Articles tagged with Glaciers
Researchers studied Glacier Flat Creek in Alaska and found that glacier detachments can be triggered by increased subglacial water pressure due to melting ice. This phenomenon suggests that glaciers may pose new hazards as they melt at a faster pace, potentially leading to more frequent and destructive events.
Analysis of Proterozoic basement granite in southern Colorado suggests that the Great Unconformity did not form solely due to glacial erosion during Snowball Earth glaciations. Instead, its formation may be linked to varying times and locations.
Researchers have developed a low-cost methodology for creating high-resolution three-dimensional models of lake bottoms, combining data from an echo sounder and LiDAR detection data collected from an airplane. The technique has been successfully implemented in the Truchillas Lake in Spain, providing insights into the origin of the lake...
Scientists have found that liquid meltwater from Greenland's glaciers can flow deep below the ice sheet during winter, raising questions about sea-level rise and future climate change. This discovery highlights the need for year-round Arctic hydrological investigations to understand how meltwater moves through the ice sheet.
Scientists have created an equation to predict glacier movement over soft beds, which could improve forecasts of glacier speed and sea-level rise. The new 'slip law' accounts for the motion of ice resting on deformable ground underneath fast-moving parts of ice sheets.
Researchers unveil a new slip law to describe glaciers sliding on soft, deformable material, improving models of fast-flowing, marine-terminating glaciers in Antarctica and Greenland. This development enhances the understanding of glacier movement and parameterization for better sea-level rise estimations.
Glaciers in the Caucasus region are losing mass at a rate twice as fast as the average global mountain regions, with some areas decreasing by over 16% since 1986. The melting of glaciers poses significant risks to water supply and natural disasters such as rockfalls and mud flows.
Researchers have assessed East Antarctica's Denman Glacier, which has retreated 5 kilometers, and found alarming clues about its condition. The glacier's potential impact on long-term sea level rise is significant due to its sheer size.
A new record of deglaciations reveals the persistent influence of obliquity and insolation in pacing Earth's glacial-interglacial cycle. The study presents a high-resolution record of the last 11 deglaciations, showing that Earth's obliquity remained the main driver of glacial cycles throughout the Quaternary period.
A Simon Fraser University-led study predicts that climate-driven glacier retreat will challenge some salmon populations, while creating new habitats in others. As glaciers lose up to 80% of their ice volume by 2100, southern watersheds may face low water flows and warmer temperatures, posing challenges for adult and young salmon.
Researchers found that glacier ice walls block warm seawater, preventing melting and raising global sea levels. The findings provide better tools to predict future water levels and create more accurate climate prognoses.
Algae found in glaciers thrive under extreme conditions, absorbing UV light and producing energy to drive surface melt. Darkening of the Greenland Ice Sheet accelerates surface melt, with algal biomass contributing to its melt, according to a new study.
New research reveals how glacier algae thrive in extreme icy environments and cause widespread darkening of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The algae produce a phenolic pigment that captures sunlight energy for melt generation, driving surface melt increases by up to 10%.
A study found high levels of toxic metals in a Himalayan glacier dating back to the late 18th century, indicating human activity's impact on the atmosphere began during the Industrial Revolution. The research suggests that coal emissions from Europe traveled over 6,400 miles to contaminate the glacier.
Researchers have found that ocean warming is melting Greenland's ice sheet from beneath, causing rapid melting and accelerating sea level rise. The study identified a bathymetric sill near the seafloor that accelerates warm water toward the glacier, resulting in significant heat transfer and melting.
The robotic underwater vehicle, Icefin, captured unprecedented images of the grounding line, a critical area for Thwaites Glacier's stability. Researchers hope to gain a clearer picture of its condition, as it contributes significantly to global sea-level rise. The data collected will help predict future changes with more certainty.
A Rutgers University-led study using robotic kayaks found layers of concentrated meltwater in the ocean, revealing significant ambient melting rates near glaciers. This challenges current frameworks for analyzing ocean-glacier interactions and has implications for sea-level rise.
