Lush ‘oases’ of life seen in chemosynthetic ecosystems such as hot vents and cold seeps represent rare, localized exceptions to the generally oligotrophic deep ocean floor. Organic falls, best known from sunken wood and whale carcasses, are additional sources of such oases. Kemp Caldera (59°42'S, 28°20'W) in the Weddell Sea exhibits active hydrothermal vents and a natural whale fall in close proximity, where an undescribed cocculinid limpet was found living in both types of chemosynthetic habitats. This represents the first member of the gastropod order Cocculinida discovered from hot vents, and also the first record from the Southern Ocean. Here, we applied an integrative taxonomy framework incorporating traditional dissection, electron microscopy, genetic sequencing and 3D anatomical reconstruction through synchrotron computed tomography in order to characterize this species. Together, our data revealed an unusual member of the genus Cocculina with a highly modified radula for feeding on bacterial film, described herein as Cocculina enigmadonta n. sp. Its phylogenetically derived position within the largely wood-inhabiting Cocculina indicates that it probably evolved from an ancestor adapted to living on sunken wood, providing a compelling case of the ‘stepping stone’ evolutionary trajectory from organic falls to seeps and vents.

Changes in adult weight, lipid and fatty acid composition per lipid class were studied over a complete seasonal cycle in Drepanopus pectinatus Brady. This copepod displayed a strong seasonality in adult individual weight and total lipid content. Stages C3 to adult from a summer cohort were compared in terms of lipid and fatty acid structure. Changes in lipid content were related to wax esters and polar lipids (PL) while triacylglycerols (TAG) and cholesterol remained minor constituents except at the end of winter. Changes in fatty acid composition of different lipid classes showed that food limitation in winter was high enough to affect 22:6n-3 (DHA) content in PL, and provoke accumulation of maximal percentages of bacterial marker as branched acids. Composition of TAG followed closely the changes in trophic interactions as diatom and flagellate markers dominated in spring and summer while bacterial and detritus particle markers dominated in late winter. The composition of wax esters followed the same seasonal succession but with a lower level of turn over time and shifted characteristics (bacterial markers) from winter to spring individuals when compared to TAG. Ontogenetic changes showed high triacylglycerols content in younger C3 stages and increasing wax esters with increasing developmental stages. Fatty acid composition of PL showed low percentages of EPA and DHA in stage C3, and recovery of high levels of DHA for stage C4 or 20:5n-3 (EPA) at stage C5. The same trend was observed for 18:4n-3. The reverse pattern was noted for the n-6 polyunsaturated acids (PUFA) suggesting a greater requirement in younger stages. Fatty acid partitioning between neutral and PL suggested essential fatty acids selective incorporation from neutral classes into membrane lipids.

This paper describes a comparison between balloon radio-soundings made in summer at the Concordia station, Dome C, Antarctica and coincident model-based meteorological analyses. The comparison allows the assessment of the reliability of the analyses in summer. This allows the use of the winter analyses within an estimated range of uncertainty, while the first in situ measurements are just becoming available. The astronomical interest is to produce an estimate of atmospheric turbulence during the Antarctic winter at this very promising site. For this work the 6-hourly ECMWF operational analyses were used, concurrently with the data obtained in situ by the radio-sounding made at Concordia with standard meteorological balloons and sondes during four summer seasons (November–January), from December 2000 to the end of January 2004.

The Dome C (Concordia) station in Antarctica (75°06′S, 123°21′E, 3233 m above mean sea level) has a unique opportunity to test the quality of remote-sensing measurements and meteorological analyses because it is situated well inside the Eastern Antarctic Plateau and is less affected by local phenomena. Measurements of tropospheric temperature and water vapour (H2O) together with the integrated water vapour (IWV) performed in 2010 are statistically analysed to assess their quality and to study the yearly correlation between temperature and H2O over the entire troposphere. The statistical tools include yearly evolution, seasonally-averaged mean and bias, standard deviation and linear Pearson correlation. The datasets are made of measurements from the ground-based microwave radiometer H2O Antarctica Microwave Stratospheric and Tropospheric Radiometer (HAMSTRAD), radiosonde, in situ sensors, the space-borne infrared sensors Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on the MetOp-A platform and the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) on the Aqua platform, and the analyses from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). Despite some obvious biases within all these datasets, our study shows that temperature and IWV are generally measured with high quality whilst H2O measurement quality is slightly worse. The AIRS and IASI measurements do not have the vertical resolution to correctly probe the lowermost troposphere, whilst HAMSTRAD loses sensitivity in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere. Within the entire troposphere over the whole year, it is found that the time evolution of temperature and H2O is highly correlated (> 0.8). This suggests that, in addition to the variability of solar radiation producing an obvious diurnal cycle in the planetary boundary layer in summer and an obvious seasonal cycle over the year, the H2O and temperature intra-seasonal variabilities are affected by the same processes, e.g. related to the long-range transport of air masses.

