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The Latest Breaking News from the Southern Ocean

Antarctica’s sudden sea ice loss is one of the most extreme and confusing events in the modern climate record. Scientists now know why it's happening.

In 2015, after decades of relative stability, Antarctica's sea ice suddenly began to disappear. Sea ice extent reached a record low in 2023, and scientists have now figured out what happened in that period.

LiveScience

Scientists finally know how old the Twelve Apostles are – and they’re much younger than anyone thought

Every year, millions of visitors stand at the clifftop lookouts along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road and gaze out at the Twelve Apostles. These towering limestone stacks, rising up to 70 metres above the Southern Ocean, are some of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks.

The Conversation

Antarctic whales’ remarkable comeback is threatened by krill fishing

Huge industrial trawlers are competing for krill – the main food source for whales – in the Southern Ocean, removing vital nutrients from the ecosystem

The Guardian - UK

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Southern right whales are having babies less often, but why?

For decades, southern right whales have been celebrated as one of conservation’s success stories.

The Conversation

Is NZ defence and intelligence policy aligning with AUKUS in all but name?

Across the Pacific and the Southern Ocean, New Zealand has been trying to strike a careful balance in its defence and surveillance approach.

The Conversation

Storms in the Southern Ocean are producing more rain – and the consequences could be global

If you ever find yourself on Macquarie Island – a narrow, wind-lashed ridge halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica – the first thing you’ll notice is the wildlife. Elephant seals sprawl across dark beaches. King penguins march up mossy slopes. Albatrosses circle over vast, treeless uplands.

The Conversation

Southern right whales are having fewer calves: what this says about ocean health

Most people are lucky to simply get a glimpse of some fragment of a whale. A subtle puff of mist over the horizon, the curve of a dark smooth back sliding beneath the surface, or for the fortunate, the flash of a tail or the explosive splash of 40 tons…

The Conversation

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An underwater observatory keeping the pulse of the Southern Ocean for nearly 30 years yields fresh results

In a world affected by climate change, the Southern Ocean plays an outsized role. It absorbs up to 40% of the human-caused emissions taken up by the oceans while also being home to some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems.

The Conversation

Antarctic sea ice collapse linked to a mysterious spike in ocean salt

Satellite imagery has revealed a yet-to-be-explained rise in the Southern Ocean's salinity. It could be a key factor in the decline of the region's sea ice.

LiveScience

‘Completely unexpected’: Antarctic sea ice may be in terminal decline due to rising Southern Ocean salinity

The ocean around Antarctica is rapidly getting saltier at the same time as sea ice is retreating at a record pace. Since 2015, the frozen continent has lost sea ice similar to the size of Greenland. That ice hasn’t returned, marking the largest global environmental change during the past decade.

The Conversation

Why Krill Conservation is Vital for Preserving the Whale Ecosystem: Exploring Captain Paul Watson's Synergistic Mission

As the founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, Watson has long stood at the frontline of ocean defence and is now bringing his passion and commitment to preserve the heart of the Southern Ocean.

International Business Times

Coral gardens and volcano vents: See what scientists found in the icy depths of the Southern Ocean

The mission was so remote that often the closest humans to the vessel were on the International Space Station.

Euronews

Tiny dips in sea level reveal flow of climate-regulating underwater waterfalls

Beneath the surface of the Southern Ocean, vast volumes of cold, dense water plunge off the Antarctic continental shelf, cascading down underwater cliffs to the ocean floor thousands of metres below. These hidden waterfalls are a key part of the global ocean’s overturning circulation – a vast conveyor belt of…

The Conversation

Weakening currents in the Atlantic may mean a wetter northern Australia and drier New Zealand

Europe is warmed by heat from ocean currents, which move water from the warm tropics to the colder North Atlantic. Once the warm, salty water from the tropics reach the polar region, they cool enough to sink to the depths and flow back towards the Southern Ocean.

The Conversation

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The Independent UK

Past climate change ‘shifts ocean currents and winds in Southern Ocean’

Analysis of global climate patterns from past 1.5 million years reveal links between ocean circulation and climate changes.

LiveScience

Drastic Antarctic sea ice loss could fuel extreme weather in years ahead

Massive reductions in Antarctic sea ice in recent years has been correlated with more stormy days in the Southern Ocean, and could have implications for vital ocean currents.

International Business Times

Freed Activist Paul Watson Vows To 'End Whaling Worldwide'

Animal rights activist Paul Watson, freed this week from detention in Denmark, vowed on Saturday to end whale hunting worldwide and to stop Japan if it tried to resume whaling in the Southern Ocean.

The Independent UK

Dwindling Antarctic sea ice driving more storms, study warns

Record ice loss in 2023 has added up to seven extra storm days per month in some areas

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The Guardian - AU

Emperor penguin that travelled 3,000km to West Australian beach begins long journey home

Gus gained 3.5kg during his 20-day stopover before being released back into the Southern Ocean on Wednesday

Top News

Emperor Penguin Swims From Antarctica To Australia

Emperor penguin Gus found in Australia, nursed back to health, and released into the Southern Ocean after a remarkable journey. Conservation efforts are cr...

The Conversation

Australia will protect a vast swathe of the Southern Ocean, but squanders the chance to show global leadership

The Albanese government has today declared stronger protections for the waters around Heard Island and McDonald Islands, one of Australia’s wildest, most remote areas. The marine park surrounding the islands will be extended by 310,000 square kilometres, quadrupling its size.

Inverse

License To Krill: There’s A New Threat To Whales And Its Just as Bad as the Last One

Whales feed for roughly 100 days out of each year; depending on the species, an adult whale may consume 1 to 6 tons of krill in a day.

The Conversation

Antarctic krill store as much carbon as the world’s mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass beds

Antarctic krill – shrimp-like crustaceans that inhabit the icy waters surrounding Antarctica – may be small (around 5cm) but they have an enormous total biomass, similar to that of the global human population. However, while humans pump ever more carbon into the atmosphere, krill are working in reverse. They are…

The Conversation

Whales are recovering from near extinction, but industrial fishing around Antarctica competes for their sole food source

The Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica is the world’s largest feeding ground for baleen whales – species like humpbacks that filter tiny organisms from seawater for food. In the 20th century, whalers killed roughly 2 million large whales in the Southern Ocean. Some populations, like the Antarctic blue whale, were reduced…

The Conversation

Giant waves, monster winds and Earth’s strongest current: here’s why the Southern Ocean is a global engine room

The Southern Ocean is wild and dynamic. It experiences Earth’s strongest winds and largest waves. It is home to city-sized icebergs and the biggest ocean current on the globe, as well as tiny turbulent flows that fit inside a teacup.

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