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New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Science Daily - Wed, 04/02/2025 - 15:07
People living in Bronze Age-era Denmark may have been able to travel to Norway directly over the open sea, according to a new study. To complete this study, the research team developed a new computer modeling tool that could help other scientists better understand how ancient peoples traversed the sea.

Thinner Arctic sea ice may affect global ocean circulation

Science Daily - Mon, 03/31/2025 - 11:20
One of the ocean currents in the Arctic Ocean is at risk of disappearing this century because of climate change, according to a new study. As a result, the North Atlantic could be flooded with freshwater which would weaken the global ocean circulation.

Drone experiment reveals how Greenland ice sheet is changing

Science Daily - Fri, 03/28/2025 - 16:35
A new study measured water vapor in Greenland's air, collecting data crucial for improving climate models and forecasting Arctic changes.

Global patterns in seed plant distribution over millions of years

Science Daily - Fri, 03/28/2025 - 10:25
Why do some plants thrive in specific regions but not in others? A study explores the factors shaping plant distributions and how these patterns have changed over millions of years. Analyzing nearly 270,000 seed plant species worldwide, the research highlights the roles of environmental conditions and dispersal barriers in influencing global plant diversity.

Melting ice, more rain drive Southern Ocean cooling

Science Daily - Thu, 03/27/2025 - 15:45
Researchers found increased meltwater and rain explain 60% of a decades-long mismatch between predicted and observed temperatures in the ocean around Antarctica.

5,700-year storm archive shows rise in tropical storms and hurricanes in the Caribbean

Science Daily - Mon, 03/24/2025 - 14:24
A storm, even once it has passed, can leave traces in the ocean that last for thousands of years. These consist of sediment layers composed of coarse particles, which are different from the finer sediments associated with good weather. In the Caribbean, an international research team has now examined such sediments using a 30 m long core from a 'blue hole' offshore Belize. The analysis shows that over the past 5,700 years, the frequency of tropical storms and hurricanes in the region has steadily increased. For the 21st century, the research team predicts a significant rise in regional storm frequency as a result of climate change.

Shrinking Andean glaciers threaten water supply of 90 million people, global policy makers warn

Science Daily - Thu, 03/20/2025 - 22:18
Scientists will warn policymakers that the shrinking glaciers of the Andes threaten the water supply of 90 million people on the South American continent at the first-ever World Day for Glaciers hosted by UNESCO in Paris.

Aotearoa once home to elephant seals

Science Daily - Thu, 03/20/2025 - 22:16
Southern elephant seals are the 'canary in the coal mine' for the Southern Ocean, offering insight into how the ecosystem may react to future climate change and human impact, new research shows.

Without oxygen: How primordial microbes breathed

Science Daily - Mon, 03/17/2025 - 15:36
A team of scientists have elucidated an ancient mechanism of cellular respiration. To that end, they studied bacteria that feed on the gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and turn them into acetic acid -- a metabolic pathway that emerged very early in evolution. The international team has now been able to resolve the mystery of how the microbes use this process to generate energy. Their findings are also interesting for another reason: Since the microorganisms remove CO2 from their environment, they are seen as a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change.

Arctic sea ice loss drives drier weather over California and wetter over Spain and Portugal

Science Daily - Tue, 03/11/2025 - 11:16
On decadal timescales, the loss of Arctic ice favors the climate of the south-west of the United States -- and California in particular -- becoming drier on average, especially in winter. This phenomenon would also affect the climate of Spain and Portugal, favoring conditions of higher humidity in winter, although in this case the observed effect is weaker.

World's oldest impact crater found, rewriting Earth's ancient history

Science Daily - Thu, 03/06/2025 - 11:29
Researchers have discovered the world's oldest known meteorite impact crater, which could significantly redefine our understanding of the origins of life and how our planet was shaped. The team found evidence of a major meteorite impact 3.5 billion years ago.

Tracking polar bears during their most secretive stage of life

Science Daily - Thu, 03/06/2025 - 11:10
Researchers have combined satellite collar data with specialized cameras to shed light on one of the most mysterious and important stages in polar bears' lives -- maternal denning, when bears give birth then emerge with their cubs.

Researchers quantify the way rivers bend, opening up the possibility for identifying origins of channels on other planets

Science Daily - Wed, 03/05/2025 - 15:43
Whether it's rivers cutting through earth, lava melting through rock, or water slicing through ice, channels all twist and bend in a seemingly similar back-and-forth manner. But a new study has discovered that channels carved by rivers actually have curves distinct to those cut by lava or ice.

Melting Antarctic ice sheets will slow Earth's strongest ocean current

Science Daily - Mon, 03/03/2025 - 13:19
Melting ice sheets are slowing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the world's strongest ocean current, researchers have found. This melting has implications for global climate indicators, including sea level rise, ocean warming and viability of marine ecosystems. The researchers have shown the current slowing by around 20 per cent by 2050 in a high carbon emissions scenario.

Giant ice bulldozers: How ancient glaciers helped life evolve

Science Daily - Tue, 02/25/2025 - 19:12
New research has revealed how massive ancient glaciers acted like giant bulldozers, reshaping Earth's surface and paving the way for complex life to flourish. By chemically analyzing crystals in ancient rocks, the researchers discovered that as glaciers carved through the landscape, they scraped deep into the Earth's crust, releasing key minerals that altered ocean chemistry. This process had a profound impact on our planet's composition, creating conditions that allowed complex life to evolve.

Arctic study urges stronger climate action to prevent catastrophic warming

Science Daily - Mon, 02/24/2025 - 11:30
Remember when 2 degrees Celsius of global warming was the doomsday scenario? Well, we're now staring down the barrel of something much worse. From the fish on your plate to the weather outside your window, everything's about to change. A new study underscores the grave risks posed by insufficient national commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Mega-iceberg from Antarctica on collision course with South Georgia: Harbinger of things to come?

Science Daily - Mon, 02/24/2025 - 10:18
It is no strange sight to see icebergs break off of the Antarctic ice cap and drift away, like the gigantic sheet of ice that is currently heading for the island of South Georgia. But climate change is making it happen more frequently, with ever-larger icebergs in the waters around Antarctica. Researchers are studying the routes that icebergs followed during geological periods of rapid ice cap deterioration, such as the ends of ice ages. That provides crucial information about the effect of melting icebergs on the oceans, and its consequences for the future. In the process, they also found an explanation for the mysterious discovery of ancient material from Antarctica near South Orkney, an island to the southwest of South Georgia.

Global retreat of glaciers has strongly accelerated

Science Daily - Wed, 02/19/2025 - 10:13
Researchers present a global assessment of ice loss since the beginning of the millennium. In a global comparison, the glaciers in the Alps and Pyrenees are melting the fastest.

'Glacial fracking': A hidden source of Arctic greenhouse gas emissions

Science Daily - Wed, 02/19/2025 - 10:01
Arctic glaciers are leaking significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Glacial melt rivers and groundwater springs are transporting large volumes of methane from beneath the ice to the atmosphere. This previously unrecognized process could contribute to Arctic climate feedbacks, accelerating global warming.

Resilient algae may speed up Greenland ice melt

Science Daily - Wed, 02/19/2025 - 09:58
New research reveals that ice algae can store nutrients which may enable them to colonize more of the ice sheet, darkening and melting it.

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