A new University of Colorado at Boulder study suggests that the Arctic sea ice decline may have reached a tipping point, triggering a cascade of climate change affecting Earth's temperate regions. The loss of ice could lead to changes in atmospheric patterns, impacting weather and agriculture globally.
Researchers have discovered four large subglacial lakes beneath Antarctica's surface that contribute to the formation of ice streams and play a crucial role in transporting ice towards the ocean. The lakes' water helps lubricate the bed of the stream, speeding up its flow and potentially disrupting climate patterns.
Researchers discovered a sediment wedge beneath the Whillans Ice Stream in Antarctica, which provides stability against moderate sea level rise. The wedge, eroded by moving ice sheets, helps maintain the grounding line's location despite changes in relative sea levels.
Researchers discovered four large subglacial lakes beneath miles of ice that contribute to the formation of fast-flowing ice streams in Antarctica. These lakes appear to lubricate the bed of the stream, facilitating ice flow and preventing the base from freezing.
Scientists detected subtle rise and fall of Antarctic ice streams' surface as lakes and channels filled and emptied. The discovery provides new insight into how much and how frequently these 'leaks' occur and impact the ice sheet.
Scientists have mapped a vast water system beneath two of West Antarctica's fastest-moving ice streams using NASA's ICESat satellite data. The study reveals that these subglacial lakes are actively filling and emptying, with water moving at rates of several meters per day.
Glaciologist Lonnie Thompson warns that the Qori Kalis glacier in Peru may disappear within five years, with other ice tongues retreating globally. The Quelccaya Ice Cap, the largest body of ice in the tropics, is experiencing a slow but accelerating retreat, exceeding any other in at least 50 centuries.
A new study using NASA's ICESat mission reveals a complex plumbing system of subglacial lakes and rivers under the West Antarctic ice sheet. The research suggests that this system may play a major role in controlling the rate at which ice moves off the continent, with potentially significant implications for sea levels.
Researchers have discovered a drumlin, a mound of sediment and rock, actively forming and growing under the ice sheet in Antarctica. The study, using time-lapse seismic surveys, reveals the drumlin grew ten times faster than expected, providing new insights into the drag on the underside of the ice.
Research reveals tidal motion affects West Antarctic Ice Sheet's largest ice stream, the Rutford Ice Stream, causing it to vary its speed by up to 20% every two weeks. This phenomenon, related to ocean tides and gravitational effects of the sun and moon, has important implications for predicting sea level rise.
Researchers use advanced instruments to measure changes in the ice sheets' mass balance, revealing a consistent story of shrinking ice masses. The West Antarctic ice sheet is currently shrinking substantially, while East Antarctica's larger ice sheet has been growing slowly.
A new University of Colorado at Boulder study finds that small glaciers and ice caps are the largest contributors to global sea rise, with over half of the estimated 650 billion tons of ice lost annually coming from these sources. The study's results run contrary to public perception focusing on Antarctica and Greenland.
Researchers predict Arctic sea ice will retreat rapidly, becoming nearly ice-free by 2040, with global warming exacerbating the issue. The study suggests that greenhouse gas emissions can impact the likelihood of abrupt ice loss.
Researchers use novel technique to analyze regional changes in Greenland's massive ice sheet, finding dramatic losses concentrated in coastal regions. The study shows an annual net loss of ice equal to nearly six years of average water flow from the Colorado River, with 20% more mass lost than received from new snowfall each year.
Scientists have gained unprecedented insight into the internal structure and melting rate of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf using phase-sensitive radar. The results show that an average of 1m of ice is melted from the bottom of the ice shelf every year, with no signs of change due to replenishment by upstream ice flow.
The Arctic sea ice minimum reached on Sept. 14 was the fourth lowest on record, with a decline of about 8.6 percent per decade. The ice has been declining at an area more than half the size of Ohio per year, threatening species like polar bears that depend on the ice for their livelihood.
A new study by Queen's University biologist Virginia Walker has discovered a way to isolate bacteria that can create better ice cream and artificial snow from soil in more temperate environments. The technique, called ice affinity selection, involves forming an 'ice finger' to select for bacteria that gather on the surface of ice.
Researchers have developed a technique to isolate bacteria that interact with ice, leading to the discovery of species with properties such as Ice Recrystallisation Inhibition (IRI) and temperature-modifying abilities. These findings hold potential for applications in industries like snow-making and waste-water purification.
Polar bears' habitat preferences shift as sea ice declines, affecting prey availability and reproduction. USGS research shows a causal link between earlier sea ice breakup and decreased polar bear survival.
