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As a federally funded program, the USAP is dedicated to inform the public of its activities and results.

View a story that made breaking news or subscribe to the USAP News RSS Feed. Also, read The Antarctic Sun External U.S. government site; the USAP's online newspaper, or see the USAP Announcements Page

2016-2017 Antarctic Science Planning Summary Now Available Sep 13, 2016

2016-2017 Antarctic Science Planning Summary Now Available

The 2016-2017 Science Planning Summary is now available. View the new project descriptions and field season overviews to discover what deploying team members plan to accomplish this year.
NSF, NASA Sign Collaborative Agreement to Support Human Health Research in Polar Environments Sep 13, 2016

NSF, NASA Sign Collaborative Agreement to Support Human Health Research in Polar Environments

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA have formed a collaborative arrangement to sponsor basic, applied and operational research, as well as development and training, in extreme polar environments where NSF manages research stations and vessels.
GOES-3 Satellite Decommissioned After Linking Antarctica to the World For More Than 20 Years Jul 19, 2016

GOES-3 Satellite Decommissioned After Linking Antarctica to the World For More Than 20 Years

The National Science Foundation (NSF) late last month decommissioned a 38-year-old communications satellite that for 21 years had helped to link NSF's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station with the outside world. It was among the oldest, continuously operating satellites in the skies.
A Robotic Rehearsal for Interplanetary Exploration Jul 20, 2016

A Robotic Rehearsal for Interplanetary Exploration

It is no small undertaking to design and build a 25-foot-long underwater robot, launch it through a narrow hole drilled through 20 feet of sea ice, allow it to maneuver it autonomously through several kilometers of Antarctic Ocean for hours at a time and program it to pilot itself back to within a few feet of where it started. The simple part is that it at least takes place on planet Earth.
Little Pieces of Outer Space on the Frozen Continent Jul 7, 2016

Little Pieces of Outer Space on the Frozen Continent

The Antarctic ice is home to stuff "not of this Earth." Each year, scientists travel to remote sections of the frozen continent to look for these pieces of outer space. They're hunting for meteorites; the charred remains of asteroids and other space debris that fell to Earth. This year, after five weeks out in the field, the eight-person Antarctic Search for Meteorites (ANSMET) team returned with 569 likely meteorites.
Research Shows Antarctic Lakes Are a Repository For Ancient Soot Jun 10, 2016

Research Shows Antarctic Lakes Are a Repository For Ancient Soot

Remote lakes in a perpetually ice-free area of Antarctica show not only the chemical signature of ancient wildfires, but also some much more recent evidence of fossil-fuel combustion, according to National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Previous News Stories