The regional geology and lithostratigraphy of the Late Cretaceous strata of north-east James Ross Island have been described by a number of authors (e.g. Olivero et al. 1986, Pirrie 1989). The aim of this short note is to describe a sequence of strata currently assigned to the Santa Marta Formation, and to reinterpret the processes and environments of deposition of this sequence.

Pingüinera Stream is one of the two main lotic environments of Cierva Point (Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 134) on the Danco Coast, Antarctic Peninsula. It originates in a large snowfield, flows through a penguin rookery, moss and grass banks, discharging into Cierva Cove. During late Antarctic summer 2003, we sampled the stream at six locations along its course. Abiotic features characterize it as a clear water system, yet receiving a very high amount of PO4-P and NH4-N from the rookery. These nutrients decrease downstream mainly due to uptake by epilithic algae and oxidation of NH4+ to NO3-, consequently lowering pH and dissolved O2, which was always under-saturated. Strong correlations between all these parameters support these findings. The epilithic algal community shows both temporal and spatial changes in biomass, composition and relative frequencies. Dominant species at the higher reach of the stream are cyanobacteria, mainly Chamaesiphon subglobosus (Rostafinski) Lemm. and a mesh of Leptolyngbya spp. filaments. The chlorophyta Prasiola calophylla (Carmich.) Menegh. dominates the community in oxygenated, fast-flowing reaches. Comparison with the other main stream from Cierva Point, which is not influenced by the rookery, shows that growth and survival of the epilithic community in this area is limited by factors other than nutrient concentrations.

Austrochlamys heardensis (Fleming) is recorded from a boulder of Late Pliocene (3.62–2.5 Ma) volcaniclastic sandstone dredged 70 km east-north-east of Heard Island, the third record of the species. The collection is much larger than the original described by Fleming and includes left valves which are described for the first time. The species is compared with A. anderssoni (Hennig) from Cockburn Island and ‘Chlamys’ mawsoni Fletcher from Îles Kerguelen. The source rock accumulated in fully marine, highly current-affected conditions. The collection is dominated by right valves, possibly because left valves are more susceptible to breakage and the effects of current winnowing. The locality may have subsided some 500 m since deposition. It lies immediately north of a straight, north-east–south-west trending lineament which may mark a major tectonic feature with left-lateral displacement of approximately 50 km, and provides a natural boundary within the Central Province of Kerguelen Plateau.

Two geochemical surveys of the major constituents of the Alph River, situated in Walcott Bay, Victoria Land, were undertaken in the austral summer of 1987–88. At the same time, tributaries and the runoff from various glaciers were investigated. The Alph River has an average total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration of 63.5 mgl−1, approximately half that of average world river water. The chemical composition is dominated by Na+ and HCO−3. Glacial melt waters have very low TDS but chemical weathering over the course of a few kilometres causes solute concentrations in the tributaries to exceed those of the Alph River. The composition of the streams is variable, but often Ca2+ is the principal cation. Enrichment factor and mass balance calculations indicate that the salts in the Alph River and its tributaries have a substantial non-marine component. Chemical weathering of calcite, mirabilite, gypsum and halite contribute solutes to the aquatic system. A “Gibbs Plot” [TDS versus Na:(Na+Ca) weight ratio] indicates that water samples from direct glacial runoff fall outside the world water envelope. They have low solute levels but enhanced Ca2+ concentrations, resulting from the aeolian deposition and subsequent dissolution of calcitic material.

The Istituto Nazionale di Geosifica e Vulcanologia (INGV) software for automatic scaling of ionograms (Autoscala) was improved by introducing a system to identify D region absorption events, spread-F condition (frequency spreading in the F region), and Z-ray propagation. The algorithm was applied to a series of ionograms recorded by the AIS-INGV (Advanced Ionospheric Sounder-INGV) ionosonde installed at the Mario Zucchelli Station (74.7°S, 164.1°E), Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. Critical cases are shown to illustrate the behaviour of the software.