A new study reveals a significant decline in Arctic winter sea ice cover, with losses of six percent per year over the last two winters. This reduction is attributed to rising greenhouse gas emissions and warmer temperatures, posing a threat to marine ecosystems.
The Arctic Ocean's perennial sea ice shrank by 730,000 square kilometers between 2004 and 2005, replacing it with more vulnerable seasonal ice. The loss of perennial ice raises concerns about future ice retreat and its impacts on the environment and marine transportation.
A new hypothesis inverts the prevailing view that atmospheric carbon dioxide drives ice sheets. Instead, ice sheets are found to control CO2 levels and drive feedbacks that amplify ice growth and melting at specific cycles.
A new model proposes that the Antarctic ice sheet is more dynamic and capable of change than previously believed. This contradicts the traditional Milankovitch theory, which suggests a stronger influence from Earth's orbit on climate patterns.
Scientists from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program have recovered sediments that indicate prevailing ice conditions during the last 14-16 million years. The study also found evidence of ice in the Arctic Ocean dating back 45 million years, while temperatures rose to subtropical levels 55 million years ago.
According to a NASA scientist, warmer water temperatures are increasing melting and accelerating ice flow in polar areas. The warming is primarily limited to the upper 1000 meters of the oceans, but has a deeper effect on the North Atlantic waters, where it has increased the melting of sea ice.
Researchers extracted a 3 km long ice core from Antarctica's plateau to study the Earth's climate over the last 740,000 years. The team found that as sea ice extent declined, salt levels rose due to brine expulsion, while dust levels increased in cold times, suggesting South America was drier or windier.
New study reveals ice sheets can react differently to global warming, growing in some cases and disappearing rapidly in others. The Scandinavian Ice Sheet, which existed 10,000 years ago, grew during a period of warming but cold climate, before rapidly disintegrating once the climate warmed further.
The study found a net loss of ice from the combined polar ice sheets between 1992 and 2002, resulting in an increase in sea level. The survey also documented extensive thinning of the West Antarctic ice shelves and an increase in snowfall in Greenland.
Researchers used NASA's GRACE satellites to determine the Antarctic ice sheet is losing significant mass, with an estimated annual loss of up to 36 cubic miles. This decline in total ice mass has a global sea level impact equivalent to 0.4 millimeters annually.
Scientists have discovered a creep mechanism in high-pressure phases of ice that affects grain size, indicating weaker ice layers in giant icy moons. This finding challenges previous theories on the thermal evolution and internal dynamics of these moons.
Using polarized light, NASA scientist Peter Wasilewski analyzes the colors and patterns in ice crystals to determine their type and consistency for various Olympic sports. He also examines snowflake shapes and forms to understand how they affect performance.
The ice fields on Kilimanjaro are losing up to 50% of their surface area in just five years, with the northern ice field expected to disappear within two years. This rapid melting threatens local water supplies, which rely on glacier meltwater and precipitation from surrounding rainforests.
Scientists have created a detailed map of tides under Antarctic ice using the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites. The tides play a major role in measuring how much ice is melting or freezing, affecting global sea levels.
Research reveals that ice sheets scoured the sea floor, erasing whole communities of animals. Seafloor organisms may have emigrated to the deep sea or recolonised the Antarctic shelf during warm periods following ice ages.
Satellites have recorded a significant loss in Arctic sea ice extent, with the minimum concentration reaching 2.05 million sq. miles in 2005. The decline is attributed to warming trends and climate changes, which are expected to continue due to projected Arctic warming.
A new NASA-funded study reveals that warmer air temperatures from greenhouse gas emissions may lead to an increase in sea ice volume in the Antarctic's Southern Ocean. This finding suggests a counterintuitive phenomenon where some of the melt in the Arctic is offset by increased sea ice volume in the Antarctic.
Researchers found that warmer air could increase Antarctic sea ice volume by suppressing ice below sea level and refreezing as thicker ice. This counterintuitive phenomenon is driven by thermohaline circulation, impacting global climate patterns.
Scientists investigated Antarctic icebergs' detachment from the main continental ice sheet, finding that ice fracturing occurs in episodes and may be tied to seasonal changes. The studies used satellite data, GPS equipment, and seismometers to monitor rifts on East Antarctica's Amery Ice Shelf.
Researchers at Ohio State will develop a new radar instrument to peer beneath earth's ice cover and analyze how ice accumulates. The project aims to understand the impact of melting ice on global sea levels and temperature regulation.
