antarctica

Far above Earth’s poles, swirling in the frigid stratosphere, are the polar vortexes: massive, freezing whirlwinds that strengthen in the winter and weaken in the summer. Right now, despite being in the dead of winter, Antarctica’s vortex is undergoing an unprecedented weakening, causing a massive heat wave across the continent. “This heat wave is a […]

The climate crisis is not only having an impact on temperatures, weather and environment, it’s also affecting the length of a day, according to a new study. Global heating is causing polar ice to melt, which is altering how fast Earth rotates, making each day longer. It is a shift that will accelerate as long […]

Carbon dioxide is increasing in the atmosphere 10 times faster than it has in the last 50,000 years, according to a new study led by researchers from University of St. Andrews and Oregon State University. The findings shed light on periods of abrupt climate change in the planet’s history while offering new understanding of the […]

For the third consecutive year, the amount of Antarctic sea ice has fallen below two million square kilometers — 772,204.3 square miles. According to data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), before 2022, the threshold had not been crossed since satellite measurements began in 1979, reported The Guardian. “Sea ice extent in […]

According to a new report led by professor Tim Lenton from the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute, in collaboration with more than 200 researchers worldwide, Earth’s climate has already warmed enough that humans are at risk of triggering five global “tipping points” that could have disastrous effects on the planet. If the world warms […]

The largest iceberg in the world — A23a, nearly 1,500 square miles, about three times as big as New York City — has broken free of its anchor on the floor of the Weddell Sea and begun to drift toward the Southern Ocean. In 1986, the Antarctic iceberg calved off the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf in […]

While Antarctica has not lost as much sea ice as the Arctic, as global warming progresses, the continent has been losing its ice at a faster rate. In a surprising new study, scientists from The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) found that sea ice loss in Antarctica causes an increased amount of snowfall over its […]

The Antarctic ice sheet is of vital importance to the climate. Ice reflects sunlight, keeping the planet cool. The sheet contains 70 percent of all the freshwater on the planet, which, if it were to melt entirely, would absorb heat and cause global sea levels to rise by around 200 feet. A new modeling study […]