Articles tagged with Glaciation
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Researchers discovered ancient fossils of amoeba-like organisms that built shells to survive a frozen climate. The findings suggest life recovered relatively quickly after the first major Snowball Earth event, and provide insights into the evolution of shell-building mechanisms in single-celled microbes.
A study published in Ecology Letters found that the last glacial maximum has a significant impact on the current distribution of European scarab dung beetles. The insects' presence is more influenced by the climate of the past glaciation than the present one, with two distinct patterns emerging in the north and south.
Researchers employ helium-4/helium-3 thermochronometry to reconstruct the landform history of Fiordland in New Zealand from 2.5 million years ago, finding that most valley-making occurred at downstream mouths of glaciers for the first million years and later at glacier heads.
New research reveals that the Alps' U-shaped valleys can endure glacial attack and retain their V-shaped notches. Scientists found that glaciers fill the gorges with ice and rock, protecting them from being scoured away. The rivers then return to clear out debris deposited by previous glaciers.
New University of Florida research reveals that old carbon was stored in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica during the last glacial period. This discovery has significant implications for understanding future global warming scenarios and how much atmospheric carbon dioxide the oceans can absorb in the future.
Researchers have reconstructed the Earth's climate belts between 460 and 445 million years ago, finding patterns that suggest ancient carbon dioxide levels were more modest than thought. The study reveals a 'modern-looking' pattern in ancient oceans, emphasizing the stability of the atmosphere and climate through deep time.
Researchers found evidence of tropical sea ice 716.5 million years ago, supporting the theory that Earth experienced a 'snowball Earth' event with ice covering all latitudes. This discovery provides insight into the survival of eukaryotic life during this period.
Researchers found evidence of increased greenhouse gases in ancient ice core records, suggesting that human influence on climate started with large-scale agriculture and deforestation. The study challenges the traditional view that the Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of human-induced climate change.
Researchers have developed a numerical model to recreate the Rhône Glacier's state in 1874 and predict its future evolution. The model predicts a significant increase in equilibrium line altitude due to climate change, leading to a 50% loss of volume by 2060 and complete disappearance by 2100.
Researchers found that Martian gullies resemble those in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys, formed as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago. The study suggests changes in snow accumulation and glaciation are linked to Mars' spin obliquity, indicating dynamic climate change on the planet.
Recent studies shed new light on the late Paleozoic ice age, revealing a dynamic icehouse regime and challenging traditional interpretations. This improved understanding can aid in preparing for rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and global temperature increases.
A University of Colorado at Boulder study finds that meltwater clogging and speeding of Kennicott Glacier may help explain the acceleration of glaciers in Greenland. The excess water causes water pressure to increase, causing the glacier to slide more rapidly down its bedrock valley.
Researchers calculated the probability of periodicity in climate shifts, finding that they hit a beat 70% of the time. Simulations showed that if climate shifts were truly random, the actual regularity would likely be lower, making them unpredictable.
Dartmouth researchers found that North America's prevailing winds in the mid-latitudes once blew from the east, not the west. This change was influenced by a growing and intensifying northern circumpolar vortex, resulting in shifting temperature and precipitation patterns.
A team of international researchers has uncovered secrets about the earth's climate history by analyzing marine microfossils found five kilometers below sea level. The study reveals that the earth's climate and glaciation events have corresponded with variations in the earth's natural orbital patterns and carbon cycles.
A recent study using high-resolution stable-isotope analysis from 95-million-year-old fossilized wood found that the mid-Cretaceous period was not a super-greenhouse, but rather had a short-lived glaciation. This new information may help us understand how the biosphere will respond to human-generated alterations of CO2 concentration.
A study by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researchers finds that variations in the Earth's axis tilt control the timing of glaciations, acting as a planetary pacemaker. The researchers developed a simple model to analyze the effects of changes in tilt on climate belts and seasons.
