Tag

Antarctica

All articles tagged with #antarctica

science2 days ago•1 min saved

Thwaites Ice Shelf on Verge of Breakup, Raising Sea-Level Alarm

A 45-kilometer ice shelf in front of Antarctica's Thwaites glacier is actively cracking and breaking away, a development scientists describe as a potential tipping point that could unleash a rapid collapse of part of West Antarctica and raise global sea levels by roughly 13 to 16 feet; researchers noted unusually warm, fast-moving waters beneath the ice and attempted to monitor the collapse, signaling heightened risk to coastal regions worldwide.

via Futurism|

#antarctica #climate-change #ice-shelf

environment7 days ago•15 min saved

Three-stage warming pushes Antarctic sea ice toward a tipping point

A Southampton-led study in Science Advances identifies a three-stage sequence behind Antarctic sea-ice collapse to record lows since 2015: warm Circumpolar Deep Water rising toward the surface, intensified mixing that rapidly melts ice (especially East Antarctica), and a self‑reinforcing cycle that prevents new ice from forming. The East Antarctica melt is ocean-heat-driven, while West Antarctica is amplified by cloud-driven warming. If this persistent low-ice state continues, the Southern Ocean could become a long‑term driver of global warming, with destabilized currents and potential impacts on sea level and climate.

via Oceanographic Magazine|

#antarctica #climate-change #environment

environment8 days ago•37 min saved

Antarctica robot sub uncovers hidden melt features before vanishing

An autonomous submarine named Ran mapped the underside of West Antarctica's Dotson Ice Shelf, revealing terraces, channels and teardrop pits carved by basal melt, before losing contact and disappearing after traveling roughly ten miles beneath the ice for about 24 hours; the data improve understanding of how warm deep water melts ice from below and influence future sea-level predictions, but the cause of Ran's disappearance remains unknown.

via Earth.com|

#antarctica #dotson-ice-shelf #environment

science11 days ago•92 min saved

Antarctica’s sea-ice melt: winds and deep heat rewrite the southern ocean story

A Science Advances study traces Antarctica’s sudden sea-ice collapse from 2013–2023 to a three-stage sequence in which stronger westerly winds first slosh cold, fresh surface waters away and uncover a deeper warm, salty layer, then mix that heat upward after 2015, and finally trigger self-reinforcing feedbacks that thin and delay sea-ice formation. The result has driven record-low sea-ice extent in 2023 and below-average extents in 2024–26, while threatening the Southern Ocean’s heat and carbon storage and disrupting ecosystems. Although the system has shifted to a new regime, scientists say a full collapse hasn’t occurred yet and future changes (like precipitation or glacier melt) could alter the trajectory.

via Live Science|

#antarctica #climate-change #oceanography

space-and-spaceflight11 days ago•16 min saved

Earth’s Ice Reveals Traces of a Local Interstellar Cloud

New Antarctic ice analyses show trace iron-60, a signature of stellar explosions, was delivered to Earth as the solar system moves through the Local Interstellar Cloud. The measured iron-60 levels are lower than some predictions, but the dating (about 40,000–80,000 years ago) aligns with recent estimates that our solar system has been passing through the cloud within roughly 40,000–124,000 years, meaning Antarctica preserves a geological record of this interstellar journey.

via Gizmodo|

#antarctica #astrophysics #interstellar-cloud

science11 days ago•5 min saved

Hidden Channels Under Antarctic Ice Shelves Trap Warm Water, Accelerating Melt

A Nature Communications study shows long grooves beneath the Fimbulisen Ice Shelf trap warmer seawater, intensifying local melting and potentially weakening the ice shelf. Even modest inflows of warm water can dramatically increase melt where channels exist, a process not well captured by many climate models, suggesting East Antarctica may be more vulnerable than previously thought.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#antarctica #climate-models #ice-shelf

science13 days ago•4 min saved

Antarctic Ice Core Extends Earth's Climate Record to 1.2 Million Years

Europe-wide researchers drilled a 2.8-km Antarctic ice core to produce the longest continuous climate record, about 1.2 million years, showing atmospheric CO2 closely tracking global temperatures across repeated cycles and offering new clues to why ice ages intensified during the Mid-Pleistocene transition. The Beyond EPICA findings—presented at the European Geosciences Union meeting—are early results, not yet peer‑reviewed, with more data to come from the ancient air bubbles trapped in the ice.

via Nature|

#antarctica #climate-science #co2

environment17 days ago•181 min saved

Antarctica’s sea ice plunges as a three-stage cascade unlocks a new climate state

