Latest news with #SouthernOcean
ABC News
a day ago
- Science
- ABC News
Antarctic marine life at anchorable depths. (Supplied: Matthew Mulrennan/Kolossal)
Skip to main content 1h ago 1 hours ago Mon 9 Jun 2025 at 4:01am Undisturbed life at anchorable depths showing Antarctic sun stars, giant Antarctic octopus, huge sea spiders, and unique Antarctic fish. Supplied: Matt Mulrennan/Kolossal
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Coral gardens and volcano vents: See what scientists found in the icy depths of the Southern Ocean
Scientists on board a deep-sea expedition to the South Sandwich Islands near Antarctica have returned with a treasure trove of photos of previously unseen marine life. They found coral gardens, hydrothermal vents and many suspected new species while exploring around the island chain, including in the deepest trench in the Southern Ocean. The same international team, aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor (too), made headlines last month with their world-first footage of a colossal squid. And in January, they were in the right place at the right time to explore the seafloor when a Chicago-sized iceberg broke away from an ice shelf in Antarctica. But there were many more 'magic moments' on the 35-day deep-sea expedition to this extremely biodiverse part of the ocean. 'The 35 days at sea were an exciting rollercoaster of scientific discovery; the implications of which will be felt for many years to come as discoveries filter into management action,' says Dr Michelle Taylor, head of science and expedition principal investigator at the Ocean Census - the world's largest initiative to accelerate the discovery of ocean life. These remarkable photos take us along for the ride. Related What are milky seas? 400 years of sailors' stories are shedding light on ocean bioluminescence Located in the South Atlantic, the South Sandwich Islands are part of a rich mosaic of geologic features. These include hadal zone trenches (the deepest region of the ocean), underwater volcanoes, and spreading centres - features created by tectonic forces that have supported the evolution of species found nowhere else on the planet. It took eight days for the research vessel to travel to the islands from the port of Punta Arenas, Chile. On board were Ocean Census scientists, who led efforts to discover new species, and researchers from GoSouth, a collaboration between the UK's University of Plymouth, the British Antarctic Survey and Germany's GEOMAR, tasked with investigating the effects of geohazards, including tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Related Rare snail that can 'slurp up earthworms like noodles' caught on camera laying an egg from its neck The GoSouth team, led by co-chief scientist Dr Jenny Gales, discovered two pockmarks in the mapping data of an underwater caldera - a bowl-shaped depression in the seafloor, left after a volcano erupts. Since pockmarks can indicate hydrothermal activity, the team deployed the vessel's remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian to map the pockmarks at a higher resolution. The robot confirmed the presence of hydrothermal vents - fissures from which geothermally heated water rises - finding three on the larger pockmark, and one on the smaller one. Located at a depth of 700 metres, they are some of the shallowest hydrothermal vents to have been discovered near the South Sandwich Islands. The tallest vent chimney was four metres - about as tall as a basketball hoop. 'Discovering these hydrothermal vents was a magical moment, as they have never been seen here before,' says Dr Gales, an associate professor in Ocean Exploration at the University of Plymouth. 'It's an incredible discovery that provides valuable insights into the area's tectonic activity. Making such a discovery is rare. It highlights the importance of ocean exploration and seafloor mapping.' Each vent was covered with an array of life dependent on chemosynthesis (producing food using inorganic substances without sunlight), including sea snails and barnacles. Thriving coral gardens and large sponges were also found in close proximity to the vents - an unusual observation, according to Dr Taylor. Related OceanXplorer: On board the billionaire's research vessel broadcasting from the deep sea Meanwhile, Ocean Census scientists uncovered a range of potentially new marine life - including corals, sponges, snails, sea urchins, sea stars and benthic (sea bottom) ctenophores, which have gelatinous bodies. A thriving coral garden located west of Saunders Island at a depth of 120 metres is pictured in one of the most breathtaking photos from the expedition. The exact number of new species will be announced later this year when experts have had time to formally assess and catalogue the findings. But they include a possible new sea cucumber species - marine invertebrates so-named for their soft cylindrical bodies. These creatures play a crucial role in benthic ecosystems by recycling nutrients, and are well-adapted to the cold Antarctic environment. During a dive in the South Sandwich Trench - one of the coldest and most isolated submarine trenches on the planet - the team also spotted snailfish eggs laid on a black coral, a previously unknown behaviour. They also captured the first footage of Akarotaxis aff. gouldae, a species of dragonfish that was discovered only two years ago. And found large pumice blocks, indicating that the South Sandwich Islands are capable of explosive volcanism. Mother Nature threw everything she had at the expedition, says Dr Taylor, including a subsea earthquake, tropical storm force winds with hurricane-level gusts, eight-metre waves, and icebergs to navigate. 'The challenging ocean and weather conditions and the isolated location of the South Sandwich Islands capture the imagination of the boldest explorers - often the closest humans to the vessel were on the International Space Station,' says Schmidt Ocean Institute's executive director, Dr Jyotika Virmani.
