Polar Regions (2018)

Psychrophiles and polar regions.

Most reviews of microbial life in cold environments begin with a lament of how little is known about the psychrophilic (cold-loving) inhabitants or their specific adaptations to the cold. This situation is changing, as research becomes better focused by new molecular genetic (and other) approaches, by awareness of accelerated environmental change in polar regions, and by strong interest in the ...

Remote Sensing of Earth ’ s Polar Regions

the public’s imagination, through the stories of past heroic explorations, the endearing wildlife, the awe-inspiring geography of the Antarctic ice sheets, and the unique modes of human habitation in the Arctic. Outcomes from the forthcoming International Polar Year (IPY) will highlight the scientific importance of the regions, emphasizing their key roles in the global climate system. Over the ...

Biological Rhythms During Residence in Polar Regions

At Arctic and Antarctic latitudes, personnel are deprived of natural sunlight in winter and have continuous daylight in summer: light of sufficient intensity and suitable spectral composition is the main factor that maintains the 24-h period of human circadian rhythms. Thus, the status of the circadian system is of interest. Moreover, the relatively controlled artificial light conditions in win...

15 Polar regions ( Arctic and Antarctic )

Life changes as polar regions thaw

Ice melt: Sea ice in the Arctic is shrinking at a record speed, and the ice shelves surrounding Antarctica are also thinning dramatically. As the exposed sea water is much darker than the ice, loss of sea ice reduces our planet’s reflectivity (albedo), which contributes to further warming. (Photo: Greenpeace.) The Earth had been a very warm and pleasant planet for more than 200 million years, w...