New micro-technology with links to satellites has revolutionized the collection of information on the foraging movements of marine animals, but observations of actual foraging are still very rare. Here we describe foraging by killer whales (Orcinus orca (L.)), minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister), Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae (Hombron & Jacquinot)) and emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri Gray), in all cases we believe feeding on fish, in the south-western Ross Sea, Antarctica.

The effects of thermal stress on antioxidant defences in tissues of the Antarctic clam Laternula elliptica were evaluated and the activities of some antioxidant enzymes, and levels of total glutathione (GSH) and protein carbonyl (PC) in digestive gland and gill over 0–4 days under extreme thermal stress (10°C) were measured. Superoxide dismutase activity was slightly higher after one day of thermal stress, although catalase activity was not altered significantly in either digestive gland or gill tissues. Thermal stress was associated with a significant increase in the activity of GSH-related antioxidant enzymes. Glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities increased up to 1.8- and 2.0-fold, respectively, after two days of thermal stress. Glutathione S-transferase activity drastically increased, to over 3.4- and 4.2-fold in digestive gland and gill, respectively, and remained high on day four. GSH levels also increased in both tissues and remained high on day four. PC content, a marker of protein oxidation, increased after two days of thermal stress. There is evidence that GSH-related antioxidant defence plays a significant role in relation to potential toxicity from reactive oxygen species during thermal stress.

Subglacial Antarctic aquatic environments are important targets for scientific exploration due to the unique ecosystems they support and their sediments containing palaeoenvironmental records. Directly accessing these environments while preventing forward contamination and demonstrating that it has not been introduced is logistically challenging. The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project designed, tested and implemented a microbiologically and chemically clean method of hot-water drilling that was subsequently used to access subglacial aquatic environments. We report microbiological and biogeochemical data collected from the drilling system and underlying water columns during sub-ice explorations beneath the McMurdo and Ross ice shelves and Whillans Ice Stream. Our method reduced microbial concentrations in the drill water to values three orders of magnitude lower than those observed in Whillans Subglacial Lake. Furthermore, the water chemistry and composition of microorganisms in the drill water were distinct from those in the subglacial water cavities. The submicron filtration and ultraviolet irradiation of the water provided drilling conditions that satisfied environmental recommendations made for such activities by national and international committees. Our approach to minimizing forward chemical and microbiological contamination serves as a prototype for future efforts to access subglacial aquatic environments beneath glaciers and ice sheets.

Rapid climate warming has been observed in the region of the Antarctic Peninsula since the middle of the last century with the largest warming rate in the winter. Decadal variability of winter temperature on the regional scale was analysed using eight station datasets of the Antarctic Peninsula region. The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research Reference Antarctic Data for Environmental Research from the period 1950–2009 were used. Fourier and wavelet transforms of the averaged temperature anomaly time series reveal a clear separation between the oscillations with three to eight year periods and a decadal oscillation with a period of around 16 years. On the Antarctic Peninsula region scale, 16 year periodicity in the winter temperature variability has not been described before. Both spectral components show similar spectral power and statistical significance (5–10%). This is evidence of their comparable importance for winter temperature changes in the Antarctic Peninsula region. The three to eight year periods are most probably related to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Antarctic Circumpolar Wave signals, but the 16 year oscillation has not been identified within the scope of this analysis. The possible effect of the decadal oscillation in the winter temperature trend estimate is discussed.

Human contamination of Antarctic environments is a sensitive issue and has been the focus of many research articles over the past 35 years. The majority of these studies have targeted waste materials and various hydrocarbons, with assessment of microbial contaminants being largely restricted to sewage outfalls. The present study aimed to detect bacteria of human origin in the area surrounding Halley research station. It was apparent from both molecular and culture methods that bacteria of human origin are extremely difficult to detect outside the immediate surrounding of the buildings, though recommendations are made for increasing the probability of determining the presence of organisms in the environment. The results also indicate that molecular methods are more sensitive than cultural techniques, in that the only evidence for organisms in the environment surrounding the buildings came from positive PCR reactions. PCR would appear to be a useful method for studying the microbial ecology of Antarctic environments.