Scientists have observed record warm water beneath the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, which is causing significant melting. The discovery suggests that climate change may be responsible for the glacier's retreat, with potential implications for global sea levels.
Scientists tracked mass loss from Pine Island Glacier using ESA satellite technology and found complex patterns in space and time, with thinning rates decreasing in the central trunk by a factor of five since 2007. This contradicts previous observations, highlighting the need to improve model projections for future sea level rise.
Research suggests that glacier retreat leads to increased mercury uptake by vegetation, which can sequester more mercury than released glaciers. This phenomenon is not accounted for in current global models and has significant implications for global mercury cycling.
Researchers estimate that glacier lake outburst floods (GLOF) could reach peak discharges of up to 15,600 cubic meters per second, posing a major threat to rivers and communities in the region. The study highlights the importance of monitoring lake levels and historic outbursts in determining GLOF hazard.
Researchers observe a high-speed ice feature forming on a Russian glacier, which could indicate the transition from a glacial surge to an ice stream. The study suggests this phenomenon may be more common than previously thought and could impact predictions for global sea level rise.
Researchers at Cornell University have discovered a new ice river forming on the Vavilov ice cap in Siberia, shedding nearly 11% of its mass since 2013. The rapid ice loss is believed to be linked to climate change, which can cause unstable ice shelves and erosion by warm water.
A UCI-led team has unveiled the most accurate portrait yet of Antarctica's ice sheet bed topography, revealing stabilizing ridges and deep land canyons. The new map will help scientists predict the continent's vulnerability to future climate warming.
An analysis of sediment carried by glaciers in both South America and East Africa reveals tropical glaciers began to melt earlier than expected around 20,000 years ago. Rising temperatures at the poles reduced atmospheric circulation, slowing heat out of the tropics and triggering early melting.
A new study reveals that Glacier National Park's iconic mountain goats are under threat from climate change, as they seek out dwindling snow patches to cope with heat stress. The researchers found that breathing rates decrease by up to 15% when goats rest in these patches.
A Dartmouth study confirms tropical glaciers began melting at the end of the last ice age due to a decrease in temperature differences between polar and tropical regions. This finding clarifies how global temperatures transformed during one of Earth's most extreme climate change events.
Satellite data shows Greenland's glaciers have retreated about 3 miles between 1985 and 2018, with the rate of ice calving beginning to accelerate in 2000. This imbalance is causing the glacier to lose mass faster than snow can replace it.
The last known tropical glaciers in the West Pacific Warm Pool are at risk of disappearing within a decade. The study found that the Puncak Jaya glaciers in Indonesia lost around 1.05 meters of ice per year between 2010 and 2015, with thinning rates increasing five-fold during strong El Niño events.
The study ranked Asian Water Towers as the most important and most threatened globally, with the Indus water tower being the most relied-upon and vulnerable. Climate change and geopolitical factors pose significant risks to these systems, threatening the water supply for 1.9 billion people.
A new study warns that the world's remaining tropical glaciers will melt away in the next decade, with others following soon after. The glaciers, located between the Himalayas and Andes, are already showing rapid melting, with some losing up to 75% of their surface area since 2010.
A McGill University-led research team found evidence that glacial meltwater provided oxygen to eukaryotes during the most severe ice age, allowing them to survive. The study's findings shed light on extreme climate change and evolution, suggesting a link between Snowball Earth and animal evolution.
Researchers report rapid draining of a lake on the Greenland Ice Sheet, altering ice dynamics. Partial drainage events deliver large volumes of water to the bed in under 5 hours.
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.
A study found that biomass burning in Amazonia can enhance tropical glaciers in the Andes, with aerosols like black carbon increasing melting by 3-4% or 6%. The impact depends on dust content in snow, highlighting climate pressure from global food demand
Researchers at Harvard University have achieved the coldest chemical reaction in history, slowing down molecules to capture the critical act of bond formation. By utilizing ultracold temperatures, they observed the intermediate stage of the reaction for microseconds, enabling direct measurement and validation of theories.
