply of condoms. Some 16,500 condoms were delivered to the base's 125 staff. Supply flights won't resume until after the sun rises again in August, when the polar station's population begins to swell to more than 1,000, reports New Zealand's Press . More »

Bizarre Antarctic Sea Life Found

Daily Telegraph (UK)  |  Feb 20, 08 10:51 AM CST

(Newser) - A host of bizarre giant creatures lurk in the little-known waters of Antarctica, the Daily Telegraph reports. Thousands of specimens have been gathered by a mission to study Antarctic marine life before it is wiped out—including giant sea spiders the size of dinner plates, huge sea worms, and mammoth jellyfish. "I was staggered by the size of things," said an expedition leader. More »

Warming Dooms King Penguins

Los Angeles Times  |  Feb 12, 08 4:31 AM CST

(Newser) - Global warming could drive king penguins into extinction in the next 20 years, a new study warns. Research indicates that a rise in ocean temperature of just 0.47 degrees—well below the forecast—would reduce the animals' critical supply of lantern fish and krill, reports the Los Angeles Times . The 8-year study found even a minimal change in temperature drastically increased penguin mortality because of effects on their food supply. More »

Ancient Antarctic Volcano May Be Linked to Warming

BBC  |  Jan 21, 08 4:03 AM CST

(Newser) - The discovery of what scientists are hailing as the first evidence of a volcanic eruption under Antarctica’s massive ice sheet may be linked to climate change, the BBC reports. British researchers, who discovered evidence of a volcano by analyzing radar data from an air survey, believe the eruption likely happened some 2,000 years ago and ripped through its ice ceiling, spouting steam and rocky debris into the air. More »

Antarctica Speeds Into Trouble

Washington Post  |  Jan 14, 08 11:35 AM CST

(Newser) - Parts of Antarctica thought to be unaffected by global warming are in fact melting as the temperature of the oceans rises, and in parts of the continent, annual ice loss has jumped 140% in the past decade, new research shows. Satellite mapping shows change on a previously unimagined scale, reports the Washington Post . The findings suggest a "frightening" possibility of major ice loss at both poles, experts say. More »

Aussies Chip Airfield Out of Antarctic Icefield

Sydney Morning Herald  |  Jan 11, 08 9:20 AM CST

(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 Hubert Wilkins, who made the first flight over the ice cap 79 years ago. More »

'Christmas Punch-up' Rocks South Pole

Guardian (UK)  |  Dec 27, 07 5:28 PM CST

(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 airlifted out when US Antarctic headquarters found out about the booze-fueled brawl. More »

Antarctica Gets High-Def Map

MSNBC  |  Nov 28, 07 1:21 PM CST

(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. More »

Last Survivors Land in Chile

BBC  |  Nov 25, 07 6:04 PM CST

(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 emotional outbursts when the Explorer went under. More »

First Survivors Land in Chile

BBC  |  Nov 24, 07 3:52 PM CST

(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 "very well" on their first overnight. "Some of them have been in touch with their families via the Internet," he said. More »

Survivors Recall Ordeal

Times (UK)  |  Nov 23, 07 7:05 PM CST

(Newser) - Safe and warm on an Antarctic island, passengers of the sunken Explorer recounted their ordeal in high spirits today, the Times reports. One said they heard a loud bang after midnight, and were called up as the ship started listing. “Then the electricity cut out and we lost the engine,” one said. "At 3 o’clock an order was given to abandon ship." That, he said, is when the "Titanic" jokes started. More »

Antarctic Cruise Ship Sinking

CNN  |  Nov 23, 07 7:34 AM CST

(Newser) - Passengers and crew abandoned a cruise ship traveling in Antarctic waters after the vessel struck an iceberg and began to sink late last night. More than 150 people on board the Explorer manned lifeboats in the freezing waters near the South Shetland Islands, south of Argentina, until they were taken aboard a Norwegian cruise ship, the  MS Nord Norge, this morning, CNN reports. More »

New Zealand to Japanese Whalers: Go Home!

Sydney Morning Herald  |  Nov 19, 07 3:42 AM CST

(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 will catch over 1,000 whales, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. More »

UN Warns of 'Abrupt' Warming