Early Career Researchers Publish New Insights Into Antarctic Subglacial Lakes External U.S. government site
Changing Ocean Chemistry May Threaten Antarctic Food Chain External U.S. government site
A New Runway for McMurdo Station is Named
NSF Awards $35 Million to University of Wisconsin-Madison for Continued Operation of IceCube Neutrino Observatory External U.S. government site
South Pole Medical Evacuation Mission Concludes Safely (Updated June 23, 2016)
Sunset at South Pole
NSF/National Center for Atmospheric Research Gulfstream V (GV) Aircraft Flies Over ARSV Laurence M. Gould External U.S. government site
Time-Lapse Video Records the 2016 Resupply of McMurdo Station
Antarctic Detector Confirms Observation of Cosmic Neutrinos External U.S. government site
Previously Unknown Microbial 'Drama' Playing in the Southern Ocean External U.S. government site
Surprisingly High Geothermal Heating Revealed Beneath West Antarctic Ice Sheet External U.S. government site
Planet-sized "Virtual Telescope" Expands to South Pole to Observe Black Holes in Detail External U.S. government site
Antarctic Ice Core Reveals How Climate Changes in North Atlantic Moved South External U.S. government site
Discovered Under Antarctica: Salty Aquifer and Potentially Vast Microbial Habitat External U.S. government site
New Priorities: 2016 NSF Budget AIMS to Rebuild McMurdo and Palmer Stations External U.S. government site
Forest for the Trees: New Fossil Flora in Antarctica External U.S. government site
BICEP2 and Planck Joint Study: Gravitational Waves Remain Elusive External U.S. government site
Big Load: Cargo Operations Begin in McMurdo with Arrival of the MV Ocean Giant External U.S. government site
NSF-Funded Antarctic Drilling Team is First to Sample Ice Sheet "Grounding Zone" External U.S. government site
Unmanned Vehicle Provides First 3-D Images of Underside of Antarctic Sea Ice External U.S. government site
Antifreeze Proteins in Antarctic Fish Prevent Both Freezing and Melting External U.S. government site
Antarctic Insect's Newly Sequenced Genome is Smallest to DateExternal Non-U.S. government site
Confirmed: Subglacial Lake Holds Viable Microbial Ecosystems External U.S. government site
New Chapter Begins: 2014-15 Antarctic Field Season Kicks Off External U.S. government site
Getting Busy: Flights Headed to McMurdo Station This Month For 2014-15 Field Season External U.S. government site
Radar Surveys and Data Models Indicate Eventual West Antarctic Ice Sheet Collapse External U.S. government site
Antarctic Telescope May Have Provided the First Direct Evidence of Cosmic Inflation External U.S. government site
Return to Duty: Icebreaker Polar Star Returns to McMurdo External U.S. government site
Antarctic Contract Employee Dies at NSF's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station External U.S. government site
NSF-Managed U.S. Antarctic Program Recognized For Search-and-Rescue Efforts External U.S. government site
Southern Solstice: Midwinter Day 2014 External U.S. government site
Fond Farewell: Last of Summer Crew Departs South Pole Station External U.S. government site
Program Lets U.S. Students Experience Antarctic Science at Chilean Station External U.S. government site
New Sea Anemone Species Discovered in Antarctica External U.S. government site
From a Galaxy Far, Far Away: First Evidence of Extrasolar Neutrinos External U.S. government site
Reaching a New Low: Record Negative Temperatures Recorded in East Antarctica External U.S. government site
Early-Career Investigator Discovers Current Volcanic Activity Under West Antarctica External U.S. government site
IceCube Observatory Provides First Indication of Extrasolar Neutrinos External U.S. government site
Two Results From Instruments at the South Pole named "Discoveries of the Year" External U.S. government site
New Mode of Discovery: South Pole Telescope Detects Pattern in Big Bang Afterglow External U.S. government site
Season Opener: Two-Phase Winfly Operation Prepares McMurdo for 2013-14 External U.S. government site
Measurements of Antarctic Ice-Shelf Melt Help Refine Climate Change Models External U.S. government site
Geological Feature on Mercury Named for Antarctic Research Vessel External U.S. government site
Antarctic Ice Core Sheds New Light On How the Last Ice Age Ended External U.S. government site
Giant Iceberg Calves From Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf External U.S. government site
Former USAP Participants Land Spots on Latest Astronaut Class External U.S. government site
New Zealand Coroner Rules January Plane Crash Killed Antarctic Crew External U.S. government site
NSF-Supported Antarctic Science Documentary Is Also a Teaching Tool External U.S. government site
Midwinter Day 2013 External U.S. government site
Two-month Time-lapse Video of Antarctic Ice Goes Viral External U.S. government site
