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Matt King

@deformedearth.bsky.social
2.5K followers 875 following 4.8K posts

Solid-earth deformation, geodesy, ice sheets, and sea level. Professor and ARC Laureate Fellow at @utas.bsky.social ❄️⚒️🌊🧪. Flawed follower of Jesus.

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Reposted by Matt King
Rob Larter @polarrobs.bsky.social · 12h
ALERT! Antarctic sea ice extent today tied with that in 2023 for the record low for the date, and on the present trajectory it is about to set new records. Graphic by @zacklabe.com zacklabe.com/antarctic-se...
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Dr Hannah M. Rowland @hannahmrowland.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Hope your day was better than Darwin’s, on this day 165 years ago
I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody &everything.

Charles Darwin
Letter to Charles Lyell
1st October 1861
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
❄️ Watch ACEAS Chief Investigator Prof Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social and Prof Andrew Mackintosh @andrewmackintosh.bsky.social from @arcsaef.bsky.social talk about the need for a global research campaign to study the #WilkesSubglacialBasin in East #Antarctica. Via SBS World News Australia ⬇️
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
ACEAS en français! 🇫🇷 Our latest article in The Conversation, by ACEAS Chief Investigator Prof Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social and Prof Nancy Bertler is now available in French, helping Antarctic research reach an even wider global audience 🙏 Read it here ▶️ theconversation.com/il-y-a-urgen...
theconversation.com
Il y a urgence à surveiller le glacier Wilkes, ce mastodonte de l’Antarctique qui risque de fondre
Si toute la glace du bassin de Wilkes fondait, le niveau de la mer sur Terre monterait de 3 à 4 mètres. C’est déjà arrivé par le passé, à des températures que nous risquons d’atteindre.
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Read about this in French theconversation.com/il-y-a-urgen...
theconversation.com
Il y a urgence à surveiller le glacier Wilkes, ce mastodonte de l’Antarctique qui risque de fondre
Si toute la glace du bassin de Wilkes fondait, le niveau de la mer sur Terre monterait de 3 à 4 mètres. C’est déjà arrivé par le passé, à des températures que nous risquons d’atteindre.
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Reposted by Matt King
Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
📺 TV ALERT: Tune into SBS News tonight from 6:30pm (AEST) to hear ACEAS Chief Investigator @deformedearth.bsky.social and @andrewmackintosh.bsky.social from @arcsaef.bsky.social talk about the need to study the #WilkesSubglacialBasin in East #Antarctica. Why? ▶️ antarctic.org.au/internationa...
antarctic.org.au
International scientists call for urgent research into Antarctica's last great unknown - ACEAS
A region of Antarctica with one of the greatest potential contributions to reshape the natural world and human society is also the least scientifically understood and explored. A major new global revi...
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Reposted by Matt King
Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Or, read our web news story featuring quotes from Prof Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social, Prof Nancy Bertler, Dr Chen Zhao @czhao-ice.bsky.social and Prof Andrew Mackintosh @andrewmackintosh.bsky.social ⬇️
antarctic.org.au
International scientists call for urgent research into Antarctica's last great unknown - ACEAS
A region of Antarctica with one of the greatest potential contributions to reshape the natural world and human society is also the least scientifically understood and explored. A major new global revi...
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Great summary of the importance of this region and why international cooperation and action is building - but more is needed - take a read
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The part of the Antarctic Ice Sheet within a region known as Wilkes Subglacial Basin is vulnerable to change. It holds enough ice to - on its own - raise sea levels by 3-4m. And yet it is hard to find a living scientist who has ever been there. Our new review paper talks about:
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Reposted by Matt King
Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
While all the talk has been about 2027 being odds on to be the globes hottest year on record (as post-El Nino years see a global boost in warmth), 2026 has quietly slipped into a "more likely than not (ie >50%)" chance of becoming the globes hottest year. dashboard.theclimatebrink.com#global
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Hobart to Hobart return circumnavigation of Antarctica!
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Vital new data - on carbon dioxide in the Southern Ocean and its atmosphere - enabled by the latest in remotely controlled robotic vehicles www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘Robust little’ vessel begins treacherous 22,000km journey around Antarctica in the name of climate science
Powered by sun and wind, the uncrewed vehicle will collect data to help Australian scientists better understand how oceans absorb emissions
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Vanity is real. Perhaps more so in academia than most professions
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Senator David Shoebridge @davidshoebridge.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is an extraordinary act of direct foreign interference by the US embassy in domestic Australian politics. The Australian government should publicly respond by rejecting efforts by the US embassy to dictate how Australia legislates for a digital duty of care.
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Bill Bovingdon @williambovingdon.substack.com · 21/09/2026
There’s a growing consensus that local climate models miss the impact of global climate disruption, with damage to potential GDP many times worse
