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Science

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How Antarctic clouds could help reveal the effects of climate change
Science

How Antarctic clouds could help reveal the effects of climate change

July 22, 2026

Antarctica’s massive ice sheet acts as a global heat sink. As a result, changes in the make-up of Antarctic clouds, such as the amount of ground they cover or how much radiation they absorb, can have ripple effects as far away as the tropics. Climate change researchers need to understand the physics of these clouds if they are to correctly work out how weather around the globe will change as the polar regions warm.

The iSTAR tractor train on the Pine Island Glacier, there to conduct research for the British Antarctic Survey
Science

Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica - the canary in the mine for climate change? [Video]

July 22, 2026

The Pine Island Glacier, one of the major glaciers draining the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is rapidly thinning and, at 3mm per decade, is currently the single biggest contributor to sea level rise. The head of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Professor Jane Francis, discusses the iSTAR programme undertaken by BAS which seeks to gain a better understanding of the complexities of this relatively fast moving and thinning glacier, as well as the overall stability of the entire Ice Sheet.

Monitoring Life in the Dry Valleys
Science

Monitoring Life in the Dry Valleys

July 22, 2026

Researchers from the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) flew drones with special cameras over the Taylor Dry Valley in Antarctica to study microbial life.