NSF Releases Plan to Guide Development of its Largest Antarctic Research Station External U.S. government site
New Study on Carbon Dioxide Absorption in Antarctic SeasExternal Non-U.S. government site
Predator and Prey: Researchers Hunt for Answers to Dynamics of Ross Sea Ecosystem External U.S. government site
IceCube Neutrino Observatory Reports First Evidence For Extraterrestrial NeutrinosExternal Non-U.S. government site
Recent Antarctic Climate, Glacier Changes at the "Upper Bound" of NormalExternal Non-U.S. government site
NSF Responds to Panel's Suggestions for Improving Antarctic Science and Logistics External U.S. government site
NSF-funded Telescopes Discover Bursts of Early Universe Star Formation External U.S. government site
Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) Investigates Melting Polar Ice External U.S. government site
Antarctic Ice Core Contains Unrivaled Detail of Past Climate External U.S. government site
Johns Hopkins Scientist Says Ozone Thinning has Changed Ocean CirculationExternal Non-U.S. government site
U.S., New Zealand Search-and-Rescue Teams Recalled From Antarctic Crash Site External U.S. government site
Loss of Three Canadian Aircrew Members in Antarctica Is Confirmed External U.S. government site
NSF-funded Team Samples Antarctic Lake Beneath the Ice Sheet External U.S. government site
Wreckage of Aircraft Located High in Antarctic Mountain Range External U.S. government site
NSF Cooperating with Italy, New Zealand in Search for Downed Plane in Antarctica External U.S. government site
Search For Life About to Begin in Lake Under the Ice External U.S. government site
Study Finds Portions of West Antarctica Are Warming Twice as Fast as Thought External U.S. government site
Trio of Complex Antarctic Science Projects Reach Significant Technological Milestones External U.S. government site
WAIS Divide Team Drills Historic Replicate Ice Core in West Antarctica External U.S. government site
Camp Site from the "Heroic Age" of Antarctic Exploration Found External U.S. government site
Ancient Microbes Survive Beneath the Icy Surface of Antarctic Lake External U.S. government site
International Study Provides More Solid Measure of Shrinking in Polar Ice Sheets
Magical Realism: WISSARD Project Poised to Explore Subglacial Lake Whillans External U.S. government site
Explosive Event: South Pole Telescope Eyes Birth of First Massive Galaxies External U.S. government site
Boomerangs and Bad Weather: Storms Delay First Planes to McMurdo Station External U.S. government site
South Pole Telescope Discovers Galaxy Cluster Creating Stars at Record Pace External U.S. government site
Blue Ribbon Panel Recommends Logistical Improvements to Support Antarctic Science
Antarctic Medical Evacuation - August 2012 External U.S. government site
Remote Siberian Lake Holds Clues to Arctic--and Antarctic--Climate Change External U.S. government site
Ancient Global Warming Allowed Greening of Antarctica
LARISSA Project Studies Ecosystem Changes Since Larsen Ice Shelf Collapse External U.S. government site
Scientists Determined First-ever Census for Emperor Penguins External U.S. government site
IceCube Neutrino Observatory Provides New Insights Into Origin of Cosmic Rays External U.S. government site
Antarctic Research Stations Observe Winter Solstice External U.S. government site
NSF Office of Polar Programs Director Karl Erb Retires External U.S. government site
Mission Complete: South Pole Telescope Finishes Five-Year Survey External U.S. government site
Airborne System Allows Antarctic Researchers to Look Beneath the Surface External U.S. government site
To the Rescue: USAP Research Vessel Transports Victims of Ship Fire to Safety External U.S. government site
NSF Awards Antarctic Support Contract to Lockheed Martin External U.S. government site
South Pole Anniversary: Norwegian Prime Minister's Visit Honors Roald Amundsen External U.S. government site
South Pole Website Celebrates a Century of Science External U.S. government site
NSF Director Subra Suresh on the Ice External U.S. government site
Without Pier: McMurdo's Missing Ice Dock is Located External U.S. government site
Antarctica's Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains Mystery Solved External U.S. government site
Pine Island Glacier: A Scientific Quest to Determine What's Causing Ice Loss External U.S. government site
NSF Funds RAPID Grants to Study Effects from New Zealand, Japan Earthquakes External U.S. government site
Antarctica Rocks! External U.S. government site
Pacific Tsunami Creates Icebergs in Antarctica External U.S. government site
University of California Irvine Studies Find Different Reasons for Global Methane RiddleExternal Non-U.S. government site
West Antarctic Puzzles Bring Together Polar Researchers at Annual Workshop External U.S. government site