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Ruth Mottram @ruthmottram.eurosky.social · 17/09/2026
New piece on the blog on the new #IMBIE paper. How healthy are the ice sheets? What is driving their mass change and what do we know now after a half a century of observations by satellites? #iceSheets #SeaLevelRise #ClimateChange #ClimateImpacts #EO #SatelliteData
sternaparadisaea.net
Half a century of ice loss: the new IMBIE dataset
A big new community paper has just landed: the IMBIE paper is a big effort to assess the long term health of the ice sheets. What did we find and what does it mean?
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Kees van der Leun @sustainable2050.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Glaciologist @matthias-huss.bsky.social shows that the centre of the Great Aletsch glacier in Switzerland (the biggest in the Alps) lost 6 meters(!) of thickness just this summer. "No words...", he adds on LinkedIn.
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
For those interested in the Wilkes Subglacial Basin or Antarctic Ice Sheet comms in general, I made some visualisations that may be useful. All are from code and traceable to the data. First, an overview of the system. Full video and metadata: youtu.be/kzpCeVsNNwU
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
No, we have not theconversation.com/its-been-one...
theconversation.com
It’s been one year since Australia assessed its national climate risk. But have we listened?
Over the past 12 months, the federal government has approved multiple fossil fuel projects and cut climate science funding.
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Reposted by Matt King
Alex Robel @iceclimate.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Excited that our new paper is out @pnas.org! We show that the observed increase in variability of yearly Greenland ice melt over recent decades is not evidence of ice sheet destabilization. Story in 🧵 www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Great study from my @utas.edu.au @imas-utas.bsky.social colleagues led by student Kaihong Jiao First comprehensive mapping of all grounded Antarctic icebergs, even the tiny ones (still bigger than a house!) that may prove crucial. Story phys.org/news/2026-09... Paper dx.doi.org/10.5194/essd...
phys.org
First Antarctic-wide map of grounded icebergs reveals 'picket fence effect' holding sea ice in place
For the first time, important features of the Antarctic coastal zone have been mapped at high resolution around the continent by training an artificial intelligence tool to accurately recognize ground...
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Nice story that goes to the heart of one of the key #geodetic measurements systems. Without it we can't do satellite positioning spacedaily.com/t-lageos1-40...
spacedaily.com
LAGEOS-1, launched in 1976, has no power supply, communications equipment or moving parts: it is a 407-kilogram metal sphere covered with 426 reflectors that return laser pulses to Earth. Expected to ...
LAGEOS-1 measures Earth without power or radio, while two Sagan-designed plaques inside use continental drift as a clock for a finder millions of years from now.
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Excited to share PhD student Jenan Rajavarathan's first PhD now published in @egu.eu #TheCryosphere Jenan developed a new way to evaluate models of Antarctic surface mass balance (SMB) *variability* with Chris Watson and @nicolajhansen.bsky.social tc.copernicus.org/articles/20/... 1/3
Scatterplot comparing GPS-measured vertical bedrock displacement with modelled displacement variability across seven surface mass balance (SMB) models. Most points lie above the zero line, indicating positive agreement between observations and models. Blue symbols represent reductions in GPS variance (improved agreement), while red symbols indicate increased variance (worse agreement). Across all models, the majority of GPS sites show variance reductions, often between 20% and 80%, with only a minority showing degradation. Point size represents the interquartile range of SMB variability at each GPS site. Overall, the figure suggests SMB-driven loading explains a substantial fraction of observed bedrock motion at many Antarctic GPS stations.
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Outstanding news for the ACEAS community! Six ACEAS researchers have been awarded prestigious ARC Future Fellowships. 👏 Congratulations: 🔹 A/Prof @jaxhalpin.bsky.social 🔹 Dr @adele-morrison.bsky.social 🔹 Dr Amelie Meyer 🔹 Dr @dkhutch.bsky.social 🔹 Prof Jeffrey McGee 🔹 Dr Mark Hoggard
antarctic.org.au
Six ACEAS researchers secure prestigious ARC Future Fellowships - ACEAS
Six researchers from the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) have been awarded prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowships, securing funding to advance n...
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William Colgan @glacierbytes.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Our @firnmelt.bsky.social team is looking for a PhD Student to use airborne radar to assess changes in the near-surface firn of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The position is based in Copenhagen, at GEUS (@anja-ruti.bsky.social) and affiliated with DTU (@louisesandbergs.bsky.social).
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Melaine Le Roy @subfossilguy.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The Alps are no longer white 🏔️🧊 And it's entirely our fault! 🏭🔥 Spectacular retreat of the Corvatsch Glacier on Piz Murtel (3,433 m asl, Engadin, CH) over the last 57 years compiled by @landervt.bsky.social !
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
🌏 JUST OUT: a major international review paper, involving 80 scientists from 16 countries, has outlined a bold plan to address some of the biggest uncertainties in #Antarctic driven #sea-level rise. Read the paper ▶️ agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
Review of Geophysics

Toward an Improved Understanding of the Antarctic Coastal Zone and Its Contribution to Future Global Sea Level.

