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Abstract: The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; ca 23–19 ka BP) extent of grounded ice in the Filchner Trough, a major cross shelf trough extending seaward from the Filchner Ice Shelf in the southern Weddell Sea, has been much debated. Here we present data from the first extensive multibeam swath bathymetry and sub-bottom acoustic profiling surveys in the Filchner Trough that include several parallel survey lines with overlapping swaths. We interpret these new data, combined with published observations and radiocarbon dates from sediment cores, as indicating that the grounding line in the Filchner Trough during the LGM advanced beyond the middle shelf, probably to within 40 km of the shelf break, and possibly reached the shelf break. Three different hypotheses are discussed that could reconcile this interpretation with interpretations, based on ice coring and surface exposure age data, that LGM ice surface elevations in areas draining into the Filchner and Ronne ice shelves were no more than a few hundred metres higher than today: (1) ice plain conditions extended along most of the Filchner Trough; (2) the ice shelf advanced and thickened so that it “touched down” on the continental shelf for a short period; (3) LGM ice drainage pathways in the interior of the Weddell Sea embayment were different from those observed today. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The glacial history of the continental shelf northwest of Alexander Island is not well known, due mainly to a lack of targeted marine data on Antarctica''s palaeo-ice sheets in their inter-ice-stream areas. Recently it has been argued that the region was ice-free at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and thus a potential site for glacial refugia. In this paper, multibeam swath bathymetry, sub-bottom profiles and sediment cores are used to map the Alexander Island sector of the Antarctic Peninsula margin, in order to reconstruct the shelf''s palaeoglaciology. Sea-floor bedforms provide evidence that an independent ice cap persisted on Alexander Island through the LGM and deglaciation. We show that this ice cap drained via two major, previously-undescribed tidewater outlets (Rothschild and Charcot Glaciers) sourced from an ice dome centred over the west of the island and near-shore areas. The glaciers grounded along deep, fjord-like cross-shelf troughs to within at least ∼10–20 km of the shelf edge, and probably reached the shelf break. Only one small outer-shelf zone appears to have remained free of ice throughout an otherwise extensive LGM. During retreat, grounding-line geomorphology indicates periodic stabilisation of Charcot Glacier on the mid-shelf after 13,500 cal yrs BP, while Rothschild Glacier retreated across its mid-shelf by 14,450 cal yrs BP. The timing of these events is in phase with retreat in nearby Marguerite Trough, and we take this as evidence of a common history and forcing with the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet. The fine details of ice flow documented by our new reconstruction highlight the importance of capturing complex ice flow patterns in models (e.g. in inter-stream areas), for understanding how region-specific parts of Antarctica may change in the future. Moreover, the reconstruction shows that glacial refugia, if present, cannot have been extensive on the Alexander Island shelf at the LGM as indicated by previous biological studies; instead, we argue that any ice-free refugia were probably restricted to isolated outer-shelf pockets, that opened, closed, or were maintained through diachronous ice-sheet advance and retreat. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Bransfield Basin is a back-arc basin located in Western Antarctica between the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. Although the subduction of the Phoenix plate under the South Shetland block has ceased, extension continues through a combination of slab rollback and transtensional motions between the Scotia and Antarctic plates. This process has created a continental rift in the basin, interleaved with volcanic islands and seamounts, which may be near the transition from rifting to seafloor spreading. In the framework of the BRAVOSEIS project (2017–2020), we deployed a dense amphibious seismic network in the Bransfield Strait comprising 15 land stations and 24 ocean-bottom seismometers, as well as a network of 6 moored hydrophones; and acquired marine geophysics data including multibeam bathymetry, sub-bottom profiler, gravity & magnetics, multi-channel seismics, and seismic refraction data. The experiment has collected a unique, high quality, and multifaceted geophysical data set in the Central Bransfield Basin, with a special focus on Orca and Humpback seamounts. Preliminary results confirm that the Bransfield region has slab-related intermediate depth seismicity, with earthquake characteristics suggesting distributed extension across the rift. Gravity and magnetic highs delineate a segmented rift with along-axis variations that are consistent with increased accumulated strain to the northeast. Orca volcano shows evidences of an active caldera and magma accumulation at shallow depths, while Humpback volcano has evolved past the caldera stage and is currently dominated by rifting structures. These differences suggest that volcanic evolution is influenced by the position along the rift. Although a lot of analysis remains, these results provide useful constraints on the structure and dynamics of the Bransfield rift and associated volcanoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the opportunity provided by the collapse of the Antarctic's Larsen A and B ice shelves for researchers from marine biologists and researchers. The collapse of the ice shelves years ago has opened up on the most pristine marine habitats which has been investigated by researchers from the Census of Antarctic Marine Life. To explore the seabed exposed by the split up of the ice shelves, the researchers used a remotely operated vehicle. Of particular interest to the researchers is how the ecosystem is responding to the largest known ice shelf collapse, specifically as collapses are likely to take place with increasing frequency under current climatic changes.