Exclusive A vast area of the Bellingshausen Sea should be covered by sea ice by now, with one expert calling the loss of ice ‘depressing’

Antarctica’s west coast is missing an area of winter sea ice the size of France, sparking concerns for threatened penguins other marine life and global sea levels.

One expert said the loss of ice in the Bellingshausen Sea was “depressing” and the failure of ice to form could have intensified a heatwave over the continent’s peninsula last week that saw daytime temperatures peak at 15.4C which is more than 20C above average.

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© Photograph: Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute

© Photograph: Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute

© Photograph: Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute

The jury box is one of the few places in modern American life where citizens are asked to do something genuinely difficult together.

The jury box is one of the few places in modern American life where citizens are asked to do something genuinely difficult together.

Long-awaited course to examine human effects on natural world and explore everyday ways to aid biodiversity

School pupils will learn how to plant a wildflower-friendly garden, according to long-awaited plans announced on Thursday for a natural history GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Campaigners have for more than a decade called for the study of biodiversity loss and global heating to be introduced as a dedicated subject in classrooms across the country, but despite a curriculum being previously drawn up, its launch has faced repeated delays.

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© Photograph: enviromantic/Getty Images

© Photograph: enviromantic/Getty Images

© Photograph: enviromantic/Getty Images