New simulation shows consequences of a world without Earth's natural sunscreen
Nearly two-thirds of Earth's ozone is gone -- not just over the poles, but everywhere. The infamous ozone hole over Antarctica, first discovered in the 1980s, is a year-round fixture, with a twin over the North Pole. The ultraviolet (UV) radiation falling on mid-latitude cities like Washington, D.C., is strong enough to cause sunburn in just five... view more... (2009-03-19)
Prehistoric global cooling caused by CO2, research finds
Ice in Antarctica suddenly appeared - in geologic terms - about 35 million years ago. For the previous 100 million years the continent had been essentially ice-free. view more (2009-02-27)
US-led international research team confirms Alps-like mountain range exists
Flying twin-engine light aircraft the equivalent of several trips around the globe and establishing a network of seismic instruments across an area the size of Texas, a U.S.-led, international team of scientists has not only verified the existence of a mountain range that is suspected to have caused the massive East Antarctic Ice Sheet to form,... view more... (2009-02-25)
Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet melting, rate unknown
The Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets are melting, but the amounts that will melt and the time it will take are still unknown, according to Richard Alley, Evan Pugh professor of geosciences, Penn State. view more (2009-02-17)
BYU study: How an Antarctic worm makes antifreeze and what that has to do with climate change
Two BYU researchers who just returned from Antarctica are reporting a hardy worm that withstands its cold climate by cranking out antifreeze. And when its notoriously dry home runs out of water, it just dries itself out and goes into suspended animation until liquid water brings it back to life. view more (2009-02-10)
Emperor Penguins March toward Extinction?
Popularized by the 2005 movie "March of the Penguins," emperor penguins could be headed toward extinction in at least part of their range before the end of the century, according to a paper by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers published January 26, 2009, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the... view more... (2009-01-27)
Satellites confirm half-century of West Antarctic warming
The Antarctic Peninsula juts into the Southern Ocean, reaching farther north than any other part of the continent. The southernmost reach of global warming was believed to be limited to this narrow strip of land, while the rest of the continent was presumed to be cooling or stable. view more (2009-01-23)
Abrupt Climate Shifts May Come Sooner, Not Later
The United States could suffer the effects of abrupt climate changes within decades-sooner than some previously thought--says a new government report. view more (2008-12-22)
Measuring water from space
Observations from satellites now allow scientists to monitor changes to water levels in the sea, in rivers and lakes, in ice sheets and even under the ground. As the climate changes, this information will be crucial for monitoring its effects and predicting future impacts in different regions. view more (2008-11-13)
Scientists probe Antarctic glaciers for clues to past and future sea level
Scientists from the U.S., U.K. and Australia have teamed up to explore two of the last uncharted regions of Earth, the Aurora and Wilkes Subglacial Basins, immense ice-buried lowlands in Antarctica with a combined area the size of Mexico. view more (2008-10-28)
U.S.-Led, International AGAP Team Poised to Probe One of Antarctica's Last Unexplored Places
A U.S.-led, multinational team of scientists from six nations will pierce the mysteries of one of the globe's last major unexplored places this month. Using sophisticated airborne radar and other Information Age tools and techniques, the scientists will virtually "peel away" more than four kilometers (2.5 miles) of ice covering an... view more... (2008-10-15)
Advice from research: market visiting rights to Antarctica
Tourism on Antarctica is increasing and that can form a threat for the vulnerable South Pole area. Research from Maastricht University provides a possible solution: market the visitor rights to the highest bidder. view more (2008-09-29)
IU sends innovative technology to Antarctica to speed polar research
Environmental scientists studying the world's shrinking polar ice sheets will soon get a substantial boost in computing power thanks to IU's Polar Grid Project. view more (2008-09-23)
My, what big teeth you had! Extinct species had large teeth on roof of mouth
When the world's land was congealed in one supercontinent 240 million years ago, Antarctica wasn't the forbiddingly icy place it is now. But paleontologists have found a previously unknown amphibious predator species that probably still made it less than hospitable. view more (2008-09-12)
Antarctic research helps shed light on climate change on Mars
Researchers examining images of gullies on the flanks of craters on Mars say they formed as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago and in sites once occupied by glaciers. The features are eerily reminiscent of gullies formed in Antarctica's mars-like McMurdo Dry Valleys. view more (2008-08-29)
Antarctic Fossils Paint a Picture of a Much Warmer Continent
National Science Foundation-funded scientists working in an ice-free region of Antarctica have discovered the last traces of tundra--in the form of fossilized plants and insects--on the interior of the southernmost continent before temperatures began a relentless drop millions of years ago. view more (2008-08-06)
Snapshot of past climate reveals no ice in Antarctica millions of years ago
A snapshot of New Zealand's climate 40 million years ago reveals a greenhouse Earth, with warmer seas and little or no ice in Antarctica, according to research published this week in the journal Geology. view more (2008-07-29)
Wilkins Ice Shelf hanging by its last thread
The Wilkins Ice Shelf is experiencing further disintegration that is threatening the collapse of the ice bridge connecting the shelf to Charcot Island. Since the connection to the island in the image centre helps to stabilise the ice shelf, it is likely the break-up of the bridge will put the remainder of the ice shelf at risk. view more (2008-07-11)
Human influences challenge penguin populations
The ecology of penguins makes these iconic swimming and diving seabirds of the Southern Hemisphere unusually susceptible to environmental changes. view more (2008-07-01)
Data show Antarctic ice stream radiating seismically
A seismologist at Washington University in St. Louis and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University and Newcastle University in the United Kingdom have found seismic signals from a giant river of ice in Antarctica that makes California's earthquake problem seem trivial. view more (2008-06-05)
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