Rift Spotted in Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf Before Upcoming Expedition External U.S. government site
Antarctic Ozone Hole Should Start Healing, While Arctic Hole Getting Worse External U.S. government site
Fossilized Pollen Reveals Climate History of Northern AntarcticaExternal Non-U.S. government site
Ocean Currents Speed Melting of Antarctic IceExternal Non-U.S. government site
First Flights Arrive in McMurdo External U.S. government site
South Pole Winter Airdrop External U.S. government site
New Booklet About Antarctic Science Useful to Teachers Across Disciplines External U.S. government site
AGAP Scientists Gain New Understanding of Ice Sheet Dynamics External U.S. government site
National Science Foundation Transports two Norwegian Expeditioners to Safety External U.S. government site
Break-up of Sea Ice in McMurdo Sound Brings Wildlife Sightings External U.S. government site
Glacial Stream Offers Insight into Evolution of Dissolved Organic Matter External U.S. government site
Last Plane of 2010-2011 Summer Field Season Leaves McMurdo External U.S. government site
WAIS Divide Project Completes Five-year Effort to Retrieve 3,331 Meter Ice Core External U.S. government site
NSF, University of Wisconsin-Madison Complete Construction of the World's Largest Neutrino Observatory External U.S. government site
Message from Dr. Subra Suresh, Director of the National Science Foundation
NSF's Nathaniel B. Palmer Sails with Sweden's Oden to Study Antarctic Peninsula Ecosystem External U.S. government site
NSF Signs $34.5-million Operating Agreement with University Of Wisconsin as Antarctic Neutrino Detector Nears Completion External U.S. government site
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Visits U.S., New Zealand Antarctic Programs External U.S. government site
IceCube and Its Frozen Secrets External U.S. government site
Marine Ecology Project Unites Four Generations of Scientists External U.S. government site
Arrival of Basler Aircraft Marks the End of Winter Isolation at South Pole External U.S. government site
Summer Season Begins at USAP's McMurdo Station External U.S. government site
Scientists Track Seal Hunt During Winter Night External U.S. government site
USAP Researcher Receives Prestigious Prize for Discovery External U.S. government site
USAP Researchers Process Important Samples at National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL) External U.S. government site
2010 Winter Fly-in (Winfly) Flights to Utilize Night-Vision Goggles External U.S. government site
Satellite Used in Polar Research Enters Retirement External U.S. government site
Antarctic Shoal Breaks the Ice
First USAP Flight Since March Lands in Antarctica During Winter Night External U.S. government site
Discovery of Seafloor Ridge by Robotic Sub Offers Insight into Ice Loss in Antarctica External U.S. government site
Palmer LTER (Longer Term Ecological Research) Scientists Monitor Climate Change External U.S. government site
Researchers Hunt Down Antarctic Microbes External U.S. government site
Antarctica's Soil Reveals Its Past Climate External U.S. government site
Deconstruction of the Dome External U.S. government site
Stiff Sea Ice Forces LARISSA Science Cruise to Reassess Project Priorities External U.S. government site
U.S. Antarctic Program Personnel Send Midwinter's Greetings
Life at a Remote Field Camp
South Pole Experiences Warmest Year on Record in 2009 External U.S. government site
Through the Looking Glass: Scientists Peer into Antarctica's Past to See Future Climate External U.S. government site
State of the Antarctic: New SCAR Report Shows Continent Undergoing Major Changes External U.S. government site
Women Mark 40 Years of Working in the U.S. Antarctic Program External U.S. government site
New Wind Farm to Help Power U.S., New Zealand Research Stations in Antarctica External U.S. government site
British NSF-funded Researchers Deploy Automated Submarine External U.S. government site
New Evidence Demonstrates Climate Warming Affects Ice Sheet Stability External U.S. government site
Climate-related Changes on the Antarctic Peninsula Being Driven from the Ecosystem External U.S. government site
ANDRILL Research Indicates Remarkably Warm Period in Antarctica 15.7 Million Years AgoExternal Non-U.S. government site
NASA Flies to Antarctica for Largest Airborne Polar Ice Survey External U.S. government site
International Polar Year (IPY) LARISSA Project Planned for 2009-10 Field Season in Antarctic Peninsula External U.S. government site
Study Provides Insight into Evolution and Extinction of Vanished Elephant Seal Colony External U.S. government site
Main Field Season Under Way as Planes Bring in Hundreds of People to McMurdo External U.S. government site
Antarctica's IceCube Telescope is Wisconsin-made
Winter Fly-in 2009 External U.S. government site
Improved Data Communications for South Pole Science