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
How Gary Barlow embodies everything I believe about wine
Last Friday night, I found myself sinking into the sofa after finally managing to settle my child who had been up and down more times than my sanity cares to remember. I was craving escape. I started wistfully daydreaming about a trip to Australia that I'd taken earlier in the year (it's a place I often think of when overwhelm strikes). I was recalling a perfect day on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria that started with an early morning clifftop walk, overlooking the Southern Ocean, walking on sandy paths lined with coastal tea trees and a dizzying array of heathland grasses. It ended with an afternoon tasting some truly outstanding wine in the company of some wonderful winemakers. Bliss. I soon drifted back to reality, and had a very pressing need to watch some light telly (don't tell me you don't sometimes crave exactly the same thing). And this is how I found myself watching Gary Barlow's Food and Wine Tour: Australia – what can I say? Call it market research for visioning my own wine TV show... It was episode two and Gary just so happened to be in the wonderful state of Victoria – and visiting the Mornington Peninsula (aka, my favourite of the state's 21 wine regions). The segment was actually charming – he and friend Dannii Minogue were tasting wine at the highly respected producer Ten Minutes by Tractor. They even rode on some very cute tractors. But it was the tasting that really drew me in. Here were two mates, enjoying wine tasting in the cellar door, chatting about soil types and the impact that this, along with topography, can have on the flavour in the same variety of wine. It was a pinot noir if you were wondering. And did I mention this was on ITV, prime time on a Friday? It seems like such an age since we've seen a programme dedicated to great food and wine – let's hope that they're back for good. Yes, it's a bit twee, but I love seeing wine being enjoyed as part of the great conviviality of life. What is better than wine being enjoyed alongside some outstanding food in a light-hearted and warming way? Gary, I toast you for sharing your passion for the good things in life – not only with your famous mates, but with a chunk of the population, too. You're definitely embracing the 'less but better' mantra. And how could he not love the Mornington Peninsula? It's a remarkable place, producing some of the best chardonnays and pinot noirs I've tasted. I'm not going to describe it as a 'hidden gem' – not least because it's a terrible phrase. But mostly because it's nowhere nearly hidden. In fact its headland sits at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, and therefore the entrance to Melbourne and is about an hour from the city. It's supremely accessible. In just a short drive you're greeted with a veritable paradise made up of great beaches, both wild and rugged and protected and serene, along with a proliferation of outstanding places to eat and drink. The charming landscape of forest and heathland is interspersed with beautiful vineyards, and their inviting cellar doors. Everything about this area is welcoming – not just the juice and produce, but the people too. And it's all in such an unassuming and humble way that transcends beautifully to the wines. No vineyard is ever more than 7km from the sea, so there is a cooling maritime influence which helps the wines to retain great acidity and freshness. And the producers on the peninsula really play to their strengths – concentrating on growing and making elegant chardonnay and pinot noir. But here's the rub. We don't see nearly enough of them as we should in the UK. The small scale production means that many producers don't export, but perhaps with the trade agreement between Australia and the UK that was ratified in 2023 we may see more? We can but hope, and in the meantime, I can wistfully dream. The wines I've picked this week might not be from high up where the stallion meets the sun, but they're definitely a little bit magic. Estate Chardonnay, Ten Minutes by Tractor, Mornington Peninsula, Australia, 2022 Available from Majestic, £49.00 per bottle, £42.00 (mix six), 12.5 per cent ABV What a wine! Made by a highly regarded estate, this embodies everything that makes me excited about this region – super lean, bright and energetic