Articles tagged with Antarctica
Research from the University of Bristol finds Antarctic ice loss is concentrated at narrow glacier outlets, driven by accelerating ice flow, and may dominate the ice sheet mass budget. The study estimates a total loss of 192 billion tonnes of ice over the past decade.
New research brings scientists closer to exploring Jupiter's moon Europa, discovering potential for life in its ice-covered ocean. Refined methods and data analysis reveal a habitable environment, with improved measurements potentially detecting compounds indicative of life.
A new genus and species of sauropodomorph, Glacialisaurus hammeri, has been discovered in Antarctica. The massive plant-eating dinosaur lived about 190 million years ago and helps establish that primitive sauropodomorphs were more broadly distributed than previously thought.
A $4.5 million POLENET project aims to cover West Antarctica with GPS trackers and seismic sensors, enabling systems-scale science through the dark polar night. The network will record data from 2010 to 2012, providing insights into climate change's impact on the WAIS.
Researchers compare images of Mars gullies to McMurdo Dry Valleys' saltwater flows, finding similarities that suggest liquid water on Mars. The study bolsters the notion of microbial life on Mars, as bacteria thrive in the Antarctic landscape's similar conditions.
The newly completed map of Antarctica is a result of NASA's state-of-the-art satellite technologies, offering the most geographically accurate and high-resolution views of the continent. The Landsat Image Mosaic of Antarctica will enable researchers to better plan scientific expeditions and help scientists map various rock formations.
A Washington University team led by Douglas A. Wiens will install seismographs in east and west Antarctica to study the earth beneath the ice. The region has never been visited by humans before, but research may reveal information about glaciers, mountains, and ice streams.
The Polaris Project aims to train future leaders in arctic research and education, addressing the urgent need for scientific knowledge on global warming in the Arctic. The initiative includes field courses, research experiences, and outreach activities, supported by a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation.
New research suggests that Antarctic plant and animal life has a striking ability to survive global climate change. The findings contradict current reconstructions of past glacial ice extent and highlight the importance of integrating biological evidence into climate models.
A recent Arctic heat wave has led to a significant revision of climate change forecasts and research findings. The extreme temperatures on Melville Island have caused widespread erosion, changed sediment loads, and impacted water quality, highlighting the urgent need for improved models predicting future climate change in the High Arctic.
A new NASA study reveals that Antarctic snow is melting farther inland from the coast over time, with increased melting at higher altitudes. This trend is linked to climate change, threatening Antarctica's role as a 'brake system' for glaciers.
Researchers using pinhead-sized fossils from sediments deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean found that large continental ice sheets did not exist in both hemispheres around 41 million years ago. The findings resolve a long-standing problem and provide renewed confidence in our understanding of geological events and ice sheet existence.
A team of UTSA researchers, led by renowned sea ice expert Stephen Ackley, will join a crew of 22 researchers from several countries to explore the Amundsen Sea in Antarctica. The two-month expedition aims to investigate the processes of how sea ice forms and interacts with the environment.
A team of atmospheric chemists found high concentrations of halogens, including bromine and iodine oxides, which persist throughout the Antarctic winter. These chemicals cause substantial ozone depletion and form tiny particles that can impact local climate.
Researchers use echo-sounding equipment to create images of the ocean floor, providing evidence that West Antarctica was involved in the growth of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. The findings suggest that more of the continent hosted an ice sheet at the start of the 'icehouse' Earth period.
A NASA-University of Colorado study revealed widespread Antarctic melting in January 2005, with affected regions spanning an area as big as California. The observed melting occurred in multiple distinct regions, including far inland and at high latitudes, and was linked to unusually high air temperatures.
A record-setting Antarctic ice core extracted during a recent drilling expedition provides unprecedented detail on the Ross Ice Shelf's history, indicating fluctuations of up to 50 times over the last 5 million years. The research project, ANDRILL, aims to understand the impact of global warming on oceans worldwide.
Researchers found humpback whales migrating up to 8,300 kilometers to warmer waters during winter, with the longest distance recorded at 5,100 miles from Central America to Antarctica. The study validates a long-held assumption about humpback whale migration patterns.
