Scientists warn that something unusual is happening in the Southern Ocean

Fewer whales and rare seabird sightings could be a warning sign for what's happening below the surface

Left/Southern Ocean/Right/Southern Ocean on map/Image: AI GeneratedAs the world searches for ways to remove carbon dioxide already accumulating in the atmosphere, ocean iron fertilisation (OIF) has emerged as one of the most debated climate intervention strategies. The idea is deceptively simple: adding tiny amounts of

Falls in whale sightings, rare seabirds appearing – is something unusual happening in Southern Ocean?

For years, the waters of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic were a data blind spot. A local programme helped change that.

In late June, whale watchers in southwest Western Australia sounded the alarm. They had seen far fewer humpback whales at a time when they normally migrate up from the Southern Ocean to calve and feed. Numbers were 60% below normal. A week later, birdwatchers spotted a “once in a lifetime event” as large numbers of ra