Antarctic

To mark the 30th anniversary of the Ukrainian Antarctic station Akademik Vernadsky, Ukrposhta issued a special stamp on 6 February 2026.

Record Core Brings New Insights into West Antarctica

An international team of researchers has recovered the longest sediment core ever drilled beneath an ice sheet, a scientific breakthrough for climate research.

The role of science in the development of places in Antarctica

Antarctica often appears on maps as an empty white space. Yet for the people who work there, it is anything but an abstract region.

Shark filmed in Antarctica for the first time

A spectacular discovery is causing a stir in marine research: for the first time, a large sleeper shark has been filmed in the icy deep sea of Antarctica.

Blood Falls: The Blood-Red Secret of Antarctica

A bright red waterfall bursting out of eternal ice, right in the middle of one of the coldest regions on Earth: Blood Falls are among the most mysterious natural phenomena in Antarctica.

The search for the fifth Shackleton Medal winner has begun

The search for the fifth recipient of the Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions has begun. The award is presented each year on the birthday of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton and aims to highlight the global importance of these sensitive regions.

70th Anniversary of the Russian Antarctic Station Mirny

On February 13, 1956, the flag of the USSR was raised at the first Soviet Antarctic station, Mirny.

Ethan Guo and the illegal landing in Antarctica

The unauthorized landing of 19-year-old pilot Ethan Guo on King George Island has sparked criticism and legal consequences in Antarctica.

Extremely Dry, Extremely Cold: Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys

In the heart of the coldest continent on Earth lies one of the planet’s most extreme landscapes.

AI Tracks the Life Cycle of Icebergs

As the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) reports, scientists have developed a novel AI system that can, for the first time, automatically track the entire life cycle of icebergs.

Invisible Giant Waves Beneath the Ice

When massive icebergs break off from glacier fronts in Antarctica, they do not only generate visible waves at the surface.

Drilling Mission on the “Doomsday Glacier”

An international research team from the United Kingdom and South Korea has reached one of the most remote and least explored areas of the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica.

Positive trend – fewer PFAS in whales

There is good news from environmental research: the pollution of the oceans with so-called PFAS chemicals appears to be declining.

Vegetable Farming at the Coldest Place on Earth

More than 200 different plant species have been successfully cultivated over the past five years at the coldest place on Earth.

The United States Staying the Course in Antarctica

William Muntean

Three recent actions should cool speculation that the United States would significantly change its approach towards Antarctica.

New Map Shows Antarctica Without Ice

What lies beneath the kilometers-thick ice of Antarctica? If the ice sheet were completely removed, it would not reveal a monotonous block of rock, but rather an astonishingly diverse landscape.

When expeditions end in death: fatalities in Antarctica

Beneath a thick layer of snow and ice, the mortal remains of hundreds of people rest on the coldest continent on Earth.

French research diver found dead in Antarctica

The French professional diver Gérald Malaussena, who had been missing in Antarctica since mid-January, has been found dead.

INACH Installs New Climate Station at Mount Vinson

As part of the 42nd Antarctic Expedition a team from the Chilean Antarctic Institute successfully installed a new climate station at the foot of Mount Vinson.

Polar Research in Focus: Monaco Polar Symposium 2026

From 25 to 27 February 2026, the Monaco Polar Symposium will bring together leading scientists, political decision-makers, and institutions at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco.

Penguins Are Breeding Earlier: Who Benefits, Who Loses

Climate change is altering biological timelines in Antarctica-most noticeably on the Antarctic Peninsula, one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth.

New UN High Seas Agreement: What Opportunities Does It Offer for the Polar Regions?

Lisa Scherk

On January 17, 2026, the BBNJ Agreement of the United Nations (Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction) entered into force.

Search for Missing Diver in Antarctica

An international search and rescue operation is underway in Antarctica after a scientific diver went missing during an under-ice dive. The incident occurred on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, in the Adélie Land region.