Researchers have discovered two species of arthropods that use distinct methods to combat the cold: Onychiurus arcticus loses water through dehydration, while Cryptopygus antarcticus accumulates anti-freeze compounds to lower its freezing point. These findings provide insight into the evolutionary adaptations of these animals.
Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories are conducting groundbreaking research at the North Slope of Alaska to better understand climate change. The team is studying how longwave energy gets trapped in the atmosphere, and their findings have significant implications for our understanding of Earth's natural energy balance.
The partnership aims to promote high-quality scientific knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, addressing key questions on climate change and polar science. The journal will cover topics such as glacier mass balance, sea ice interactions, and palaeoclimate reconstruction.
Scientists identified four Antarctic glaciers posing a threat to future sea levels, with East and West Antarctica's glaciers retreating in unison. A 0.35mm/year sea level rise due to the two ice sheets is about 12% of the current global trend.
Researchers have produced a high-resolution map of Antarctica, offering 10 times greater detail than previously possible. The map allows for zooming in on specific regions, including dry valleys, and provides clear views of the ice sheet's surface.
Researchers found that Antarctic temperatures did not increase as predicted by climate models, despite a global warming trend. The continent's vast size and limited data availability contribute to the discrepancy.
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.
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.
Researchers at UTSA's Department of Earth and Environmental Science are analyzing data collected in Antarctica to understand the impact of global warming on sea ice sheets. The team found regional increases and decreases in sea ice coverage, linked to global change in the atmosphere.
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.
The Polarstern ship will conduct the first major biological research in an uncharted area of the Antarctic Peninsula, studying living communities from microbes to whales. The expedition aims to understand the impact of global warming on ice shelves and sea level rise.
Researchers from EPICA project establish precise link between climate records from Greenland and Antarctica using methane concentration data. They find that short temperature changes in the South are connected to fast changes in the North through Atlantic Ocean currents, indicating a general 'bipolar seesaw' connection.
Scientists confirm the first direct evidence of human-induced link to Antarctic ice shelf collapse. Stronger westerly winds, influenced by climate change, led to regional summer warming and the break-up of the Larsen Ice Shelf in 2002.
Researchers discovered that Antarctic midge larvae continuously produce heat-shock proteins to withstand environmental stresses, whereas adult midges only express these proteins during extreme stress. This unique mechanism offers the larvae protection and allows them to thrive in Antarctica's harsh conditions.
A severe storm in the Gulf of Alaska generated an ocean swell that broke apart a giant iceberg floating near the coast of Antarctica, more than 8,300 miles away. The research team discovered that the iceberg had moved due to sea swell, and their findings raise the possibility that global warming could affect far-flung parts of the globe.
A new lunar meteorite, MIL 05035, has been discovered in Antarctica, providing a rare opportunity to study a part of the Moon's surface not visited by the US Apollo program. The meteorite exhibits unusual mineralogy and texture, offering clues about the Moon's formation and evolution.
Antarctica's average temperature has increased by about two-tenths of a degree Celsius, or one-third of a degree Fahrenheit, in the past 150 years. This warming trend is attributed to various factors, including natural phenomena and human-induced climate change.
Rising carbon dioxide levels pose unprecedented risks to climate change, as evidenced by an 800,000-year Antarctic ice core record. Human activity has increased CO2 beyond natural ranges, raising concerns about future sinks' effectiveness.
A new study reveals that Antarctic snowfall has remained stable over the past 50 years, with no statistically significant trends detected. The findings contradict climate change predictions and suggest that thickening ice sheets have not reduced sea levels.
Researchers from Ohio State University and international partners assembled a 50-year record of snowfall in Antarctica, contradicting assumptions in some climate change models. The study suggests that global sea levels have not been slowed by a thickening of ice sheets.
A study of extraterrestrial dust in Antarctic ice cores found that the amount of cosmic dust falling to Earth has remained largely constant over the past 30,000 years. This finding could help refine efforts to understand the timing and effects of changes in the Earth's past climate.
New evidence from a 430-meter sediment core reveals glaciers in the Arctic Ocean formed simultaneously with those in Antarctica, rewriting climate history. The discovery underscores the role of greenhouse gases in driving global climate change.
