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February 26, 2015

New Priorities: 2016 NSF Budget AIMS to Rebuild McMurdo and Palmer Stations National Science Foundation (NSF) Director France A. Córdova this month outlined President Obama's fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request to Congress for NSF. The request calls for $7.7 billion for NSF, an additional $379 million over FY15, which represents a 5.2 percent increase.

February 26, 2015

Forest for the Trees: New Fossil Flora in Antarctica Paleontologists head to the hills in Antarctica to recover plant fossils. Among their amazing finds are the second largest fossil forests ever found in Antarctica and new plant species from more than 200 million years ago.

February 2, 2015

BICEP2 and Planck Joint Study: Gravitational Waves Remain Elusive A new joint analysis of data from two South Pole-based experiments and the European Space Agency's Planck satellite, has found no conclusive evidence of primordial gravitational waves, despite earlier reports of a possible detection.

January 19, 2015

Big Load: Cargo Operations Begin in McMurdo with Arrival of the MV Ocean Giant The cargo vessel chartered to resupply two of the National Science Foundation's research stations in Antarctica seems up to the task based on name alone. The MV OCEAN GIANT arrived at McMurdo Station on Jan. 26, with nearly seven million pounds of supplies.

January 21, 2015

NSF-Funded Antarctic Drilling Team is First to Sample Ice Sheet "Grounding Zone" Using a specially designed hot-water drill to cleanly bore through a half mile of ice, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded team of researchers has become the first ever to reach and sample the "grounding zone," where Antarctic ice, land and sea all converge.

December 18, 2014

Unmanned Vehicle Provides First 3-D Images of Underside of Antarctic Sea Ice A National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research team has successfully tested an autonomous underwater vehicle, AUV, that can produce high-resolution, three-dimensional maps of Antarctic sea ice.

Previous News Stories

Antifreeze Proteins in Antarctic Fish Prevent Both Freezing and Melting

Antarctic Insect's Newly Sequenced Genome is Smallest to Date

Confirmed: Subglacial Lake Holds Viable Microbial Ecosystems

New Chapter Begins: 2014-15 Antarctic Field Season Kicks Off

Getting Busy: Flights Headed to McMurdo Station This Month For 2014-15 Field Season

Radar Surveys and Data Models Indicate Eventual West Antarctic Ice Sheet Collapse

Antarctic Telescope May Have Provided the First Direct Evidence of Cosmic Inflation

Return to Duty: Icebreaker Polar Star Returns to McMurdo

Antarctic Contract Employee Dies at NSF's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

NSF-Managed U.S. Antarctic Program Recognized For Search-and-Rescue Efforts

Southern Solstice: Midwinter Day 2014

Fond Farewell: Last of Summer Crew Departs South Pole Station

Program Lets U.S. Students Experience Antarctic Science at Chilean Station

New Sea Anemone Species Discovered in Antarctica

From a Galaxy Far, Far Away: First Evidence of Extrasolar Neutrinos

Reaching a New Low: Record Negative Temperatures Recorded in East Antarctica

Early-Career Investigator Discovers Current Volcanic Activity Under West Antarctica

IceCube Observatory Provides First Indication of Extrasolar Neutrinos

Two Results From Instruments at the South Pole named "Discoveries of the Year"

New Mode of Discovery: South Pole Telescope Detects Pattern in Big Bang Afterglow

Season Opener: Two-Phase Winfly Operation Prepares McMurdo for 2013-14

Measurements of Antarctic Ice-Shelf Melt Help Refine Climate Change Models

Geological Feature on Mercury Named for Antarctic Research Vessel

Antarctic Ice Core Sheds New Light On How the Last Ice Age Ended

Giant Iceberg Calves From Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf

Former USAP Participants Land Spots on Latest Astronaut Class

New Zealand Coroner Rules January Plane Crash Killed Antarctic Crew

NSF-Supported Antarctic Science Documentary Is Also a Teaching Tool

Midwinter Day 2013

Two-month Time-lapse Video of Antarctic Ice Goes Viral

NSF Releases Plan to Guide Development of its Largest Antarctic Research Station

New Study on Carbon Dioxide Absorption in Antarctic Seas

Predator and Prey: Researchers Hunt for Answers to Dynamics of Ross Sea Ecosystem

IceCube Neutrino Observatory Reports First Evidence For Extraterrestrial Neutrinos

Recent Antarctic Climate, Glacier Changes at the "Upper Bound" of Normal

NSF Responds to Panel's Suggestions for Improving Antarctic Science and Logistics

NSF-funded Telescopes Discover Bursts of Early Universe Star Formation

Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) Investigates Melting Polar Ice

