Antarctica volcano warning after scientists suggest eruption could cause 'sea level rise'

ANTARCTICA is home to a number of volcanoes that are hidden beneath its icy surface, with some scientists suggesting that an eruption could cause global sea levels to rise.

By JOEL DAY
Wed, Dec 1, 2021

Antarctica: Scientists find area where no life exists

Believe it or not, over 100 volcanoes are scattered across Antarctica. Scientists recently uncovered the largest volcanic region on Earth there, two kilometres beneath the surface of a vast ice sheet that covers the west side of the continent. One of the highest found was as tall as the Eiger — the famous mountain in Switzerland that stands at 3,967 metres.

The team from Edinburgh University, who made the discovery in 2017, claimed that the region was likely to dwarf that of East Africa's volcanic ridge, which was rated as having the densest concentration of volcanoes in the world.

At the moment, there are only two active volcanoes in Antarctica — Mount Erebus and Deception Island.

They are both unique in their geological makeup, completely different to many found around the world.


While scientists who work in and study Antarctica say that the volcanoes are unlikely to pose any real threat anytime soon, some have suggested that their eruption could have a knock-on effect around the world.

Antarctica: A volcanic eruption on the icy continent could lead to rising sea levels

 (Image: GETTY)

Deception Island: One of Antarctica's active volcanos 

(Image: GETTY)


John Smellie, Professor of Volcanology at the University of Leicester, previously suggested that any movement from these volcanoes could create significant amounts of melt water.

This water would then slowly stream into the sea, raising levels.

In 2017, he told The Conversation about the structure of these volcanoes: “The volcanoes would melt huge caverns in the base of the ice and create enormous quantities of meltwater.

“Because the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is wet, rather than frozen to its bed – imagine an ice cube on a kitchen worktop – the meltwater would act as a lubricant and could cause the overlying ice to slip and move more rapidly.

“These volcanoes can also stabilise the ice, however, as they give it something to grip onto – imagine that same ice cube snagging onto a lump-shaped object.

Research: Antarctic researchers pictured at the base of a mountain (Image: GETTY)

“In any case, the volume of water that would be generated by even a large volcano is a pinprick compared with the volume of overlying ice.

“So a single eruption won’t have much effect on the ice flow. What would make a big difference, is if several volcanoes erupt close to or beneath any of West Antarctica’s prominent ‘ice streams’."

When it comes to freshwater reserves, around 80 percent of the planet's stores are in Antarctica.

If melted, this would raise global sea levels by about 60 metres.

Scientists have pointed out that this would make the planet uninhabitable for humans.

Prof Smellie claimed that an eruption beneath the ice could cause this process to speed up: “Ice streams are rivers of ice that flow much faster than their surroundings.

“They are the zones along which most of the ice in Antarctica is delivered to the ocean, and therefore fluctuations in their speed can affect the sea level.

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Mount Erebus: Another active volcano on Antarctica (Image: GETTY)

Tectonic plates: Most of the worlds volcanoes are found around the edges of tectonic plates (Image: GETTY)

“If the additional ‘lubricant’ provided by multiple volcanic eruptions was channelled beneath ice streams, the subsequent rapid flow may dump unusual amounts of West Antarctica’s thick interior ice into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise.

“Under-ice volcanoes are probably what triggered a rapid flow of ancient ice streams into the vast Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica’s largest ice shelf.

“Something similar might have occurred about 2,000 years ago with a small volcano in the Hudson Mountains that lie underneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet – if it erupted again today it could cause the nearby Pine Island Glacier to speed up.”

Deadliest volcanoes: Some of the deadliest active volcanoes around the world

 (Image: Express Newspapers)

He added: "Most dramatically of all, a large series of eruptions could destabilise many more subglacial volcanoes.

“As volcanoes cool and crystallise, their magma chambers become pressurised and all that prevents the volcanic gases from escaping violently in an eruption is the weight of overlying rock or, in this case, several kilometres of ice.

“As that ice becomes much thinner, the pressure reduction may trigger eruptions.

History: A 19th century drawing of Mount Erebus (Image: GETTY)

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“More eruptions and ice melting would mean even more meltwater being channelled under the ice streams.”

While the doomsday scenarios could happen, for now, most of Antarctica's volcanoes remain dormant and have not erupted for 10,000 years.

But, in the future, they could become active once again.

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VolcanoesAntarctica

WELL THAT WAS UNEXPECTED
Antarctica's Conger ice shelf collapses in most significant loss since early 2000s

Satellite images show the Conger ice shelf in Antarctica has collapsed, scientists report. Photo courtesy of Stef Lhermitte/Twitter

March 25 (UPI) -- The Conger ice shelf in Antarctica has collapsed, according to satellite data, in what scientists say is the most significant collapse there in nearly 20 years.

While the ice shelf is relatively small -- it is roughly the size of Rome -- Dr. Catherine Colello Walker said the event, which came in a week with unusually high temperatures, could be a harbinger for more collapses to come.

"It won't have huge effects most likely, but it's a sign of what might be coming," said Walker, an Earth and planetary scientist for NASA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

"It is one of the most significant collapse events anywhere in Antarctica since the early 2000s when the Larson B ice shelf disintegrated," Walker told the Guardian.

RELATEDNOAA's Arctic report card finds 'alarming' trend in climate crisis

Ice shelves permanently float and don't add to rising sea levels. However, if entire ice shelves collapse, glacial ice on land can be released into oceans and that can raise sea levels, according to scientists.

Temperatures increased with an "atmospheric river" event, where a stream of warm air rolls over a region -- in this case, raising the temperature 30 degrees higher than normal for this time of year.

