The Maud Rise polynya has been sporadically opening up in Antarctica's ice since at least the 1970s. Now climatologists finally know why.

Every now and then for the last 50 years, an enormous hole opens up in the Antarctic sea ice. And by enormous, we mean truly enormous — the feature in question was twice the size of Wales last time it appeared in 2016 and 2017.

Antarctica has brought us all sorts of unexpected stories over recent times, and now there’s another which is raising eyebrows across the scientific community. In case you missed it, conspiracy theorists have been turning their attention to Antarctica more than you’d expect recently – first in the case of the strangest natural phenomena of

Researchers at the University of Southampton have uncovered the mystery behind a rare giant opening, almost twice the size of Wales, in the Antarctic sea ice during the winters of 2016 and 2017

The sudden appearance of a vast hole in the Antarctic sea ice – the Maud Rise polynya – in 2016 and 2017 was precisely that kind of mystery. Now, a team of scientists has pieced together the intricate chain of events behind this extraordinary phenomenon.