Researchers are studying ice loss on Greenland's Helheim glacier to better predict sea-level rise. The four-year project brings together experts in geology, atmospheric science, and oceanography to investigate the complex processes driving glacier melting.
Researchers extracted pristine samples of carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases from 2 million-year-old ice cores in Antarctica. These 'snapshots' of prehistoric atmospheric conditions provide direct access to greenhouse gas measurements and shed light on the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a period that saw significant changes in globa...
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.
A 6,250-year record of glacial meltwater discharge suggests ice shelves have been thinning at an accelerating rate for approximately 300 years. This could increase the risk of collapse as anthropogenic warming intensifies.
A €11 million ERC grant will study the role of glacier algae in darkening the Greenland Ice Sheet surface, affecting sea level rise predictions. The research aims to understand how biological darkening occurs and where it will occur in the future.
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.
A team of researchers found that Peruvian glaciers have retreated by 30% since 2000, with the rate of retreat accelerating since 2013. The increased melting is linked to El Niño events and has significant implications for water supply, agriculture, and natural hazards.
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.
New research by University of Sheffield scientists reveals a direct link between surface melting and short bursts of glacier acceleration in Antarctica, with some glaciers moving up to 400m per year. As temperatures continue to rise, this phenomenon is expected to become more common, affecting sea level rise predictions.
Researchers revive 103-year-old succession plots in Alaska's Glacier Bay National Park, finding stable communities rather than predictable trajectories. The findings challenge traditional chronosequence studies and highlight the importance of early events in shaping long-term ecosystem dynamics.
Glacier-fed rivers in Canada's north are actively consuming atmospheric CO2, according to a University of Alberta study. Chemical weathering is the process behind this phenomenon, involving interactions between glacial sediments and melt waters with the atmosphere.
The University of Kansas researcher will use a five-year grant to design, build, and fly a radar suite on a helicopter-based unmanned aerial system (UAS) to gather data on glaciers. The UAS will provide greater resolution in its radar measurements, allowing for the measurement of crevasse size and bed topography over the grounding line.
A recent study using sonar surveys found that tidewater glaciers in Alaska are melting underwater at unprecedented rates, contradicting previous estimates. The research suggests that these glaciers may be experiencing 'hotter water' conditions than previously thought.
Researchers have developed a new method to measure submarine melt rates, revealing that current theoretical models may be underestimating glacial melt by a significant margin. The study's findings could lead to improved forecasting of climate-driven sea level rise.
Researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Oregon develop a new approach to measure submarine melt, revealing tidewater glaciers are retreating faster than expected. This finding could significantly enhance forecasting of climate-driven sea level changes.
Researchers at USF have discovered a process that can control glacier calving in Greenland, which is crucial for modeling sea level rise. The team found that a 'mélange' wedge of sea ice and icebergs can 'hold the door' and prevent glaciers from calving.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Earth Science suggests that intense storms may contribute to the breakup of Antarctic ice sheets. Researchers deployed underwater sensors to record 'icequakes' indicating fracturing of the Nansen Ice Shelf, which calved into two giant icebergs during a massive storm system.
Researchers have documented a 22-year average sea level rise of 2.2 millimeters per year in the Arctic Ocean using radar measurements from space-based altimetry satellites. The findings reveal significant regional differences, with sea levels rising twice as fast in the Beaufort Gyre and falling along the west coast of Greenland.
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.
Researchers collected continuous time series of water temperatures near glaciers in Svalbard, revealing subsurface temperatures exert the greatest influence on mass loss. The study provides valuable data to improve numerical models estimating future sea level rise.
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.
The 'Third Pole' region in Asia contains one-seventh of the world's freshwater, but rapid climate changes are affecting glacier melt and snowmelt. NASA's High Mountain Asia Team is conducting a comprehensive survey to understand these changes and their implications for food and water security.
A study by the University of Bristol's School of Earth Sciences has investigated the impact of melting ice on nutrient supplies in the ocean. The research found that glacial sediments, which are rich in nutrients, play a crucial role in cycling these essential elements through shallow marine sediments.
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.