"We need to better understand how the warm period has influenced melt along this whole sector of Antarctica," Andrew Mackintosh, head of the school of Earth, atmosphere and the environment at Monash University, told Cnet.



University of Minnesota geologist Peter Neff says the collapse of even a small ice shelf in Antarctica is surprising.

"We still treat East Antarctica like this massive, high, dry, cold and immovable ice cube," Neff said.

RELATED Ice shelf disintegration accelerating Pine Island Glacier descent toward sea

According to Neff, satellite data from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission showed the ice shelf collapse started between March 5 and 7.

"This collapse, especially if tied to the extreme heat brought by the mid-March atmospheric event, will drive additional research into these processes in the region," Neff said.

More than a third of Antarctica's ice shelves will be at risk of collapse if global temperatures reach 4 degrees celsius above preindustrial levels, according scientists.

Massive iceberg 4 times the size of NYC breaks off in Antarctica

In December, scientists warned that an ice shelf holding back a crucial Antarctic glacier could break up within five years. If that happens it could greatly increase the rate of sea level rise.

Ice shelf collapses in previously stable East Antarctica

This satellite image provided by NASA, Aqua MODIS 12 on March 2022 shows the main piece of C-37 close to Bowman Island. Scientists are concerned because an ice shelf the size of New York City collapsed in East Antarctica, an area that had long been thought to be stable. The collapse last week was the first time scientists have ever seen an ice shelf collapse in this cold area of Antarctica.
(NASA via AP)

An ice shelf the size of New York City has collapsed in East Antarctica, an area long thought to be stable and not hit much by climate change, concerned scientists said Friday.

The collapse, captured by satellite images, marked the first time in human history that the frigid region had an ice shelf collapse. It happened at the beginning of a freakish warm spell last week when temperatures soared more than 70 degrees (40 Celsius) warmer than normal in some spots of East Antarctica. Satellite photos show the area had been shrinking rapidly the last couple of years, and now scientists wonder if they have been overestimating East Antarctica’s stability and resistance to global warming that has been melting ice rapidly on the smaller western side and the vulnerable peninsula.

The ice shelf, about 460 square miles wide (1200 square kilometers) holding in the Conger and Glenzer glaciers from the warmer water, collapsed between March 14 and 16, said ice scientist Catherine Walker of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. She said scientists have never seen this happen in this part of the continent, making it worrisome.

“The Glenzer Conger ice shelf presumably had been there for thousands of years and it’s not ever going to be there again,” said University of Minnesota ice scientist Peter Neff.

The issue isn’t the amount of ice lost in this collapse, Neff and Walker said. That is negligible. It’s more about the where it happened.

Neff said he worries that previous assumptions about East Antarctica’s stability may not be correct. And that’s important because if the water frozen in East Antarctica melted — and that’s a millennia-long process if not longer — it would raise seas across the globe more than 160 feet (50 meters). It’s more than five times the ice in the more vulnerable West Antarctic Ice Sheet, where scientists have concentrated much of their research.

Helen Amanda Fricker, co-director of the Scripps Polar Center at the University of California San Diego, said researchers have to spend more time looking at that part of the continent.

“East Antarctica is starting to change. There is mass loss starting to happen,” Fricker said. “We need to know how stable each one of the ice shelves are because once one disappears” it means glaciers melt into the warming water and “some of that water will come to San Diego and elsewhere.”

Scientists had been seeing this particular ice shelf — closest to Australia — shrink a bit since the 1970s, Neff said. Then in 2020, the shelf’s ice loss sped up to losing about half of itself every month or so, Walker said.

“We probably are seeing the result of a lot of long time increased ocean warming there,” Walker said. “it’s just been melting and melting.”

Still, one expert thinks that only part of East Antarctica is a concern.

“Most of East Antarctica is relatively secure, relatively invulnerable and there are sectors in it that are vulnerable,” said British Antarctic Survey geophysicist Rob Larter. “The overall effect of climate change around East Antarctica is it’s chipping away at the edges of the ice sheets in some places, but it’s actually adding more snow to the middle.”

Last week, what’s called an atmospheric river dumped a lot of warm air — and even rain instead of snow — on parts of East Antarctica, getting temperatures so far above normal that scientists have spent the last week discussing it. The closest station to the collapsed ice shelf is Australia’s Casey station, about 180 miles (300 kilometers) away and it hit 42 degrees (5.6 degrees Celsius), which was about 18 degrees (10 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal.

And that, Walker said, “probably is something like, you know, the last straw on the camel’s back.”

Fricker, who has explored a different more stable East Antarctic ice shelf, said an ice shelf there “is the quietest most serene place you can imagine.”

This satellite image provided by NASA, Terra MODIS 22 on February 2022 shows The Conger/Glenzer (Bowman Island) ice shelf and associated fast ice pre-collapse.

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Read stories on climate issues by The Associated Press at https://apnews.com/hub/climate

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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears.

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

 

Antarctica’s Dicey Summer

by Robert Hunziker / October 6th, 2023

The past couple of years in Antarctica have been a rough and tumble affair of erratic climate change with record-high temperatures and totally unexpected ice shelf collapse. The continent is starting to reflect the impact of a warming planet that’s just too hot for icy comfort. So, what surprises will this year’s summer season bring?

