This winter will mark 100 years since explorers first reached the South Pole within weeks of each other — Roald Amundsen on December 14, 1911, and Robert Falcon Scott on January 17, 1912. Commemorations, exhibits, and books are expected; some events have already begun and at least one book published.
Norway will celebrate two anniversaries in […]
Polar News and Notes
Scientists in the field
Celebrations of First South Pole Expeditions
Sunday, July 3rd, 2011 9:19 pm
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
Subglacial Lake Ellsworth Will Be Probed in 2012-2013 Winters
Thursday, March 12th, 2009 9:40 am
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
A team of scientists from the United Kingdom has announced that it will explore a lake that has been buried beneath Antarctica’s ice sheet for hundreds of thousands of years.
During the 2012-2013 Antarctic winters, researchers will sample water from subglacial Lake Ellsworth in the search for life forms and extract sediment from the lake […]
Posted in Topics: Antarctica, Current News, Education, International Polar Year, Polar News & Notes, Science, Scientists in the field
Camera Crew in the Air Captures Narwhal Migration
Monday, February 23rd, 2009 3:09 pm
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
Aerial views of migrating land mammals are not that unusual today, but videos of migrating Arctic marine mammals were—until this past summer.
A camera crew aboard a helicopter captured the summer migration of the narwhal, an elusive, medium-size whale, for a natural history unit of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). According to a news story […]
Posted in Topics: Animals, Arctic, Current News, Education, Oceans, Polar News & Notes, Scientists in the field
Multitalented Fridtjof Nansen and His Ship Featured in National Geographic Magazine
Thursday, January 29th, 2009 12:14 pm
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
An exceptional polar expedition in an era of daring explorations of the far north and far south is featured in the January 2009 National Geographic magazine, “1,000 Days in the Ice.” The explorer, Fridtjof Nansen of Norway, was a neuroscientist, zoologist, artist, writer, and national hero, following his crossing of Greenland on skis, before he […]
Posted in Topics: Arctic, Current News, Polar News & Notes, Scientists in the field
World’s Largest Neutrino Telescope under Construction in Antarctica
Monday, December 22nd, 2008 1:44 pm
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
The world’s largest neutrino telescope is being constructed on and under Antarctica ice. Known as IceCube, the telescope consists of strings of 60 optical detectors, each string more than half a mile long and frozen in the ice. Atop each string is a pair of 600 gallon tanks filled with clear ice and containing two […]
Posted in Topics: Antarctica, Current News, Earth and Space Science, Polar News & Notes, Science, Scientists in the field
Polar News & Notes: Apply to Participate in PolarTREC for 2009-2010
Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 12:00 pm
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
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 […]
Polar News & Notes: Penguins March Into Your Classroom
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
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 […]
Polar News & Notes: Scalding Hot Water Found Within the Arctic Circle
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Carolyn Hamilton
Well inside the Arctic Circle, scientists have found vents in the submerged Mid-Atlantic Ridge spewing out water as hot as 570 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the farthest north anyone has seen black smoker vents — so called because it appears as if dark smoke is billowing from them. In fact, the “smoke” is actually iron- […]
Posted in Topics: Arctic, Current News, Oceans, Polar News & Notes, Scientists in the field
Polar News & Notes: Students on Ice Arctic 2008
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
The 2008 Students on Ice youth expedition is now underway! The ship-based journey will explore southern Baffin Island, Nunavut and the northern reaches of Nunavik. 65 international students, aged 13-20, and a team of 30 scientists, polar experts, educators, artists and environmentalists. The team includes 22 northern aboriginal youth, as well as participants from Afghanistan, the […]
Posted in Topics: Arctic, Current News, International Polar Year, Polar News & Notes, Scientists in the field, Upcoming Broadcasts
Polar News & Notes: July 2008 News Roundup
Thursday, July 31st, 2008 9:00 am
Written by: Jessica Fries-Gaither
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 […]
Posted in Topics: Antarctica, Current News, Polar News & Notes, Scientists in the field
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