Albatross over the Drake Passage en route to Antarctica: Photo by Lisa ScherkOn January 17, 2026, the BBNJ Agreement of the United Nations (Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction) entered into force. For the first time,
Dumont-d’Urville Station – Image: Institut Polaire FrançaisAn international search and rescue operation is underway in Antarctica after a scientific diver went missing during an under-ice dive. The incident occurred on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, in the Adélie Land region.According to the French polar
The focus of the measurements is the Lützow-Holm Bay region in East Antarctica. (Photo: Yuichi Aoyama)The melting of the polar ice sheets is among the most frequently discussed consequences of climate change. Far less attention, however, is paid to what comes afterward: What happens once an ice shee
Francisco Fernandoy: “Hurricane-force gusts and massive snowdrifts made our work extremely difficult.” (Photo: Fernandoy/Bozkurt)The Antarctic Peninsula continues to be one of the regions of the Earth most strongly affected by global warming. Along its west coast, temperatures are rising significant
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. Adult animals reach a length of 14 to 17 meters and a weight of up to 40 tons. (Photo: Pexels, Ben Phillips)Whales are among the largest living beings that have ever lived on Earth. It is especially astonishing that some of th
With a special stamp issue, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is honoring a key chapter in international marine research. On 18 December 2025, the fifth and final set of a multi-part series was released, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the so-called Discov
The station is located on King George Island, on the eastern side of Maxwell Bay. It is staffed year-round by eight people, increasing to up to 60 during the summer months. (Photo: BCAA)With pride and deep respect, Uruguay’s Artigas Antarctic Research Station (BCAA) celebrated its 41st anniversary o
On 28 February 2023, Johann Klages threw the message in a bottle for his children overboard in the Drake Passage. (Photo: AWI, Thomas Ronge)What began as a spontaneous idea on the high seas developed into an extraordinary journey: After more than two and a half years, a message in a bottle from an A
Kirsten Shaw with letterbox and letter (Photo: Matt Hughes)In the middle of the eternal ice, a special gift caused a stir shortly before Christmas: the staff of the British Rothera Research Station in Antarctica received an original Royal Mail letterbox, of the classic pillar-box design and bearing
The mackerel icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) is a species found in the Southern Ocean and the southernmost waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It occurs mainly near the Heard and McDonald Islands, the Kerguelen Islands, and islands in the South Atlantic such as South Georgia and Bouvet Island. (Foto: Ge
Dr Colin Southwell counts Adélie penguins for a long-term monitoring programme. (Photo: Louise Emmerson)What scientists do not see in Antarctica can be just as significant as what they observe. This is the conclusion of a new study led by Dr Colin Southwell of the Australian Antarctic Division. It s
Benthos in the eastern Weddell Sea. Benthos refers to the totality of all organisms living in the bottom zone of a body of water. (Photo: Alfred Wegener Institute / Tomas Lundalv)The German research icebreaker Polarstern has set out on an international research expedition to the Antarctic Weddell Se
On 13 November 2025, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) announced the release of a new stamp series celebrating the cultural heritage of South Georgia.Two hundred and fifty years ago, Captain James Cook landed at Possession Bay and took possession of the island i
The “Silver Mary” is scheduled to call at the Halley VI, Troll and Neumayer III stations over the next ten years. (Photo: BAS)Three leading polar programs – the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), and the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) – are launching a long-term log
Megan Lenss – With the Research Vessel in Antarctica – Photo: Megan Lenss’ photo archiveA new study led by PhD candidate Megan Lenss from Norway’s iC3 Polar Research Hub places previously overlooked organisms at the center of scientific attention: microscopic algae growing beneath Antarctic sea ice—
On the morning of November 19, 2025, a special kind of magic lay over the Yokosuka Naval Base. The Japanese observation vessel Shirase was preparing to embark on its journey to Antarctica. More than 500 relatives and friends came to bid farewell. (Photo: JARE67 Miho Ikeda)On the morning of 19 Novemb
Eddies of varying sizes form in all oceans. They have a significant influence on how heat and energy are transported within the ocean. (Image: NASA)Deep beneath the glassy surface of the oceans, a fascinating yet threatening spectacle unfolds. In the silent, dark depths where humans cannot reach, sw
Sampling from a gentoo penguin colony. (Photo: INACH)In a globally unprecedented event for polar science and virology, a team of researchers from the University of Chile and the Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH) has, for the first time, successfully sequenced the complete genomes of the highly pat
The Rothera Research Station is a base of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) on the Antarctic Peninsula, located on Adelaide Island. (Photo: BAM)The Antarctic season 2025/26 marks a milestone for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and its Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Project (AIMP), as the
Handover of the “Memorandum of Arrangement.” Photo: New Zealand EmbassyBern – This week, New Zealand’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Craig Hawke, handed over the Memorandum of Arrangement between Antarctica New Zealand and the Swiss Polar Institute to the President of the Swiss Polar Institute, Prof. F
The emperor penguin colony at Taylor Glacier has remained stable over the last 20 years, with a population of 2,500 birds. (Photo: Scott Crabbe)A lucky handful of Mawson expeditioners visited the Taylor Glacier emperor penguin colony in July, to collect photos for the annual population census. No mo
The second-generation Metop satellites are proof of European innovation and technical excellence in the field of space and Earth observation. (Image: ESA)A new addition to the weather satellite family of the European Organisations for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites. Metop-SGA1 was suc
The whales are returning to Antarctica earlier than before. (Photo: Zoia Shvydka)Ukrainian scientists have recorded the early return of humpback whales to the Antarctic Peninsula region — the area where the Ukrainian Vernadsky Station is located. This observation has also been confirmed by the inter
Russia and China will train Specialists for Maritime Navigation in Polar RegionsHangzhou, November 4, 2025 – Russia and China will jointly train specialists for navigation in polar waters, according to a memorandum signed during Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s visit to China, the Russian
