There have been numerous major oil spills this decade, the most notable being the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, More recently, large swathes of the Amazon rainforest were set alight by people to clear land for agriculture, This decade may have seen horrors but it has led to an understanding that the next decade must see change if human life is to continue, The fossilised remains of an “unexpected” temperate, Analysis of sediment cores taken from the west Antarctic shelf revealed forest soils, roots, pollen and spores, indicating the continent had an “exceptionally warm climate” during the mid-, The international team of scientists said the rainforest in Antarctica would have resembled the forests in, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, Summer temperatures averaged 19C and water temperatures in rivers and swamps reached up to 20C. This find is very important and it is changing how experts view the … The Netherlands continues to lead the way with bikes far outnumbering people, Cycling infrastructure is taking over cities the world over, in the hope of reducing society's dependency on polluting vehicles, Despite positive steps being taken, humans continue to have a wildly adverse effect on the climate. Fossil 'sea monster' found in Antarctica was the heaviest of its kind The 15-tonne elasmosaur adds to evidence that a vibrant marine ecosystem existed just before the dinosaur mass extinction. In fact, both types of fossils are providing nutrients to the microbial community that is living in pitch darkness and at high pressures and low temperatures. Kirkpatrick, near the Beardmore Glacier, yielded the bones of Cryolophosaurus ellioti, a species wholly new to science. Plants and Animals. Antarctica is not an easy place to seek fossils, but the view can … A new iguana-size fossil found in the mountains of Antarctica represents an extinct cousin of dinosaurs and crocodiles—and it likely once lived on forest floors in temperate climates. Those who have embarked on an Antarctic Peninsula cruise would know the rugged conditions in which these researchers worked. 0 Share on Facebook. When scientists drilled through the ice and took samples of the lake’s water and the sediment beneath it, they found the water contained a thriving microbial community. Those fossils belonged to a species previously found in Africa, providing further evidence that … Analysis of sediment cores taken from the west Antarctic shelf revealed forest soils, roots, pollen and spores, indicating the continent had an “exceptionally warm climate” during the mid-Cretaceous period when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. 177 cruises, Over a hundred years ago, Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition to Antarctica discovered fossils of plants on the Beardmore Glacier, less than 500 km (310 miles) from the South Pole. BY Ellen Gutoskey. The Initial Dinosaur Discoveries In 1990-91, scientists made the first discoveries of dinosaur fossils in the central Transantarctic Mountains of Antarctica. 1 Along with these fossils, the … An artist’s interpretation of the birth of a baby mosasaur. You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. Really what the discovery compliments is that the discovery of these fossils encourages the theory of plate tectonics and continental drift. ", Out west in Somerset, floods in 2013 led to entire villages being cut off and isolated for weeks, "In summer 2012, intense rain flooded over 8000 properties. Their goal was to find out how much of the area was covered by glaciers over the past 36 million years. When the continents of the southern hemisphere are re-assembled into the single land mass of Gondwanaland, the distribution of these four fossil types form linear and continuous patterns of distribution across continental boundaries. Researchers believe that they have deciphered the secrets of a mysterious fossil that was found in Antarctica. The scientists from Rice University also detailed the exact species of plants that existed on the peninsula over the past 36 million years. When they pieced together their analyses, the international research team found evidence for a mild climate around 500 miles from the South Pole, with annual mean air temperatures of about 12C. But when you set foot in the Antarctic Peninsula or Ross Ice Shelf region today, many scientific advances have proven that you are in fact walking in ancient, once-thriving forests. The team chose the island because it is free of ice and snow in the Antarctic summer and has the right kind of rock for preserving fossil … Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts. He said the process of reconstructing past environments and climates was similar to working on a huge jigsaw puzzle, which ultimately revealed an amazingly detailed picture of the past Antarctic landscape. Antarctica lies thousands of … Pelagornithid birds from the Eocene of Seymour Island, Antarctica help us figure out some very specific details about environmental! … fossils are found in Antarctica researchers found that the discovery compliments is that the and! 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