Jul
23
2021
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Jonathan "Mike" Prince joins Office of Polar Programs as Antarctic Research Vessel Program Manager
The Office of Polar Programs (OPP) Antarctic Infrastructure and Logistics Section is excited to welcome Mr. Jonathan "Mike" Prince as the Antarctic Research Vessel (ARV) Project Manager. In this position, Mr. Prince is responsible for providing technical guidance and direct engagement on overall project development, design, planned construction, and delivery of the Antarctic Research Vessel, a major Office of Polar Programs MREFC initiative. Mr. Prince coordinates with contract personnel, vessel support groups, other sections in OPP, as well as other programs throughout NSF to achieve the project goals.
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Jul
21
2021
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Antarctic Stations Celebrate 2021 Midwinter's Day
In Antarctica, the winter solstice is the longest night of the year and marks the halfway point of winter. Since the time of the early explorers, those who work in Antarctica during the long dark night have celebrated Midwinter's Day.
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Jul
12
2021
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McMurdo Station medical evacuation
The National Science Foundation is grateful for the assistance provided by the New Zealand Defense Force during the medical evacuation from McMurdo Station that took place last weekend. Antarctica New Zealand, with whom the U.S. Antarctic Program has enjoyed a longstanding partnership, helped coordinate the effort.
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Jul
01
2021
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RESEARCH UPDATE: Researchers use ice-penetrating radar to better understand Antarctic glaciology
A recent publication from NSF-funded research by scientists at UC Santa Cruz has examined how electrical conductivity, and not radar reflectivity alone, should be used in investigating subglacial materials.
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Jun
28
2021
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RESEARCH UPDATE: Young Weddell seals need to practice navigating before hunting
According to a new NSF-funded study from California Polytechnic State University, Weddell seal pups may be one of the only types of seals to learn to swim from their mothers.
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Jun
16
2021
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Michael Gencarelli appointed Planning Manager for the U.S. Antarctic Program
Mr. Michael Gencarelli has been appointed to be the Planning Manager for the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP), and will be responsible for the full range of planning across the program. This includes overseeing station plans and Capital Investment Plan for facilities and infrastructure, project plans to implement funded work, and long-range and annual program plans to guide sustaining activities in Antarctica. This position is part of the Section for Antarctic Infrastructure and Logistics at NSF.
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Jun
15
2021
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Salt levels in ice cores tell stories of ocean conditions past
Salt levels in an ice core drilled at the South Pole are telling scientists what Antarctic sea ice conditions were like in the past. This information is crucial to understanding how the continent will fare in a changing climate.
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May
27
2021
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On the Wings of Petrels
While penguins may be viewed as the iconic Antarctic bird, there are many other species that call the continent and Southern Ocean home. As part of NSF's Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) project, a group of scientists are looking at the bird species along the Western Antarctica Peninsula.
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May
26
2021
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RESEARCH UPDATE: Marine ice-cliff instability at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) holds enough ice to raise global sea levels by about three meters. The ice sheet is also vulnerable to rapid retreat through a process called marine ice-cliff instability (MICI).
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May
25
2021
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Thwaites Glacier: Future
Scientists are using advanced computer models and simulations to calculate what the next century might hold for the melting Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, and how it might contribute to rising sea levels around the world.
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May
24
2021
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RESEARCH UPDATE: Ice core chemistry expands insight into sea ice variability
Recent work has been published by scientists from the University of Maine, giving insight into the seasonal and overall changes in sea ice in the Southern Hemisphere. Using ice core samples from the South Pole, researchers looked at the ice's chemistry, and particularly sea salt concentrations.
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May
24
2021
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Lauren Lipuma joins the U.S. Antarctic Program as Antarctic Communications Editor
Lauren Lipuma joins USAP as a part of Leidos, the prime contractor for USAP. Lauren will be writing, editing, and managing the online Antarctic Sun newspaper, creating multi-media products, and serving as photographer and manager of the USAP Photo Library archive. Before joining the U.S. Antarctic Program, Lauren worked as a science writer, photographer, and video and podcast producer for eight years in Washington, D.C.
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May
10
2021
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RESEARCH UPDATE: The Paris Climate Agreement and future sea-level rise from Antarctica
The world is currently on track to exceed three degrees Celsius of global warming, and new NSF-funded research led by researchers at the UMass Amherst shows that such a scenario would drastically accelerate the pace of sea-level rise by 2100. However, the paper reveals that there still appears to be an opening for humankind to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent this mid-century acceleration in sea-level rise.
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NSF selects Roberta Marinelli as director of the Office of Polar Programs