The Ross Sea is bordered by the Late Precambrian–Cambrian Ross–Delamerian Orogen of East Antarctica and the more Pacific-ward Ordovician–Silurian Lachlan–Tuhua–Robertson Bay–Swanson Orogen. A calcsilicate gneiss from Deep Sea Drilling Project 270 drill hole in the central Ross Sea, Antarctica, gives a U-Pb titanite age of 437 ± 6 Ma (2σ). This age of high-grade metamorphism is too young for typical Ross Orogen. Based on this age, and on lithology, we propose a provisional correlation with the Early Palaeozoic Lachlan–Tuhua–Robertson Bay–Swanson Orogen, and possibly the Bowers Terrane of northern Victoria Land. A metamorphosed porphyritic rhyolite dredged from the Iselin Bank, northern Ross Sea, gives a U-Pb zircon age of 545 ± 32 Ma (2σ). The U-Pb age, petrochemistry, Ar-Ar K-feldspar dating, and Sr and Nd isotopic ratios indicate a correlation with Late Proterozoic–Cambrian igneous protoliths of the Ross Orogen. If the Iselin Bank rhyolite is not ice-rafted debris, then it represents a further intriguing occurrence of Ross basement found outside the main Ross–Delamerian Orogen.

The Cretaceous period is often regarded as one of "greenhouse" warmth, with perhaps its acme occurring in the late Albian stage (100 Ma ago). However, it is now apparent that, even at this time, there were significant meridional temperature gradients and distinct temperate biotas in the highest latitude regions. This is particularly so in the Southern Hemisphere, where an extensive Albian fossil record from Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand has revealed the presence of austral floras and faunas. With the recent improvements in stratigraphical correlations, it has become possible to trace the later Cretaceous palaeoenvironmental record in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Unfortunately, resolution of the early Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Coniacian stages) is still imprecise; there are some indications of strongly differentiated palynological assemblages, but studies of both macrofaunas and palaeotemperature estimates are incomplete. By the Santonian–Campanian, high-latitude biotas are well developed in the James Ross Island region and their enhancement through the final stages of the Cretaceous can be linked to a phase of global cooling. The persistence of low diversity temperate communities in high latitude regions may be of considerable ecological and evolutionary significance. For example, there is evidence to suggest that these communities may have been more resistant to mass extinction events; they may also have been important source regions for replacement taxa that arose after such events.

Fortyfour octopods from bottom trawls off Palmer Archipelago, south-eastern Argentina, south-eastern New Zealand, Crozet Islands and Showa Station were examined. Three species of Pareledone, three species of Graneledone and one species of Megaleledone were identified. All were characterized by having a single row of arm suckers. Mature males of P. harrissoni, P. adelieana and G. macrotyla were recorded for the first time. Hectocotylus and male reproductive organs of these species are described. On the basis of previously reported distributions and the present localities, P. charcoti, P. harrissoni and P. adelieana appear to have circumantarctic distributions. G. macrotyla was identified but the other two species of Graneledone could not be identified to species level because of the poor systematic state of this genus.

Species inventories are essential to the implementation of conservation policies to mitigate biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem services and their value to the society. This is particularly topical with respect to climate change and direct anthropogenic effects on Antarctic biodiversity, with the identification of the most at-risk taxa and geographical areas becoming a priority. Identification tools are often neglected and considered helpful only for taxonomists. However, the development of new online information technologies and computer-aided identification tools provides an opportunity to promote them to a wider audience, especially considering the emerging generation of scientists who apply an integrative approach to taxonomy. This paper aims to clarify essential concepts and provide convenient and accessible tools, tips and suggested systems to use and develop knowledge bases (KBs). The software Xper3 was selected as an example of a user-friendly KB management system to give a general overview of existing tools and functionalities through two applications: the ‘Antarctic Echinoids’ and ‘Odontasteridae Southern Ocean (Asteroids)’ KBs. We highlight the advantages provided by KBs over more classical tools, and future potential uses are highlighted, including the production of field guides to aid in the compilation of species inventories for biodiversity conservation purposes.

In the Bunger Hills, mapping of glacial drift sheets and examination of striae patterns and other palaeo-ice flow direction indicators show that the largely ice-free region records the imprint of ice sheet expansion(s) during the late Cenozoic. In particular, ice moulded features and striae in southern Bunger Hills suggest formation during at least two episodes of ice sheet expansion, although whether they were formed during separate events or merely different phases of the same expansion of the ice sheet is not able to be discerned at present. The older event relates to thin ice with flow constrained by the topography, whilst the younger event relates to regional expansion of thick ice across the area. Discrimination of the order of emplacement of the cross-cutting striae patterns is possible at a number of sites. Palaeo-ice flow indicators confirm that ice sheet expansion over southern Bunger Hills was purely from the southern and eastern margins, although minor advances of the north-east flowing Edisto Glacier onto coastal areas occurred following retreat of the last extensive ice sheet phase.