Kenichi Matsuoka, Geir Moholdt, Jennifer F. Arthur, Julien A. Bodart, Xiangbin Cui, Fausto Ferraccioli, René Forsberg, Vikram Goel, Tom A. Jordan, Felicity S. McCormack, Ruth Mottram, Hamish D. Pritchard, Calvin Shackleton, Kirsty J. Tinto, Fredrik Boberg, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Reinhard Drews, Pierre Dutrieux, Jörg Ebbing, Olaf Eisen, Hannes Eisermann, Alex S. Gardner, Chad A. Greene, Nicholas Holschuh, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Byeong-Hoon Kim, Naomi Krauzig, Bernd Kulessa, Carlton Leuschen, Jilu Li, Lu Li, Jonas Liebsch, Joseph A. MacGregor, Emma MacKie, Anirudha Mahagaonkar, Joséphine Maton, Mathieu Morlighem, Francisco Navarro, Peter D. Neff, Inès N. Otosaka, Frank Pattyn, Antonia Ruppel, Rebecca J. Sanderson, Hélène Seroussi, Andrew Shepherd, Matthew R. Siegfried, Thomas Slater, Arjen P. Stroeven, Michael Studinger, Thomas Teisberg, Ryan A. Venturelli, Jeremy P. Winberry, Chen Zhao, Lu An, Jonathan L. Bamber, Robin E. Bell, Robert G. Bingham, Johanna Brehmer-Moltmann, Graeme Eagles, Jamin Greenbaum, Jorn Gronset, Won Sang Lee, Emmanuel Le Meur, Lenneke M. Jong, Katrin Lindbäck, Sven Lidström, Mareen Lösing, Masahiro Minowa, Mayuri Pandey, Yogesh Ray, Mirko Scheinert, Dustin M. Schroeder, Thorsten Seehaus, Kaian Shahateet, Daniel Steinhage, Xueyuan Tang, Drew Taylor, Hannah Verboncoeur, Junjun Yang, Duncan A. Young.

Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.1029/2022RG000803
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
❄️ Antarctic sea-ice loss linked to declining Southern Ocean productivity New ACEAS research found years with less sea ice are often followed by years with lower levels of phytoplankton, the microscopic plants that support marine food webs and help absorb CO₂. ▶️ antarctic.org.au/antarctic-se...
antarctic.org.au
Antarctic sea-ice loss linked to declining productivity in the Southern Ocean - ACEAS
New research by two scientists from the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) suggests that recent Antarctic sea-ice losses may be responsible for lower phytoplankton biomass i...
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
🧊🇦🇺 How does the melting of #Antarctica affect the #Australian climate? Our new science explainer explores how Antarctic meltwater could influence future temperature and rainfall projections, providing crucial insights for Australia's climate future. Dive in ▶️ antarctic.org.au/wp-content/u...
Cover image for the new science explainer by the Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) titled 'How does the melting of Antarctica affect the Australian climate?'
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
There are some striking results in this briefing about importance of Antarctica to Australia. Antarctic change is not just about sea level change around Australia. 1/2
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
🔍🧊 What lies beneath one of Antarctica's most important glaciers? A significant new study, led by ACEAS researcher Dr Maria Manassero from @utas.edu.au, suggests parts of Denman Glacier's hidden trough may be ~1km shallower than estimated, improving our understanding of the glacier's dynamics.
antarctic.org.au
First Denman Glacier campaign findings challenge assumptions about glacier's hidden depths - ACEAS
A team of Australian and global researchers have published the first peer-reviewed research paper from the landmark Denman Terrestrial Campaign, offering an unprecedented glimpse beneath one of Antarctica's most important and least understood glaciers.
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Martin Jucker @drjucker.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Some serious warm air being pushed onto Antarctica at the moment. viz from martinjucker.com, data from GFS. #weather #antarctica #sciviz
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Integrated Marine Observing System @imos-aus.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
For more than 25 years, Argo floats have been transforming how we observe the ocean. Through IMOS, Australia manages around 7.5% of the global Argo array, with 1,230 floats deployed to date and more than 285,000 ocean profiles collected. 🔗 bit.ly/4xrkohc
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Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Very dangerous famine emerging in Papua as El Niño related drought and frost has killed subsistence crops. This is where El Niño can get deadly. Article: www.detikpapua.com/daerah-kuyaw... Translated: share.google/aimode/c1j3P...
detikpapua.com
Daerah Kuyawage Dihantam Kekeringan dan Hujan Es, Tokoh Masyarakat Minta Bantuan Hingga 2027 - DETIK PAPUA
DETIKPAPUA.COM : TIOM — Bencana alam akibat cuaca ekstrem dan hujan es kembali melanda Daerah...
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Jonathan Wille @jonathanwille.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
1/ In support of a recently published article in @nature.com on extreme weather in East Antarctica, I wrote a News and Views article summarizing how a recent pause in Antarctic mass loss was being driven by a temporary increase in sea surface temperatures in one region of the tropics. rdcu.be/fAQ8t
rdcu.be
The Antarctic ice sheet has gained mass — but probably not for long | Nature
Since 2020, snowfall has largely counterbalanced the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet. The atmospheric effect that causes this has been identified — and it’s temporary.
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Interesting work out today in @nature.com on the origins of recent increased snowfall in Antarctica, tracing it to the tropical warm pool. It's amazing how connected our earth system is. 1/2 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
The Antarctic ice sheet has gained mass — but probably not for long
Since 2020, snowfall has largely counterbalanced the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet. The atmospheric effect that causes this has been identified — and it’s temporary.
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
New out from Md Rony Golder @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social Antarctic Sea-Ice Extent Anomalies Impact Interannual Variability of Phytoplankton Chlorophyll-a in Southern Ocean Frontal Zones agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Integrated Marine Observing System @imos-aus.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
For 20 years, seals have been helping us observe the ocean. Safely fitted with miniaturised loggers, these remarkable deep-divers collect temperature, salinity and depth data from some of the most remote and under-sampled parts of the Southern Ocean 🔗 bit.ly/3U0lrFW #NCRISImpact
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
❄️ A wonderful show of ACEAS researchers at the 12th @scar-antarctic.bsky.social Open Science Conference held in Norway this week. It's where the Antarctic research community comes together every two years to share knowledge and tackle the big challenges and scientific questions facing Antarctica.
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billkittle.bsky.social @billkittle.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
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Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) @soosocean.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
🌊 ECR opportunity! APECS & SOOS are seeking an ECR to join the Observing System Design Capability Working Group. Help shape Southern Ocean observing, build your international network & gain experience in a global scientific working group. 🗓️ Apply by 31 Aug 👉 www.apecs.is/news/apecs-n...
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
There should be an international standard for conference name badges. A lot are good some are terrible but few are great for the purpose
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Exciting new role for me.
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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 20/07/2026
As of July 19th update, the Nino 3.4 sea-surface temperature is now more than 3.7 standard deviations above the 1991-2020 mean. With the warming just getting started, this El Nino is still in charted territory, but just barely.
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
🔔 ALARM BELLS FROM THE SOUTH: a new science explainer unpacking recent Antarctic extremes, from record-low sea ice, to unprecedented heatwaves, emperor penguin breeding failures and the spread of H5N1 through parts of the Antarctic region. Please read and share ▶️ antarctic.org.au/explainers/
Our new ACEAS explainer, 'Alarm bells from the south: an overview of recent Antarctic extremes', brings together the latest science on some of the most significant changes now occurring across the Antarctic region.
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Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science (ACEAS) @antarcticsciaus.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
"Many of these changes were once considered unlikely to happen this quickly. Antarctica is sending us clear warning signs." – ACEAS outgoing Director, Professor Matt King (@utas.edu.au) Read the news story ▶️ antarctic.org.au/warning-sign... 👏 @deformedearth.bsky.social | Laure Poncet
A figure presenting an overview of recent Antarctic extremes, including record-low sea ice, major heatwaves, ice shelf collapse, emperor penguin breeding failures, and the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), amongst others. Credit: Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science.
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King Algamemnon @adamrothman.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
I'm not posting Odyssey memes because one must be wary of GIFs bearing Greeks.
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The Onion @theonion.com · 10/07/2026
Neil The Seal Killed In Shootout With Authorities theonion.com/neil-the-seal-killed-i…
Neil The Seal Killed In Shootout With Authorities
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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 28/06/2026
On average, global ocean temperatures right now are the hottest in our historical records for this time of year! Follow along at zacklabe.com/climate-chan... 🌊
Graph showing daily global mean sea surface temperatures for 2026. This is also compared to the daily data from the 1981-2010 average and 1991-2020 average. Annotations are also shown to the current year with the other years from 1940 to 2026. There is a seasonal cycle. There is a long-term warming trend. 2023 and 2024 are also indicated, which were the warmest years on record. Data is from ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis and updated through 15 June 2026.
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Matt King @deformedearth.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
The Antarctic winter - normally❄️but in 2026🏜️ 15.4C this month, warmer than Hobart, and rain. Hard to know what to say. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Record winter temperatures in Antarctic raise fears over speed of climate breakdown
Temperatures above 15C ‘very strange’ say scientists, as snow melts and rain falls on glaciers in usually frozen region
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