The NGRIP ice core project has uncovered a detailed record of North Greenland's climate history, revealing stable temperatures during the Eemian period and a slow transition to the glacial period. The study also suggests significant temperature jumps in recent times, with evidence of abrupt climate shifts over human lifetimes.
A new study finds that the transition from Pliocene to Pleistocene climates was a gradual process, with shifts occurring at different times and regions. The findings suggest that regional responses played a key role in this transition, leading to a modern climate system more sensitive to small perturbations.
A team of geologists has discovered evidence of at least three Cryogenian glaciations, with ages estimated to be around 663 million years ago. The new findings confirm a previously hypothesized 'snowball Earth' scenario and suggest significant climate changes may have led to extinctions.
Researchers discovered that the oldest Toba eruption, 788,000 years ago, may have triggered a glacial period rather than contributing to it. The study suggests that factors other than volcanism played a more significant role in governing glacial to interglacial transitions over the last 3 million years.
A new record of nitrous oxide concentration variations reveals that both land and ocean bacteria contributed equally to atmospheric emissions during glacial periods. This finding contradicts the long-held theory of oceanic storage being responsible for low atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
A recent UC Riverside study shows that glaciers once existed in the southernmost region of North America, as recently as 5,000-10,000 years ago. This finding has implications for understanding past climate change and testing the validity of computer models predicting future climate change.
A UMass study suggests that greenhouse gases were the primary driver behind the rapid formation of Antarctica's ice sheet, contradicting a long-held theory on plate tectonics. The researchers used computer simulations to recreate the world 34 million years ago and found that a drop in carbon dioxide levels triggered the glaciation.
A new climate study found that glaciers in the tropical Andes Mountains retreated several thousand years earlier than North American glaciers during a period of wet climate conditions. The research contradicts traditional thinking on global glaciation and suggests an alternative trigger for climate change.
Researchers found that glaciers in the tropical Andes Mountains retreated several thousand years earlier than North American glaciers during a wet period, indicating temperature change was the primary cause of glacial retreat. This challenges conventional wisdom that high northern latitudes drive global climate change.
The 'Upwelled Iron Hypothesis' proposes that increased iron in the Southern Ocean during glacial periods came from deep ocean waters, which rose to the surface through upwelling. This input may have contributed to increased phytoplankton growth and subsequently altered the global carbon balance.
Researchers propose that deep mantle volcanic plumes caused a sudden increase in oxygen levels, allowing for the emergence of life. The theory suggests that these plumes, rich in iron oxide, were fueled by buried magma and led to the formation of glaciers.
Researchers have discovered chemical deposits from 1815 Tambora and 1883 Krakatau eruptions in a Wyoming ice core, providing a unique insight into past climatic changes. The analysis indicates that major shifts in climate can occur on a 10-year scale, raising concerns about potential future climatic changes.
A Penn State meteorologist suggests that tilt is the key to understanding both the Faint Young Sun problem and the Snowball Earth problem, proposing a solution where the Earth's axis is tilted at 70 degrees. This theory could potentially explain why the Earth was warmer in the early Precambrian despite a weaker sun.
Researchers analyzed two cores retrieved from a Bolivian glacier, discovering that the tropics were much cooler during the last glacial stage, with temperatures estimated to be around 5-6 degrees Celsius lower than today. The findings also suggest that the region was wetter and experienced massive lakes forming on the plateau.
Researchers discovered brief, rapid warming episodes at the end of the last Ice Age that melted glaciers and affected Great Lakes climate. These events may be linked to El Nino Southern Oscillation and Quasi-Biennial Oscillation.
A University of Colorado at Boulder study reveals a significant decrease in glacier area and volume worldwide, especially at mid- and low-latitudes. Glaciers such as those in Africa's Mount Kenya have lost up to 92% of their mass and many glaciers in Europe and New Zealand have shrunk significantly.
A new study suggests that the ratio of calcium to magnesium in ostracod shells provides a reliable method for reconstructing ancient water temperatures. The technique, described in the journal Science, shows strong signals in temperature change between glacial and interglacial periods.