Bathymetric data of unprecedented resolution are used to provide insights into former ice dynamics and glacial processes in a western Antarctic Peninsula embayment. An assemblage of submarine glacial landforms, which includes subglacially produced streamlined features and ice-marginal ridges, reveals the former pattern of ice flow and retreat. A group of more than 250 small (< 1–3 m high, 10–20 m wide) and relatively evenly spaced recessional moraines was identified beyond the margin of Philippa Glacier. The small recessional moraines are interpreted to have been produced during short-lived, possibly annual re-advances of a grounded ice margin during overall retreat. This is the first time that these features have been shown to be part of the assemblage of landforms produced by tidewater glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. Glacier-terminus changes during the last four decades, mapped from LANDSAT satellite images, were analysed to determine whether the moraines were produced during recent still-stands or re-advances of Philippa Glacier and to further investigate the short-term (annual to decadal) variability in ice-marginal position in tidewater glacier systems. The asynchronous response of individual tidewater glaciers in Darbel Bay is interpreted to be controlled mainly by local topography rather than by glacier catchment-area size.

Detailed redescriptions of the poorly known isopods Cymodocella tubicauda Pfeffer 1887 and Exosphaeroma gigas (Leach 1818) are presented in order to allow easier identification of these two species. Similarities to and differences from other species of the genus are discussed.

Equations were developed to predict soil matric potential as a function of soil water content, texture and bulk density in sandy soils. The equations were based on the additivity hypothesis - that water-retention of a whole soil depends on the proportions of several particle size fractions, each with fixed water-retention characteristics. The new model is an advancement over previously published models in that it embodies three basic properties of water-retention curves: a) matric potential is zero at saturation water content, b) matric potential approaches -∞ as water content approaches zero, and c) volumetric water content in dry soil is proportional to bulk density. Values of model parameters were taken from the literature, or estimated by fitting model predictions to data for sandy soils with low organic matter content. Most of the variation in water-release curves in the calibration data was explained by texture, with negligible effects of bulk density and sand particle size. The model predicted that variation in clay content among soils within the sand and loamy sand textural classes had substantial effects on water-retention curves. An understanding of how variation in texture among sandy soils contributes to matric potential is necessary for interpreting biological activity in arid environments.

Octachlorostyrene (OCS) and trans-nonachlor (TNC) were detected in cape petrels (Daption capense) of King George Island, which tallies with their presence in samples of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) of the Falkland Islands. The detection of TNC in a sample of the Antarctic southern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialoides) implies that the Antarctic region has been contaminated by this compound. Mirex and photomirex were also detected in samples of the cape petrels and southern fulmar, as well as in Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) from Hop Island. The ratios of the mirex and photomirex concentrations in the truly Antarctic species from different locations are similar, which suggests that these compounds are diffusely distributed over the continent. The detection of organochlorine pollutants in Antarctic seabirds is an indication that these compounds have a global distribution. Screening of subcutaneous fat of Antarctic seabirds for organochlorines provides an excellent indication of the occurrence of organochlorine pollutants in Antarctica, and as such an ‘early warning’ for the global dispersion of these compounds.

Echinoderms are well represented in nearshore hard-bottom (< 100 m depth) habitats along the Antarctic Peninsula where they are presumably important contributors to benthic production, carbon flow, and determinants of community structure. The present study assesses the densities of echinoderms at shallow depths (2–15 m) at five sampling sites within three kilometres of Anvers Island on the central western Antarctic Peninsula. The asteroids Odontaster validus, Granaster nutrix, Lysasterias perrieri and Adelasterias papillosa, two ophiuroids in the Amphiuridae, the holothuroids Psolicrux coatsi and Psolus carolineae and one representative of the Cucumaridae, and the regular echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri were enumerated. Mean total echinoderm densities were high (34.9 individuals m-2) and ranged from 21.9 individuals m-2 for asteroids to 2.7 individuals m-2 for holothuroids. With the exception of a positive relationship between the abundance of the regular echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri and the biomass of the brown alga Himanthothallus grandifolius, no significant relationships were found between the abundance of asteroids, ophiuroids, or holothuroids and two species of brown algae or three algal ecotypes. The present study indicates nearshore hard-bottom echinoderms are important in the carbon cycle and their inherent vulnerability to ocean acidification may have community-level impacts.

