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Icy ocean worlds seismometer passes further testing in Greenland

Science Daily - Wed, 03/17/2021 - 13:17
The Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure (SIIOS) performed well in seismic experiments conducted in snowy summer Greenland, according to a new study.

Scientists stunned to discover plants beneath mile-deep Greenland ice

Science Daily - Mon, 03/15/2021 - 15:56
Scientists found frozen plant fossils, preserved under a mile of ice on Greenland. The discovery helps confirm a new and troubling understanding that the Greenland Ice Sheet has melted entirely during recent warm periods in Earth's history -- like the one we are now creating with human-caused climate change. The new study provides strong evidence that Greenland is more sensitive to climate change than previously understood -- and at risk of irreversibly melting.

Melting glaciers could speed up carbon emissions into the atmosphere

Science Daily - Mon, 03/15/2021 - 13:18
An international research team has for the first time linked glacier-fed mountain rivers with higher rates of plant material decomposition, a major process in the global carbon cycle.

Antarctic peninsula likely to warm over next two decades

Science Daily - Mon, 03/15/2021 - 10:02
An analysis of historic and projected simulations from 19 global climate models shows that, because of climate change, the temperature in the Antarctic peninsula -- long a canary in the coal mine for the rest of the continent -- will increase by 0.5 to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2044.

Traces of Earth's early magma ocean identified in Greenland rocks

Science Daily - Fri, 03/12/2021 - 14:54
New research led by the University of Cambridge has found rare evidence - preserved in the chemistry of ancient rocks from Greenland - which tells of a time when Earth was almost entirely molten.

Glaciers and enigmatic stone stripes in the Ethiopian highlands

Science Daily - Fri, 03/12/2021 - 14:54
Although past temperature variations in the tropics are of great importance to understanding the global climate system, little is known about their extent and chronological course. Researchers have now been able to demonstrate strong local cooling in the tropics during the last glacial period on the basis of glacier fluctuations and large stone stripes in the Ethiopian Highlands.

Zealandia switch: New theory of regulation of ice age climates

Science Daily - Fri, 03/12/2021 - 13:00
Abrupt shifts of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds, paced by subtle variations in Earth's orbit, lie at the heart of ice age cycles, according to an international research team. This 'Zealandia Switch' hypothesis differs from the long-held view that orbital influences on the extent of Northern Hemisphere continental ice sheets regulate ice age climates. Southern Hemisphere westerlies regulate the exchange of CO2 and heat between the ocean and atmosphere, exerting further influence on global climate.

The narwhal's tusk reveals its past living conditions

Science Daily - Thu, 03/11/2021 - 14:27
Every year, a new growth layer is added to the narwhal's spiralled tusk. The individual layers act as an archive of data that reveals what and where the animal has eaten, providing a glimpse of how the ice and environmental conditions have changed over its long life span (up to 50 years).

47 million year old fly found with a full belly

Science Daily - Thu, 03/11/2021 - 11:34
Scientists have found a previously unknown fossil fly species in old lake sediments of the Messel Pit, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Germany. In the stomach of the fossil insect, pollen from various plants could be detected, which allows rare insights into the feeding behavior, the ecology and the role of the fly as a pollinator.

Extracting information from ancient teeth

Science Daily - Wed, 03/10/2021 - 11:23
There's a surprising amount of information stored in the hardened plaque, or calculus, between teeth. And if that calculus belongs to the remains of a person who lived in ancient times, the information could reveal new insights about the past. But the tiny samples can be difficult to work with. Now, scientists apply a new method to this analysis, finding more proteins than traditional approaches.

An epic walk: 15 million years needed for dinosaurs to get from South America to Greenland

Science Daily - Tue, 03/09/2021 - 10:43
For the first time, two researchers have accurately dated the arrival of the first herbivorous dinosaurs in East Greenland. Their results demonstrate that it took the dinosaurs 15 million years to migrate from the southern hemisphere, as a consequence of being slowed down by extreme climatic conditions. Their long walk was only possible because as CO2 levels dropped suddenly, the Earth's climate became less extreme.

Antarctic Peninsula warming up due to heat in Tasman sea

Science Daily - Tue, 03/09/2021 - 09:01
The Antarctic Peninsula is melting faster than ever. In a recent study, scientists have revealed how heating in the Tasman sea causes warming of the West Antarctic region and leads to melting of ice and rise in sea levels. They suggest that wind streams flowing towards poles from the tropics play an important role in these oceanic and temperature variations. These findings can be helpful to populations that are vulnerable to sea level rise.

Small volcanic lakes tapping giant underground reservoirs

Science Daily - Fri, 03/05/2021 - 12:37
In its large caldera, Newberry volcano (Oregon, USA) has two small volcanic lakes, one fed by volcanic geothermal fluids (Paulina Lake) and one by gases (East Lake). These popular fishing grounds are small windows into a large underlying reservoir of hydrothermal fluids, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) with minor mercury (Hg) and methane into East Lake.

Antarctic seals reveal worrying threats to disappearing glaciers

Science Daily - Fri, 03/05/2021 - 07:01
More Antarctic meltwater is surfacing than was previously known, modifying the climate, preventing sea ice from forming and boosting marine productivity- according to new research. For the first time, researchers have been able to obtain full-depth glacial meltwater observations in winter, using instruments attached to the heads of seals living near the Pine Island Glacier, in the remote Amundsen Sea in the west of Antarctica.

Field study shows icing can cost wind turbines up to 80% of power production

Science Daily - Thu, 03/04/2021 - 15:10
Researchers took their studies of wind-turbine icing out of the lab and into the field to learn how and where ice accumulates on rotating blades. They learned ice on the blades can reduce power production by up to 80%. The field experiments also validated their experimental findings, theories and predictions.

NASA's ICESat-2 satellite reveals shape, depth of Antarctic ice shelf fractures

Science Daily - Thu, 03/04/2021 - 11:53
When a block of ice the size of Houston, Texas, broke off from East Antarctica's Amery Ice Shelf in 2019, scientists had anticipated the calving event, but not exactly where it would happen. Now, satellite data can help scientists measure the depth and shape of ice shelf fractures to better predict when and where calving events will occur, according to researchers.

Bahamas were settled earlier than believed

Science Daily - Wed, 03/03/2021 - 15:16
It's believed early settlers to the islands eventually changed the landscape of the Bahamas.

Birds: Scientists find strongest evidence yet of 'migration gene'

Science Daily - Wed, 03/03/2021 - 13:25
Biologists say they have found the strongest evidence yet of a 'migration gene' in birds.

Gulf Stream System at its weakest in over a millennium

Science Daily - Thu, 02/25/2021 - 10:33
Never before in over 1000 years the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as Gulf Stream System, has been as weak as in the last decades. Researchers compiled proxy data, reaching back hundreds of years to reconstruct the AMOC flow history. They found consistent evidence that its slowdown in the 20th century is unprecedented in the past millennium.

Extreme melt on Antarctica's George VI ice shelf

Science Daily - Thu, 02/25/2021 - 10:33
Antarctica's northern George VI Ice Shelf experienced record melting during the 2019-2020 summer season compared to 31 previous summers of dramatically lower melt, a new study found. Using satellite observations that detect meltwater on top of the ice and within near-surface snow, the researchers found the most widespread melt of any season. Surface meltwater ponding is potentially dangerous to ice shelves because when these lakes drain, the ice fractures and may trigger ice-shelf break-up.

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