A Science Advances study identifies a three-stage cascade—strengthening circumpolar winds pushing warmer, saltier water to the surface, surface water becoming saltier and more buoyant, and feedbacks that prevent new ice formation—that has driven Antarctica’s sea ice to a multi‑year decline, with record lows in 2022 and 2023. East Antarctica and West Antarctica show different drivers (deep-ocean heat vs. atmospheric warming). The loss of sea ice exposes ice sheets to waves and warmer waters, reduces sunlight reflection, and could accelerate global warming; if the trend continues into the 2030s, the climatic and sea‑level implications could be substantial.

via CNN|

#antarctica #climate-change #environment

science18 days ago•38 min saved

Antarctica’s sea ice declines in a triple-climate cascade, scientists say

New research identifies a three-phase cascade behind Antarctic sea-ice loss: stronger westerly winds push warmer, saltier deep water to the surface to melt ice; warming and stratification keep heat near the surface, hindering new ice formation; and a feedback loop from declining ice locks the region into a prolonged low-ice state, with East and West Antarctica affected differently and potential global warming implications if the trend persists.

via Yahoo|

#antarctic-sea-ice #antarctica #climate-change

science19 days ago•5 min saved

Antarctica’s Ice Melt Mystery: Submarine Ran Returns with Data That Upends Climate Models

An autonomous submarine named Ran vanished under Antarctica’s Dotson Ice Shelf in January 2024 after 14 successful missions mapping about 130 square kilometers; though lost, the data it collected revealed unexpected ice–ocean features and erosion patterns that challenge current melt models, with the western part melting faster due to turbulent waters. Researchers at ITGC plan to replace Ran with Ran II to continue the mission, and the findings were published in Science Advances, potentially reshaping predictions of sea‑level rise.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#antarctica #climate-change #dotson-ice-shelf

earth-science19 days ago•4 min saved

Antarctic Vortex Streets: Spirals Form Behind Peter I Island

NASA's Earth Observatory highlights a Landsat 8 image showing von Kármán vortex streets forming downwind of remote Peter I Island in the Bellingshausen Sea, created by Antarctic winds that bend around the island; the spiraling cloud patterns reveal atmospheric eddies around the ice-cloaked volcano, and the piece also notes the island's discovery in 1821, its shield-like summit crater, and past reconnaissance like Operation IceBridge in 2011.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#antarctica #earth-science #landsat-8

environment25 days ago•37 min saved

Pink Granite Unmasks a Hidden Giant Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

Pink granite boulders found in the Hudson Mountains led British Antarctic Survey scientists to a massive granite deposit buried under Pine Island Glacier—roughly 100 km wide and 7 km thick, dating to about 175 million years ago. Gravity surveys tied surface pink rocks to a deep underground structure, offering new clues about past ice-flow and how the glacier may respond to climate change, with implications for future sea level rise; the discovery enhances ice-modeling and sheds light on Antarctica’s geological history.

via Earth.com|

#antarctica #environment #geology

science27 days ago•5 min saved

Antarctica's Exposed Seafloor Reveals a Thriving Hidden Ocean

When the A-84 iceberg split from the George VI Ice Shelf, about 510 square kilometers of seafloor were exposed, allowing scientists aboard the R/V Falkor to document a vibrant deep-sea ecosystem in 1,300 meters of water, including sponges, corals, icefish, octopuses, giant sea spiders and phantom jellyfish; the life appears sustained by ocean currents and glacial meltwater, challenging assumptions about life under ice and informing projections of future climate-driven changes.

via The Daily Galaxy|

#a-84-iceberg #antarctica #deep-sea-ecosystem

environment28 days ago•5 min saved

Ocean heat under Antarctica melts ice shelves from below, risking faster sea-level rise

A new study shows circumpolar deep water heat is migrating toward Antarctica, melting ice shelves from below and potentially accelerating global sea-level rise. By combining decades of ship data with Argo floats, researchers built a 40-year record of warming that also suggests deeper changes in ocean circulation, which could affect currents like the AMOC and have broad climate impacts.

via New York Post|

#amoc #antarctica #argo

planet-earth29 days ago•64 min saved

Deep Ocean Heat Triggers Antarctica's Sudden Sea-Ice Decline

Antarctic sea ice began a rapid, decade-long decline around 2016 after a “violent release” of heat from the deep ocean. Argo floats tracked warming temperatures and salinity shifts, showing that deeper warmth, churned up by winds and a fresher surface layer, prevented ice formation and hindered recovery. The findings underscore the ocean’s key role in decadal sea-ice variability and have implications for adjacent ice shelves and potential sea-level rise, though the long-term trend remains negative as the climate continues to warm.

via Live Science|

#antarctica #argo-floats #climate-change