Postel Nunatak in the Patuxent Range has been previously mapped as Nelson Limestone but there was no biostratigraphic support for that interpretation until now. We confirm that limestone exposures at Postel Nunatak are at least partly correlated with the Nelson Limestone of the Neptune Range, 160 km north-east, and are not correlative with the lower Cambrian Schneider Hills Limestone of the Argentina Range. Upper beds have yielded the trilobites Suludella? davnii Palmer & Gatehouse, 1972 and Solenopleura pruina Palmer & Gatehouse, 1972, which provide a basis for assignment to Cambrian Series 3 (late middle Cambrian), within the Drumian or lower Guzhangian stages. Limestone beds were deposited in a shallow marine setting, ranging from supratidal to lagoonal facies with rare subtidal intervals. These settings contrast with deeper water facies of the Neptune Range. Despite limitations in sampling density, isotopic analysis indicates that a greater than +2.5‰ shift in δ13C is consistent with δ13C trends documented for the Drumian Stage. Because the upper and lower contacts at Postel Nunatak are covered by snow and ice, the relationship with rocks mapped as the Patuxent Formation in the Patuxent Range remains uncertain, but part of it may belong to the Precambrian Hannah Ridge Formation.

Ship-based observations of sea ice thickness using the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) protocol provide information on ice thickness distribution at relatively low cost. This protocol uses a simple formula to calculate the mass of ice in ridges based on surface observations. We present two new formulae and compare these with results from the “Original” formula using data obtained in the Ross Sea in autumn and winter. The new “r-star” formula uses a more realistic ratio of sail and keel areas to transform dimensions of sails to estimates of mean keel areas. As a result, estimates of “equivalent thickness” (i.e. mean thickness of ice in ridged areas) increased by over 200%. The new “Probability” formula goes one step further, by incorporating the probability that a sail is associated with a keel underwater, and the probability that keels may be found under level surfaces. This resulted in estimates of equivalent thickness comparable with the Original formula. Estimates of equivalent thickness at one or two degree latitude resolution are sufficiently accurate for validating sea ice models. Although ridges are small features in the Ross Sea, we have shown that they constitute a significant fraction of the total ice mass.

A 100 cm long sediment sequence was recovered from Beaver Lake in Amery Oasis, East Antarctica, using gravity and piston corers. Sedimentological and mineralogical analyses and the absence of micro and macrofossils indicate that the sediments at the base of the sequence formed under glacial conditions, probably prior to c. 12 500 cal. yr BP. The sediments between c. 81 and 31 cm depth probably formed under subaerial conditions, indicating that isostatic uplift since deglaciation has been substantially less than eustatic sea-level rise and that large areas of the present-day floor of Beaver Lake must have been subaerially exposed following deglaciation. The upper 31 cm of the sediment sequence were deposited under glaciomarine conditions similar to those of today, supporting geomorphic observations that the Holocene was a period of relative sea-level highstand in Amery Oasis.

Zoophycos is a complex three dimensional trace fossil that is abundant in deep ocean sediments worldwide, but has not been described previously from Cenozoic continental margin deposits of Antarctica. In the ANDRILL 1B core drilled through the north-west McMurdo ice shelf, Zoophycos occurs in a 17 m thick unit of interglacial sediments bounded above and below by glacial surfaces of erosion. This unit was deposited during the transition from the relatively warm Early Pliocene characterized by productive open waters to the cooler Late Pliocene with fluctuating subpolar ice sheets. Globally, Late Cenozoic Zoophycos are most abundant at great depths (> 1000 m), and where sedimentation rates and TOC levels are low; the Zoophycos producer, probably a worm-like animal, was (is) a slow colonizer. Application of these preferences to the ANDRILL 1B core indicates that the Zoophycos-bearing unit was deposited episodically, with sufficient time between events to allow for the slow processes of colonization and construction. The foray of Zoophycos producer into the relatively shallow ANDRILL 1B depths (200–1000 m) during the Pliocene documents “emergence” of benthic animals, supporting suggestions that the unique modern Antarctic and Southern Ocean faunas result from both “emergence” and “submergence” during the Cenozoic.

