Cryospheric Sciences

Blue ice in Antarctica: small extent, big science

Veronica Tollenaar June 21, 2024

A figure with a map of Antarctica in the middle, and 8 zoomed in sections of it showing blue ice areas.

Figure 1: A new blue ice area map, based on deep learning. Credit: Tollenaar et al., 2024.

Kggk kggk kggk – the sound of crampons accompanies me. A thin layer of snow covers the slippery ice while I pull a sled. As I wipe my hand over the snow, underneath, a blue color glitters in the sun (Figure 2). In the last days it has been snowing in the White Desert (Antarctica). All blue ice we could see before is temporarily covered by a thin blanket, perfect to pull a sled. However, this snow ...[Read More]

Highlighted Paper – Meteorites in Antarctica

Veronica Tollenaar April 8, 2022

Figure 1. Artist impression of the Antarctic meteorite treasure map (not to scale). [photo: field team of the JARE-54/BELARE 2012–2013 expedition to the Nansen blue ice field. Artist impression: Janbert Aarnink]

A Belgian-Dutch team of scientists created the first-ever “treasure map” that shows where in Antarctica meteorites are likely to be found. Meteorites are samples from space that fall as stone-like material on the surface of the Earth. Once recovered, meteorites provide crucial information on the formation and evolution of our Solar System. First meteorite finds in Antarctica December 1969, Yamato ...[Read More]

Cryo Adventures – What’s currently going on in Antarctic science?

Andy Smedley, Jenny Arthur and Sofia Kufner December 6, 2019

Map of the various locations mentioned in the text. Green markers are bases, red markers measurement campaign locations [Credit: Andy Smedley].

As Christmas gets closer, days are getting shorter in the northern hemisphere. A good excuse to get cosy inside on the sofa, drinking tea and eating Christmas biscuits. Meanwhile, a few thousand of scientists are heading “South”, to Antarctica, where the lengthening days provide the perfect conditions to conduct a whole variety of scientific field expeditions… Science in Antarctica Just last ...[Read More]

Image of the Week – The Lost Meteorites of Antarctica…

Andy Smedley May 24, 2019

Fig. 1: Searching for meteorites in the Recovery Glacier region of Antarctica [Credit: Katherine Joy/Lost Meteorites of Antarctica].

When most people think of Antarctica, meteorites aren’t the first things that come to mind. Perhaps they imagine the huge ice shelves, the desolate interior, or perhaps penguin colonies near one of the scientific bases — but usually not meteorites. So why is our project looking for meteorites in Antarctica, and besides, aren’t they all lost until they are found? Let’s start with the A ...[Read More]

Image of the Week – Searching for clues of extraterrestrial life on the Antarctic ice sheet

Sophie Nixon December 8, 2017

Last week we celebrated Antarctica Day, 50 years after the Antarctic Treaty was signed. This treaty includes an agreement to protect Antarctic ecosystems. But what if, unintentionally, this protection also covered clues of life beyond Earth? In this Image of the Week, we explore how meteorites found in Antarctica are an important piece of the puzzle in the search for extraterrestrial life. Meteori ...[Read More]