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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 47 min ago

Earth's oldest asteroid strike linked to 'big thaw'

Wed, 01/22/2020 - 09:05
Scientists have discovered Earth's oldest asteroid strike occurred at Yarrabubba, in outback Western Australia, and coincided with the end of a global deep freeze known as a Snowball Earth. The research used isotopic analysis of minerals to calculate the precise age of the Yarrabubba crater for the first time, putting it at 2.229 billion years old -- making it 200 million years older than the next oldest impact.

The salt of the comet

Tue, 01/21/2020 - 10:30
Researchers have found an explanation for why very little nitrogen could previously be accounted for in the nebulous covering of comets: the building block for life predominantly occurs in the form of ammonium salts, the occurrence of which could not previously be measured. The salts may be a further indication that comet impacts may have made life on Earth possible in the first place.

Arctic sea ice can't 'bounce back'

Tue, 01/21/2020 - 10:29
Arctic sea ice cannot 'quickly bounce back' if climate change causes it to melt, new research suggests.

New assessment of gas locked in ice in European waters

Wed, 01/15/2020 - 12:04
A study has mapped several sites in Europe containing gas hydrate - a relatively clean fuel which could help bridge the gap between fossil fuels and renewables.

Plant genomes reveal the basis for adaptation to contrasting climates

Tue, 01/14/2020 - 09:40
In the face of rapid climate change, it is important that plants can adapt quickly to new conditions to ensure their survival. Using field experiments and plant genome studies, an international research team has pinpointed areas of the genome that are affected during local adaptation to contrasting climates. This new insight into local adaptation represents an important first step towards future development of crops that are resilient to climate change.

SuperTIGER on its second prowl -- 130,000 feet above Antarctica

Fri, 01/10/2020 - 14:53
A balloon-borne scientific instrument designed to study the origin of cosmic rays is taking its second turn high above the continent of Antarctica three and a half weeks after its launch.

Plant life expanding in the Everest region

Fri, 01/10/2020 - 11:26
Plant life is expanding in the area around Mount Everest, and across the Himalayan region, new research shows.

Global warming is the kindling that caused extensive wildfire

Fri, 01/10/2020 - 09:10
Researchers identified Arctic Oscillation as the cause for the recent wildfires in Siberia. Their study forecasts wildfire activity in spring, helping to prevent carbon release and global warming.

Novel avian species: 10 new bird taxa in islands of Wallacea

Fri, 01/10/2020 - 08:38
A research team found five bird species and five subspecies new to science in three small island groups off Sulawesi, Indonesia. The islands are situated in Indonesia's Wallacea region, an archipelago at the interface between the Oriental and Australian biogeographical realms, named after Sir Alfred Wallace.

Cracks in Arctic sea ice turn low clouds on and off

Fri, 01/10/2020 - 06:37
The prevailing view has been that more leads are associated with more low-level clouds during winter. But an atmospheric scientists noticed something strange in their study of these leads: when lead occurrence was greater, there were fewer, not more clouds.

Scientists use ancient marine fossils to unravel long-standing climate puzzle

Thu, 01/09/2020 - 09:55
Scientists have shed new light on the Earth's climate behavior during the last known period of global warming over 14 million years ago.

Sea-ice-free Arctic makes permafrost vulnerable to thawing

Wed, 01/08/2020 - 12:16
New research provides evidence from Siberian caves suggesting that summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean plays an essential role in stabilizing permafrost and its large store of carbon.

Antarctic waters: Warmer with more acidity and less oxygen

Mon, 01/06/2020 - 11:20
The increased freshwater from melting Antarctic ice sheets plus increased wind has reduced the amount of oxygen in the Southern Ocean and made it more acidic and warmer, according to new research.

Global extent of river ice loss as Earth warms

Wed, 01/01/2020 - 13:40
A new study found that annual river ice cover will decline by about six days for every one degree Celsius increase in global temperatures. This decline will have economic and environmental consequences.

North Atlantic Current may cease temporarily in the next century

Mon, 12/30/2019 - 07:48
The North Atlantic Current transports warm water from the Gulf of Mexico towards Europe, providing much of north-western Europe with a relatively mild climate. However, scientists suspect that meltwater from Greenland and excessive rainfall could interfere with this ocean current. Simulations showed that there is a 15 percent likelihood that there will be a temporary change in the current in the next 100 years.

Ancient Mediterranean seawall first known defense against sea level rise and it failed

Wed, 12/18/2019 - 14:35
Ancient Neolithic villagers on the Carmel Coast in Israel built a seawall to protect their settlement against rising sea levels in the Mediterranean, revealing humanity's struggle against rising oceans and flooding stretches back thousands of years.

Ice sheet melting: Estimates still uncertain

Wed, 12/18/2019 - 14:34
Estimates used by climate scientists to predict the rate at which the world's ice sheets will melt are still uncertain despite advancements in technology, new research shows.

New ice river detected at Arctic glacier adds to rising seas

Tue, 12/17/2019 - 14:29
Geologists, examining the desolate Vavilov ice cap on the northern fringe of Siberia in the Arctic Circle, have for the first time observed rapid ice loss from an improbable new river of ice, according to new research.

In ancient Scottish tree rings, a cautionary tale on climate, politics and survival

Tue, 12/17/2019 - 13:15
Using old tree rings and archival documents, historians and climate scientists have detailed an extreme cold period in Scotland in the 1690s that caused immense suffering. It may have lessons for Brexit-era politics.

November 2019 was 2nd hottest on record for the planet

Mon, 12/16/2019 - 14:15
November 2019 was the second-hottest November for the planet in the 140-year global climate record, according to scientists at NOAA.

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