Radioactive fallout from twentieth-century nuclear-weapons testing is still trapped in Antarctic ice sheets (see G. A. Cutter et al. Nature 279, 628–629; 1979). As climate change accelerates and the ice melts, these radionuclides will increasingly be released into one of the world’s most pristine ecosystems and into the global marine food web. So far, however, there has been no proper monitoring and the degree of contamination is poorly understood.
Competing Interests
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The authors declare no competing interests.