Gobionotothen gibberifrons <1 year old, of the 1977, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1990 and 1995 cohorts, were sampled using nets, in various periods during summer (December to February) at South Georgia. Growth in standard length (Ls) was estimated using the exponential model. Among the seven cohorts, average growth rate varied between 0.33–2.1% Lsd−1, and predicted Ls for mid-January varied between 21.6–29.1 mm. Average growth rate was inversely related to mean date of sampling but was not significantly related to mean Ls. Mean sea surface temperatures were available for the 1981–95 cohorts. Average growth rate and predicted Ls for mid-January were both negatively conelated with mean December–January sea temperature, but were not significantly related to mean weekly sea surface temperature during the sampling periods. Greater average growth rate and greater Ls in cooler summers may be partly due to a large-scale pattern of environmental variability, indicated by sea temperature, that governs the timing and magnitude of the production cycle and food availability.

Deschampsia antarctica Desv. (Poaceae) grows in coastal habitats in the Maritime Antarctic where it is often exposed to sea spray. Salt crystals have been observed on the surface of leaves in plants treated with high NaCl. We investigated if D. antarctica is a salt tolerant species that allows sodium ions to diffuse into the root where a salt overly sensitive (SOS) system extrudes Na+ from root cells and facilitates its movement through the xylem up to the leaves. Leaf epidermis, physiological parameters and sodium transporters in D. antarctica plants exposed to NaCl were studied over 21 days. Epidermal scanning electron microscopy showed trichome induction in the leaves of salt treated plants. In addition, salt treated plants showed increased sodium and proline levels with a concomitant increased expression of SOS genes (1 and 3). These results indicate that Na+ is taken up by the roots of D. antarctica and transported to the leaves. The sodium flux may be controlled by SOS1 activity. Up-regulation of the SOS1 gene may be involved in the increased sodium levels observed in the leaves of salt treated plants. Trichomes may also be involved in sodium exudation through the leaves under saline conditions.

White-chinned petrels Procellaria aequinoctialis L. are the most frequently recorded procellariiform species in the bycatch of Southern Hemisphere longline fisheries. Our study investigated the year-round movements of ten adult white-chinned petrels (seven breeders, three non-breeders/suspected pre-breeders) from Marion Island tracked with global location sensor (GLS) loggers for three years. Additionally, 20 global positioning system (GPS) tracks were obtained from breeding white-chinned petrels during incubation (n=9) and chick-rearing (n=11). All GLS-tagged birds remained, year-round, in the area between southern Africa and Antarctica, not making any major east/west movements. Three core areas (50% kernels) were utilized: around the Prince Edward Islands (PEI; incubation and early chick-rearing), c. 1000 km west of PEI (pre-breeding and early incubation) and around South Africa (non-breeding birds). The only area where 50% utilization kernels overlapped with intensive longline fishing effort was off the Agulhas Bank (non-breeding season). Our results confirm the lack of foraging overlap between the two subspecies; nominate birds (South Georgia/south-western Indian Ocean) utilize separate areas to P. a. steadi (New Zealand/sub-Antarctic islands), and thus should be treated as separate management units. Knowledge of the year-round movements of a vagile species, such as the white-chinned petrel, is important for its continued conservation.

A new xanthid crab, Tumidocarcinus foersteri n. sp. is described from the La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island, Antarctica. The fossils were obtained from the Allomember Submeseta of Late Eocene age. As other representatives of the genus Tumidocarcinus were only known from New Zealand and Australia, this finding provides new insights on the palaeobiogeography of high latitude faunas during the Early Tertiary.