chardonnay that gives you so much. Yes, it's not cheap – but it is such a treat. You can expect a glass full of lemon-citrus cream, licks of spicy vanilla and slices of white peaches that have just a little 'bite' to them – it's concentrated and has a joyously persistent length. Quartier Pinot Noir, Port Phillip Estate, Mornington Peninsula, Australia, 2023 Available from Jeroboams, £22.95, 13 per cent ABV I wonder if pound for pound you could get a pinot noir of this quality from Burgundy? Probably not. Made by a notable producer out of grapes from high quality sites across the peninsula, this is supremely affable pinot noir. The upfront fruit attack of fresh blueberries, plump red cherries and punnets of raspberry is supported beautifully by a hint of savoury cinnamon and an earthy, fresh soil note. It's gloriously moreish, beautifully soft and has good structure. Campbells Rutherglen Muscat, Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia, NV Available from Waitrose, £14.75, 17.5 per cent ABV So this wine isn't from the Mornington Peninsula. Instead, we're in the northeast of Victoria. But I was so inspired by Gary Barlow drinking this with a giant slab of tiramisu, I just had to include it. There is nothing quite like Rutherglen Muscat. Its history dates back over 150 years, so banish any ideas that Australia making wine was a relatively recent thing. It's a wine that can age exquisitely and has different expressions, according to producer and desired style. But it's universally linked by a glorious combination of decadent sweetness and concentrated flavours. This five-year-old expression oozes freshly made marmalade, confected dried apricots, a hint of milk chocolate and salted caramel. Serve chilled over ice and bowlful of tiramisu the size of your head.
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- RNZ News
Tourists called on to help count Kaikōura's whales
A whale off the Kaikōura coast. Photo: 123RF Tourists are being encouraged to help with counting whales during their stay in Kaikōura next month. The Great Kaikōura Whale Count will be held throughout the month of June, with volunteers needed to help spot whales as they swim past the Kaikōura coastline. The Kaikōura Ocean Research Institute Inc (KORI) began the initiative in 2020, when tourism companies were not operating due to Covid restrictions. KORI director Dr Jody Weir said June is the busiest time of year for humpback whales passing through and numbers appeared to be growing. The project aims to get an idea of the number of whales migrating between feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica and breeding grounds in a more tropical climate. "It is a quiet time for tourism, but it is the best time to see the whales," she said. "The main goal is to connect the community around the whales in Kaikōura." KORI will be looking out for other species, amid concerns that sperm whale numbers are declining, Weir said. The whale count was held for three years before taking a year off in 2023 due to a lack of funds. The Kaikōura District Council came to the rescue with funding to pay for interns to allow KORI to run several community projects, including last year's whale count. This year South Pacific Helicopters and MainPower, North Canterbury's electricity network, have come board to help cover the costs. Last year the whale count brought together 156 volunteers from 15 countries, including visitors from South and North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and around New Zealand at an otherwise quiet time of the year. [How to help] Weir said there are a number of ways volunteers can help out. Each day during June, volunteers will be needed at the monitoring station on the Kaikōura Peninsula to fill two hour shifts between 10am and 4pm, with training is provided. "Ideally we will have at least two volunteers in addition to our lead spotters day, but there is no limit because more more eyes are better for spotting." Volunteers will also be needed to help with events during June and Dr Weir is planning to engage with local schools. Funding left over from Sea Week will help fund an event for World Oceans Day on Sunday, 8 June. Ongoing support from the Kaikōura District Council has contributed to the whale count's success, Weir said. In 2020, KORI received funding from the council and was able to combine the count with research it was doing for the Department of Conservation. A grant from the council's discretionary fund in 2022 allowed KORI to complete a feasibility study to develop a case for marine education. Funding the council's Creative Communities fund has allowed KORI to employ interns. Contact kaikourakori@ for more information. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Sea pigs, icefish and trilobites: Antarctica's mysterious marine life