Antarctic Ice Core Contains Unrivaled Detail of Past Climate

Johns Hopkins Scientist Says Ozone Thinning has Changed Ocean Circulation

U.S., New Zealand Search-and-Rescue Teams Recalled From Antarctic Crash Site

Loss of Three Canadian Aircrew Members in Antarctica Is Confirmed

NSF-funded Team Samples Antarctic Lake Beneath the Ice Sheet

Wreckage of Aircraft Located High in Antarctic Mountain Range

NSF Cooperating with Italy, New Zealand in Search for Downed Plane in Antarctica

Search For Life About to Begin in Lake Under the Ice

Study Finds Portions of West Antarctica Are Warming Twice as Fast as Thought

Trio of Complex Antarctic Science Projects Reach Significant Technological Milestones

WAIS Divide Team Drills Historic Replicate Ice Core in West Antarctica

Camp Site from the "Heroic Age" of Antarctic Exploration Found

Ancient Microbes Survive Beneath the Icy Surface of Antarctic Lake

International Study Provides More Solid Measure of Shrinking in Polar Ice Sheets

Magical Realism: WISSARD Project Poised to Explore Subglacial Lake Whillans

Explosive Event: South Pole Telescope Eyes Birth of First Massive Galaxies

Boomerangs and Bad Weather: Storms Delay First Planes to McMurdo Station

South Pole Telescope Discovers Galaxy Cluster Creating Stars at Record Pace

Blue Ribbon Panel Recommends Logistical Improvements to Support Antarctic Science

Antarctic Medical Evacuation - August 2012

Remote Siberian Lake Holds Clues to Arctic--and Antarctic--Climate Change

Ancient Global Warming Allowed Greening of Antarctica

LARISSA Project Studies Ecosystem Changes Since Larsen Ice Shelf Collapse

Scientists Determined First-ever Census for Emperor Penguins

IceCube Neutrino Observatory Provides New Insights Into Origin of Cosmic Rays

Antarctic Research Stations Observe Winter Solstice

NSF Office of Polar Programs Director Karl Erb Retires

Mission Complete: South Pole Telescope Finishes Five-Year Survey

Airborne System Allows Antarctic Researchers to Look Beneath the Surface

To the Rescue: USAP Research Vessel Transports Victims of Ship Fire to Safety

NSF Awards Antarctic Support Contract to Lockheed Martin

South Pole Anniversary: Norwegian Prime Minister's Visit Honors Roald Amundsen

South Pole Website Celebrates a Century of Science

NSF Director Subra Suresh on the Ice

Without Pier: McMurdo's Missing Ice Dock is Located

Antarctica's Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains Mystery Solved

Pine Island Glacier: A Scientific Quest to Determine What's Causing Ice Loss

NSF Funds RAPID Grants to Study Effects from New Zealand, Japan Earthquakes

Antarctica Rocks!

Pacific Tsunami Creates Icebergs in Antarctica

University of California Irvine Studies Find Different Reasons for Global Methane Riddle

West Antarctic Puzzles Bring Together Polar Researchers at Annual Workshop

Rift Spotted in Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf Before Upcoming Expedition

Antarctic Ozone Hole Should Start Healing, While Arctic Hole Getting Worse

Fossilized Pollen Reveals Climate History of Northern Antarctica

Ocean Currents Speed Melting of Antarctic Ice

First Flights Arrive in McMurdo

South Pole Winter Airdrop

New Booklet About Antarctic Science Useful to Teachers Across Disciplines

AGAP Scientists Gain New Understanding of Ice Sheet Dynamics

National Science Foundation Transports two Norwegian Expeditioners to Safety

Break-up of Sea Ice in McMurdo Sound Brings Wildlife Sightings

Glacial Stream Offers Insight into Evolution of Dissolved Organic Matter

Last Plane of 2010-2011 Summer Field Season Leaves McMurdo

WAIS Divide Project Completes Five-year Effort to Retrieve 3,331 Meter Ice Core

NSF, University of Wisconsin-Madison Complete Construction of the World's Largest Neutrino Observatory

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

NSF Signs $34.5-million Operating Agreement with University Of Wisconsin as Antarctic Neutrino Detector Nears Completion

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Visits U.S., New Zealand Antarctic Programs

IceCube and Its Frozen Secrets

Marine Ecology Project Unites Four Generations of Scientists

Arrival of Basler Aircraft Marks the End of Winter Isolation at South Pole

Summer Season Begins at USAP's McMurdo Station

Scientists Track Seal Hunt During Winter Night

USAP Researcher Receives Prestigious Prize for Discovery

USAP Researchers Process Important Samples at National Ice Core Laboratory (NICL)

2010 Winter Fly-in (Winfly) Flights to Utilize Night-Vision Goggles

Satellite Used in Polar Research Enters Retirement

Antarctic Shoal Breaks the Ice

First USAP Flight Since March Lands in Antarctica During Winter Night

Discovery of Seafloor Ridge by Robotic Sub Offers Insight into Ice Loss in Antarctica