Deschampsia antarctica Desv. (Poaceae) is the only native Gramineae found in the Antarctic, where it is restricted to the Antarctic Peninsula and its offshore islands. Its ability to survive the harsh climate has attracted the interest of scientists searching for genes associated with freezing tolerance (Alberdi et al. 2002). For continuing research purposes it would be better if plants did not have to be collected from the field, but could be propagated effectively to provide the necessary experimental material D. antarctica normally reproduces both by seed produced by self-fertilization and also vegetatively from tillers (Holderegger et al. 2003). Vegetative propagation is slow and unable to generate enough plant material for laboratory requirements. This difficulty prompted us to develop a rapid micro-propagation method using tissue-culture methods for the production of large numbers of plants in relatively short periods.

McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, is home to a unique marine biota with an ecology that has evolved in this frigid environment over millions of years. The region is one of the least disturbed, and possibly the last pristine, marine ecosystem on Earth. Here, the results of three seasons of fishing in the shallow nearshore waters of McMurdo Sound are reported. A shift in the composition of small fish species at one site, Inaccessible Island, has been observed in just five years. The shift in shallow water species composition occurred during a period that followed the maturation of a commercial fishery for the Antarctic toothfish, Dissostichus mawsoni Norman, a predator of smaller fish, and the presence of a large iceberg, termed B-15, at the mouth of McMurdo Sound during the early 2000s that trapped the annual sea ice in the area leading to the unusual accrual of multi-year sea ice. The data presented here provide a current record of species composition and physiological condition of small, shallow water fishes at three sites in McMurdo Sound, providing a current baseline for the assessment of future changes wrought by environmental changes and unprecedented fishery pressures in the Ross Sea.

Zircon and apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronology was applied to the James Ross Basin sedimentary rocks from James Ross and Seymour islands. The probable sources of these sediments were generated in Carboniferous to Early Paleogene times (∼315 to 60 Ma). The total depths of individual James Ross Basin formations are discussed. The AFT data were modelled, and the thermal history model was reconstructed for samples from Seymour Island. The first stage after a period of total thermal annealing (when the samples were above 120°C) involved Late Triassic cooling (∼230 to 200 Ma) and is followed by a period of steady cooling through the whole apatite partial annealing zone (PAZ, 60–120°C) to minimum temperature in Paleocene/Early Eocene. The next stage was the maximum burial of sedimentary rocks in the Eocene (∼35 Ma, 1.1–1.8 km) and the final cooling and uplift of Seymour Island sedimentary rocks at ∼35 to 20 Ma.

Flux data from moored sediment trap experiments and mass accumulation rates in sediments were obtained for three sites in the Ross Sea which are currently studied for the formation and transit of High Salinity Shelf Water and Ice Shelf Water. These two data sets were compared to obtain inferences on the coupling between water column processes and sedimentary records. The depth distribution of physical features and concentrations of organic carbon and biogenic silica in box cores and gravity cores were studied. Mass accumulation rates, established on the basis of two conventional 14C dates for each core, range between 7.64 and 19.46 g m−2 yr−1. Although these are productive areas, downward fluxes measured by sediment traps are low: 7.5–25.6, 2.4–17.9 and 0.5–0.9 g m−2 yr−1 for particles, biogenic silica and organic carbon, respectively. The concentrations of biogenic components in surficial sediments are correspondingly low. Simple mass balances were calculated assuming the conservative behaviour of the lithic fraction of sinking materials and sediment. Lateral advection of suspended particles is needed to balance the fluxes at the three sites. Furthermore, the model suggests that the preservation of biogenic components is lower than at other sites of the Ross Sea, probably due to the low accumulation rates that imply a high residence time of biogenic materials at the sediment-water interface.

We utilized an automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) method as a more rapid alternative to classical morphological/nutritional identification and a less expensive alternative to sequencing for identification and grouping of isolates in culture-based fungal abundance studies. This method is well suited for the study of culturable Antarctic soil fungal communities where both abundance and diversity are relatively low. We optimized template concentration and verified the effect of primer selection from eight commonly used fungal polymerase chain reaction primers on ARISA chromatographs for 46 fungal species commonly isolated from south Victoria Land. A database of Antarctic fungal electropherograms was produced containing each of the species and was used as the first step in a tiered system for species identification. In addition, isolates containing more than one species were identified, allowing isolates not in the database to be sequenced for further analysis. This method unambiguously identified 78% of the fungal taxa in this study and we were able to rapidly determine which isolates should be subjected to further analysis by DNA sequencing. Using this approach, the cost of analysis for abundance studies can be greatly reduced compared to DNA sequencing of each isolate.

