Researchers tested a radical geo-engineering approach using climate models and found that it could potentially delay Arctic sea ice decline by decades. However, the approach would not produce meaningful cooling effects globally or in lower latitudes. The study suggests that while 'ice management' is an interesting concept, it cannot me...
Researchers found significant changes in Antarctica's ice shelf thickness, causing ice to flow into the ocean. Thinning ice shelves result in a significant instantaneous response to ice flow and ongoing mass loss, affecting global sea levels.
Researchers use drones to observe fracture formation on Greenland Ice Sheet, finding that meltwater causes formation of new fractures and expansion of dormant ones. The study shows how these chain reactions can trigger catastrophic lake drainages, with significant effects on the ice sheet's instability.
Melting of 'eternal ice' patches in northern Mongolia poses a significant threat to traditional reindeer herding and exposes fragile cultural artifacts to the elements. The study, published in PLOS ONE, highlights the urgent need to address global climate change's impact on Inner Asia.
New research reveals the last remaining Arctic ice refuge is disappearing due to increased ocean currents and atmospheric winds, with the oldest ice declining twice as fast as the rest. The Last Ice Area will soon be gone, threatening wildlife survival and potentially leading to the loss of species.
Researchers from Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research found that vertical air motions increase ice formation in mixed-phase clouds. This correlation has important implications for understanding the water cycle and predicting precipitation.
Researchers found that the transition between ice and water breaks down at the nanoscale, with clusters oscillating between solid and liquid states. The study provides new insights into the conditions necessary for ice formation and has implications for understanding climate regulation and life viability.
A new study models fracture chain reactions from meltwater ponds on Antarctica's ice shelves, finding a speed limit to their damage. The research suggests that while pond fracturing is short-ranged, rapid surface melting can trigger catastrophic collapses like Larsen B.
Researchers found that even the tallest ice cliffs will support their own weight rather than collapsing catastrophically, with slower ice shelf removal leading to slow sloughing away. This challenges previous predictions of rapid sea-level rise from Antarctica.
A £4 million EU-funded study is investigating the likelihood of abrupt changes in Antarctica's ice sheets, which could lead to a large and irreversible rise in global sea levels. The researchers aim to assess the chances of Antarctica's ice sheets entering an unstable retreat caused by thinning or disappearance of ice shelves.
Researchers studying glacier algae in the Greenland Ice Sheet found that purple-pigmented ice algal blooms cause increased melting by darkening the surface and absorbing more sunlight. The project aims to understand the complex interactions between light-absorbing particulates and predict where and when biological darkening will occur.
New research reveals that warm ocean water is attacking the undersides of Antarctica's ice shelves, weakening their edges and making them more vulnerable to breakup. This process can lead to increased rates of sea-level rise, as ice on land flows quickly into the ocean.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have developed a new method to map glacier advancement in cold periods and melting in warmer periods using ice core data. This technique helps improve climate models by linking dust particle composition to ice layer distribution, revealing information on how quickly glaciers recede.
A study has mapped over 65,000 supraglacial lakes on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, revealing a more extensive presence than previously thought. The findings suggest that East Antarctica may be more susceptible to the effects of a warming climate.
A CU Boulder-led study finds that thick ice slabs in Greenland are sending meltwater spilling into the ocean, contributing to sea-level rise. The runoff zone could expand by the size of Colorado or Texas under different climate scenarios, raising seas by an extra quarter inch to nearly three inches.
Researchers studying the Ross Ice Shelf's paleo-pinning points aim to understand how and why it unpinned from Ross Bank. The study focuses on a crucial 30-year period, with data collection set for January 2021 in Antarctic waters.
Researchers found evidence of earlier Arctic sea-ice decline starting at the beginning of the 20th century using a new proxy from coralline algae. The study provides insight into past sea-ice variability and may help reduce uncertainties in ocean model simulations.
Scientists find that the arrangement of water molecules on surfaces is crucial in determining ice formation. By understanding this relationship, researchers can design surfaces to promote or inhibit ice formation, leading to advancements in weather prediction and material development.
A new study predicts that the Arctic Ocean could be completely ice-free in September if global temperatures increase by as little as 2 degrees Celsius. This finding highlights the potential consequences of limiting warming to 2 degrees, a goal of the Paris Agreement.
New research reveals that reduced Arctic sea ice does not cause extreme cold winters, but rather is linked to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. The correlation between reduced sea ice and cold winters occurs because both are driven by the same large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns.
Scientists have extended the record of Arctic sea ice thickness variability from 40 years to 110 years by using historic observations from ships' logs. This provides more context for understanding rapid changes in the Arctic Ocean and helps predict its future.