At the tail end of Antarctica’s 2022 summer, during the start of autumn/March ‘22, temperatures along the eastern coast spiked 70°F (39°C) above normal. Scientists called it “unthinkable.” According to Edward Blanchard-Wrigglesworth, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington: “We found that temperature anomaly, the 39-degree temperature anomaly, that’s the largest anywhere ever measured anywhere in the world.” (Source: “Scientists Found the Most Intense Heat Wave Ever Recorded – in Antarctica,” Washington Post, September 24, 2023)

Within weeks, the unthinkable happened in East Antarctica. Conger Ice Shelf suddenly collapsed. According to NASA: “It is relatively common for ice shelves in Antarctica to spawn icebergs, it is less common for an ice shelf to completely disintegrate. The collapse has reshaped a part of the Antarctic landscape where coastal glacial ice was once thought to be stable. The change happened fast… All of the previous collapses have taken place in West Antarctica, not East Antarctica, which until recently has been thought of as relatively stable. This is something like a dress rehearsal for what we could expect from other, more massive ice shelves if they continue to melt and destabilize. Then we’ll really be past the turnaround point in terms of slowing sea level rise” (Source: “Ice Shelf Collapse in East Antarctica,” Earth Observatory, NASA, March 29, 2022).

Antarctica’s upcoming summer of 2023 with sunshine 24/7 from October thru February will bring a new season that is especially notable considering the fact that global warming strutted its stuff during Antarctica’s dark winter months of March-to-October 2023, setting new high temperature records and especially true of global warming’s impact on abnormally high ocean temperatures, which serve to undercut and weaken ice shelves: “The Southern Ocean has warmed substantially.” (Source: “Southern Ocean Warming and its Climatic Impacts,” Science Bulletin, 68:9, May 15, 2023) thus creating higher risks for 90% of the world’s surface water that’s impermanently locked in ice.

Already, strange things may be happening. For example, according to a non-authoritative source, the crucial Pinning Point 5 is gone at Thwaites/Pine Island glaciers. That source claims this risks an acceleration of glacial flow and termed the occurrence ‘”an emergency,” but that has not been verified by other sources. It should be noted that the source has a reasonable track record of following Antarctic events that later make news. (Source: “Pinning Point Five Collapsed, the Sea Ice Barrier Buttressing Thwaites and Pine Island Glacier,” Daily Kos, Sept. 29, 2023)

Along the way, the erratic behavior of the climate system over the past 18-24 months is of major concern, as global heat has enveloped the planet, setting records from the peaks of the tallest mountains in the Alps to the deepest interior of Antarctica, almost as if the climate system is programmed to keep turning up the thermostat, regardless of location, regardless of time, whatever season. Of course, this is as threatening to survival of Antarctica’s icy stature as it is fatal to the world’s coastal cities.

Polar Amplification in Antarctica

Times are changing fast as Antarctica, like its cousin up north, heats up much faster than the rest of the planet. According to Dr. Mathieu Casado, Laboratoire des Science du Climat et de l’Environment/France, there is direct evidence that Antarctica is undergoing “polar amplification.” (Source: “Ice Cores Reveal Antarctica is Warming Twice as Fast as Global Average,” CarbonBrief, September 13, 2023)

In plain English, it’s heating up much faster than the overall planet, which is horribly threatening news. In fact, the study found the continent is heating up per decade as much as 50% over climate models. This is a shocker to climate scientists and should be of serious concern to any sane/grounded person. It speaks to the necessity of taking immediate action by nation/states to convert energy systems to renewables.

According to the Casado study, Antarctica’s warming “is almost twice as strong as global warming estimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) … also 20-50% larger than the estimates from the climate models used to produce the IPCC reports -even in East Antarctica, which was believed to be largely unaffected by climate change so far.” Accordingly, the study anticipates “dire consequences for the low-lying lands… further warning of the consequences of greenhouse gas emissions, even in one of the most remote parts of the world.”

Therefore, sea level rise as currently anticipated by consensus opinion is very likely too low in terms of potential and resultant coastal impacts, including calculations used by the IPCC, underestimating global warming’s impact on Antarctica by a wide margin.

It is instructive to look at the latest IPCC report, which is a synthesis d/d March 2023 that integrates the findings from its Sixth Assessment Report Cycle, stating: “Climate change is widespread, rapid, and intensifying… There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all. Choices made this current decade will impact us now and for thousands of years.” (Source: “IPCC Climate Change Reports: Why They Matter to Everyone on the Planet,” National Resources Defense Council, April 14, 2023) Thus, the IPCC puts the decade of the 2020s on a pedestal of achievement that must be achieved, or it’ll crash.

According to the IPCC’s Best-Case analysis: “If the world bands together to slash emissions immediately, the world can avoid the most catastrophic version of the climate crisis, but it will continue to warm until at least mid-century, due to the impact of past emissions.” For example, some changes that are already set in motion, like sea level rise, are irreversible over many decades. Adaptation is necessary.

In point of fact, the Casado study adds a haunting new perspective to the 6th Assessment Report, i.e., Antarctica’s warming is almost twice as strong as stated by the IPCC. In the final analysis, the study means the IPCC vastly understates the impact of global warming on Antarctica, which can only mean that low-lying coastal cities should build massive sea walls.

After all, according to the Miami Herald regarding southern Florida, within the next couple of years:  “Some Keys Roads Will Flood by 2025 Due to Sea Rise, Fixing Them Could Cost $750 Million,” Miami Herald, Oct. 21, 2021.

And this: “Several parts of coastal North Carolina could fall victim to extreme flooding in the very near future… several portions of North Carolina can be seen below the annual flood level by the year 2030,” Breaking News, Fox8/North Carolina, July 21, 2023.

Indeed, mainstream news outlets like the Miami Herald and Fox8 News are ringing the bell at the town square, warning about sea level rise flooding portions of Florida and North Carolina… real soon!

