First microplastics found in Antarctic snow
University of Canterbury researchers have published the world's first study confirming the discovery of microplastics in fresh snow in Antarctica......»»
Scientists predict high groundwater depletion risk in South Korea by 2080
Groundwater forms when precipitation such as rain and snow seeps into the soil, replenishing rivers and lakes. This resource supplies drinking water. However, a recent study has alarmed the scientific community by predicting that approximately three.....»»
Scientists count emperor penguins in the Antarctic to investigate factors affecting population
Emperor penguins are an endangered species. Scientists are protecting the largest of all penguins by monitoring their numbers precisely and investigating which factors affect their population. A team led by researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universi.....»»
Researchers investigate changes in surface heat fluxes on sensitive areas for the slopes of Mt Everest
Under the background of global warming, the Mount Everest region has experienced evident climate changes. Glaciers and snow have been rapidly retreating in this region. These changes increase the rate of warming and water scarcity in downstream areas.....»»
Porous materials and machine learning provide inexpensive microplastic monitoring method
Optical analysis and machine learning techniques can now readily detect microplastics in marine and freshwater environments using inexpensive porous metal substrates. Details of the method, developed by researchers at Nagoya University with collabora.....»»
Camera tags capture social flexibility of Antarctic minke whales
Researchers have conducted one of the first quantitative studies of social structure and social foraging in Antarctic minke whales, using pioneering animal-borne camera tags......»»
Are the Microplastics Found in Testicles a Health Danger?
Evidence shows microplastics can end up in many different organs and may harm reproductive health.....»»
Ambitious targets are needed to end ocean plastic pollution by 2100, analysis finds
A collaboration between researchers at Imperial College London and GNS Science, suggests that reducing plastic pollution by 5% per year would stabilize the level of microplastics—plastics less than 5 mm in length—in the surface oceans......»»
Heavy water: How melting ice sheets and pumped groundwater can lower local sea levels—and boost them elsewhere
Imagine you're standing near the edge of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, gazing out over the ocean, when the ice near you starts to melt very rapidly. A surge of meltwater flows into the ocean. Surprisingly, you watch the sea level fall—not rise......»»
Many microplastics in the world"s oceans have likely escaped detection, researchers say
Chemicals within microplastics that are found in our world's oceans and waterways, and in drinking water sources, remain of concern to scientists and public health officials. A new study that investigated the presence of the smallest particles of mic.....»»
Paint maker Sherwin-Williams finds ways to speed battery projects
A leading paint producer is helping EV battery makers avoid schedule setbacks from rain, snow, sleet and corrosion......»»
Exploring the depths: How iron snow could unlock the secrets of life on Europa
Ever since the tantalizing discovery of icy ocean worlds within our own solar system, such as Europa and Enceladus, scientists have been captivated by the possibility of life lurking beneath their frozen surfaces......»»
Record low Antarctic sea ice "extremely unlikely" without climate change, says scientists
Scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have found that the record-low levels of sea ice around Antarctica in 2023 were extremely unlikely to happen without the influence of climate change. This low was a one-in-a-2000-year event without cli.....»»
Five things to know about how NASA"s tiny twin polar satellites will study the Arctic and Antarctic
Twin shoebox-size climate satellites will soon be studying two of the most remote regions on Earth: the Arctic and Antarctic. The NASA mission will measure the amount of heat the planet emits into space from these polar regions—information that's k.....»»
Mongolia"s wildlife at risk from overgrazing
The icy peaks of Jargalant Mountain are supposed to belong to snow leopards, whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in Mongolia, but hard-pressed herders are increasingly pushing into the vulnerable animals' traditional habitat......»»
Ritacuba Blanco: death of a Colombian glacier
Just a few months ago, the Colombian mountain peak of Ritacuba Blanco was covered in an unbroken layer of white ice and snow, just as it had been for as long as anyone can remember......»»
What are nanoplastics? An engineer explains concerns about particles too small to see
It's become common to read that microplastics—little bits of plastic, smaller than a pencil eraser—are turning up everywhere and in everything, including the ocean, farmland, food and human bodies. Now a new term is gaining attention: nanoplastic.....»»
Shining a light on untapped lunar resources
Near the moon's south pole lies a 13-mile wide, 2.5-mile-deep crater known as Shackleton, named for Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Shackleton—and craters like it—may contain untapped resources that can be accessed with lunar mining......»»
Listening to giants: The search for the elusive Antarctic blue whale
Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth, measuring up to 30 meters long and weighing up to 200 tons—as much as a Boeing 787. Yet it's the sound they make, not their size, which gives their location away......»»
"Everywhere we looked, we found evidence": Microplastics expert on 20 years of pollution research
Thirty years ago, while counting barnacles, limpets and seaweeds along rocky shores, I started noticing a daily tide of litter, mostly plastic. As a marine biology Ph.D. student at Liverpool University, I kept removing it, but the next day, there'd b.....»»
Researchers determine large numbers of wild mountain goats are killed every year by avalanches
A multi-institutional team of animal behaviorists, snow impact specialists and biologists from Alaska, Montana, Switzerland and Canada has found that large numbers of wild mountain goats die every year in Alaska due to avalanches. For their study, th.....»»