Late Cretaceous–early Tertiary subduction-related fore-arc volcanic rocks are exposed in a north–south linear belt along the length of Alexander Island. The age and tectonic setting of these rocks is well understood; they are not considered to represent “normal” arc magmas but were generated in the fore-arc as a result of ridge subduction. Due to their distinct composition and mode of formation, they are no longer considered to be genetically related to the Antarctic Peninsula magmatic arc. They are therefore removed from the Antarctic Peninsula Volcanic Group and placed in a newly defined Alexander Island Volcanic Group. The group is made up of the Monteverdi, Staccato, Walton, Colbert, Elgar and Finlandia formations, which vary widely in lithology, facies and age. The Colbert and Elgar formations are subdivided into nine and three members respectively. Type localities, representative lithologies and age of each of the formations are discussed. The Staccato and Colbert Magmatic complexes are defined to include volcanic and plutonic rocks that are considered to be coeval. The Rouen Intrusive complex combines the plutonic rocks from the Rouen Mountains and Rothschild Island on the basis of age and chemistry.

Within the Jones Mountains, which form part of the Thurston Island crustal block, up to 700 m of Miocene (c. 10 Ma) pillow basalt and palagonitized volcaniclastic rocks unconformably overlie Jurassic granitic basement and Cretaceous volcanic rocks and dykes. New geochemical analyses demonstrate the alkalic nature of the basalts, which range in composition from alkali basalt to basanite. Unradiogenic Sr-isotope ratios (0.7031–0.7034), coupled with low LILE/HFSE ratios (e.g. Th/Ta c. 1.4, Rb/Nb 0.3–0.9) indicate a predominantly asthenospheric source for the basalts. The Jones Mountains basalts are geochemically similar to the alkalic basalts of Marie Byrd Land, but have consistently lower K/Ba and higher Ba/Nb ratios than Late Cenozoic alkalic basalts along the Antarctic Peninsula. These regional variations in geochemical composition apparently reflect differences in tectonic setting and are not the result of lithospheric interaction or partial melting/crystallization effects. The generation of alkalic magmas along the Antarctic Peninsula was causally related to the formation of slab windows following ridge crest-trench collision and the cessation of subduction, whereas the Jones Mountains alkalic basalts may represent the expression of the northward propagation of the head of the Marie Byrd Land plume.

Chemically defended benthic macroalgae that dominate shallow, hard bottom communities along the western Antarctic Peninsula support very high densities of mesograzers, particularly amphipods but also small gastropods. Previous studies have demonstrated that the macroalgae and amphipods form a mutualistic relationship. The chemically defended macroalgae provide the amphipods with a refuge from predation while the macroalgae benefit from the amphipods greatly reducing surface fouling by smaller algae. One of the three most important macroalgae in terms of overstory cover, Himantothallus grandifolius, forms huge blades that can carpet the benthos. Field observations suggest that gastropods may be higher in relative abundance in proportion to amphipods on H. grandifolius than on other overstory macroalgae. The present study documents the finding that natural abundances of gastropods on H. grandifolius maintained in mesocosms reduce fouling by microscopic algae, primarily diatoms. However, amphipods are probably also important in keeping the macroalga clean of diatoms in nature. In a smaller scale experiment, three gastropod species were differentially effective at reducing diatom coverage on H. grandifolius. The hypothesis that gastropods benefit from associating with H. grandifolius in potentially gaining a refuge from sea-star predation was also tested but not supported by the experimental results.

On the basis of histological examination, we present the first description of oogenesis in H. spinosus. Eight stages of oocyte development were identified using morphological and histochemical criteria. The development of the oocytes is synchronous, and two clutches grow simultaneously in the ovary. Spawning takes place during the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. Absolute fecundity is low, ranging from 787 to 1504 oocytes. The low fecundity is probably related to parental behaviour. Our data indicate that the features of the reproductive biology of H. spinosus, in spite of its unusual environment, are similar to those observed in other teleost fish.

Snowpit samples collected at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide location in January 2013 were analysed to investigate the levels and variations of perchlorate concentrations in Antarctic snow. During 2008–12, the perchlorate concentration in WAIS Divide snow ranged between 6–180 ng l–1 and followed a seasonal cycle. The highest concentrations appeared in the autumn, and the lowest in winter and spring. No apparent correlation was observed between perchlorate and nitrate or chloride concentrations in snow. Since perchlorate is believed to form in the atmosphere when chlorine species are oxidized in reactions involving ozone, perchlorate concentrations were hypothesized to be high during the spring, based on the assumption that stratospheric ozone depletion enhances tropospheric perchlorate production. The data show that perchlorate concentrations in snow were sharply reduced during stratospheric ozone depletion events; the evidence, therefore, does not support the hypothesis. Instead, the results suggest a stratospheric origin of perchlorate in Antarctic snow.