And this: According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Gulf Coast region saw more than a 1,000% increase in the number of high tide flooding days in 2020 over the past two decades. (Source: “Gulf Coast Sea Level Rising at ‘Unprecedented’ Rate, Recent Studies Find,” Houston Public Media, April 12, 2023)

In turn, all above brings to surface questions about motives of people who denigrate, attack, and belittle the climate change issue, human-caused global warming, and renewables thereby serving to block or interfere with nationwide efforts to do something constructive. Their line of thinking is extraordinarily dangerous to the country in the face of actual flooding events along America’s coasts that are locked loaded and ready for more action very soon. Mainstream news has clearly identified impending danger.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sea level rise over the next 30 years will equal the past 100 years. “In the United States, the most vulnerable populations live on the East and Gulf Coasts… The acceleration of sea level rise along these coasts is ‘unprecedented in at least 120 years.” (Source: “Acceleration of U.S. Southeast and Gulf Coast Sea-Level Rise Amplified by Internal Climate Variability,” Nature Communications, April 2023)

The Antarctic summer of 2023 is on shaky footing as global heat is on the march worldwide like never before, and it knows no boundaries from south to north, every ecosystem everywhere is fair game. Of course, a major concern is rapid acceleration of ice shelf disintegration, especially fragile West Antarctica where Pine Island Glacier and Thwaites Glacier are already the fastest changing and most unstable glaciers in the world. Incidentally, Thwaites has a nickname: The Doomsday Glacier.

Robert Hunziker (MA, economic history, DePaul University) is a freelance writer and environmental journalist whose articles have been translated into foreign languages and appeared in over 50 journals, magazines, and sites worldwide. He can be contacted at: rlhunziker@gmail.com. Read other articles by Robert.

Antarctic projects trimmed over virus fears

According to reports, the number of projects was being cut from 36 to 13 across the upcoming research season

By DAVE MAKICHUK JUNE 10, 2020

Antarctica New Zealand is committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of New Zealand's Antarctic scientific research. Credit: Handout.

It may be the most desolate and uninhabitable place on the planet, but New Zealand is taking steps to ensure that Antarctica stays free of the deadly virus, Covid-19.

Antarctica New Zealand, the government agency that does environmental research on the desolate landmass and the Southern Ocean, said Tuesday it would reduce its scientific projects in Antarctica to keep the continent free from Covid-19, CGTN.com reported.

Limiting the number of people visiting was key to stopping the spread of the coronavirus, the agency said, addding it had decided to support “only long-term science monitoring, essential operational activity and planned maintenance this season” at its Scott Base.

According to reports, the number of projects was being cut from 36 to 13 across the upcoming research season from October to March, CGTN.com reported.

Antarctica New Zealand is committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of Antarctic scientific research, chief executive Sarah Williamson stated.

However, current circumstances meant their ability to support science was extremely limited this season, she added.

Antarctica New Zealand said it was developing a managed isolation plan with multiple government agencies to ensure COVID-19 does not reach the continent, CGTN.com reported.

Scott Base is New Zealand’s only Antarctic research station and is 3,800 kilometres (2,360 miles) south of Christchurch and 1,350 kilometers (840 miles) from the South Pole, according to Antarctica New Zealand.

Usually, up to 86 scientists, staff and visitors can stay there at any one time, CGTN.com reported.

New Zealand has recorded a total of 1,504 confirmed and 22 deaths.

Meanwhile, more than 7.13 million people have been reported to be infected with the new coronavirus globally and 406,913 have died, according to latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

New Zealand cuts research to keep Antarctica virus free

Antarctica New Zealand said it was developing a managed isolation plan with multiple government agencies to ensure COVID-19 does not reach the continent

New Zealand said Tuesday it will reduce its scientific projects in Antarctica to keep the virtually uninhabited continent free from COVID-19.

Antarctica New Zealand, the government agency that does environmental research on the desolate landmass and the Southern Ocean, said limiting the number of people visiting was key to stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

The agency said it had decided to support "only long-term science monitoring, essential operational activity and planned maintenance this season" at its Scott Base after consulting other research programmes in the region.

According to reports, the number of projects was being cut from 36 to 13 across the upcoming research season from October to March.

"Antarctica New Zealand is committed to maintaining and enhancing the quality of New Zealand's Antarctic scientific research," Chief Executive Sarah Williamson said.

"However, current circumstances dictate that our ability to support science is extremely limited this season."

Antarctica New Zealand said it was developing a managed isolation plan with multiple government agencies to ensure COVID-19 does not reach the continent.

Scott Base is New Zealand's only Antarctic research station and is 3,800 kilometres (2,360 miles) south of Christchurch and 1350 km (840 miles) from the South Pole, according to Antarctica New Zealand.

Up to 86 scientists, staff and visitors can usually stay there at any one time

Antarctica's splendid isolation keeps coronavirus at bay

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© 2020 AF

 

Vitamin B12 adaptability in Antarctic algae has implications for climate change, life in the Southern Ocean

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

 

IMAGE: 

AN ICEBERG FLOATS IN ANTARCTICA’S COLD WATERS.

 

view more 

CREDIT: PHOTO BY MAKOTO SAITO, ©WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION

Woods Hole, MA — Vitamin B12 deficiency in people can cause a slew of health problems and even become fatal. Until now, the same deficiencies were thought to impact certain types of algae, as well.  A new study examined the algae Phaeocystis antarctica’s (P. antarctica) exposure to a matrix of iron and vitamin B12 conditions. Results show that this algae has the ability to survive without B12, something that computer analysis of genome sequences had incorrectly indicated.