Palmer LTER (Longer Term Ecological Research) Scientists Monitor Climate Change

Researchers Hunt Down Antarctic Microbes

Antarctica's Soil Reveals Its Past Climate

Deconstruction of the Dome

Stiff Sea Ice Forces LARISSA Science Cruise to Reassess Project Priorities

U.S. Antarctic Program Personnel Send Midwinter's Greetings

Life at a Remote Field Camp

South Pole Experiences Warmest Year on Record in 2009

Through the Looking Glass: Scientists Peer into Antarctica's Past to See Future Climate

State of the Antarctic: New SCAR Report Shows Continent Undergoing Major Changes

Women Mark 40 Years of Working in the U.S. Antarctic Program

New Wind Farm to Help Power U.S., New Zealand Research Stations in Antarctica

British NSF-funded Researchers Deploy Automated Submarine

New Evidence Demonstrates Climate Warming Affects Ice Sheet Stability

Climate-related Changes on the Antarctic Peninsula Being Driven from the Ecosystem

ANDRILL Research Indicates Remarkably Warm Period in Antarctica 15.7 Million Years Ago

NASA Flies to Antarctica for Largest Airborne Polar Ice Survey

International Polar Year (IPY) LARISSA Project Planned for 2009-10 Field Season in Antarctic Peninsula

Study Provides Insight into Evolution and Extinction of Vanished Elephant Seal Colony

Main Field Season Under Way as Planes Bring in Hundreds of People to McMurdo

Antarctica's IceCube Telescope is Wisconsin-made

Winter Fly-in 2009

Improved Data Communications for South Pole Science

Arctic and Antarctic-themed Activities to Bring a Breath of Polar Air to Baltimore

Research at the Ends of the Earth

U.S. Antarctic Program personnel send Midwinter's Greetings

NSF Plays Major Role in Evacuation of Injured Australian from Antarctica

Karl A. Erb, NSF's Polar Programs Director, on the Death of Martin A. Pomerantz

International AGAP Team Poised to Probe One of Antarctica's Last Unexplored Places

Air Force Makes First Night Landing on Southernmost Continent

Antarctic Fossils Paint a Picture of a Much Warmer Continent

A Single Boulder May Prove that Antarctica and North America Were Once Connected

New Antarctic Ice Core to Provide Clearest Climate Record Yet

Scientific Balloons Achieve Antarctic Flight Record

Penguins Helped and Hurt by Changing Climate

Robert Falcon Scott: The Pioneer Who Died for the South Pole

Antarctica's Sea "Babies" in Limbo

A Bright Spot of Life on the Icy Continent

Vistas, Science and Staying Warm at the South Pole

Antarctic Ice Shelf Disintegration Underscores a Warming World

NSF Dedicates New South Pole Station

Explorers Club to Honor NSF-Funded Researchers and Glaciologist

Using Penguin Remains to Measure Antarctic Ice Movement

Researchers and Science Teacher to Explore Antarctica

Locked in Antarctic Glaciers, Ancient Microbes May Return to Life

Erb Honored by French Republic for International Scientific Contributions

New Undersea Images Challenge Prevailing Ideas About the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Antarctic Icebergs: Unlikely Oases for Ocean Life

Palmer Station, Antarctica Celebrates Earth Day With an Underwater Clean Up

International Polar Year Web Portal Offers Email Alerts for Educators

Report Offers Guidance on How to Safely Explore Vast Aquatic Systems Buried Under Antarctic Ice

International Polar Year (IPY) Funds Research and Exploration by Teachers, Students, and the Public

Landmark Completion of South Pole Telescope to Help Scientists Learn What the Universe is Made of and How it Got Here

Students Help Design a Remotely Operated Vehicle for Antarctic Research

NPR Science Friday - Audio Programs on Antarctic Science

NSF Commemorates 50th Anniversary of First Flight to Land at the South Pole

New Lunar Meteorite Found in Antarctica

Alaskan Storm Cracks Giant Iceberg to Pieces in Antarctica

Alaskan Storm Plays Role of Butterfly for Antarctica

Chemical Cause of Ozone Hole Discovered 20 Years Ago This Month

Polar Melting May Raise Sea Level Sooner Than Expected

Impact of Climate Warming on Polar Ice Sheets Confirmed

NASA Mission Detects Significant Antarctic Ice Mass Loss

Two New Lakes Found Beneath Antarctic Ice Sheet

Students, Faculty Depart For Antarctica

Hamilton College 2006 Antarctic Expedition: Weekly Journals

Irresistible Force Meets Immoveable Object

Arctic, Antarctic Melting May Raise Sea Levels Faster than Expected

Polar Neutrino Observatory Takes a Big Step Forward

NSF Launches New Web Portal for International Polar Year

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

Icy Overland Trip May Add Ground Vehicles to South Pole Supply Missions

DNA Studies Show Microevolution in Penguins

Digging Dinosaurs