Antarctica

Satellite images of the Southern Amery Ice Shelf show the ice-covered lake before and after a fracture in the ice shelf beneath caused it to drain into the sea.

Massive Antarctic Lake Vanishes in Just Three Days

Researchers estimate the body of water once held as much as 26 billion cubic feet of H2O that has now all drained into the ocean

Māori explorers may have reached Antarctica in the seventh century A.D.

Māori May Have Reached Antarctica 1,000 Years Before Europeans

New research draws on oral histories and other traditional records often ignored by Western scholars

The Southern Ocean is defined by a swift undertow called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) that flows from West to East around Antarctica.

National Geographic Officially Recognizes the Southern Ocean as World's Fifth Ocean

The organization's cartographers will now label a total of five oceans on their maps and atlases

New research suggests the intrepid adventurer's persistent health problems stemmed from beriberi, a disease linked to vitamin B-1 deficiency.

What Mysterious Illness Plagued Polar Explorer Ernest Shackleton?

The Antarctic adventurer was initially diagnosed with scurvy, but new research suggests he actually suffered from beriberi

A polynya opens up in the Weddell Sea.

How Rivers in the Sky Melt Huge Holes in Antarctic Ice

New research is causing scientists to rethink how polynyas—massive openings in the sea ice—are formed

A stream of meltwater cuts through the Greenland ice sheet.

Earth Loses 1.2 Trillion Tons of Ice Per Year, a Nearly 60% Increase From 1994

A pair of studies paint a worrying picture of accelerating ice loss around the world, with serious consequences for projections of sea level rise

A satellite image shows the A68a iceberg in the lower left. The chunk of ice looks a bit like a pointed finger, and scientists say it's currently on a path to collide with the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia.

Delaware-Sized Iceberg Could Decimate Wildlife on South Atlantic Island

Iceberg A68a is on track to hit the British Territory of South Georgia, where it could complicate access to food for millions of seals and seabirds

A pelagornithid, likely the largest flying bird that ever lived, soared over the open ocean.

Scientists Reveal What May Be the Largest Flying Bird Ever

Researchers from California and China identified the 50-million-year-old bone of a giant bird that lived in Antarctica

Some of the corpses looked newly dead but have actually been preserved in ice for more than 800 years.

Scientist Unearths a Colony of Mummified Penguins in Antarctica

Melting ice revealed an ancient colony that has never before been recorded

A research team surveyed the seafloor near Thwaites Glacier on the RV Nathaniel B Palmer in early 2019.

Mapping Technology Reveals Channels of Warm Water Under Florida-Sized Glacier

The new research will inform computer models of how quickly the glacier is melting

Emperor penguins standing on sea ice at the Brunt ice shelf in Antarctica.

Satellites Spy Poop-Stained Ice, Revealing New Emperor Penguin Colonies

Researchers found eight new colonies, but all were small and located in parts of Antarctica predicted to be ravaged by climate change

The view from Dome A during daylight hours is shown here. At night, this spot might offer the best stargazing in the world, scientists say.

This Might Be the Best Stargazing Spot on Earth, According to Scientists

A frigid hill near Antarctica’s South Pole has all the qualifications to be a superior telescope site, researchers say

Glacier mice are balls of moss found in parts of Alaska and Iceland.

Herds of Moss Balls Mysteriously Roam the Arctic Together

The moss isn't propelled by a slope, the wind, or the sun, but the group moves in sync

A new study has mapped green algae blooms, like the one pictured here, on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Algae Blooms Turn Antarctica’s Ice Green

Scientists predict that the organisms' presence will increase as global temperatures increase

An artist's rendering of a fossil frog found on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Paleontologists Find Antarctica’s First Frog Fossil

The find could help pin down when the South Pole turned icy

According to NASA: "The latest false-color view of total ozone over the Arctic pole. The purple and blue colors are where there is the least ozone, and the yellows and reds are where there is more ozone."

Why This Rare, Huge Ozone Hole Over the Arctic Is Puzzling Scientists

The new wound further diminishes Earth’s protective shield against damaging solar radiation

Danish physician Nadja Albertsen spent a year at Concordia Research Station in Antarctica.

Ten Tips From Scientists Who Have Spent Months in Isolation

Find a hobby, for starters, and don't forget the mission, say scientists who have worked at remote research stations

USS Vincennes in Disappointment Bay, Antarctica, during the Wilkes expedition.

The Forgotten American Explorer Who Discovered Huge Parts of Antarctica

It’s been more than 180 years since Charles Wilkes voyaged to the Antarctic continent and his journey has never been more relevant

So-called 'watermelon snow' sounds better than it looks and tastes; do not eat pink snow.

This 'Blood-Red' Snow Is Taking Over Parts of Antarctica

After a month of record-breaking temperatures, a kind of snow algae that turns ruby-hued in warm temperatures thrives

Icebergs breaking off of Pine Island Glacier into Pine Island Bay, where researchers found an uncharted island now named Sif.

Melting Glaciers Reveal a New Island in Antarctica

Earlier this month, Antarctica experienced its third major melt event of the summer, including record high temperatures

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