The alga, native to the Southern Ocean, starts as a single-cell that can transform into millimeter scale colonies. The research published in PNAS, "Flexible B12 ecophysiology of Phaeocystis antarctica due to a fusion B12-independent methionine synthase with widespread homologues,” conducted by MIT, WHOI, J.C. Venter Institute, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography (UCSD), found that unlike other keystone polar phytoplankton, P. antarctica can survive with or without vitamin B12.

“Vitamin B12 is really important to the algae’s metabolism and because it allows them to make a key amino acid more efficiently,” said Makoto Saito, one of the study’s co-authors and senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). “When you can’t get vitamin B12, life has ways to make those amino acids more slowly, causing them to grow slower as well. In this case, there’s two forms of the enzyme that makes the amino acid methionine, one needing B12, and one that is much slower, but doesn’t need B12. This means P. antarctica has the ability to adapt and survive with low B12 availability.”

Researchers came to their conclusion by studying P. antarctica's proteins in a lab culture, and also searching for key proteins in field samples. During their observation, they found the algae to have a B12-independent methionine synthase fusion protein (MetE). The MetE gene isn’t new, but was previously believed not to have been possessed by P. antarctica. MetE gives the algae the flexibility to adapt to low vitamin B12 availability.

“This study suggests that the reality is more complex. For most algae, maintaining a flexible metabolism for B12 is beneficial, given how scarce the vitamin's supply is in seawater,” said Deepa Rao, lead researcher of the study and former MIT postdoc.“ Having this flexibility enables them to make essential amino acids, even when they can't obtain enough of the vitamin from the environment. Implying that the classification of algae as B12-requiring or not might be too simplistic”

Antarctica, which lives at the base of the food web, has been thought to be entirely controlled by iron nutrition. The discovery of the MetE gene also indicates vitamin B12 likely plays a factor. Because of its presence in P. antarctica, the adaptability of the algae gives it a potential advantage to bloom in the early austral spring when the bacteria that produce B12, are scarcer.

This discovery also has implications for climate change. The Southern Ocean, where P. antarctica is found, plays a significant role in the Earth’s carbon cycle. P. antarctica takes in the CO2 and releases oxygen through photosynthesis.

“As our global climate warms, there’s increasing amounts of iron entering the coastal Southern Ocean from melting glaciers,” Saito said. “Predicting what the next limiting thing after iron is important, and B12 appears to be one of them. Climate modelers want to know how much algae is growing in the ocean in order to get predictions right and they’ve parameterized iron, but haven’t included B12 in those models yet.”

“We are particularly interested in knowing more about the extent of  strain level diversity. It will be interesting to see if B12 independent strains have a competitive advantage in a warmer Southern Ocean,” said co-author of the study Andy Allen, a joint professor at the J. Craig Venter Institute and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. “Since there is a cost to B12 independence in terms of metabolic efficiency, an important question is whether or not strains that require B12 might become reliant on B12 producing bacteria."

The discovery that P. antarctica has the ability to adapt to minimal vitamin B12 availability turns out to be true for many other species of algae that were also assumed to be strict B12 users previously. The findings from this study will pave the way for future research related to the carbon cycle and how different types of algae survive in the Southern Ocean’s cold and harsh environment.

Researchers conducting a study of P. Antarctica aboard the R/V Palmer in the Ross Sea.

CREDIT

(Photo courtesy: Makoto Saito)

JOURNAL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI

10.1073/pnas.2204075121 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Flexible B12 ecophysiology of Phaeocystis antarctica due to a fusion B12–independent methionine synthase with widespread homologues

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Feb-2024

Small but mighty – study highlights the abundance and importance of the ocean’s tiniest inhabitants

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH

Tiny plankton – measuring less than 20µm (or 0.02mm) in diameter – make up the majority of plankton in the ocean and play a critical role in the planet’s health, according to new research.

However, scientists say challenges in identifying them have led to them becoming a silent majority that is currently being overlooked when it comes to global ocean policy.

The study is one of the first to explore the abundance and importance of these tiny ocean inhabitants around the UK coastline, with the technology capable of monitoring them only having been introduced in around 2010.

However, that monitoring has shown that in some instances, 99.98% of plankton abundance – and 71% of plankton biomass – is derived from these tiny cells.

The research has also shown they can be impacted directly by changes in ocean temperatures and nutrients, in addition to other environmental shifts taking place as a result of climate change.

Published in the journal Ecological Indicators, the study involved a number of the UK’s leading plankton scientists – including experts from all three of the Marine Research Plymouth partners – and was carried out using cutting edge surveying and identification techniques.

Lead author Dr Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, Associate Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth, said: “You hear of phrases like searching for a needle in a haystack, but this takes it to a whole new level. Identifying something that measures 0.02mm in the ocean is an immense challenge, but an increasingly important one at a time of huge environmental pressures. These plankton may be tinier than most people can realistically imagine, but they underpin the entire marine food web and play a critical role in producing the oxygen our planet needs. We need to take this silent majority more seriously.”

Larger plankton have been used for decades to monitor ecosystem productivity and biodiversity, but four UK plankton surveys – including the Marine Biological Association’s Continuous Plankton Recorder survey – have also sampled tiny plankton in the past 14 years.

The researchers involved in the current study used the results of those surveys, which focused on the English Channel and Scottish coast, to investigate six groups of tiny plankton including two groups of heterotrophic bacteria.

Doing that involved a combination of flow cytometry – a laser-based technique used to detect and analyse the chemical and physical characteristics of cells or particles – and light microscopes.

This provided evidence of the abundance of tiny plankton, with that data then being cross-referenced against known changes in environmental conditions to assess how they were being impacted.

As a result, the researchers have recommended that tiny plankton groups should be used to inform biodiversity indicators that meet policy obligations under the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), (Oslo-Paris Convention) OSPAR strategies, and the UK Marine Strategy.