Management of human impacts in the Antarctic requires an effective system of monitoring to provide information about the process being managed and the effectiveness of management actions. Human impacts arise as a result of processes that originate in the region (endogenous) and those that originate outside the region (exogenous). A number of monitoring programmes have been established in both terrestrial and marine systems to measure impacts that arise as a result of endogenous process such as fishing, tourism and research. However, most of this monitoring is surveillance monitoring, which is not linked to a specific management objective, and does not produce quantitative metrics that can be assessed and compared to agreed targets. However, defining such target levels for the Antarctic, where the aim is to minimise human impacts, is a complex process. Although potential analogues for target setting exist in other parts of the world these are generally insufficiently precautionary to be applied in the Antarctic. The challenge for scientists and policymakers working in the Antarctic is to provide quantitative measures, with agreed trigger levels, and to develop appropriate monitoring schemes to manage human impacts in the future.

Outside of hydrologically wetted active layer soils and humidity-sensitive soil brines, low soil moisture is a limiting factor controlling biogeochemical processes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. But anecdotal field observations suggest that episodic wetting and darkening of surface soils in the absence of snowmelt occurs during high humidity conditions. Here, I analyse long-term meteorological station data to determine whether soil-darkening episodes are present in the instrumental record and whether they are, in fact, correlated with relative humidity. A strong linear correlation is found between relative humidity and soil reflectance at the Lake Bonney long-term autonomous weather station. Soil reflectance is found to decrease annually by a median of 27.7% in response to high humidity conditions. This magnitude of darkening is consistent with soil moisture rising from typical background values of < 0.5 wt.% to 2–3 wt.%, suggesting that regional atmospheric processes may result in widespread soil moisture generation in otherwise dry surface soils. Temperature and relative humidity conditions under which darkening is observed occur for hundreds of hours per year, but are dominated by episodes occurring between midnight and 07h00 local time, suggesting that wetting events may be common, but are not widely observed during typical diel science operations.

The most recent reports about the family Ammotheidae of pycnogonids from Southern Ocean waters are those of Munilla (2000, 2001, Scotia Sea), Pushkin (1993, various zones), Bamber (1995, Falkland Islands and South Shetland Islands) and Child (1994, various zones) who also provide historical background. Some species from Livingston Island and surrounding waters (South Shetland Islands, Drake Passage, Bransfield Strait) have been documented previously, mainly by Gordon (1932), Fry & Hedgpeth (1969), Pushkin (1993) and the papers of Child and Bamber mentioned above. Keys to this genus are given in Clark (1977) and Child (1994).

Coastal polynyas, which form around the Antarctic coast due to persistent katabatic winds, play an important role in enhancing air-sea interaction. This paper discusses how thermal imagery from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) can be used to track the direction of katabatic winds, and hence facilitate research into air-sea interaction.

The harsh climatic conditions and low levels of human activity in Antarctica, relative to other regions, means few non-native species have established. However, the risk of introductions is becoming greater as human activity increases. Non-native microorganisms can be imported to Antarctica in association with fresh food, cargo and personal clothing, but the likelihood of their establishment is not well understood. In January 2015, a wooden packing crate, heavily contaminated with fungi, was imported by aircraft from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Rothera Research Station, Antarctica. Mucor racemosus Bull. and two strains of Trichoderma viridescens (A.S. Horne & H.S. Will.) Jaklitsch & Samuels were isolated from the wood. Measurements of hyphal extension rates indicated that all three strains were psychrotolerant and capable of growth at 4°C, with M. racemosus growing at 0°C. The imported fungi could grow at rates equivalent to, or faster than, species isolated from Antarctic soils, suggesting that low temperature may not be a limiting factor for establishment. It is recommended that wood heat-treatment standards, equivalent to those described in the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15, are employed by national operators importing cargo into Antarctica, and that treated wood is adequately stored to prevent fungal contamination prior to transportation.