Science Daily

Subscribe to Science Daily feed Science Daily
Read science articles on the ice age, glaciation and climatology. Discover the connection between ice ages and global warming.
Updated: 2 hours 31 sec ago

Giant flightless bird wandered the Arctic 50 million years ago

Fri, 02/12/2016 - 09:23
New research confirms there really was a giant, flightless bird with a head the size of a horse's wandering about in the winter twilight of the high Arctic some 53 million years ago.

Decade of rising seas slowed by land soaking up extra water

Thu, 02/11/2016 - 18:23
New measurements from a NASA satellite have allowed researchers to identify and quantify, for the first time, how climate-driven increases of liquid water storage on land have affected the rate of sea level rise. A new study shows that while ice sheets and glaciers continue to melt, changes in weather and climate over the past decade have caused Earth's continents to soak up and store an extra 3.2 trillion tons of water in soils, lakes and underground aquifers, temporarily slowing the rate of sea level rise by about 20 percent.

Decade of rising seas slowed by land soaking up extra water

Thu, 02/11/2016 - 18:23
New measurements from a NASA satellite have allowed researchers to identify and quantify, for the first time, how climate-driven increases of liquid water storage on land have affected the rate of sea level rise. A new study shows that while ice sheets and glaciers continue to melt, changes in weather and climate over the past decade have caused Earth's continents to soak up and store an extra 3.2 trillion tons of water in soils, lakes and underground aquifers, temporarily slowing the rate of sea level rise by about 20 percent.

Climate change deteriorates water quality in the Himalayas affecting 40% of world’s population

Wed, 02/10/2016 - 10:17
A new study on climate change and geochemical process of waters and lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau show that global warming affects geochemical processes such as glacier melting, soil erosion and sediments release. This deteriorates water quality of rivers and lakes, thus significantly impacting the lives of 40 percent of the world’s population living in the area.

Climate change deteriorates water quality in the Himalayas affecting 40% of world’s population

Wed, 02/10/2016 - 10:17
A new study on climate change and geochemical process of waters and lake sediments on the Tibetan Plateau show that global warming affects geochemical processes such as glacier melting, soil erosion and sediments release. This deteriorates water quality of rivers and lakes, thus significantly impacting the lives of 40 percent of the world’s population living in the area.

Clams help date duration of ancient methane seeps in the Arctic

Wed, 02/10/2016 - 10:13
A bed of fossilized, methane dependent clams has for the first time been observed in the high Arctic. It tells the story of a thousand year long methane release event.

Clams help date duration of ancient methane seeps in the Arctic

Wed, 02/10/2016 - 10:13
A bed of fossilized, methane dependent clams has for the first time been observed in the high Arctic. It tells the story of a thousand year long methane release event.

How stable is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet?

Tue, 02/09/2016 - 10:01
A future warming of the Southern Ocean caused by rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere may severely disrupt the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The result would be a rise in the global sea level by several meters.

How stable is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet?

Tue, 02/09/2016 - 10:01
A future warming of the Southern Ocean caused by rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere may severely disrupt the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The result would be a rise in the global sea level by several meters.

How ice-shelf loss leads to faster sea-level rise: The shield is crumbling

Tue, 02/09/2016 - 09:54
Over the past 20 years, many ice shelves in Antarctica have shrunk and some have disappeared entirely. This has resulted in a significant acceleration of many Antarctic glaciers, contributing to rising sea levels. Researchers have used a complex model to show for the first time at what point the 'buttressing' role of ice shelves is impaired due to their decline.

How ice-shelf loss leads to faster sea-level rise: The shield is crumbling

Tue, 02/09/2016 - 09:54
Over the past 20 years, many ice shelves in Antarctica have shrunk and some have disappeared entirely. This has resulted in a significant acceleration of many Antarctic glaciers, contributing to rising sea levels. Researchers have used a complex model to show for the first time at what point the 'buttressing' role of ice shelves is impaired due to their decline.

Long-term picture offers little solace on climate change

Mon, 02/08/2016 - 10:30
Climate change projections that look ahead one or two centuries show a rapid rise in temperature and sea level, but say little about the longer picture. A new looks at the next 10,000 years, and finds that the catastrophic impact of another three centuries of carbon pollution will persist millennia after the carbon dioxide releases cease.

Long-term picture offers little solace on climate change

Mon, 02/08/2016 - 10:30
Climate change projections that look ahead one or two centuries show a rapid rise in temperature and sea level, but say little about the longer picture. A new looks at the next 10,000 years, and finds that the catastrophic impact of another three centuries of carbon pollution will persist millennia after the carbon dioxide releases cease.

Old trees reveal Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) around 1,500 years ago

Mon, 02/08/2016 - 10:29
A dendroclimatologist and his fellow researchers were able for the first time to precisely reconstruct the summer temperatures in central Asia for the past 2,000 years. This was made possible by new tree-ring measurements from the Altai mountains in Russia. The results complement the climatological history of the European Alps, stretching back 2,500 years, that the research team has published in the past.

Old trees reveal Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) around 1,500 years ago

Mon, 02/08/2016 - 10:29
A dendroclimatologist and his fellow researchers were able for the first time to precisely reconstruct the summer temperatures in central Asia for the past 2,000 years. This was made possible by new tree-ring measurements from the Altai mountains in Russia. The results complement the climatological history of the European Alps, stretching back 2,500 years, that the research team has published in the past.

Scientists map movement of Greenland Ice during past 9,000 years

Thu, 02/04/2016 - 14:09
Scientists have created the first map that shows how the Greenland Ice Sheet has moved over time, revealing that ice in the interior is moving more slowly toward the edges than it has, on average, during the past 9,000 years.

Scientists map movement of Greenland Ice during past 9,000 years

Thu, 02/04/2016 - 14:09
Scientists have created the first map that shows how the Greenland Ice Sheet has moved over time, revealing that ice in the interior is moving more slowly toward the edges than it has, on average, during the past 9,000 years.

DNA evidence uncovers major upheaval in Europe near end of last Ice Age

Thu, 02/04/2016 - 14:06
DNA evidence lifted from the ancient bones and teeth of people who lived in Europe from the Late Pleistocene to the early Holocene -- spanning almost 30,000 years of European prehistory -- has offered some surprises, according to researchers. Perhaps most notably, the evidence shows a major shift in the population around 14,500 years ago, during a period of severe climatic instability.

DNA evidence uncovers major upheaval in Europe near end of last Ice Age

Thu, 02/04/2016 - 14:06
DNA evidence lifted from the ancient bones and teeth of people who lived in Europe from the Late Pleistocene to the early Holocene -- spanning almost 30,000 years of European prehistory -- has offered some surprises, according to researchers. Perhaps most notably, the evidence shows a major shift in the population around 14,500 years ago, during a period of severe climatic instability.

In the Southern Ocean, a carbon-dioxide mystery comes clear

Wed, 02/03/2016 - 14:01
Twenty thousand years ago, low concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere allowed the earth to fall into the grip of an ice age. But despite decades of research, the reasons why levels of the greenhouse gas were so low then have been difficult to piece together. New research shows that a big part of the answer lies at the bottom of the world.

Pages