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Massive Antarctic volcanic eruptions linked to abrupt Southern hemisphere climate changes

Science Daily - Mon, 09/04/2017 - 14:10
New findings document a 192-year series of volcanic eruptions in Antarctica that coincided with accelerated deglaciation about 17,700 years ago.

Experts call for added focus on the impact of glacier mass loss on downstream systems

Science Daily - Mon, 09/04/2017 - 14:10
Researchers have warned of an 'urgent worldwide need' to address a broad spectrum of cascading impacts of glacier mass loss on downstream systems.

Record-low 2016 Antarctic sea ice due to 'perfect storm' of tropical, polar conditions

Science Daily - Thu, 08/31/2017 - 08:26
The sudden, unexpected nosedive in Antarctic sea ice last year was due to a unique one-two punch from atmospheric conditions both in the tropical Pacific Ocean and around the South Pole.

American pika disappears from large area of California's Sierra Nevada mountains

Science Daily - Wed, 08/30/2017 - 19:21
The American pika, a small mammal adapted to high altitudes and cold temperatures, has died out from a 165-square-mile span of habitat in California's northern Sierra Nevada mountains, and the cause appears to be climate change. Researchers surveyed pika habitat throughout the north Lake Tahoe area and found that pikas had disappeared from an area that stretches from near Tahoe City to Truckee, more than 10 miles away, and includes Mount Pluto.

Century-old seal pelts reveal changes in Ross Sea ecosystem

Science Daily - Wed, 08/30/2017 - 08:43
Scientists sampled a pile of frozen pelts left in a hut by Antarctic explorers for Weddell seal tissue from a century ago, at the very start of human activities in Antarctica. By using sophisticated isotope analysis to compare samples from modern and century-old seals, they were able to investigate human impacts on the Antarctic ecosystem.

Past and future of sea ice cover in the Arctic

Science Daily - Tue, 08/29/2017 - 08:10
Temperatures in the Arctic are currently climbing two to three times faster than the global average. The result is dwindling sea ice. Climate researchers now show that, in the course of our planet's history, summertime sea ice was to be found in the central Arctic in periods characterized by higher global temperatures -- but less CO2 -- than today.

Algae fortifies coral reefs in past and present

Science Daily - Mon, 08/28/2017 - 13:07
The Great Barrier Reef, and most other large reefs around the world, owe their bulk in large part to a type of red algae that grows on corals and strengthens them. New research has found that ancient coral reefs were also bolstered by their bond with red algae, a finding that could help scientists better understand how reefs will respond to climate change.

Human-made fossil methane emission levels larger than previously believed

Science Daily - Thu, 08/24/2017 - 11:14
A team of researchers spent seven weeks in Antarctica collecting and studying 2,000-pound samples of glacial ice cores that date back nearly 12,000 years. The ancient air trapped within the ice revealed surprising new data about methane that may help inform today's policymakers as they consider ways to reduce global warming.

Icebergs: Mathematical model calculates the collapse of shelf ice

Science Daily - Thu, 08/24/2017 - 08:36
Shelf ice, as found in Antarctica, refers to giant floating ice sheets that can span thousands of square kilometres. Pieces break off at their edges which form icebergs in the ocean. In order to more effectively predict these break-offs, in a process known as calving, a research team has developed mathematical models. On the basis of physical factors, it is claimed that these models can be used to predict when and where the ice may collapse. This is important particularly for research teams situated on the ice shelf.

Severity of North Pacific storms at highest point in over 1,200 years

Science Daily - Thu, 08/24/2017 - 08:01
Ice cores from Denali and Mount Logan offer insight into global climate connections and the history on intensifying storms.

Methane from tundra, ocean floor didn't spike during previous natural warming period

Science Daily - Wed, 08/23/2017 - 12:12
The last ice age transition to a warmer climate some 11,500 years ago did not include massive methane flux from marine sediments or the tundra, new research suggests. Instead, the likely source of rising levels of atmospheric methane was from tropical wetlands, authors of the new study say.

Ancient Earth’s hot interior created 'graveyard' of continental slabs

Science Daily - Tue, 08/22/2017 - 10:59
Plate tectonics has shaped the Earth's surface for billions of years: Continents and oceanic crust have pushed and pulled on each other, continually rearranging the planet's façade. As two massive plates collide, one can give way and slide under the other in a process called subduction. The subducted slab then slips down through the Earth's viscous mantle, like a flat stone through a pool of honey.

Satellite photos reveal gigantic outburst floods

Science Daily - Tue, 08/22/2017 - 09:48
Researchers have studied satellite photographs of Lake Catalina, an ice-dammed lake in East Greenland -- and were truly amazed: Unnoticed by science as well as people living in the area, the lake has been the source of four major outburst floods over the last 50 years -- each representing an astounding mass of energy, equaling up to 240 Hiroshima-bombs, report investigators.

Methane hydrate is not a smoking gun in the Arctic Ocean

Science Daily - Tue, 08/22/2017 - 09:04
Methane hydrate under the ocean floor was assumed to be very sensitive to increasing ocean temperatures. But a new study shows that short term warming of the Arctic ocean barely affects it.

Hidden river once flowed beneath Antarctic ice

Science Daily - Mon, 08/21/2017 - 17:34
Using the most precise seafloor maps ever created of Antarctica's Ross Sea, researchers have discovered a long-dead river system that once flowed beneath Antarctica's ice and influenced how ice streams melted after Earth's last ice age.

Study validates East Antarctic ice sheet to remain stable even if western ice sheet melts

Science Daily - Thu, 08/17/2017 - 15:20
A new study validates that the central core of the East Antarctic ice sheet should remain stable even if the West Antarctic ice sheet melts.

Greenland ice flow likely to speed up

Science Daily - Wed, 08/16/2017 - 13:18
Flow of the Greenland Ice Sheet is likely to speed up in the future, despite a recent slowdown, because its outlet glaciers slide over wet sediment, not hard rock, new research based on seismic surveys has confirmed. This sediment will become weaker and more slippery as global temperatures rise and meltwater supply becomes more variable. The findings challenge the view that the recent slowdowns in ice flow would continue in the long term.

Mystery of how first animals appeared on Earth solved

Science Daily - Wed, 08/16/2017 - 12:47
Research has solved the mystery of how the first animals appeared on Earth, a pivotal moment for the planet without which humans would not exist.

Lake trout adjust their behavior in the face of a changing climate, new study

Science Daily - Wed, 08/16/2017 - 08:04
Certain lake predators are altering their behavior due to climate change, revealing what the future may hold for these fish and their food, scientists have discovered.

World's largest volcanic range may lurk beneath Antarctic ice

Science Daily - Mon, 08/14/2017 - 08:27
West Antarctica's vast ice sheet conceals what may be the largest volcanic region on Earth, new research has revealed.

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