Researchers used an ice core to show that a key section of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet probably never contained as much ice as scientists originally thought it did. The study provides new information for interpreting climate and gives scientists new insights into how climate is changing today.
Researchers have found that Canada's Arctic ice caps and glaciers are thinning at lower elevations due to increased melting. The study suggests that these changes contribute significantly to global sea level rise, with an estimated 0.065 millimeters per year added to sea levels during the 1995-2000 period.
Researchers have discovered that the George VI Ice Shelf experienced a significant retreat around 9,500 years ago, driven by changes in ocean currents. This finding challenges the long-held assumption that rising air temperatures are the primary cause of ice shelf collapse.
Research suggests Arctic sea ice is shrinking, contradicting current climate models. Mountain glaciers are also losing mass due to temperature changes, raising concerns about sea level rise.
Scientists at Ohio State University have found that a long-ago ice age occurred 10 million years earlier than previously thought. The discovery resolves an inconsistency in climate change research and suggests that CO2 concentrations drive climate. Sea levels may have been low globally at the time, likely due to a global ice buildup.
Scientists have found significant acceleration in the world's fastest glacier, Jakobshavn Isbrae, which nearly doubled its discharge of ice between 1997 and 2003. Meanwhile, Arctic sea ice has been declining at an alarming rate, with some areas experiencing 9.2% per decade decline.
The September 2004 sea-ice loss was especially evident in extreme northern Alaska and eastern Siberia, with the decline averaging about 8 percent over the past decade. Climate change is likely playing a significant role, with some models indicating complete disappearance of summer sea ice by 2070.
Researchers detect distinctive fold in the ice, suggesting rapid movement and 'drawn down' towards the bottom of the ice sheet thousands of years ago. The finding implies that the centre of the ice sheet is more mobile than previously thought, requiring rethinking of existing models.
Researchers from UMaine and China collaborate on a joint expedition to study atmospheric circulation and global warming. They successfully melted an 87-meter ice core using a device built at UMaine, shedding light on changes in the region's climate.
Researchers from the North Greenland Ice Core Project have recovered plant remnants nearly two miles below the surface, suggesting that trees may have covered Greenland millions of years ago. The discovery provides valuable insights into the rapid formation of the Greenland Ice Sheet and its impact on climate history.
The new EPICA ice core provides a complete record of the past interglacial period, allowing scientists to study it in detail. This will help separate human-caused impacts from natural climate fluctuations, providing valuable insights into climate change and its effects.
Researchers have confirmed that molecules of water can freeze together to form a perfect crystal, allowing it to be manipulated by electric fields. This discovery enhances scientists' understanding of how naturally occurring particles of ice interact with the environment, particularly in chemical reactions such as ozone depletion.
Scientists studying the West Antarctic Ice Sheet have found that all its ice streams have changed substantially over the last five years, with varying effects on thickness and flow rates. The changes suggest a complex picture of the WAIS's behavior, raising more questions than answers about its future impact on global sea levels.
The study reveals a 20% faster rate of Arctic sea ice loss over the last two decades compared to the previous three decades. In contrast, Antarctica experienced a dramatic loss followed by a gradual expansion of its sea ice cover since the mid-1970s.
A new study reveals a significant increase in Arctic summer melt season length, threatening polar bears' survival and global climate stability. The research uses radar data from European and American satellites to measure changes in Arctic sea ice thickness, shedding light on the impact of global warming.
Researchers developed a new technique to detect melt pond coverage on Arctic sea ice using NASA's Landsat 7 satellite. This method improves the understanding of the Arctic heat balance and its impact on global climate.
The Ward Hunt Ice Shelf's sudden break-up in 2002 led to the loss of a freshwater lake with unique biological communities. The rupture was attributed to long-term warming and climate changes.
Scientists now believe that small amounts of impurities, such as sodium chloride, are necessary to form the domes on Europa's surface. These compounds melt ice at low temperatures, allowing warmer blobs of ice to push through the icy shell and create the domes.
Researchers found a clear association between ocean tides and ice stream motion in West Antarctica. The study discovered that a one-meter tide variation can cause an ice stream to halt and then accelerate rapidly.
Scientists have discovered that 'warm' glaciers can use supercooling to trap and transport silt, providing new insights into glacier dynamics. The process involves the formation of 'frazil ice,' which picks up particles from the surrounding water, creating layers of clean and dirty ice.
A team of researchers at an Arctic ice camp gather data to better understand the physical, biological, and chemical environment of the ice-covered ocean. They examine sea ice thickness, atmospheric mercury levels, and its impact on marine mammals.