International Polar Year

http://classic.ipy.org/development/eoi/proposal-details.php?id=91

http://www.scar.org/about/partnerships/globec.html

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http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2021445,00.html

New species, warm water and whales: the Antarctic's secrets revealed by melting ice

· Scientists research world sealed off for 12,000 years
· Marine life transformed by rapid climate change

(c) Alok Jha, science correspondent
Monday February 26, 2007
The Guardian (c)

"The seas around the Antarctic peninsula are among the most mysterious places on Earth - what life there is has remained largely a mystery, thanks to a thick cover of ice for the past few millennia. But the collapse of some of these ice sheets has given scientists a rare opportunity for access, and yesterday they revealed that they had found a thriving underwater world that is being transformed by climate change.

As well as new species, the Census of Marine Antarctic Life (CMAL) project found more common ones that were able to survive in the Antarctic because the temperature of the sea is rising. Minke whales were discovered in large numbers. The scientists also spotted a rare beaked whale off the coast of Elephant Island - the famous refuge of Ernest Shackleton's 21-man crew after a doomed attempt to cross Antarctica in 1916.


This pattern may not be repeated in future, however. Michael Stoddart, the leader of the CAML project, said one consequence of the rising global temperatures was a fall in plankton such as algae that grow underneath sea ice, which would have knock-on effects to animals higher up the food chain, all the way up to whales. "Algae is a source of abundant, high-quality winter food and is central to the health of the whole ecosystem," he said.


The Larsen shelf is a fringe of ice in the north-west of the Weddel Sea, extending along the east coast of the Antarctic peninsula. In 2002, scientists watched in shock as 3,250 square kilometres (1,255 sq miles) of 220-metre thick ice - the Larsen B shelf - fell into the sea. It had been stable for at least 12,000 years.

Read the full account on The Guardian's website
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