With the ongoing effects of global warming, Antarctic supraglacial meltwater plays a critical role in ice-sheet instability. Spaceborne remote sensing provides a viable solution to detect surface melt in these vast and remote regions. Innovative deep learning image segmentation methods have the potential to improve supraglacial lake (SGL) mapping by adding spatial awareness to the mapping process, as currently established methods only consider the spectral variety of multispectral satellite data (Sentinel-1 and Landsat-8) on a per-pixel basis. In this study, we adapt a U-net image segmentation method to detect SGLs in Sentinel-2 data and quantify its performance in comparison to established mapping approaches in Antarctica. At a 90% probability threshold, the proposed workflow achieves a producer’s accuracy, user’s accuracy, and an F1 score of 0.915, 0.912, and 0.913, respectively. We compare the classification results to those of an established Random Forest classifier, and find that the U-net achieves better results in 13 of the 16 validation scenes. In a relative comparison with five established SGL products, the U-net approach maps, on average, the largest lake area, although there is disagreement between the datasets due to different data sources, cloud cover, and misclassification of some clouds as lakes. The main advantages of the developed approach are its capabilities to map lakes under thin clouds and ice, resulting in more continuous lake areas than conventional approaches, and a reduced number of input features required, which will be advantageous in future large-scale SGL mapping efforts.

With Antarctica facing many urgent environmental challenges, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that members of the public are supported to understand, care about and protect the southern polar region. Research to date has taken a variety of approaches to Antarctic public engagement, framing it as a challenge for science communication, the media, education and/or the arts. In this paper, we take a social approach by examining public engagement with Antarctica’s communities, applying theories of place attachment, social capital and structuration. Using the Antarctic gateway city of Hobart as a case example, we ask what Antarctic communities are present in the city, how they are perceived by residents and what factors influence local public engagement with Antarctica. Through in-depth interviews, we identify three separate but overlapping Antarctic communities present in Hobart: the expeditioner community, the gateway community and the diplomatic community. We find that four key factors influence participation in these communities: not only communication, but also built environment and infrastructure, availability of shared activities and the existence of an ‘experience hierarchy’ that prioritizes the perspectives of people who have travelled to Antarctica in person. These results suggest that if we want to move society towards engaging to protect Antarctica, the current engagement focus on science communication may not be sufficient; rather, we should prioritize community-building strategies to strengthen ties between Antarctic communities and the broader public.

The Southern Ocean around Antarctica remains the only large area on the planet populated by almost entirely native and mainly endemic species. Despite being one of the most constant environments for millions of years and still the least human populated, the polar regions are now hotspots of physical climate change, and this is likely to make the shallow waters less inhospitable to invading non-indigenous species (NIS). A key vector for such potential invasive NIS are ship hulls, and the highest-risk species (likelihood × impact of establishment) are mytilid mussels. Here, we report finding live balanamorph barnacles Amphibalanus improvises and variously sized/aged (3–31 mm) Mytilus cf. chilensis mussels on the water intake grills of a research ship docked at a UK research station at 68°S. The discovery of these NIS shows that they were not just surviving deep into Antarctic waters but included multiple life stages and were actively feeding at ambient (−0.36°C) temperatures. With rising ship traffic and sea temperatures, this discovery should reinforce recent literature showing that some current, regional marine biosecurity monitoring needs urgent reassessment and improvement.

The Antarctic Peninsula region is one of the most climatically dynamic sectors of Antarctica, yet most temperature studies in the area have focused on mean values, linear trends or thermal extremes without explicitly separating the seasonal, long-term and irregular components of the signal. Here, we analyse near-surface air temperature series from eight stations of the PERMATHERMAL network on Livingston and Deception islands for the period 2000–2022 using additive seasonal-trend decomposition based on locally estimated scatterplot smoothing (LOESS). Hourly observations were aggregated to daily and monthly series and decomposed into seasonal, trend and remainder components to evaluate how thermal variability is structured in time and how it differs among stations. The results show that the temperature signal is dominated by a strong annual cycle, especially at the monthly scale, confirming that recent atmospheric change in the South Shetland Islands is superimposed on a still strongly recurrent polar thermal regime. The trend component is positive at most stations, but its magnitude is spatially heterogeneous and does not follow a simple altitudinal pattern. The strongest background evolution is observed at Crater Lake, Juan Carlos I and Sofía stations, whereas weaker changes occur at other sites, particularly Incinerador station. The remainder is also substantial, particularly at the daily scale, and reveals a marked spatial and seasonal structure, with larger residual variability in winter and at stations such as Sofía and Crater Lake. Event analysis based on the residual component shows that warm and cold residual departures can be coherent across the network while differing strongly in local intensity, as illustrated by years of widespread residual event activity such as that which occurred in 2011 and 2015. These results show that additive decomposition provides a useful framework for understanding how recent atmospheric change is organized in time in Maritime Antarctica and for identifying the combined roles of seasonal structure, low-frequency evolution and short-term thermal residual departures in environments close to the climatic threshold of frozen-ground stability.

