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Read science articles on the ice age, glaciation and climatology. Discover the connection between ice ages and global warming.
Updated: 1 hour 55 min ago

Major Atlantic ocean current system might be approaching critical threshold

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 10:54
A major Atlantic ocean current -- the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC -- may have been losing stability in the course of the last century, according to new research. A potential collapse of this ocean current system could have severe consequences.

Emperor penguins increasingly threatened by climate change

Tue, 08/03/2021 - 11:13
A new study provides valuable new data that highlights how species extinction risk is accelerating due to rapid climate change and an increase in extreme climate events, such as glacial calving and sea ice loss.

Oxygen spike coincided with ancient global extinction

Mon, 08/02/2021 - 10:50
Researchers have found that the extinction at the end of the Permian period coincided with a sudden spike and subsequent drop in the ocean's oxygen content.

Sea levels influence eruptions on volcanic island

Mon, 08/02/2021 - 10:50
The rise and fall of sea levels influence the likelihood of volcanic eruptions on the Greek island of Santorini, new research has discovered. Analyzing the timings of eruptions over hundreds of thousands of years, the researchers found that a 40 meter fall in sea level is a crucial point beyond which eruptions are more likely to occur. The findings could have implications for millions of people living on volcanic islands around the world.

Russian Arctic losing billions of tons of ice as climate warms

Mon, 08/02/2021 - 10:49
Glaciers and ice caps in two archipelagos in the Russian Arctic are losing enough meltwater to fill nearly five million Olympic-size swimming pools each year, research shows.

Decline in CO2 cooled Earth’s climate over 30 million years ago

Mon, 08/02/2021 - 10:49
New research demonstrates that a decline in the concentration of atmospheric CO2 played a major role in driving Earth's climate from a warm greenhouse into a cold icehouse world around 34 million years ago. This transition could be partly reversed in the next centuries due to the anthropogenic rise in CO2.

Icy waters of 'Snowball Earth' may have spurred early organisms to grow bigger

Thu, 07/29/2021 - 11:20
A new study tackles one of the oldest questions in the history of the planet: How did living organisms get so big?

Understanding past climate change 'tipping points' can help us prepare for the future

Thu, 07/29/2021 - 10:18
Of all the creatures on Earth, humans manipulate their environments the most. But, how far can we push it before something drastic happens? Scientists are calling for a better understanding of past extreme climate change events in an attempt to anticipate future changes.

Sediments from lake in Japan reveal stable climate led to origin of agriculture

Thu, 07/29/2021 - 08:52
The advent of agriculture was a significant turning point in the history of modern humans, beyond which humans started living a sedentary life and formed a so-called 'civilization.' However, the environmental factors responsible for this revolutionary change in human lifestyle have been unclear for quite long. A new study on finely layered mud at the bottom of a lake in Japan reveals that the answer to this puzzle lies in the stability of the climate.

‘Less than 1% probability’ that Earth’s energy imbalance increase occurred naturally

Wed, 07/28/2021 - 14:03
Sunlight in, reflected and emitted energy out. That's the fundamental energy balance sheet for our planet -- and for decades, it has been out of balance. The extra energy manifests as higher temperatures, rising sea levels, floods, droughts, more powerful blizzards and hurricanes, and deadlier extreme events. Not only is the imbalance growing, but there's a 99% chance that the growth is due to human activity, calculated a team of researchers.

15,000-year-old viruses discovered in Tibetan glacier ice

Tue, 07/20/2021 - 11:05
Scientists who study glacier ice have found viruses nearly 15,000 years old in two ice samples taken from the Tibetan Plateau in China. Most of those viruses, which survived because they had remained frozen, are unlike any viruses that have been cataloged to date.

Using archeology to better understand climate change

Mon, 07/19/2021 - 14:35
Anthropologists, geographers and earth scientists look to the past to assess how different cultures have - and will - adapt to global warming.

Unsustainable Arctic shipping risks accelerating damage to the Arctic environment

Mon, 07/19/2021 - 09:30
The economic and environmental pros and cons of melting Arctic ice creating shorter shipping routes through the polar region are weighed up in ground-breaking research from experts in energy and transport. They conclude that policy makers must properly assess the environmental trade-offs and costs in addition to the commercial benefits and opportunities in Arctic shipping. The authors also want to see more incentives to drive technological developments that will accelerate the uptake of green fuels and technologies.

Solar radio signals could be used to monitor melting ice sheets

Wed, 07/14/2021 - 10:03
A new method for seeing through ice sheets using radio signals from the sun could enable cheap, low-power and widespread monitoring of ice sheet evolution and contribution to sea-level rise.

Seismic monitoring of permafrost uncovers trend likely related to warming

Thu, 07/08/2021 - 10:14
Seismic waves passing through the ground near Longyearbyen in the Adventdalen valley, Svalbard, Norway have been slowing down steadily over the past three years, most likely due to permafrost warming in the Arctic valley.

Ancient ostrich eggshell reveals new evidence of extreme climate change thousands of years ago

Thu, 07/08/2021 - 09:36
Evidence from an ancient eggshell has revealed important new information about the extreme climate change faced by human early ancestors.

Reducing the melting of Greenland ice cap using solar geoengineering?

Wed, 07/07/2021 - 15:05
Injecting sulphur into the stratosphere to reduce solar radiation and stop the Greenland ice cap from melting: An interesting scenario, but not without risks. Climatologists have looked into the matter and have tested one of the scenarios put forward using the MAR climate model. The results are mixed.

Changes in Earth's orbit enabled the emergence of complex life

Wed, 07/07/2021 - 10:24
'Snowball Earth' is the most extreme climate event in Earth's history, when it was completely engulfed in ice. The theory of its existence has faced two challenges - how life survived and variations in rock formations from the time implying changes to the climate cycle. New study shows that changes to Earth's orbit caused the ice sheets to advance and retreat, providing ice-free 'oases' for animal life and explaining variations in rock formations.

Oil spill in Canadian Arctic could be devastating for environment and indigenous peoples, study finds

Wed, 07/07/2021 - 10:22
As melting sea ice brings more ships through the Northwest Passage, new research shows that Canada must prepare for the costs and consequences of an Arctic oil spill.

Earth's cryosphere shrinking by 87,000 square kilometers per year

Thu, 07/01/2021 - 18:52
A new study reports the first global assessment of the extent of snow and ice cover on Earth's surface -- a critical factor cooling the planet through reflected sunlight -- and its response to warming temperatures.

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