Antarctic Watch Headlines 12/22/2022

Most Antarctic animals and plants are set to decline by 2100
New Scientist, 2022-12-22
Under a business-as-usual-scenario, 65 per cent of land animals and plants in the Antarctic will decline by the end of the century, with emperor penguins among those that will endure the steepest popu

Current Antarctic conservation efforts are insufficient to avoid biodiversity declines, says study
Phys.org, 2022-12-22
Existing conservation efforts are insufficient to protect Antarctic ecosystems, and population declines are likely for 65% of the continent’s plants and wildlife by the year 2100, according to a study by Jasmine Rachael Lee at the University of Queensland,

Emperor penguin at risk of extinction, along with two-thirds of native Antarctic species, research shows
The Guardian, 2022-12-22
International study projects up to 80% of emperor penguin colonies to be ‘quasi-extinct’ by 2100

Research linking soot in Antarctic ice exclusively with early Māori fires was flawed—there were other sources elsewhere
Phys.org, 2022-12-22
When a recent study implicated forest fires set by early Māori in a hemisphere-wide rise in emissions, it ignited controversy.

Two-thirds of Antarctic plants and animals face being killed off by 2100, study claims
The Independent, 2022-12-22
Researchers estimate 65 per cent of the continent’s plants and wildlife will suffer population decline by the year 2100

New cause of melting Antarctic ice shelves
Science Daily, 2022-12-22
Researchers have discovered a process that can contribute to the melting of ice shelves in the Antarctic. An international team of scientists found that adjacent ice shelves play a role in causing instability in others downstream.

What’s the coldest spot on Earth? NASA has pinpointed it — and the nights are deadly
Kansas City Star, 2022-12-19
Looking for the coldest place to spend the holiday season?” the space agency asked in a Facebook post. “You won’t find anyone else there, but the coldest place we’ve found on Earth (with the help of NASA Earth satellites) is a high ridge on the East Antarctic Plateau.

The Arctic and Antarctic saw record warmth and ice melt in 2022
New Scientist, 2022-12-15
The sea ice around Antarctica shrank to the smallest area ever recorded in early 2022, and there were exceptionally high temperatures at both poles

Gran’s run an Antarctic marathon — and she’s only getting warmed up
The Times, 2022-12-20
After becoming the oldest woman to complete the Antarctic Ice Marathon, Christine Hobson, a 69-year-old retired head teacher, said the first things she will do