antarctica

Evidence contained within an ice core shows that in one location the West Antarctic ice sheet thinned by 450 meters — that’s more than the height of the Empire State Building — in just under 200 years. Credit: University of Cambridge/British Antarctic SurveyResearchers discovered rapid ice loss in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet 8,000 years ago, signaling potential future risks under global warming.Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey have uncovered the first direct evidence that the…

Collecting ground-based radar data to image kilometers of ice with electromagnetic waves. Credit: Eliza Dawson In a warming climate, meltwater from Antarctica is expected to contribute significantly to rising seas. For the most part, though, research has been focused on West Antarctica, in places like the Thwaites Glacier, which has seen significant melt in recent decades. …

The AUV is programmed in advance and then sent out on long journeys under the glaciers of Antarctica. Credit: Anna WåhlinThe unmanned underwater vehicle Ran has gone missing under a glacier in Antarctica. The vehicle, owned by the University of Gothenburg, is one of three similar in the whole world that is used for research and has contributed to important knowledge about the so-called Domesday Glacier.The seven-meter-long Ran disappeared this weekend during an expedition with the South Korean icebreaker RV/IB Araon. The…

An image showing ice flowing into the ocean and forming an ice shelf in Antarctica. (NB: This image is not of Pine Island Glacier itself, but it is representative of how Pine Island Glacier is behaving). Credit: Professor Hilmar GudmundssonThe Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica has experienced an irreversible retreat, crossing a tipping point in the past 80 years, according to a recent study.The findings, which were published in the influential journal Nature Climate Change, emerged when world leaders gathered in…

A cache of scientific equipment that could fit in the back of an SUV has been lowered into the sea north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and is already streaming open-source data for anyone wanting to monitor the Southern Ocean's health.Scientists say the underwater observatory collects measurements, including temperature, oxygen concentration and chlorophyll levels, and will fill a gap in data to help understand the impact of climate change in the waters around Antarctica.The project is being jointly run by Ocean Networks…

Percentile of mean 2m temperature on 18 March 2022 with respect to the climatological distribution of March days of the period 1979-2021 from 6-hourly daily averages. The hatched area indicates the broken temperature records on 18 March 2022, totalling an area of 3.3m km2. Credit: Journal of Climate (2023). DOI: 10.1175/JCLI-D-23-0175.1 Scientists have identified the intricate meteorological drivers that led to an intense heat…

New research from CU Boulder indicates that by 2100, the acidity of Antarctica’s coastal waters may double, severely impacting marine life in the Southern Ocean. This increase in acidity, primarily due to CO2 emissions, threatens the entire ecosystem, including whales and penguins. Credit: SciTechDaily.comAntarctica’s coastal waters may see a 100% increase in acidity by 2100, endangering marine life, according to a new study. Reducing CO2 emissions is crucial to mitigate this threat.The acidity of Antarctica’s coastal…

Satellite image of Antarctica’s Argentine Islands captured on February 16, 2023, by the Operational Land Imager-2 on Landsat 9.The Antarctic island served as a winter base for early 20th-century polar explorers.Topped year-round with a layer of ice, Antarctica’s Argentine Islands display a winter-like appearance even in summer. Ice caps are visible across half of the total land area in summer, though the proportion is a bit higher on Winter Island where an ice cap spans about 70 percent of the land.Landsat 9’s OLI-2…

Research from Northumbria University reveals a critical window to prevent irreversible Antarctic ice loss. While current models show no tipping point reached yet, future scenarios suggest possible ice sheet collapse within 300-500 years, highlighting the urgency of addressing climate change. Credit: TiPACCNew research from Northumbria University suggests that there is a limited time frame before irreversible, large-scale ice loss begins in Antarctica.According to two recent studies from Northumbria University, there’s a…

A study by Indiana University suggests that scattering sunlight-reflecting particles in the atmosphere could slow down the melting of Antarctic ice. This approach, known as stratospheric aerosol injection, aims to mitigate the risks of rising sea levels due to climate change. Credit: SciTechDaily.comClimate Engineering Could Slow Antarctic Ice LossScattering sunlight-reflecting particles in the atmosphere could slow rapid melting in West Antarctica and reduce the risk of catastrophic sea-level rise, according to a study…