Southern fulmars flock around a swell of pancake ice off the coast of the Denman Glacier in East Antarctica. True trilobites went extinct more than 250m years ago, but the Southern Ocean is home to a living lookalike: Ceratoserolis trilobitoides . They have a segmented, armoured exoskeleton, which helps protect them from predators. The Victoria brittle star has five slender arms that can span up to 10cm. It is both a predator and a scavenger, feeding on an array of invertebrates (including krill), organic detritus and even juvenile brittle stars. This species can regenerate lost limbs much faster than other echinoderms. These amphipods are small shrimp-like crustaceans found on Antarctica's seafloor. They are carnivores, feeding on polychaetes, amphipods, small crustaceans and other organic detritus. This scale worm has been photographed from the underside. It is one of the more bizarre-looking creatures living on the ocean floor, known for its flat body covered in ornamented scales called elytra. This particular large Antarctic scale worm is adorned in an iridescent gold 'coat', making it one of the more glamorous creatures on the seafloor. Less glamorous are its eating habits: carnivorous, its retractable proboscis projects itself during feeding, making the worm look like it has massive jaws with fangs. The Sea pig gets its name from its pink-hued body and love of the muddy sea floor, but it's actually a type of sea cucumber. It uses its tube-like feet to move across the sea floor, scavenging for bits of nutrient rich organic food – nature's vacuum cleaner! The ship is now sailing home from its first scientific voyage. It spent about two months off the coast of the Denman Glacier, one of the fastest retreating glaciers in East Antarctica. This isopod is a slow-maturing species that breeds only once in its lifetime. Females brood eggs in a marsupium, or pouch, where young develop for nearly two years before emerging as juveniles. Jonah's icefish is notable for its adaptation to the extreme cold. Unlike most vertebrates, it lacks haemoglobin, resulting in nearly transparent blood. It relies on dissolved oxygen in its plasma to transport oxygen through its body, which allows it to thrive in the cold, oxygen-rich waters of the Southern Ocean. A team from Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, led by James Cook University's Prof Jan Strugnell, is trying to answer two questions: what is the diversity, distribution and connectivity of marine invertebrates in East Antarctica? And what is the history of the ice in the region? The spikes on this scale worm stick out from bristle-bearing appendages that it 'walks' on. The spikes are modified hard bristles called chaetae. Pareledone is a genus of octopus found only in Antarctic waters. These seafloor dwellers live in shallow water and as deep as 4,000 metres. One Pareledone, the Turquet's octopus, helped scientists understand a mystery that had long puzzled them. Genetic analysis found that distinct populations from the Weddell, Amundsen and Ross seas interbred 125,000 years ago, showing that the West Antarctic ice sheet melted during the last interglacial, a time with climate conditions much like today. With more than 500 described species, Nereidid worms are one of the most widespread polychaete families. They have been found living in a wide range of marine habitats. This Nereidid worm beautifully displays the characteristic chaetae-bearing lateral body segments called chaetigers. Antarctic sea spiders can grow to unusually large sizes — a phenomenon called polar gigantism. Despite its name and appearance, it is not related to terrestrial spiders, with the fossil record suggesting that its evolution pre-dates land spiders by millions of years. The sea spider absorbs oxygen through its exoskeleton, essentially using its legs to breath! This one is about 20cm in diameter. The team from Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future on the back deck of the RSV Nuyina.
