Articles tagged with Glaciology
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Researchers found a surprising correlation between West Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat and marine algae growth over the past 500,000 years. The study suggests that global warming may lead to reduced CO2 uptake if the ice sheet continues to shrink.
The Alps are expected to reach a peak loss rate of 2,000-4,000 glaciers per year by 2033-2041, with only 110 glaciers remaining in Central Europe by 2100. Regions like the Rocky Mountains and Andes will also experience significant glacier losses.
A University of Houston scientist teams with international partners to map Antarctica's glaciers, revealing tidal movements and retreat rates up to 700 meters per year. The dataset provides the most detailed view yet of how glaciers interact with the ocean, enabling better understanding and modeling of sea-level rise.
Researchers at UC Irvine have identified stormlike circulation patterns beneath Antarctic ice shelves causing aggressive melting of Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers. The study found that these ephemeral processes account for nearly a fifth of total submarine melt variance, with implications for global sea level rise projections.
Researchers project that Chile's glaciers will only be able to contribute half of today's runoff meltwater during extreme dry summer months. They call for effective water management strategies and coordinated global climate policies to mitigate future megadroughts.
A landmark study by Swansea University reveals the Hektoria Glacier lost nearly half its length in two months during 2023, a pace similar to the end of the last ice age. The rapid retreat was boosted by the shape of the land beneath it, leading scientists to identify vulnerable glaciers and prioritize their monitoring.
Scientists will study moisture-driven mechanisms of ice sheet growth during the Miocene Climatic Optimum, a warmer climate period. The team aims to understand how increased moisture transport affects ice accumulation and mitigate sea level rise.
Researchers used airborne radar to map an unexplored region in East Antarctica, discovering a subglacial sedimentary basin. The basal unit, a layer of ice, carried small amounts of material from a mountain range and left behind sediment, forming a novel kind of basin.
A new study finds that glaciers will likely reach their peak of self-cooling power in the 2020s-2040s before near-surface temperatures spike up and melting accelerates. The research, led by Thomas Shaw, used an unprecedented dataset of on-glacier observations worldwide to demonstrate this trend.
The Swiss Alps have experienced its fourth greatest shrinkage of glacier ice since 2003, with over 1,000 small glaciers disappearing since 2015. The rapid melting was driven by low snowfall and record-breaking heatwaves in June 2025.
Researchers found that northerly winds exacerbate ice loss in Antarctica by capping off polynyas, reducing ocean heat loss. This mechanism could be connected to human-induced climate change and potentially mitigated by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers studying Tajikistan's Kyzylsu Glacier found that the glacier likely reached its tipping point in 2018, with decreasing snowfall causing it to melt. The study uses computational models driven by new local observations and demonstrates the importance of densifying observational data in understanding anomalous glacier behavior.
Research from the University of Utah and Virginia Tech reveals that seasonal shifts in rainfall and snowfall patterns are exacerbating glacier melting across the region. Glaciers in Central Himalaya, Western Himalaya, and Eastern Himalaya are especially vulnerable to accelerated ice loss and water availability threats.
Researchers used fiber-optic technology to measure how falling ice drives glacial retreat in Greenland. The impact of warming seawater on glacier melting and erosion was found to amplify calving and mass loss.
Researchers used a fiber-optic cable to capture calving dynamics across the fjord of a South Greenland glacier, documenting a 'crazy calving multiplier effect' that accelerates glacial mass loss. The data provides a deeper look at the relationship between ice and water, shedding light on the consequences of continued mass loss.
A global analysis using machine learning predicts glacial erosion rates for 180,000 glaciers worldwide, with most experiencing erosion between 0.02-2.68 millimeters per year. The study identifies complex factors influencing erosion, including temperature, water under the glacier and rock type.
Researchers discovered an 85m-deep crater and 90 million cubic metres of water flooded out of a subglacial lake, fracturing the ice above and creating a massive flood. The study highlights the need to better understand how often subglacial lakes drain and their impact on the surrounding ice sheet.
Researchers at Penn State developed a novel technique to analyze ice fractures in the Thwaites Glacier, a key indicator of potential collapse and sea-level rise. The new method provides high-resolution profiles of surface elevations and visual cross-sections of fractures, shedding light on fracture depth and activity.
Researchers have found extensive, previously unmapped flat surfaces beneath a 3,500 km stretch of the East Antarctic coastline, which were formed by large rivers after East Antarctica and Australia broke apart. These surfaces may currently be regulating the rate of ice loss from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.
A new study found that chemical reactions in newly uncovered glacial sediments initially suppress greenhouse gas emissions, but as soil matures, it produces more methane, contributing to warming. The research provides insights into the role of soil and water in the climate change cycle.