Researchers used neodymium isotopes in tiny fish teeth to date the Drake Passage opening and confirm it was earlier than previously thought, potentially contributing to Antarctica's cooling. The circumpolar current isolated the continent from warm waters, leading to upwelling of cold water and growth of algae that consumed carbon dioxide.
Researchers using ERS-2's radar altimetry and InSAR found anomalies in ice-sheet surface elevation, suggesting large floods of water from deep within the ice may have generated huge floods that reached the ocean. The discovery raises concerns about ancient life in subglacial lakes.
Researchers have discovered rivers beneath the ice in Antarctica, moving water hundreds of miles under the surface. The findings suggest that these lakes could support microbial life and potentially release large floods that could affect ocean circulation.
A new study reveals broad-scale climate change across the Antarctic continent, with temperatures rising over three times faster than global average. The finding suggests that greenhouse gases may have a significant impact on Antarctica's climate system.
Researchers Bette Otto-Bliesner and Jonathan Overpeck base their findings on data from ancient coral reefs, ice cores, and other natural climate records. The Community Climate System Model (CCSM) suggests that Arctic warming could lead to sea level rise of up to 11 feet, while paleoclimate records indicate a rise of 13-20 feet.
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.
The West Antarctic ice sheet's rapid discharge is making a significant contribution to global sea-level rise. Current computer models do not account for liquid water on ice sheet sliding, leading to conservative estimates of future behavior.
Researchers used recent meteorological data to simulate condensation cycles, finding that temperature differences across Antarctica explain isotope value variations but with strong spatial correlations. Climate signals stored in Antarctic snow are not representative of annual weather conditions.
This year's Antarctic ozone hole measured slightly larger than last year's at 9.4 million square miles, but still smaller than in previous years. The protective ozone layer has gotten larger since satellite measurements began in 1979, primarily due to human-produced chlorine and bromine chemicals.
The Mosaic map reveals subtle changes in terrain that indicate the direction ice is flowing now and where it has gone in the past. The digital elevation model complements this view with elevation measurements over more of the continent than ever surveyed before, yielding new information about how topography drives ice flow.
Researchers have expanded the view of climate history by analyzing new ice cores that provide a record of atmospheric conditions up to 650,000 years. The study suggests that current conditions are a distinct anomaly and may be linked to human influence on greenhouse gases.
The American Geosciences Institute announced the winners of its Earth Science Week 2005 contests. James Pugh won the Visual Art Contest with his drawing 'Volcanologists: It's a Hot Job,' while Robert Kendle took home the Essay Contest prize for his essay on paleontology and geoscientist aspirations.
Researchers warn that the breakdown of major ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica could significantly speed up sea level rise, potentially doubling current projections. The study suggests that these mechanisms should be carefully considered in future climate models to ensure accurate sea level rise predictions.
A new study suggests that the opening of the Drake Passage, a shallow gateway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, led to the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. This current cut off Antarctica from warm southward flowing currents, causing it to freeze and become desolate.
A University of Colorado study found that freeze-dried microbial mats in an Antarctic streambed revived quickly after water was reintroduced, demonstrating the persistence and adaptability of life in extreme environments. The research, led by Professor Diane McKnight, sheds light on the resilience of microorganisms in polar ecosystems.
The Larsen ice shelf collapse was caused by a combination of long-term thinning and short-term increases in surface air temperature, exceeding natural regional climate variation during the Holocene period. Researchers attribute the collapse to climate warming in the Antarctic Peninsula, which is more pronounced than elsewhere.
The space shuttle Columbia's exhaust plume caused a significant increase in polar mesospheric cloud activity over Antarctica, forcing scientists to rethink their role in monitoring global climate change. The clouds formed at an altitude of about 52 miles due to the high concentrations of water vapor released into the atmosphere.
A NASA-led NRL study found that space shuttle exhaust can form Antarctic polar mesospheric clouds, contributing to a remarkable 10-20% of clouds observed during one summer season. The discovery challenges the interpretation of PMC trends in terms of global climate change.
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.
The University of Houston's Sasakawa International Center for Space Architecture is designing a research facility on the Greenland Summit. The UH team will conduct site evaluations and initiate tests of an experimental scale mockup station to refine the design.