They have also called for long-term monitoring of tiny plankton across multiple sites to ensure that policy decisions are based on accurate local and global evidence.

Study co-lead Dr Rowena Stern, a CPR Research Fellow at the Marine Biological Association (MBA), added: “We have been able to connect these tiny plankton to meaningful indicators for policy use by measuring how human-driven environmental pressures affect the timing of their growth. This has only been possible by taking consistent, long-term measurements of these types of plankton.”

•    The full study – McQuatters-Gollop et al: The silent majority: pico- and nanoplankton as ecosystem health indicators for marine policy – is published in Ecological Indicators, DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111650. It involved researchers from: the University of Plymouth; The Marine Biological Association (MBA); Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Environment Agency; Marine Scotland Science; Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas); Scottish Association for Marine Science.

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JOURNAL

Ecological Indicators

DOI

10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.111650 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

The silent majority: pico- and nanoplankton as ecosystem health indicators for marine policy

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

5-Feb-2024

Antarctica’s fragile ecosystems as human activity grows and the world warms

Tuesday, November 23rd 2021 - 

THE CONVERSATION

Pathways for non native species. Dana M Bergstrom

By Dana M Bergstrom and Shavawn Donoghue – We tend to think Antarctica is isolated and far away – biologically speaking, this is true. But the continent is busier than you probably imagine, with many national programs and tourist operators crisscrossing the globe to get there.

And each vessel, each cargo item, and each person could be harbouring non-native species, hitchhiking their way south. This threat to Antarctica’s fragile ecosystem is what our new evaluation, grapples with.

We mapped the last five years of planes and ships visiting the continent, illuminating for the first time the extent of travel across the hemispheres and the potential source locations for non-native species, as the map below shows. We found that, luckily, while some have breached Antarctica, they generally have yet to get a stranglehold, leaving the continent still relatively pristine.

But Antarctica is getting busier, with new research stations, rebuilding and more tourism activities planned. Our challenge is to keep it pristine under this growing human activity and climate change threat.

Life evolved in isolation

Biodiversity-wise, much of the planet is mixed up. The scientific term is homogenization, where species, such as weeds, pests and diseases, from one place are transported elsewhere and established. This means they begin to reproduce and influence the ecosystem, often to the detriment of the locals.

Most life in Antarctica is jammed onto tiny coastal ice-free fringes, and this is where most research stations, ships and people are.

This includes unique animals (think Adélie penguins, Weddell seals and snow petrels), mosses and lichens that harbour tiny invertebrates (such as mites, water-bears and springtails), and an array of microbes such as cyanobacteria. The adjacent coast and ocean team with life, too.

The more we learn about them, the more outstanding life at the end of the planetary spectrum becomes. Just this week, new scientific discoveries identified that some Antarctic bacteria live on air, and make their water using hydrogen as fuel.

When the Southern Ocean has formed some 30 million years ago, natural barriers were created with the rest of the world. This includes the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the strongest ocean current on the planet, and its associated strong westerly surface winds, icy air and ocean temperatures.

This means life in Antarctica evolved in isolation, with flora and fauna that commonly exist nowhere else and can cope with frigid conditions. But the simplicity of Antarctica’s food webs can often mean there are gaps in the ecosystem that other species from around the world can fill.

In May 2014, for example, routine biosecurity surveillance detected non-native springtails (tiny insect-like invertebrates) in a hydroponic facility at an Australian Antarctic station.

This station, an ice-free oasis, previously lacked these interlopers, and they had the potential to alter the local fragile ecosystem permanently. Thankfully, a rapid and effective response successfully eradicated them.

Pressures from climate change are exacerbating the challenges of human activity on Antarctica, as climate change is bringing milder conditions to these wildlife-rich areas, both on land and sea.

As glaciers melt, new areas are exposed, which allows non-Antarctic species greater opportunity to establish and possibly outcompete locals for resources, such as nutrients and precious, ice-free space.

So far, we’ve been lucky

Our past research focused on non-native propagules – things that propagate like microbes, viruses, seeds, spores, insects and pregnant rats – and how they entrain themselves into Antarctica.

They can be easily caught on people’s clothing and equipment, in fresh food, cargo and machinery. Research from the last decade found that visitors who hadn’t cleaned their clothing and equipment carried on average nine seeds each.

But few non-native species have been established in Antarctica, despite their best efforts.

To date, only 11 non-native invertebrate species – including springtails, mites, a midge and an earthworm – have been established across a range of locations in the warmer parts of Antarctica, including Signy Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. In the marine realm, some non-native species have been seen but it’s thought none have survived and been established.

Microbes are another matter. Each visitor to Antarctica carries millions of microbial passengers, and many of these microbes are left behind. Around most research stations, human gut microbes from sewage have mingled with native microbes, including exchanging antibiotic resistance genes.

Last year, for example, a rare harmful bacteria, pathogenic to both humans and birds, was detected in guano (poo) from both Adélie and gentoo penguin colonies at sites with high rates of human visitors. COVID-19 also made its way to Antarctica last December.

Both these cases risk so-called “reverse zoonosis”, where humans spread disease to local wildlife.

What do we do about it?

Three factors have helped maintain Antarctica’s near-pristine status: the physical isolation, cold conditions and cooperation between nations through the Antarctic Treaty. The Treaty is underpinned by the Environmental Protocol, which aims to prevent and respond to threats and pressures to the continent.

There is unanimous commitment from Antarctic Treaty nations towards preventing the establishment of non-native species. This includes adopting a science-based, non-native species, which provides guidance on how to prevent, monitor, and respond to introductions of non-native species.

