WWF-UK: Antarctic programme
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Antarctic programme
Observations of climate change in Antarctica over the last ten years have shown a sudden and dramatic impact of global warming, especially on the ice shelves in the region of the Antarctic Peninsula.
The sudden collapse of Larsen B, a much larger part made the headlines all over the world. What has since become obvious is that glaciers from more central parts of the continent are disintegrating.
WWF works with renowned Antarctic explorer, Robert Swan. Mr Swan who has returned to Antarctica every year for almost 20 years, says that in recent times he has found grass in the Antarctic. There is no record of grass ever having grown there before.
The Larsen ice shelves have been under intense scrutiny, since the first – and smallest – collapsed in 1995. Ice shelves are ice packs on the sea close to the coast, often many kilometres wide, and on average 220 meters thick.
Glaciologist Dr David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said: "In 1998, BAS predicted the demise of more ice shelves around the Antarctic Peninsula. Since then warming on the peninsula has continued and we watched as piece-by-piece Larsen B has retreated. We knew what was left would collapse eventually, but the speed of it is staggering. Hard to believe that 500 billion tonnes of ice sheet has disintegrated in less than a month."
While even under a massive warming scenario it would take a very long time for ALL Antarctic ice to melt, even a small fraction impacts sea level rise significantly. Currently the British Antarctic Survey estimates that ice melt from Antarctica and Greenland together amounts to about one third of global average sea level rise (around 2mm per annum). More
WWF has developed a proposal for an initiative to secure major conservation outcomes in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean between 2005 and 2012. The goal is to protect, manage and restore the biodiversity in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean. The three Initiative themes are:
A number of our offices are actively participating in this Initiative. They include WWF-Australia, WWF-New Zealand, WWF-South Africa, Fundacion Vida Silvestre Association, TRAFFIC International and WWF International. More
The sudden collapse of Larsen B, a much larger part made the headlines all over the world. What has since become obvious is that glaciers from more central parts of the continent are disintegrating.
WWF works with renowned Antarctic explorer, Robert Swan. Mr Swan who has returned to Antarctica every year for almost 20 years, says that in recent times he has found grass in the Antarctic. There is no record of grass ever having grown there before.
The Larsen ice shelves have been under intense scrutiny, since the first – and smallest – collapsed in 1995. Ice shelves are ice packs on the sea close to the coast, often many kilometres wide, and on average 220 meters thick.
Glaciologist Dr David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said: "In 1998, BAS predicted the demise of more ice shelves around the Antarctic Peninsula. Since then warming on the peninsula has continued and we watched as piece-by-piece Larsen B has retreated. We knew what was left would collapse eventually, but the speed of it is staggering. Hard to believe that 500 billion tonnes of ice sheet has disintegrated in less than a month."
While even under a massive warming scenario it would take a very long time for ALL Antarctic ice to melt, even a small fraction impacts sea level rise significantly. Currently the British Antarctic Survey estimates that ice melt from Antarctica and Greenland together amounts to about one third of global average sea level rise (around 2mm per annum). More
WWF and the Antarctic and Southern Oceans Initiative
WWF has developed a proposal for an initiative to secure major conservation outcomes in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean between 2005 and 2012. The goal is to protect, manage and restore the biodiversity in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean. The three Initiative themes are:
- Protecting biodiversity assets in the region
- Managing human impacts from fishing and climate change, among other threats
- Restoring threatened species and ecosystems
A number of our offices are actively participating in this Initiative. They include WWF-Australia, WWF-New Zealand, WWF-South Africa, Fundacion Vida Silvestre Association, TRAFFIC International and WWF International. More
British Antarctic Survey
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is one of the world's leading environmental research centres and is responsible for the UK's national scientific activities in Antarctica.
Ice Station Antarctica
Visit the Natural History Museum's current exhibition – Ice Station Antarctica.