East Antarctica: When Ancient Ice Delivers New Answers

The melting of the polar ice sheets is among the most frequently discussed consequences of climate change.

We experienced the warming of the Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula continues to be one of the regions of the Earth most strongly affected by global warming.

How Do Whales Get Full on Plankton?

Whales are among the largest living beings that have ever lived on Earth....

Postage Stamps Marking 100 Years of Marine Science

With a special stamp issue, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is honoring a key chapter in international marine research.

41 Years of BCAA: Science, Service, and the Future in Antarctica

With pride and deep respect, Uruguay’s Artigas Antarctic Research Station (BCAA) celebrated its 41st anniversary.

A message in a bottle circles two-thirds of Antarctica

What began as a spontaneous idea on the high seas developed into an extraordinary journey.

Royal Letterbox for Antarctica

In the middle of the eternal ice, a special gift caused a stir shortly before Christmas.

Ocean currents determine the fate of young fish

In the cold fjords of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, the survival of entire generations of fish is decided.

Missing data as a risk for seabird conservation

What scientists do not see in Antarctica can be just as significant as what they observe.

“Polarstern” Launches Expedition to the Weddell Sea

The German research icebreaker Polarstern has set out on an international research expedition to the Antarctic Weddell Sea.

New postage stamps from South Georgia

On 13 November 2025, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands announced the release of a new stamp series celebrating the cultural heritage of South Georgia.

International Cooperation Optimizes Antarctic Logistics for a Decade

Three leading polar programs – the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) – are launching a long-term logistics partnership.

Tiny but globally significant – What algae beneath sea ice reveal about climate and food webs

A new study led by PhD candidate Megan Lenss from Norway’s iC3 Polar Research Hub places previously overlooked organisms at the center of scientific attention

“Shirase” Sets Course for Antarctica

On the morning of November 19, 2025, a special kind of magic lay over the Yokosuka Naval Base. The Japanese observation vessel Shirase was preparing to embark on its journey to Antarctica.

How Underwater Eddies Threaten Antarctic Glaciers

Deep beneath the glassy surface of the oceans, a fascinating yet threatening spectacle unfolds. In the silent, dark depths where humans cannot reach, swirling currents of impressive size are constantly forming.

Chile Studies Avian Influenza Virus in Antarctica

In a globally unprecedented event for polar science and virology, a team of researchers from the University of Chile and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) has, for the first time, successfully sequenced the complete genomes of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) found in Antarctic birds.

The Discovery Building in Rothera is handed over to science

The Antarctic season 2025/26 marks a milestone for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and its Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Project (AIMP), as the new Discovery Building now begins its operational function.

New Zealand and Switzerland Deepen Cooperation in Antarctic Research

New Zealand’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Craig Hawke, handed over the Memorandum of Arrangement between Antarctica New Zealand and the Swiss Polar Institute

Emperor penguin count at Taylor Glacier

A lucky handful of Mawson expeditioners visited the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony in July, to collect photos for the annual population census.

Metop-SGA1 will improve weather forecasts

A new addition to the weather satellite family of the European Organisations for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Metop-SGA1 was successfully launched from Kourou on 13 August 2025 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket.

Scientists report early return of whales

Ukrainian scientists have recorded the early return of humpback whales to the Antarctic Peninsula region — the area where the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station is located.

New Russian-Chinese Collaboration in the Polar Regions

Russia and China will jointly train specialists for navigation in polar waters, according to a memorandum signed during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to China, the Russian Ministry of Transport announced on its Telegram channel.

China launches 42nd Antarctic expedition

As part of this expedition, China plans to drill into deep lakes beneath the Antarctic ice sheet for the first time. Using hot water and melt drilling systems, boreholes will be drilled through more than 3,000 metres of ice.

1.2 million years of climate history extracted from Antarctic ice core

Ancient ice from Antarctica, obtained as part of the Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice project, contains unique climate records spanning at least the last 1.2 million years.

Did Shackleton ignore the risk to his ship?