Researchers found that thick ice cover suppressed volcanic eruptions, but as glacial ice melts, pressure builds and magma is released, leading to more frequent and explosive eruptions. This phenomenon could occur worldwide, including Antarctica, and may have global climate impacts, including long-term warming.
A new study predicts that limiting warming to 1.5°C could preserve over half of the world's glacier mass, but even at this level, 39% of glacier mass would still disappear due to delayed climate change reactions.
A new commentary highlights the social and emotional responses to environmental change as glaciers accelerate their loss. The authors argue that addressing climate change requires cultural understanding, public memory and collective action.
A new study published in Science finds that strong climate policy can preserve twice as much ice as current warming trajectories, even if temperatures stabilized today. At a 1.5°C temperature increase, 53% of global glacier mass could be preserved, alleviating hazards like flooding and freshwater deficiency.
A new study suggests that limiting global temperature increase to 1.5°C may not be enough to save the world's ice sheets, which could lead to significant losses and extensive displacement of coastal populations. The researchers argue that a target of around 1°C would be more effective in preventing rapid sea level rise.
A team of researchers developed the first global machine learning model to calculate the volume of all glaciers on Earth. The model shows errors up to 30-40% lower than traditional global models, particularly at polar latitudes and along the peripheries of ice sheets.
Researchers find watercourse meeting sub-ice-shelf ocean cavity up close, with temperature and salinity analysis revealing it's a calm body of water primarily fed by sea. The study also reveals that the watercourse fluctuates greatly over time, with flood events occurring approximately every ten years.
Since the turn of the millennium, glaciers worldwide have lost around 273 billion tonnes of ice per year, corresponding to about five and a half times the volume of Lake Constance. The loss of ice from glaciers has led to a rise in sea level of 18 millimetres, making it the second strongest driver of sea level rise after ocean warming.
Global glacier mass loss has increased by 36% since 2000, with 6,542 billion tons lost between 2000 and 2023. This results in an 18 mm annual contribution to global sea-level rise, making glaciers the second-largest contributor after ocean warming.
Researchers discovered that Arctic glaciers are leaking significant amounts of methane through the 'glacial fracking' process. This previously unrecognised process could contribute to Arctic climate feedbacks and accelerate global warming.
Researchers found no increase in large iceberg sizes over the last half century, contradicting climate change expectations. Instead, frequent small calving events have dominated ice shelf loss, suggesting 'death by a thousand cuts',
Geology researchers from UTEP are partnering with Bhutanese scientists to better understand and mitigate the impact of glacial floods on rural mountain villages. The project aims to use geophysical methods to identify changes in water levels and sediment transport, potentially helping vulnerable villages create early warning systems.
A groundbreaking study led by Virginia Tech provides the first direct geochemical evidence of a massive, rapid melting period on Earth after the last global ice age. The researchers analyzed lithium isotopes in carbonate rocks formed during this time and found strong evidence for freshwater meltwater interacting with the ocean.
The Open Radar Code Architecture (ORCA) offers scientists a standardized way to build ice-penetrating radar systems, reducing costs and increasing efficiency. This enables glaciologists to collect and reuse data more effectively, advancing research into melting ice sheets and sea-level rise.
A Dartmouth-led study projects that Antarctica's glaciers will rapidly retreat and potentially collapse by 2200, increasing global sea levels by up to 5.5 feet by 2300. The researchers used 16 ice-sheet models to refine the projection of ice loss over the next 300 years.
A new study led by Dartmouth researchers questions the rapid polar ice collapse model used in the IPCC's sixth assessment report. The team found that the expected rate of retreat is significantly lower than predicted, making the worst-case scenario less likely, but still dire due to ongoing ice loss from Greenland and Antarctica.
A new study confirms that the center of Greenland's ice sheet melted away in recent geological past, exposing a green, tundra landscape. The discovery suggests that the giant ice sheet is more fragile than previously thought and increases the risk of sea-level rise, potentially leading to catastrophic flooding in coastal cities.
The UT Austin expedition aims to investigate how sediments control glacial melt and the future of the Greenland ice sheet. A robotic submersible will gather measurements of the glaciers' underwater walls and sediment-laden meltwater, while surveys and sediment cores will reveal past climate change impacts.
Researchers study droughts, wildfires, and precipitation changes across the US Southeast and globally. The Great Salt Lake's drying exacerbates regional droughts, while a Maui wildfire is linked to atmospheric patterns.
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have tracked the evolution of glaciers in East Antarctica using hundreds of old aerial photographs dating back to 1937. The study reveals that the ice has remained stable and grown slightly over almost a century, partly due to increasing snowfall.
