Antarctica
The ‘once-only’ opportunity to expand Australia’s size by almost 50 per cent
Cabinet documents reveal the Howard government moved quickly to lock in a claim over huge areas of the seabed across the Pacific, Indian and Southern oceans, including key areas off Australia’s Antarctic territory.
- by Shane Wright
Latest
How to understand the COP28 climate talks in four charts
As the world gathers for COP28 in Dubai, it is clear that climate change can no longer be viewed as just a “tragedy on the horizon”.
- by Nick O'Malley
Global fossil fuel subsidies double as 2023 expected to be hottest in 100,000 years
Scientists say record-breaking temperatures are making the world a dangerous place for life, with many planetary “vital signs” at extremes.
- by Miki Perkins
Vast Antarctic ice shelves shrinking as ocean warms
Scientists say about 70 of the 160 ice shelves that surround Antarctica have reduced in volume, releasing 7.5 trillion tonnes of freshwater into the ocean.
- by Miki Perkins
September shatters heat record, shocking even climate scientists
One leading researcher described the record heat as “gobsmackingly bananas. Unnerving. Bewildering. Flabbergasting. Disquieting. Shocking. Mind-boggling.”
- by Laura Chung
‘Mind-blowing’: Sea-ice levels at historic low in Antarctica
Without its ice cooling the planet, Antarctica could transform from earth’s refrigerator to a radiator.
- by Harriet Barber
Cool running: To tackle an ultramarathon in Antarctica, start by training in a freezer
Pain scientist Donna Urquhart has been shutting herself in a Truganina shipping container as she seeks to set a world record for the longest polar ultramarathon.
- by Jewel Topsfield
Our permafrost is thawing – and with it bacteria and viruses
At the ends of the world, ground that has long been frozen is warming – and scientists are discovering that some ancient bacteria and viruses can spring to life. Could dangerous pathogens emerge?
- by Liam Mannix
Antarctica is missing sea ice and scientists don’t know why
CSIRO Fellow and Research Team Leader Dr Steve Rintoul said while there is some annual variation in ice coverage, this year’s records are the lowest in the 40 years since records started.
- by Laura Chung
Opinion
Ocean cruises
What it’s like to dine at the captain’s table on a ship
It’s often reserved for loyal customers and those in expensive suites. But I was really only interested in one thing: how dangerous is polar cruising. Really?
- by Lee Tulloch
Rex lobs bid for Australia’s Antarctic operations after profit downgrade
The Antarctic program will require one large intercontinental passenger jet, four intercontinental turboprop aircraft and four twin-engine helicopters.
- by Amelia McGuire