glacial

A team of scientists have discovered a unique group of polar bears with distinct behaviour in southeast Greenland. The group has remained isolated for hundreds of years and is genetically different from other polar bears, according to the researchers. Polar bears in the Arctic region depend on sea ice which they use as a platform to hunt seals. But, with increasing temperatures due to climate change, this ice is melting away, shrinking the hunting ground for the bears.However, in a new study published in the journal…

Ortho-mosaic on 28 August 2021 (left panel), hillshade generated from the DEM on 28 August 2021 (middle panel), and changes in elevation between 24 June and 28 August 2021 (right panel). Glacier ablation was monitored using ablation stakes (S1–S3). Credit: Wang Feiteng Glaciers are experiencing fast and significant changes under global warming. Glacier shrinkage significantly impacts global sea level, regional water cycles,…

For 65,000 years, Bininj – the local Kundjeihmi word for Aboriginal people – have returned to Madjedbebe rock shelter on Mirarr Country in the Kakadu region (in the Northern Territory).  Over this immense span of time, the environment around the rock shelter has changed dramatically.Our paper, published last week in Quaternary Science Reviews, uses ancient scraps of plant foods, once charred in the site's fireplaces, to explore how Aboriginal communities camping at the site responded to these changes.This cooking debris…