A new high-resolution dataset from Svalbard's glaciers provides unprecedented insights into calving front changes, revealing a retreating trend for most glaciers. The data can be used to improve mass balance assessments and explore drivers of glacier calving, crucial for understanding climate change's impact on the Arctic Cryosphere.
Researchers found that historically low volcanic carbon dioxide emissions, combined with weathering of a large pile of volcanic rocks in Canada, led to the prolonged Sturtian glaciation. The team used plate tectonic modeling and computer simulations to investigate the cause and duration of this ice age.
A new computer model reconstructs the evolution of Alpine ice cover with unprecedented precision, allowing scientists to understand past climate interaction with glaciers. The simulation provides a direct visualization of phenomena, making them accessible to a wide audience.
A new laser-based sampling system allows for higher depth resolution, enabling scientists to reconstruct continuous annual temperature changes thousands of years ago. The LMS system overcomes previous limitations in sampling ice cores, preserving critical oxygen and hydrogen isotopes needed to infer past temperatures.
Scientists have developed a new radar technique that can image hidden features within the upper few feet of ice sheets, including melting glaciers on Earth and potentially habitable environments on Jupiter's moon Europa. The technique boosts resolution by combining two different radar bandwidths and looking for discrepancies.
Scientists from Hokkaido University propose a cheap and effective alternative for monitoring glacial runoff by analyzing audible sounds generated at the proglacial run-off site. The method has shown promising results in detecting changes in glacier discharge with high accuracy.
Researchers at Pusan National University have created a new algorithm that can accurately predict ice resistance and fracture points for ships navigating through the Arctic shipping routes. The model uses an elastic material approach, allowing it to study continuous ice-breaking processes, which is essential for efficient navigation.
The years 2001 to 2011 were the warmest in the last thousand years, with temperatures 1.5 °C higher than in the 20th century at high elevations of the Greenland Ice Sheet. This warming is surprisingly pronounced and decoupled from the rest of the Arctic.
Researchers used high-resolution radar systems to reconstruct past ice streams in Greenland, revealing they can 'shut down' rapidly. This insight offers new information on the future behavior of ice streams and how it affects sea-level rise predictions.
A team of researchers from ETH Zurich and WSL reconstructed the topography of all Swiss glaciers in 1931 using stereophotogrammetry. They found that the glacier volume halved between 1931 and 2016, with some glaciers losing mass at varying rates depending on factors like altitude, snout shape, and debris coverage.
A new study from the University of Washington and the National Park Service measured 38 years of change for glaciers in Kenai Fjords National Park. The study found that 13 of 19 glaciers have shown significant retreat, while two have advanced. Lake-terminating glaciers are retreating at a faster rate than other types.
Researchers developed a methodology to attribute coastal glacier retreat to human-caused climate change, revealing that even modest global warming causes most glaciers to melt or retreat. The approach simulates the behavior of real ice sheets like Greenland's, helping predict major ice loss and informing decision-making for policymakers.
Researchers found that a 2019 landslide on the Amalia Glacier in Chile caused it to grow in size and slow down its melting process. The study suggests that landslides can have a major impact on glacier movement, which could help scientists better predict future changes due to climate change.
Researchers estimate 60,000-year timeline of massive volcanic eruptions, finding 85 large global eruptions and 69 larger than the 1815 Mount Tambora eruption. This new data helps improve climate models by providing insights into Earth's climate sensitivity.
Scientists have found that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet formed 35 million years ago, with warm deep water delaying its expansion to the sea. This discovery helps improve forecasts of its future stability and ice retreat.
Researchers have created the first global map of flow velocities for 98% of the world's glaciers using satellite images. The study found that Himalayan glaciers hold a third more water than previously estimated, while tropical Andean glaciers may be up to 23% smaller.
A new atlas measures the movement and thickness of over 250,000 mountain glaciers worldwide, revealing a mixed picture of the globe's ice-bound freshwater resources. The research suggests there is 20% less ice available for sea level rise than previously thought, with significant implications for water availability and climate change.
A submersible robot will explore three of Greenland's glaciers with a remotely operated vehicle Nereid Under Ice (NUI), mapping seafloor topography and retrieving sediment cores to study moraines and their impact on glacier stability. The mission aims to improve model projections for future sea level rise.
Researchers found that glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere lost a total area of 390 km² per year, with 60% attributed to the Greenland Ice Sheet. Only 3% of glaciers advanced during this period. The study highlights the impact of climate change on marine-terminating glaciers.
A recent study analyzing air bubbles preserved in Antarctic ice for up to 1.5 million years suggests that glacial erosion is likely responsible for the decline of atmospheric oxygen levels over the past 800,000 years.