Exploring the Antarctic Depths
Antarctica is covered in ice sheets that are up to 3 kilometers (2 miles) thick. These ice sheets connect to the ocean water surrounding Antarctica where they permanently float. At this point, the ice...
Author: Cecilia O'Leary
What’s the key to Antarctic Fish Species Diversity?
Antarctica harbors fish species found nowhere else in the world’s oceans. Animals, including fish, are grouped together based upon similar traits or features that they’ve inherited from their ancestors. This type of grouping of...
Marine Heatwave Impact on Marine Life: A Tasman Sea Story
One impact of climate change is an increase in frequency of extreme warming events. Marine heatwaves are globally increasing both in duration and intensity. Heatwaves are a prolonged period of very hot...
Arctic Cod’s Coldwater Circuit: how far they travel and their importance in the Arctic food web
In the Arctic Ocean, sea ice melt is the crux of the food web. As the sea ice begins to melt every spring, sunlight is able to hit the water. Sunlight provides energy for...
The many faced monster of a rapidly changing Antarctic ecosystem and its influence on Antarctic silverfish
Antarctica, the coldest, driest and windiest continent, is a relatively untouched ecosystem. However, global climate patterns can interact in interesting ways to result in strange patterns in ice at the poles. Generally, when discussing...
The tale of two cods in a changing system
Oceans are experiencing both warming temperatures and increasing acidification. Rising oceanic carbon-dioxide levels lead to a decrease in pH, resulting in a phenomenon called ocean acidification. These physicochemical changes are expected to impact ocean...
Considering Future Antarctic Oceanic Conditions in Concert
Our oceans are becoming warmer and more acidic due to anthropogenic CO2 and marine ectotherms, or animals dependent on external sources of body heat, must adjust to these new environmental conditions. Many scientists are looking at...
Polar Cod Under the Pack Ice
Pack ice is a group of large pieces of floating ice that move together in almost continuous masses due to wind and/or ocean currents. What happens below the pack ice? This has been a...