But time is of the essence. We must better prepare for the inevitable arrival of more non-native species to prevent them from establishing, as we continue to break the barriers protecting Antarctica. One approach is to tailor the newly developed 3As approach to environmental management: Awareness of values, Anticipation of the pressures, Action to stem the pressures.

This means ramping up monitoring, taking note of predictions of what non-native species could sneak through biosecurity and establish under new conditions, and putting in place pre-determined response plans to act quickly when they do.

(*) Dana M Bergstrom, Principal Research Scientist, University of Wollongong, and Shavawn Donoghue , Adjunct Researcher, University of Tasmania

Scientists 'Surprised' by Antarctic Glacier Suddenly Doubling Its Speed

Nov 28, 2023 
By Jess Thomson

NEWSWEEK
Science Reporter

A huge Antarctic glacier has suddenly started melting much faster than before after years of little change thanks to warming oceans, researchers have found.

The Cadman Glacier, situated on the Antarctic Peninsula, increased the speed of its retreat by around 94 percent between 2018 and 2019 after nearly 50 years of relatively little change, showing how vulnerable the region is to climate change, a new paper in the journal Nature Communications reveals.


The researchers used satellite observations and oceanographic measurements to look into how the Cadman Glacier changed between 1991 and 2022, finding that the speed at which the glacier was melting was accelerating, increasing by a rate of around 0.5 gigatons (around 200 billion pounds) per year. Between November 2018 and December 2019, the Cadman Glacier's calving front crept back by 5 miles.

The mountainous and glaciated coastline of the Antarctic Peninsula. Researchers have found that the Cadman Glacier is melting at an accelerated pace thanks to warming oceans.

ANNA HOGG

"Cadman Glacier is on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula, the mountainous spine that points out from the continent toward South America. Since the 1970s, when we started having regular satellite images, the glacier appeared stable with its terminus (where it meets the sea) not changing position significantly," Benjamin Wallis, a glacier and climate researcher at the University of Leeds and a co-author of the paper, told Newsweek.

"But in 2018 the glacier started accelerating its flow and retreating, shrinking in length by 8 kilometers (5 miles) between 2018 and 2021. Since 2021, the glacier has not shown any signs of readvancing."

The researchers also found that the retreat of the glacier occurred at the same time as a positive temperature anomaly in the upper ocean, with a 1,300-foot deep channel allowing warm water to reach the Cadman Glacier. Having nearly doubled in its speed of retreat, 2.16 billion tons of ice are now draining from the Cadman Glacier into the ocean each year.

"We were surprised to see the speed at which Cadman went from being an apparently stable glacier to one where we see sudden deterioration and significant ice loss," Wallis said in a statement.

The retreat of glaciers in Antarctica increasingly destabilizes the Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is the largest single mass of ice on Earth. Until recently, most research had been focused on glacier melt toward the eastern Antarctic Peninsula due to the breakup of the Larsen ice shelves, as the western peninsula had been more stable. This research shows that the western peninsula glaciers, including the Cadman Glacier, are less stable now than they were before.

"Our work points to the warming ocean causing the glacier to accelerate and retreat. This is because the oceans around Antarctica have been warming and the glacier is in contact with these waters where it flows into the ocean and begins to float," Wallis said. "It was melting from beneath, which we were able to detect using satellite data.
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"Outstanding and pioneering work by other glaciologists and oceanographers has shown that ice shelves and glaciers in Antarctica are being eroded by warm ocean water. This paper is an example of how this can lead to sudden and rapid ice loss. There are other glaciers in the same region which might behave in a similar way in the future."

A map showing the location of the Cadman Glacier on the Antarctic Peninsula. A study has found that ocean warming caused the glacier to rapidly retreat between 2018–2019, after years of stability.

Created with Datawrapper

The researchers stress that while the Cadman Glacier alone melting won't have much of an impact on sea level rise, it's symptomatic of the Antarctic ice sheet slowly decaying due to increasing water temperatures. As the Cadman and other glaciers across the peninsula start melting further, this may lead to significant increases in sea level over the next few decades.

"The glacier in this study, Cadman Glacier, is small in Antarctic terms and won't contribute significantly to sea level rise on its own," Wallis said. "However, it's important that we understand how glaciers like this in Antarctica respond to the changing environment so that we can make better projections of future sea level rise."

A marine-terminating glacier in Antarctica.

ANNA HOGG

Michael Meredith, a paper co-author and oceanographer at the British Antarctic Survey, agreed: "We have known for some time that the ocean around Antarctica is heating up rapidly, and that this poses a significant threat to glaciers and the ice sheet, with consequences for sea level rise globally," he said in the statement.

"What this new research shows is that apparently stable glaciers can switch very rapidly, becoming unstable almost without warning, and then thinning and retreating very strongly. This emphasizes the need for a comprehensive ocean observing network around Antarctica, especially in regions close to glaciers that are especially hard to make measurements."

Braving the frigid air in Antarctica, painter draws inspiration for global exhibit, highlights impact of climate change

Stepping out onto land in Antarctica, I marveled at the grayscale panorama. It looked like a blend of light sky and dark sea that inspired my first piece of art.

Grisel González
November 28, 2023

SOFIA, Bulgaria ꟷ Eighteen years ago, I received an invitation to join the Argentine Antarctic Cultural Project, a remarkable event commemorating the 100th anniversary of Argentina’s presence in Antarctica. Managed by the powerhouse behind Argentina’s Antarctic missions, The National Antarctic Directorate (DNA), I embarked on a 40-day odyssey across the region. Immersing myself in the pristine white expanse and the breathtaking visual landscape, an unparalleled creativity ignited within me. Antarctica quickly became the nucleus of my artistic pursuits, culminating in my art collection and book Al Sur del Sur, mi Antártida.