Population growth rates of Antarctic and temperate isolates of the microflagellate Heteromita globosa Stein and of the ciliate Colpoda cucullus Müller were determined during incubation both under constant 3.5° and 8.0°C, and under temperature regimes fluctuating on 24-hour cycles, between 0° and 15°C, to simulate Antarctic microclimates. Fluctuating temperatures did not inhibit growth. No growth of Colpoda occurred at 3.5°C. It is suggested that successful growth in nature depends upon the microclimate providing sufficient degree-hours per day above encystment/excystment threshold temperature (+1.5°C for Heteromita about +4°C for Colpoda). The minimum number of degree-hours above threshold needed for growth of Colpoda is estimated to lie between 48 and 96. Monitored microclimates in the maritime Antarctic do not provide enough degree-hours per day, though subantarctic microclimates are more favourable, as may be exceptionally warm localities in the continental Antarctic where daily insolation is high in summer. These data are consistent with the recorded presence of Colpoda spp. in the subantarctic and rarely in the continental Antarctic, and their absence from the maritime Antarctic.

Except for the rich record from the Neuquen Basin (e.g. Gasparini & Fernández 2006), Jurassic southern Gondwanan marine reptiles are relatively rare. A tooth discovered in the Bean Peaks, Ellsworth Land, Antarctic Peninsula (Fig. 1) represents the southernmost, and only the second record of Jurassic marine reptiles from the Antarctic Peninsula. Comprising a single, incomplete tooth, the specimen is unable to be assigned to a species, but the paucity of Gondwanan Jurassic marine reptile material means this find adds significant palaeobiogeographical information.

Debris-covered glaciers constitute a large part of the world's cryosphere. However, little is known about their long-term response to multi-millennial climate variability, in particular in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we provide first insights into the response of a debris-covered glacier to multi-millennial climate variability in the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Archipelago, which can be compared to that of recently investigated debris-free glaciers. We focus on the Gentil Glacier and present 13 new 36Cl cosmic-ray exposure ages from moraine boulders. The Gentil Glacier experienced at least two glacial advances: the first one during the Late Glacial (19.0–11.6 ka) at ~14.3 ka and the second one during the Late Holocene at ~2.6 ka. Both debris-covered and debris-free glaciers advanced broadly synchronously during the Late Glacial, most probably during the Antarctic Cold Reversal event (14.5–12.9 ka). This suggests that both glacier types at Kerguelen were sensitive to abrupt temperature changes recorded in Antarctic ice cores, associated with increased moisture. However, during the Late Holocene, the advance at ~2.6 ka was not observed in other glaciers and seems to be an original feature of the debris-covered Gentil Glacier, related to either distinct dynamics or to distinct sensitivity to precipitation changes.

Adamussium colbecki is one of the dominant members of the nearshore benthic community around Antarctica (Nicol 1966, Dell 1974). It has been studied from a systematic and biogeographic point of view since the beginning of this century (Smith 1902, Pelseneer 1903). However, detailed knowledge of its biology and ecology has been only acquired during the last decade (Stockton 1984, Berkman 1990, Berkman et al. 1991, Mauri et al. 1990, Nigro et al. 1992, Nakajima et al. 1982).

Labidiaster annulatus, Sladen (1889) is a multi-rayed (9–50) voracious Antarctic sea star with numerous large, conspicuous crossed pedicellariae. An active and opportunistic predator, it commonly preys upon euphausiids, amphipods, and small fish in the water column (Dearborn et al. 1991). Labidiaster annulatus is distributed around the Antarctic, Kerguelen, South Orkney, South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia, and Shag Rocks, at recorded depths of 30–440 m (Fisher 1940, unpublished data).

During the research programme conducted on the OV Puerto Deseado in the summers of 2011 and 2013, 36 stations were sampled using a demersal net at depths between 53–590 m in the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands. A total 3378 fish specimens belonging to 36 species were recorded. Notothenidae was the best-represented family in species number, with Lepidonotothen nudifrons, L. larseni and Trematomus scotti being the most numerous species. Of the fish assemblages, 20% of the species were considered as dominant, 10% as common, 13% as occasional and 57% as rare. Six groups (and two sub-groups) were obtained by the ordination diagram based on geographical location: group 1=Gerlache Strait, group 2=Deception Islands, group 3=Biscoe Island, group 4=between Elephant and King George islands, group 5=northern Antarctic Peninsula, and group 6=South Shetland Islands, with sub-groups 6a shallower South Shetland Islands and 6b deeper South Shetland Islands. Sampling depth and water temperature significantly explained the spatial pattern. A latitudinal pattern of decreasing abundance from north-east to south-west was found in L. larseni and the opposite in T. scotti. The predictability of fish composition in the assemblages’ areas could be a useful tool for ecosystem-based management.