Arctic and Antarctic-themed Activities to Bring a Breath of Polar Air to Baltimore External U.S. government site
Research at the Ends of the Earth External U.S. government site
U.S. Antarctic Program personnel send Midwinter's Greetings
NSF Plays Major Role in Evacuation of Injured Australian from Antarctica External U.S. government site
Karl A. Erb, NSF's Polar Programs Director, on the Death of Martin A. Pomerantz External U.S. government site
International AGAP Team Poised to Probe One of Antarctica's Last Unexplored Places External U.S. government site
Air Force Makes First Night Landing on Southernmost ContinentExternal Non-U.S. government site
Antarctic Fossils Paint a Picture of a Much Warmer Continent External U.S. government site
A Single Boulder May Prove that Antarctica and North America Were Once Connected External U.S. government site
New Antarctic Ice Core to Provide Clearest Climate Record Yet External U.S. government site
Scientific Balloons Achieve Antarctic Flight Record External U.S. government site
Penguins Helped and Hurt by Changing ClimateExternal Non-U.S. government site
Robert Falcon Scott: The Pioneer Who Died for the South PoleExternal Non-U.S. government site
Antarctica's Sea "Babies" in LimboExternal Non-U.S. government site
A Bright Spot of Life on the Icy ContinentExternal Non-U.S. government site
Vistas, Science and Staying Warm at the South PoleExternal Non-U.S. government site
Antarctic Ice Shelf Disintegration Underscores a Warming WorldExternal Non-U.S. government site
NSF Dedicates New South Pole Station External U.S. government site
Explorers Club to Honor NSF-Funded Researchers and Glaciologist External U.S. government site
Using Penguin Remains to Measure Antarctic Ice MovementExternal Non-U.S. government site
Researchers and Science Teacher to Explore AntarcticaExternal Non-U.S. government site
Locked in Antarctic Glaciers, Ancient Microbes May Return to LifeExternal Non-U.S. government site
Erb Honored by French Republic for International Scientific Contributions External U.S. government site
New Undersea Images Challenge Prevailing Ideas About the Antarctic Ice SheetExternal Non-U.S. government site
Antarctic Icebergs: Unlikely Oases for Ocean Life External U.S. government site
Palmer Station, Antarctica Celebrates Earth Day With an Underwater Clean Up External U.S. government site
International Polar Year Web Portal Offers Email Alerts for Educators External U.S. government site
Report Offers Guidance on How to Safely Explore Vast Aquatic Systems Buried Under Antarctic Ice External U.S. government site
International Polar Year (IPY) Funds Research and Exploration by Teachers, Students, and the Public External U.S. government site
Landmark Completion of South Pole Telescope to Help Scientists Learn What the Universe is Made of and How it Got Here External U.S. government site
Students Help Design a Remotely Operated Vehicle for Antarctic Research
NPR Science Friday - Audio Programs on Antarctic ScienceExternal Non-U.S. government site
NSF Commemorates 50th Anniversary of First Flight to Land at the South Pole External U.S. government site
New Lunar Meteorite Found in AntarcticaExternal Non-U.S. government site
Alaskan Storm Cracks Giant Iceberg to Pieces in AntarcticaExternal Non-U.S. government site
Alaskan Storm Plays Role of Butterfly for AntarcticaExternal Non-U.S. government site
Chemical Cause of Ozone Hole Discovered 20 Years Ago This Month External U.S. government site
Polar Melting May Raise Sea Level Sooner Than ExpectedExternal Non-U.S. government site
Impact of Climate Warming on Polar Ice Sheets Confirmed External U.S. government site
NASA Mission Detects Significant Antarctic Ice Mass Loss External U.S. government site
Two New Lakes Found Beneath Antarctic Ice SheetExternal Non-U.S. government site
Students, Faculty Depart For AntarcticaExternal Non-U.S. government site
Hamilton College 2006 Antarctic Expedition: Weekly JournalsExternal Non-U.S. government site
Irresistible Force Meets Immoveable ObjectExternal Non-U.S. government site
Arctic, Antarctic Melting May Raise Sea Levels Faster than Expected External U.S. government site
Polar Neutrino Observatory Takes a Big Step Forward External U.S. government site
NSF Launches New Web Portal for International Polar Year External U.S. government site
Crew Member Lost at Sea
McMurdo Fish May Prove to be New Species
South Pole Skylab Transition Keeps Sci Techs On the Move
What's The Dirt? Researchers Track Soil Movement and Land Erosion in the McMurdo Dry Valleys
Cargo, Fuel Safely Unloaded at Antarctic Research Station External U.S. government site
Icy Overland Trip May Add Ground Vehicles to South Pole Supply Missions External U.S. government site
DNA Studies Show Microevolution in Penguins External U.S. government site
Digging Dinosaurs External U.S. government site
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