This year I unveiled a retrospective exhibition at St. Kliment Ohridski at Sofia University. The collection encapsulated the depth of my remarkable journey through Antarctica and celebrated the 30-year scientific alliance between Argentina and Bulgaria.

Read more arts & culture stories at Orato World Media
Committing to an expedition in Antarctica: simple tasks required complex routines

I approached my trip to Antarctica with an open mind, eagerly anticipating surprises along the way. Those surprises began immediately. When I arrived on the dock to board our ship, the sight of the ARA Almirante Irízar icebreaker stunned me. [An icebreaker is a ship or boat designed to navigate through ice-covered waters and create safe waterways for other boats and ships.] It resembled a bustling city on ice.

After several days of travel on the ship, at 5:00 a.m., we arrived at the Esperanza base where we would take refuge for the following weeks. Stepping out onto land in Antarctica, I marveled at the grayscale panorama. It looked like a blend of light sky and dark sea that inspired my first piece of art.

Settling into the base, the lack of accommodation surprised me. Between another group and ours, the base offered too few beds so we took over the gym and spread out our sleeping bags. I sought solace in a heated area but the warmth soon dissipated. Despite bundling up and wearing a hat, the freezing temperatures penetrated everything. I had to learn to adapt to this shift in climate.

I soon discovered that simple tasks like using the bathroom demanded complex routines. At night, I would emerge from my sleeping bag, dress in my warm clothes, trek to the school’s bathroom, return, undress, and resettle into bed.
I faced fear and risk but the landscape informed my art as I captured stunning moments

Exploring Antarctica presented clear risks. I made sure only to venture out in groups and never lose sight of the base. Nevertheless, every landscape before me delivered a thrill. Antarctica’s sheer beauty exceeded all my expectations.

Sometimes, the glaciologists gathering samples invited me to join their expeditions. Scaling the glacier’s foothills, we donned spiked crampons to traverse the icy terrain. Walking alongside the group leader, I learned the importance of proceeding in a single line to prevent potential accidents. The level of danger during these trips dawned on me, but it felt like the beginning of an adventure.

Dangerous situations loomed, like a rubber boat failing in the middle of the sea, and I felt a growing fear. Despite my distress, I felt a driving force to keep going. Antarctica’s barren landscapes, snow-capped mountains, and coastal moss delighted me. I absorbed all the information I learned and aimed to capture moments like the feeling of the biting cold and observing wildlife. I embraced the unique lighting and sought to create figurative art – that in which the subject matter is recognizable from the real world.

Soon, I discovered another inspiration: the constant and unexpected rain. In Antarctica, heat transformed snow into rain, revealing the impact of climate change. Witnessing increased moisture which fostered moss growth drove me to mix the color green into my work, symbolizing the changing landscape.
Bringing experiences from Antartica to a wider audience around the world

One day at what we called the seventh point [seven kilometers from base], scientists from the University of La Plata studied minerals, fauna like seals and penguins, and food sources. I began to approach the group as they collected samples from an elephant seal, when suddenly an approaching sea elephant startled us.

This experience inspired me. I wanted to begin to raise awareness about the importance of harmonizing our work with nature, and I did this by interjecting emotional intelligence into my art. Depicting the emotional impact that shifts in climate have on both landscapes and life forms became my primary focus.

Now, nearly two decades later, my works are being recognized for their impact. In a recent visit to Buenos Aires, the Head of Culture from the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, Gergana Lapteva, unexpectedly invited me present a retrospective exhibition in Bulgaria. The exhibition commemorated a 30-year alliance between Argentina and Bulgaria and would feature a collection of 30 pieces.

We established a gallery connection and finalized the project with a sales agreement, leaving four pieces there on display. The palpable delight of those who attended and the incredible reception to my work felt intensely gratifying. During the visit, the Argentina ambassador in Bulgaria graciously hosted us, sparking a conversation about translating my book Al Sur del Sur, mi Antártida into Bulgarian.

Further discussions with the Argentina embassy in Paris, facilitated by the Foreign Ministry, revealed an eagerness to create an exhibition there next year, and to translate the book into French. As I experience this new joy – rooted in my experiences in Antarctica – I have a new goal: to replicate my expedition, this time at the North Pole, and to unite the two polar extremes into a singular artistic endeavor.

All photos courtesy of Alberto Morales.









JOURNALIST’S NOTES
INTERVIEW SUBJECT
Alberto Morales, an Argentinean artist, started exhibiting in Buenos Aires in 1969 and later at the Lirolay Gallery in 1976 and 1977. In 2005, an invitation from the National Antarctic Directorate sparked his transformative journey across Antarctica. Recently, he presented “Al Sur del Sur, mi Antártida” and curated a retrospective exhibition at Sofia University from September 12 to 22, showcasing his work influenced by Antarctica from 2005 to 2023.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Alberto Morales, an Argentinean artist, established his career in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His debut exhibition as a student occurred in 1969, followed by individual showcases at the Lirolay Gallery in 1976 and 1977. Invited by the National Antarctic Directorate in 2005 to journey across Antarctica for 40 days, this experience profoundly influenced his artistic direction. Recently, Morales presented his book “Al Sur del Sur, mi Antártida” and curated a retrospective exhibition titled “Al Sur del Sur, Antártida Argentina,” spanning his work from 2005 to 2023. The exhibition, hosted at Sofia University’s central hall from September 12 to 22, celebrated Morales’ artistic journey shaped by Antarctica.

Watch the video of “Al Sur del Sur, mi Antártida” here