Marked spatial autocorrelation was encountered in an extensive data set on Antarctic seal densities as well as Antarctic pack ice characteristics. Whilst the methodology of measuring spatial autocorrelation is well developed, there is no established infrastructure for statistical inference in terms of correlation analysis or ANOVA. We survey the literature that deals with these problems, as well as some of the approaches that have been proposed for taking autocorrelation into account in inferential statistics. We apply these approaches to a data set comprising Antarctic pack ice seal counts as well as a few environmental measures. In contrast to the predictions from the existing literature, nonlinear estimation suggested that Pearson's r substantially overestimates the true correlation between seal densities and environmental variables. When compared to spatially adjusted analysis of variance, conventional ANOVA that compared seal densities or pack ice characteristics in different areas overestimated the degree of difference between these areas in proportion to the degree of spatial autocorrelation of the particular data set. In our case, the effects of spatial autocorrelation were not neutralised by treating entire transects as single points. These results emphasise the need for a methodology that takes spatial autocorrelation into account for interpreting the spatial data on Antarctic seals collected during the Antarctic pack ice seal (APIS) program. New software written for performing these analyses is available from the senior author.

The Patuxent Range forms the most southerly third of the Pensacola Mountains, East Antarctica. Largely unstudied since the original geological survey work of the 1960s, the Patuxent Range was thought to expose metasediments deformed by a single Precambrian event. However, new structural data collected from two geographically separate areas in the central Patuxent Range reveal the presence of three distinct generations of structures. A synthesis of the regional geology together with new data suggests that the Patuxent Formation was mildly deformed during end Cambrian times as part of the late stage Ross Orogeny. However, the most intense deformation, although poorly constrained in age, probably occurred during the Permo-Triassic Gondwanian Orogeny. A third phase of deformation predates the intrusion of 183 Ma lamprophyre dykes and involved an inferred vertical axis rotation of the pre-existing D1 and D2 structures and the localized development of a spaced foliation and mesoscale folding. These D3 structures may be the first evidence of an Early Jurassic deformation event in the Transantarctic Mountains, which correlates with the Peninsula and Rangitata I orogenies of the Antarctic Peninsula and New Zealand, respectively.

The geographical distribution of the two species of the genus Parachaenichthys is allopatric and restricted to the inner shelves of South Georgia–South Sandwich Islands (P. georgianus) and South Orkney Islands–South Shetland Islands (P. charcoti). To evaluate the consistency between the geographical patterns of adult distribution and early life history traits of P. charcoti, sagittal otoliths were used to estimate growth rate and pelagic duration in larvae and juveniles of this species collected in the Bransfield Strait in winter and summer, respectively. Individual age was determined through microincrement counts, assuming they were daily increments. The Gompertz model was fitted to age–length estimates, providing a mean growth rate of 0.22 mm day-1 estimated for 28–204-day-old individuals. Larval hatching was spread over a relatively wide period, lasting from July throughout September. The pelagic larval duration of P. charcoti was about six months based on ageing data of larvae and juveniles, as reported for P. georgianus from South Georgia. The strong dependence of larvae on the inshore habitat may hamper their dispersal at large spatial scale limiting the connectivity among distant populations, providing clues to interpret the present geographical distribution of the two species.

Records (by a scientific observer on a longline fishing vessel around the Falkland Islands) of 86 different individually colour-banded wandering albatrosses from South Georgia, provide new insights into the use of the waters of the Patagonian shelf slope by birds from breeding grounds some 600 km to the south-east across the Antarctic Polar Front. Birds recorded were aged from 3–39 years, almost the full range (except 1 and 2 year olds) of South Georgia colour-banded birds, about 5% of whose colour-banded population was observed during the study. Immature birds (up to age 7 years) formed only 9% of the total; this may reflect relative absence from the area but might also relate to their subordinate status to adults at fishing vessels. Most birds seen were current breeders at South Georgia, including both sexes in the month prior to arrival on the breeding grounds (October), females during the pre-laying exodus (December) and both sexes during incubation (January) and throughout the main chick-rearing period (May, June, October). Only birds which had already failed were seen in the brooding period (March–April), when foraging trips are too short to reach the Falklands. Females outnumbered males in all these categories, supporting suggestions of different distributions of the sexes at sea during breeding. Birds of both sexes that had bred at South Georgia in the previous year were seen mainly between January and April. Birds that had not bred for at least three years were mainly males and mainly seen in January. These data indicate the importance of the waters near the Patagonian Shelf, especially around the Falklands, for wandering albatrosses from South Georgia, particularly breeding birds but also birds in their year(s) between breeding attempts. This is of particular relevance, given the globally threatened status of the species and the possibility of hydrocarbon exploitation in waters around the Falklands.