This study developed a multi-process drilling system (MPDS) to extract 10 m subglacial bedrock samples beneath a 1000 m-thick region of the Antarctic ice sheet. The MPDS is made of five primary subsystems: drill rig, drill-rod module, air system, drilling fluid circulation system and generator. Each subsystem is modularly designed, allowing all components to be housed within a 20 foot container for efficient transportation across Antarctic ice sheets. The MPDS employs both compressed air and drilling fluid for ice cutting removal, utilising reverse circulation through a specially designed double-wall drill rod. A standard wireline coring drill is used to obtain subglacial bedrock samples. After fabrication and testing in China, the MPDS was sent to Antarctica in the 2024/25 season for preliminary testing. During field tests, a 110 m borehole was drilled, though no bedrock samples were retrieved. The tests identified several issues related to the drill bit, drill rig, air system, drilling fluid circulation system and the drilling fluid itself. Recommendations for future MPDS improvements have been proposed, with the expectation of obtaining subglacial bedrock cores from Antarctica within the next one to two seasons.

Understanding past relative sea level (RSL) is important for constraining the timing and magnitude of changes in the cryosphere, providing critical benchmarks for models used to project future sea-level change, and supplying a datum for constraining past vertical motion. Past sea-level records from Antarctica can help determine the extent to which small or large changes in ice cover induce a response of the solid Earth in tectonically active settings. Here, we examine raised beaches located at Duthoit Point, Nelson Island, Antarctica. We combine geomorphic mapping and high-resolution topographic surveys to reconstruct RSL change and glacial fluctuations during the Holocene. Our study is the first record from Duthoit Point and identifies sea-level changes associated with up to four Holocene ice advances, likely occurring between ∼7000 and ∼4800 cal yr BP, at ∼2000 cal yr BP, at ∼500 cal yr BP, and during a more recent advance younger than ∼500 cal yr BP. Our findings support assertions that uplift rates are primarily driven by glacial isostatic adjustment and changes in ice extent modulate isostatic responses at centennial to millennial timescales. Improved constraints on Holocene uplift histories provide important benchmarks for evaluating isostatic adjustment models used to reconstruct past ice-sheet change and project future sea-level change.

Seabirds are at high risk of extinction, and the emergence of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) represents an additional threat. In 2024, HPAIV A/H5 clade 2.3.4.4b was detected for the first time in the Antarctic Continent in a dead Brown Skua (Stercorarius antarcticus), and further evidence suggests that not all species have been equally affected. We conducted a survey of HPAIV-related mortalities across 16 seabird nesting sites along the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) during the 2024–2025 breeding season. We report a mortality of 35 adult skuas along the WAP and beyond the Antarctic Polar Circle. Eleven skuas from six different geographic areas were sampled and all were positive to HPAIV A/H5 clade 2.3.4.4b. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that these sequences are closely related to the initial HPAIV A/H5 clade 2.3.4.4b reported in Antarctica, and post-mortem findings suggest that the viral infection was likely the cause of death. No other suspected HPAIV-related mortalities were observed in sympatric species. Our findings represent the southernmost record of skua mortality in Antarctica related to HPAIV A/H5 infection to date, demonstrating the dissemination of 2.3.4.4b clade across several localities. The virus is differentially affecting sympatric seabird species and the skuas may act as sentinel species for influenza surveillance.

We have used a modern, medium-sized hovercraft to further explore air cushion transport in Antarctica. Hovercraft travel over hard-blown snow at safe cruising speeds of 40–60 km/h requires about 50% of the fuel consumption for hovercraft travel over a flat ocean surface. The Griffon 2000TD craft used here has an endurance of >1000 km with a 1-tonne payload (personnel and equipment). However, this standard craft, designed for operations at sea level, is limited to altitudes below about 700 m elevation by the decrease in air density. The hovercraft provides accommodation, communication and first aid facilities for its crew in the event of any weather or operational issues. Two safety features of air cushion travel in Antarctica stand out: (1) low ground pressure per unit area (15% of a human), and (2) the ability to freely cross open ice cracks of dimensions of a metre or more. The total considerations of fuel economy, safety and environmental impact suggest the surface of hard-blown snow in Antarctica provides the optimum conditions for air cushion travel on planet Earth.