A new study reveals the Ross Ice Shelf's stability is influenced by local weather processes, with sunlight and fresh water from melting ice shelves contributing to rapid melting. The findings refine predictions of sea level rise in the future.
A new study suggests that artificially pumping ocean water onto coastal regions surrounding the West Antarctic ice sheet could stabilize it, but at great cost. The approach would require a minimum of 7,400 gigatons of artificial snowfall over 10 years to achieve a two-to-five-centimeter sea level drop.
Scientists found that ice on Greenland's ice sheet slides across hard bedrock at high speeds, moving more ice than previously thought to the ocean. This discovery suggests the ice sheet can efficiently respond to climate change and potentially increase melting.
A study by Georgia Institute of Technology researchers suggests that instability within Antarctic ice will accelerate its flow into the ocean and push sea levels up at a more rapid pace than previously expected. This 'instability' makes forecasting more uncertain, particularly relevant to engineering against flood dangers.
Over a 40-year period, Antarctic sea ice coverage increased gradually until 2014 before declining sharply between 2014 and 2017. This trend is more pronounced than observed in the Arctic over the same time frame, with implications for climate modeling and understanding.
Researchers found genetic divergence between ice worm populations north and west of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia and those south and east. Birds are believed to have transported eggs between glaciers, introducing new diversity to isolated ice worms.
Scientists have discovered 56 new subglacial lakes in Greenland, expanding our knowledge of lake distribution and behavior under the ice sheet. The newly identified lakes are relatively stable but may become active as climate change causes surface meltwater to form lakes and streams.
Researchers at KRISS successfully created room-temperature ice and controlled its growth behaviors by dynamically compressing water up to pressures above 10,000 atmospheres. This technology can artificially control the size, shape, and growth rate of ice regardless of temperature.
Ice lithography offers advantages in efficient 3D nanofabrication, including processing non-flat surfaces and observing nanostructures under the ice resist. The technology has great potential for further research and development.
A new modeling study published in Science Advances predicts that melting at the present rate could contribute 19-63 inches of global sea level rise, exceeding previous estimates of up to 35 inches. The study's updated model accurately represents outlet glacier flow and shows that limiting emissions could limit ice loss to 8-25 percent.
Researchers at Aalto University developed a new method to assess the impact of moving Arctic ice on physical structures. The technique uses numerical experiments to simulate the effects of micro-level changes in ice loads, revealing that thickness is the most important factor in determining the wear and tear of ice on structures.
A recent study published in Nature Geoscience reveals an ancient geologic structure beneath the Ross Ice Shelf that restricts ocean water flow, suggesting local currents will impact ice shelf retreat. The discovery highlights the need for models to consider changing conditions near the ice front.
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory discovered crystalline phases of ice thought to exist beyond Earth's limits, challenging accepted theories about super-cooled water and amorphous, non-crystalline ice. The findings led to better understanding of ice and its various phases found on other planets and moons.
Newly discovered layers of ice on Mars reveal a record of past climate and could hold the key to understanding if the planet was ever habitable. The ice reserves are estimated to be as much as 90% water, equivalent to a global layer 1.5 meters deep.
A new study found that 24% of West Antarctic ice is now unstable due to rapid ocean melting. The ice sheet has thinned by up to 122 meters in places, with the most rapid changes occurring in West Antarctica.
A Japanese team analyzed sediment cores from Northwestern Australia to understand past climate variability and sea-level change. The results indicate that the global ice sheet changed on a shorter timescale than previously thought, revealing short-period ice-sheet dynamics during the last ice age.
Scientists have found that part of the world's largest ice shelf is melting 10 times faster than average due to solar heating of surrounding ocean surface. The Ross Ice Shelf's stability is affected by both deep ocean water and surface solar heat, with implications for sea level rise and glacier flow.
The Arctic Ocean's seasonal memory mechanism explains how atmospheric circulation causes the Eurasian Arctic to melt faster than the American Arctic. The researchers found that different seasonal patterns are at play depending on region, with the Eurasian Arctic losing ice in winter and the American Arctic only losing ice in summer.
Researchers have created a new method of ice removal using materials designed with low interfacial toughness, reducing the amount of force required for detachment. This approach can be applied to large surfaces like wind-turbine blades and airplane wings, minimizing catastrophic failure.
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new class of coatings that sheds ice from even large surfaces with just the force of a light breeze. The coatings introduce a second strategy, low interfacial toughness, which encourages cracks to form between ice and the surface.
