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Read science articles on the ice age, glaciation and climatology. Discover the connection between ice ages and global warming.
Updated: 2 hours 59 min ago

Sand from glacial melt could be Greenland's economic salvation

Mon, 02/11/2019 - 10:42
As climate change melts Greenland's glaciers and deposits more river sediment on its shores, an international group of researchers has identified one unforeseen economic opportunity for the Arctic nation: exporting excess sand and gravel abroad, where raw materials for infrastructure are in high demand.

Species 'hotspots' created by immigrant influx or evolutionary speed depending on climate

Wed, 02/06/2019 - 13:45
New research reveals that biodiversity 'hotspots' in the tropics produced new species at faster rates over the last 25 million years, but those in temperate regions are instead full of migrant species that likely sought refuge from shifting and cooling climates.

Melting ice sheets may cause 'climate chaos' according to new modelling

Wed, 02/06/2019 - 12:19
The weather these days is wild and will be wilder still within a century -- in part, because the water from melting ice sheets off Greenland and in the Antarctic will cause extreme weather and unpredictable temperatures around the globe. A new study is the first to simulate the effects, under current climate policies, that the two melting ice sheets will have on ocean temperatures and circulation patterns as well as on air temperatures by the year 2100.

2018 fourth warmest year in continued warming trend, according to NASA, NOAA

Wed, 02/06/2019 - 10:56
Earth's global surface temperatures in 2018 were the fourth warmest since 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Forecast suggests Earth's warmest period on record

Wed, 02/06/2019 - 10:56
The forecast for the global average surface temperature for the five-year period to 2023 is predicted to be near or above 1.0 degree C above pre-industrial levels, says the United Kingdom's Met Office. If the observations for the next five years track the forecast, that would make the decade from 2014 to 2023 the warmest run of years since records began.

Cracks herald the calving of a large iceberg from Petermann Glacier

Wed, 02/06/2019 - 09:10
Cracks in the floating ice tongue of Petermann Glacier in the far northwest reaches of Greenland indicate the pending loss of another large iceberg.

Revising the history of big, climate-altering volcanic eruptions

Tue, 02/05/2019 - 12:40
Researchers have developed a new isotopic method to analyze the recent history of large stratospheric volcanic eruptions, using 2,600 years' worth of records contained in ice cores from Antarctica. Stratospheric eruptions can launch sulfate particles more than 6 miles above Earth's surface, where they reflect sunlight and temporarily cool the planet. By understanding the history of big eruptions, researchers can place short cooling episodes and other climate events into the context of large-scale climate patterns.

Ice Age survivors or stranded travellers? A new subterranean species discovered in Canada

Tue, 02/05/2019 - 10:54
The discovery of a new to science species of rare and primitive arthropod in a cave that was covered by a thick ice sheet until recently is certain to raise questions. Researchers describe a new species of cave-dwelling, insect-like dipluran from the island of Vancouver (Canada) and discuss its origin.

Volcanic growth 'critical' to the formation of Panama

Tue, 02/05/2019 - 09:25
Scientists put forward new explanation as to how land bridge formed between North and South America.

Early spring rain boosts methane from thawing permafrost by 30 percent

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 13:23
A team has found that early spring rainfall warms up a thawing permafrost bog in Alaska and promotes the growth of plants and methane-producing microbes.

Researcher unearths an ice age in the African desert

Mon, 02/04/2019 - 10:46
A field trip to Namibia to study volcanic rocks led to an unexpected discovery by geologists.

Novel hypothesis goes underground to predict future of Greenland ice sheet

Sat, 02/02/2019 - 16:18
The Greenland ice sheet melted a little more easily in the past than it does today because of geological changes, and most of Greenland's ice can be saved from melting if warming is controlled, say researchers.

Huge cavity in Antarctic glacier signals rapid decay

Fri, 02/01/2019 - 12:31
A gigantic cavity -- two-thirds the area of Manhattan and almost 1,000 feet (300 meters) tall -- growing at the bottom of Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is one of several disturbing discoveries reported in a new study of the disintegrating glacier.

How predatory plankton created modern ecosystems after 'Snowball Earth'

Fri, 02/01/2019 - 10:41
Around 635 to 720 million years ago, Earth was twice almost completely covered by ice. The question of how life survived these 'Snowball Earth' glaciations has puzzled scientists for many decades. Researchers have now found the first detailed glimpse of life after the 'Snowball' in the form of newly discovered ancient molecules, buried in old rocks.

Antarctic meltwater streams shed light on longstanding hydrological mystery

Fri, 02/01/2019 - 07:15
In one of the coldest, driest places on Earth, scientists have developed a possible answer to a longstanding mystery about the chemistry of streamflow, which may have broad implications for watersheds and water quality around the world.

Passing aircraft wring extra snow and rain out of clouds

Thu, 01/31/2019 - 13:33
Planes flying over rain or snow can intensify the precipitation by as much as 10-fold, according to a new study. The rain- and snow-bursts are not caused by emissions from the aircraft but are the peculiar consequence of the aircrafts' wings passing though clouds of supercooled water droplets in cloud layers above a layer of active rain or snow.

European waters drive ocean overturning, key for regulating climate

Thu, 01/31/2019 - 13:33
An international study reveals the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, which helps regulate Earth's climate, is highly variable and primarily driven by the conversion of warm, salty, shallow waters into colder, fresher, deep waters moving south through the Irminger and Iceland basins. This upends prevailing ideas and may help scientists better predict Arctic ice melt and future changes in the ocean's ability to mitigate climate change by storing excess atmospheric carbon.

Extratropical volcanoes influence climate more than assumed

Mon, 01/28/2019 - 11:22
The eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 had a significant impact on climate, decreasing global mean temperature by about 0.5°C. Like the famous eruptions of Krakatau (1883) and Tambora (1815), Pinatubo is located in the tropics, which has been considered an important factor underlying its strong climate forcing. New research shows that explosive extratropical eruptions can have a strong impact on the climate too.

Rapidly receding glaciers on Baffin Island reveal long-covered Arctic landscapes

Fri, 01/25/2019 - 10:23
Glacial retreat in the Canadian Arctic has uncovered landscapes that haven't been ice-free in more than 40,000 years and the region may be experiencing its warmest century in 115,000 years.

Scientists drill to record depths in West Antarctica

Thu, 01/24/2019 - 07:49
A team of scientists and engineers has for the first time successfully drilled over two kilometers through the ice sheet in West Antarctica using hot water. This research will help understand how the region will respond to a warming climate.

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