In 2019 we collected gravity and magnetic measurements, in conjunction with multibeam swath bathymetry and multi-channel seismic reflection profiling, to characterize the neovolcanic zone around Orca Volcano in the Central Bransfield Basin, Antarctica. New analysis of mafic dredge samples shows that the caldera is composed of rocks with a wide range of measured susceptibilities. Multi-channel seismic reflection profiles across Orca Volcano showed the presence of several reflectors under the caldera, characterized by strong amplitudes and phase-reversed polarity. Gravity and magnetic data also show coincident anomalies. Our 2D forward modelling shows that these anomalies are the result of a shallow magma accumulation zone underlain by a low-density, low-susceptibility volume. We also observe that the axial ridge to the south-west of the volcano is characterized by a narrow zone of low density and high susceptibility, consistent with a focused rift axis. To the north-east of the volcano, the potential field data show that the axial rift is left-lateral offset and is somewhat broader. An asymmetric pattern of decreasing density and susceptibility of igneous rocks across the rift is consistent with a pattern of extension that has only recently evolved into a narrow rift and the mid-ocean ridge basalt-like compositions seen in dredge samples. These results are consistent with rifting that is rapidly transitioning to seafloor spreading.

Human activity in the Antarctic is supported by a wide network of government agencies, policies, businesses and workers back home. This polar workforce is particularly important in the so-called ‘Antarctic gateway cities’, which foreground their economic and cultural connections with the far south. Rather than focusing just on the Antarctic continent as the place of work, this paper therefore takes a broader approach by turning attention to the people back home that enable Antarctic logistics, modelling, policymaking and public awareness to be executed successfully. The paper outlines a matrix for mapping polar work capacity, with Antarctic roles classified as direct or indirect and as in situ or ex situ. By bringing together stakeholders from a range of Antarctic workplaces (including local and national government, academia, tourism and local business owners and training providers) from Christchurch (New Zealand) in October 2024, a workshop event identified the key challenges facing the Antarctic sector over the coming 5 years and highlighted areas where international collaboration could help to address these challenges into the future. Key suggestions include the implementation of an overarching Antarctic strategy; training and education to improve local talent and pathways; enhanced visibility of existing skillsets; establishing exchange opportunities across the Antarctic gateway cities; and developing Antarctic identities, including through tourism opportunities.

To date, there are few records of Holocene changes in sea ice in the south-eastern Weddell Sea, which limits our understanding of how sea ice has interacted with climate in this sector of the Southern Ocean. Here, we present a multi-proxy analysis of a snow petrel stomach-oil deposit that records occupation history and dietary fluctuations from ~1800 to 800 calibrated (cal.) yr bp. Lipid biomarkers (fatty acids (FAs), sterols and alkanols), bulk stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) and trace elements show distinct dietary shifts, which are linked to centennial-scale changes in summer sea-ice extent. From ~1730 to 1370 cal. yr bp, foraging in pelagic waters near the edge of the sea-ice pack is suggested by low nest occupation rates and Antarctic krill contributions to the diet. From ~1370 to ~1180 cal. yr bp, an increase in nest occupation and a fish-dominated diet reflect foraging within open water (polynyas) during a period of more extensive summer sea ice. A decrease in nest occupation after ~1180 cal. yr bp is attributed to local sea-ice readvance, resulting in reduced access to open water, impeding foraging success. Our results highlight the use of multi-proxy geochemical records from snow petrel stomach-oil deposits to reconstruct seasonal sea-ice fluctuations in the Weddell Sea and their interactions with late Holocene climate records.

This bibliometric study maps Antarctic microbiology research in South American countries using Web of Science records (1978–2024). A descriptive, quantitative design applied bibliometrix and VOSviewer, with thesaurus-based normalization reducing keyword variants by 6%, to construct a 1240-term science map. After manual screening focused on Antarctic (excluding sub-Antarctic) microbiology, 497 publications remained. Chile led the output (234), followed by Brazil (124) and Argentina (98). The leading journals for this output are Polar Biology, Frontiers in Microbiology and Extremophiles. Keyword and co-occurrence analyses revealed dominant themes of Pseudomonas and the bioremediation/biodegradation of heavy metals. The largest cluster, centred on Pseudomonas, was linked to oxidative stress, antioxidants, pigments, biofilms and polyhydroxyalkanoates, with a second major cluster focused on bioremediation. The findings indicate an applied orientation towards collecting biological materials and characterizing molecular/biochemical properties with commercialization potential. This study clarifies trends and gaps, informing future directions to facilitate international cooperation and advance the understanding of microbial diversity and functions across Antarctic habitats.

