News of the North

In the interests of balance and symmetry, let’s take a look at the climate situation in Antarctica for a change.

Unsurprisingly, the reports are much like what we know about the situation in the Arctic: change is happening, though it manifests itself in different ways. While in the Arctic, sea ice is declining dramatically and quickly, the Antarctic ice is increasing in some areas and decreasing in others. Atmospheric pressure has dropped, glaciers are retreating, and numbers of open-water penguin species have increased while sea-ice penguins have decreased.

The British Antarctic Survey researches the history and previous patterns of ice formation and melting in the region. Their statement from December 2007 describes the changes they have seen and discusses the importance of studying Antarctica and learning more about its environmental changes. This video shows how the team investigates beneath the ice, where two miles deep, lakes are forming and water flows freely.

What do we do next? This site has some suggestions on what you can do to save Antarctica. And the WWF has a good list for leading the good life as well.