Researchers reconstructed Greenland Ice Sheet mass changes from 1972 to 2018 using data on ice velocity, thickness, and surface elevation. The study found a significant increase in ice loss, with an average of 290 Gt per year during 2010-2018, contributing to a 13.7 mm rise in global sea level.
Scientists have discovered how key proteins produced in bacteria and insects can either promote or inhibit the formation of ice. The study reveals that these proteins can be designed to nucleate ice at specific temperatures, enabling more accurate weather forecasts and potentially solving water scarcity issues. This breakthrough has si...
Researchers found evidence of historic marine life in Alaskan permafrost, revealing that the Beaufort Sea was not completely frozen over during the late Ice Age. This discovery improves scientists' ability to reconstruct past Arctic sea-ice conditions and inform future climate strategies.
Researchers hope to uncover the cause of a dramatic change in ice ages and warm periods by analyzing greenhouse gases in ancient ice cores. The EU-backed project aims to drill into the oldest ice on Earth, expected to be at least 1.5 million years old, to gather valuable information about climate history.
A global study found that melting glaciers worldwide have caused a significant increase in global sea levels over the past 30 years, with 19,000 glaciers losing an average of 27 millimeters of ice since 1961. The largest contributors were glaciers in Alaska and Patagonia, resulting in a 335 billion-ton annual loss of glacier ice.
New study reveals extreme scale of sea-ice melting in Arctic, with only 20% of young ice reaching Transpolar Drift. This reduction affects nutrient and sediment transport, potentially impacting ecological processes and biogeochemical cycles.
Researchers have discovered that tall ice-cliffs on glaciers can trigger massive calving events, which could lead to rapid sea-level rise. The study found that cliffs over 100 meters high are most susceptible to slumping, a process that accelerates calving without waiting for the melting of the front.
Antifreeze proteins, typically preventing ice formation, have also been found to promote its growth at extremely low temperatures. This study, published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, provides insight into the basic processes of ice formation and suggests potential implications for understanding climate.
Researchers from Bielefeld University and international partners have confirmed two-fold ability of antifreeze molecules to trigger or inhibit ice crystal formation depending on temperature. This discovery challenges the long-held view that antifreeze proteins only inhibit ice crystal growth.
A new satellite mission has captured precise data on the elevation of the Antarctic ice sheet, demonstrating its potential as a valuable tool for long-term monitoring efforts. The Sentinel-3 satellite's performance over ice sheets shows promise in detecting areas where the ice surface is rapidly lowering.
Researchers at Brown University found that the movement of Greenland's snowline plays a crucial role in controlling the rate of ice melt. The study showed that changes in snowline elevation explained more than half of the annual radiation variability on the ice sheet, highlighting its importance in determining melting rates.
Researchers discovered thousands of tiny 'ice quakes' on the McMurdo Ice Shelf that appear to be caused by pools of partially melted ice expanding and freezing at night. This phenomenon may help track glacier melting and explain the breakup of large ice shelves.
A new study predicts the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in the summer as early as 2030, with climate models suggesting a shift towards an ice-free Arctic on the earlier side of forecasts. The study used long-term temperature cycles in the tropical Pacific to narrow the uncertainty range of when the first ice-free Arctic summer will occur.
A new study from the University of Eastern Finland explores the effects of ice cover on river channels and sediment transport. The research found that ice cover influences flow structures and increases sediment deposition in 'whirlpools' with low flow velocity. This discovery highlights the importance of considering seasonal changes in...
Researchers found that filling and draining of meltwater lakes on Antarctic ice shelves causes them to flex, which can lead to instability. The study supports the idea that recent ice shelf breakup was triggered by large amounts of surface meltwater produced in response to atmospheric warming.
Researchers have directly observed an Antarctic ice shelf bending under the weight of ponding meltwater, a phenomenon that may have triggered the 2002 collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf. The study found that meltwater lakes can contain up to two million tons of water, pushing downward on the ice and creating stress.
A recent study calculates the ice thickness distribution and volume of over 215,000 glaciers worldwide, revealing that the combined ice volume currently stands at around 158,000 cubic kilometres. The largest glacier ice masses, primarily in the Arctic, account for nearly half of the global glacier ice volume.
A new study links sea ice loss in the Arctic to major climate events, including rapid warming of 16 degrees Celsius in Greenland. The research, published in PNAS, used ice cores and numerical model simulations to determine that sea ice changes played a critical role in past abrupt climate change events.
Researchers found that the Greenland ice sheet was more sensitive to warming in the past million years, and that geothermal heat beneath the ice sheet played a crucial role in its formation and melting. The team's hypothesis suggests that past geological changes can help predict future ice sheet behavior.