Polar News and Notes Antarctica

News from the polar regions in August includes alarming news for Arctic sea ice, polar bears, and Greenland’s massive glaciers and insights into Antarctica’s past climate and current response to global climate change. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
While news early in the month predicted that the 2008 Arctic sea ice minimum would […]

PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is currently accepting applications. Teachers are invited to submit an application to participate in field research learning experiences during the 2009 (Arctic) or 2009-2010 (Antarctic) field seasons.
Through the PolarTREC program , over 40 K-12 U.S. teachers will spend two to six weeks in the Arctic or Antarctic, working […]

Would you like to add some real-time data to your penguin unit this year? Thanks to education outreach resources from an Antarctic research team, you can!
Dr. David Ainley studies Adelie penguin populations in Antarctica. His long term research of 30 years has recently shown indication of the penguin populations reacting to climate change. His web […]

After working on the next generation of robots for NASA’s exploration of Mars, Ayanna Howard wondered if a similar rover could be used to collect multiple science measurements on this planet, especially in the polar regions.
 In June, three SnoMotes, designed by Howard and a team of engineers and scientists, were on the ice of Mendenhall […]

News from the polar regions in July includes efforts to better model and predict ice sheet dynamics and climate change, volcanic activity in the Arctic, and trouble for penguins and the marine species of the Southern Ocean. Missed these stories the first time? Read on!
As part of an international scientific contest, some of the world’s […]

When is a rock not just a rock? When it can tell stories of the Earth’s amazing past.
The discovery of a single granite boulder near Nimrod Glacier in the Transantarctic Mountains may provide additional support for a theory that East Antarctica was once connected to the west coast of North America.
While sampling rocks to learn […]

We’re all aware that high gasoline prices have caused people to cut back on planned trips and redo household budgets. Research communities, especially those involved in Arctic and Antarctic expeditions, have to do the same thing. Such expeditions need fuel for airplanes, helicopters, and ships to reach sites in the polar regions. They depend on […]

In a recent study, some emperor penguins wore digital electrocardiogram recorders when they dove deep into the waters of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. Using these devices for the first time on penguins, researchers were able to record heart rate data beat by beat.
Among some surprises: in one lengthy dive, the penguin’s heart beat only six […]

According to news from the European Space Agency, the Wilkins Ice Shelf is “hanging by its last thread” to the  Antarctic Peninsula The researchers are studying satellite images that show continuing disintegration of the shelf and a fracture in the ice bridge connecting the shelf to land. The bridge helps stabilize the ice shelf, and […]

In June 2008, Miami, Florida, artist Xavier Cortada traveled to the North Pole with sound artist Juan Carlos Espinosa to create paintings using Arctic water and install eco-art at 90 degrees North.
Cortada made a similar art trek to the South Pole in January 2007 as a recipient of an Antarctic Artists and Writers Program residency […]