Concordia Station is a long-term lidar observatory in Antarctica. Its main purpose is to detect and classify polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs). In September 2023, water ice PSCs were observed for a period of 6 days. This has never occurred during the month of September in the 10 years of observations of PSCs at Concordia Station. In addition, the space-borne CALIOP (Cloud Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization) lidar observed a rare occurrence of ice PSCs over Concordia Station during the first half of June. It is well known that the January 2022 eruption of the Hunga submarine volcano (20°32’S, 175°23’W) injected vast amounts of water vapour into the stratosphere. The Hunga hydration flooded southern high latitudes at the end of the 2022 austral winter, and the moist air was then entrained into the developing vortex in the austral autumn (April–May) of 2023. The increased water vapour from Hunga was reported to promote PSC formation by cooling the stratosphere and raising PSC formation temperatures. Here, we explore the impact of the Hunga eruption on the PSCs observed at Concordia Station.

The first fossil fauna to be described from the Antarctic was collected at Seymour Island in December 1892 by Captain Carl Anton Larsen and the crew of the Norwegian whaling ship Jason. Some specimens collected by Larsen’s crew were acquired by Charles Donald, the surgeon with an 1892–1893 Scottish whaling expedition from Dundee that was also operating in the vicinity of Seymour Island. Donald returned the fossils to Scotland, and they were described in two papers published by The Royal Society of Edinburgh (1894 and 1899) as, inter alia, two new species of Palaeogene bivalves and one of Cretaceous to Palaeocene age. Sadly, the described Palaeogene specimens are now lost, but one Cretaceous/Palaeocene survivor, the holotype of Lahillia larseni, has been located in the palaeontology collection of the British Geological Survey with the reference number FOR 4053. On Seymour Island, Lahillia larseni is a common species in both Upper Cretaceous and Palaeocene strata and is of particular importance as its abundance seems to have been unaffected by the end-Cretaceous extinction.

The McMurdo Dry Valleys in the Ross Sea Region of Antarctica represent a globally unique desert ecosystem where water availability is likely to change under global warming scenarios, thus influencing the distribution and abundance of biota. Using the Random Forest machine learning model, we focused on the spatial distribution of macroscopic terrestrial biota (moss, cyanobacteria, lichen, springtails and mites) in the Dry Valleys. A wetness index, explicitly driven by satellite-derived glacier surface temperatures and meltwater routing, was used along with biological survey data collected over six field seasons (2009–2014) as part of the New Zealand Terrestrial Biocomplexity Survey (n = 886 sites). Our analyses use the full extent of survey data available and include the larger Taylor, Wright and Victoria valleys, as well as data from the previously studied Miers, Marshall and Garwood valleys. The overall model accuracies were mixed (kappa statistic: 0.34% and 17.3% variance explained). However, the resulting predictive maps derived from the model and the influence of the different explanatory variables align with field observations and theoretical expectations. The models show that distance from coast was an important driver for the biota, as well as elevation and temperature. The predictive maps provide an initial model of the distribution of biota in the Dry Valleys and can guide future sampling as well as inform conservation and management strategies. Our research highlights the importance of biological survey data for use in spatial predictive modelling as well as the need to obtain representative samples from a wide range of different habitats (e.g. wet vs dry).

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the regions in Antarctica that has experienced notable and extensively studied warming since the mid-twentieth century. Meteorological data, although limited and mostly dating back to the International Geophysical Year (1957–1958), reveal dramatic climate changes in both the Antarctic Peninsula and West Antarctica, with the Antarctic Peninsula showing the highest warming trends on the continent. One major manifestation of this warming is the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme warm events. This study utilizes temperature data from the Artigas Antarctic Scientific Base provided by National Weather Service, Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (INUMET), which have not previously been used or quality-controlled. Data were processed and analysed, and a quality hourly database was built for the period 1 January 1998 to 11 December 2016 for the surface temperature, constructing a complete time series interpolating the data with two other nearby Antarctic stations (C.M.A. Eduardo Frei Montalva and King Sejong). Temperature presented an annual cycle with marked interannual and seasonal variability, with the cold season being the one with the highest variability and the largest anomalies, both positive and negative. No significant trend was found for the monthly mean temperature. A study of warm temperature events was conducted at three points on King George Island, defining warm events and extreme warm events as those in which the mean daily temperature was above the 90th and 99th percentile, respectively, for at least 3 consecutive days. A high frequency of occurrence was found (all years except 2015) mostly in the cold season of the year, and with large interannual variability. In turn, it was found that certain atmospheric dynamics favour the generation of these extreme warm events, and that their occurrence is higher during La Niña years. Although the majority of the extreme warm events occurred during positive phases of the Southern Annular Mode, the statistical correlations were not significant.