Antarctic Watch Headlines 02/26/2020

Tourism in Antarctica: Edging Toward the (Risky) Mainstream
New York Times, 2020-02-26
Travel to one of the most remote parts of the planet is booming. What does that mean for the environment and visitor safety?

Try listening to Beatrice Dillon inside and outside your head
Washington Post, 2020-02-26
Earlier this month in Antarctica, a team of climate scientists had drilled a 450-foot hole into the ice beneath their boots in hopes of better understanding the ancient atmospheres of our imperiled Earth. When they were done with their work, they chucked a piece of ice down the hole, just for kicks. The sound that came shooting back to the …

Brazil, others confirm first COVID-19 infections as deaths decline in China
UPI.com, 2020-02-26
As a deadly coronavirus appears to be stabilizing in China, where it has killed thousands this winter, countries across the globe are scrambling to contain COVID-19’s spread with several confirming th

Hardest-Hit China, South Korea Count 767 New Virus Cases
New York Times, 2020-02-26
As the worst-hit areas of Asia continued to struggle with a viral epidemic, with hundreds more cases reported Thursday in South Korea and China, worries about infection and containment spread across the globe.

Buying Disney here as a long-term play ‘makes sense to me,’ Jim Cramer says
CNBC, 2020-02-27
“I don’t think you’ll get [Disney stock] for $115 or $120” if you wait until the coronavirus outbreak is quelled, CNBC’s Jim Cramer says.

Coronavirus reaches every continent except Antarctica as Brazil confirms case
New York Post, 2020-02-26
Brazil has reportedly seen its first case of coronavirus, marking the spread of the disease to every continent except Antarctica. The South American country’s first COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed at a Sao Paulo hospital, a source told Reuters on Wednesday. The 61-year-old patient, whose identity wasn’t released, had traveled to Italy, …

Scientists accidentally discover first-ever “animal” that doesn’t need oxygen to breathe
CBS News, 2020-02-26
Scientists find first “animal” that doesn’t need oxygen to live NASA images reveal dramatic effects of heat in Antarctica Cheetah cubs born by IVF for the first time 46,000-year-old bird found in Siberia U.S. Navy pilots reportedly spotted UFOs over East …

More new coronavirus cases outside China than inside; WHO chief calls spread ‘deeply concerning’
MarketWatch, 2020-02-27
South Korea and China each reported hundreds more virus cases Thursday as the new illness persists in the worst-hit areas and spreads beyond borders.

Coronavirus has now spread to every continent except Antarctica
FOX6 Milwaukee, 2020-02-26
The outbreak has now spread to six of the world’s seven continents. It has not yet reached Antarctica. Iran and Italy are also grappling with major outbreaks within their borders that have turned deadly, and a top official from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that the United States could see the virus spread wi …

Planners talk about resilience in the face of climate change. We need to start using a different R word.
The Lens, 2020-02-26
Hundred-year floods. Record-breaking Antarctic heat. Wildfires and drought. The stories appear with numbing regularity. And though the details differ, they all point to the same grim conclusion. We’re failing to address climate change. With carbon emissions continuing to rise, what were once dismissed as worst-case scenarios now look like the …

Alaska state lawmaker wants to name new icebreaker ‘Polar Bear’
KTOO, 2020-02-26
The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star in fast ice on Jan. 2, approximately 20 miles north of McMurdo Station, Antarctica. (Public domain photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer NyxoLyno Cangemi/U.S. Coast Guard) An Alaska state representative wants the federal …

Trump takes a victory lap early on in the coronavirus fight
Local News 8, 2020-02-27
The President spoke at a news conference on Wednesday about the worldwide health emergency that has seen the virus sweep into South Korea, Italy and every continent but Antarctica, sounding as if …

Tag: Silver Cloud cruise
Uruguay News, 2020-02-02
The failure of a fuel pump and engine left the “Silver Cloud” adrift as it headed toward Antarctica on November 20, 2017. Power was reportedly restored to the ship in about an hour …

Quickly catch up on the day’s news
CNN, 2018-02-07
(CNN)Here’s what you might have missed Wednesday on CNN: — The coronavirus has spread to every continent but Antarctica as Brazil announces its first case. — A far-right group secretly recorded a news correspondent making disparaging remarks about President Trump.

Chicago dodges heavy snow but the Midwest may see some of the biggest snowfalls this season
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2020-02-26
Also, locally heavy rain will be possible across portions of the Northeast, while a potential line of strong thunderstorms may roll through the Mid-Atlantic. Climate news: A heat wave melted 20% of an Antarctic island’s snow in only 9 days On Thursday, upstate New York and northern New England could face a round of heavy snow.

Tasmania news: Tears as drug sentence handed down, children of migrants outperform local students
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2020-02-26
We find that actually many of the EAL students thrive because they really want to learn.” Staff at Hobart’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies are searching nearby beaches for plastic debris, after an accident involving one of the institute’s water tanks. IMAS says the water tank was being cleaned for research when, due to operator …