Meltwater flowing beneath Antarctic glaciers may be accelerating their retreat
A new Antarctic ice sheet modeling study from scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggests that meltwater flowing out to sea from beneath Antarctic glaciers is making them lose ice faster......»»
Anthropocene activities dramatically alter deep underground fluid flux, researchers find
Much of Earth's water is hidden hundreds of meters beneath our feet, among soil particles and deep within rock pores and fractures......»»
From tape measures to space lasers: Quantifying biomass of the world"s tallest forests
In this era of accelerating climate crisis, accounting for all aspects of Earth's carbon cycle is a crucial task. The magnitude of atmospheric carbon burden means trees and forests are limited but important instruments among a suite of mitigation opt.....»»
Words are flowing out like endless rain: Recapping a busy week of LLM news
Gemini 1.5 Pro launch, new version of GPT-4 Turbo, new Mistral model, and more. Enlarge / An image of a boy amazed by flying letters. (credit: Getty Images) Some weeks in AI news are eerily quiet, but during others, gett.....»»
Designing a cost-effective X-ray free electron lasers facility
Many advances in structural science since the 1970s were made by probing materials with synchrotron radiation: that is, high energy X-rays generated through accelerating high-energy electrons. The latest generation of such sources, X-ray free electro.....»»
Rock permeability, microquakes link may be a boon for geothermal energy
Using machine learning, researchers at Penn State have tied low-magnitude microearthquakes to the permeability of subsurface rocks beneath the Earth, a discovery that could have implications for improving geothermal energy transfer......»»
Earthquakes may not be primary driver of glacial lake outburst floods
Glacial lakes form when meltwater is trapped behind a dam, usually glacial ice, bedrock or a type of moraine (terminal types being an unconsolidated pile of debris at the maximum extent of the glacier). When a dam fails, the resulting sudden release.....»»
Ocean currents threaten to collapse Antarctic ice shelves, study finds
A new study published in Nature Communications has revealed that the interplay between meandering ocean currents and the ocean floor induces upwelling velocity, transporting warm water to shallower depths. This mechanism contributes substantially to.....»»
The limits of ice: What a 19th-century expedition trapped in sea ice for a year tells us about Antarctica"s future
In 1897, the former whaling ship RV Belgica left Antwerp in Belgium and set sail due south. It was the first voyage of what would become known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic exploration. It did not go to plan......»»
New approach needed to save Australia"s non-perennial rivers
Non-perennial rivers, which stop flowing at some point each year, dominate surface water movement across Australia, yet monitoring the continued health of these vital waterways demands a new type of research attention......»»
Microplastic concentrations in Antarctic seawater higher than previously estimated
Microplastic particles can be found in the most remote ocean regions on Earth. In Antarctica, pollution levels are even higher than previously assumed. This is one finding of a recent study involving researchers from the University of Basel......»»
Four decades of glacial data reveals substantial losses and water worries
An analysis of glacial data spanning four decades has provided valuable insights into the changes taking place in the glaciers of the Pir Panjal range within the Kashmir basin in India. The research, published in the International Journal of Hydrolog.....»»
Climate change threatens Antarctic meteorites
Using artificial intelligence, satellite observations, and climate model projections, a team of researchers from Switzerland and Belgium calculate that for every tenth of a degree of increase in global air temperature, an average of nearly 9,000 mete.....»»
The universe"s accelerated expansion might be slowing down
The universe is still expanding at an accelerating rate, but it may have slowed down recently compared to a few billion years ago, early results from the most precise measurement of its evolution yet suggested Thursday......»»
Melting glaciers in a warmer climate provide new ground for invasive species
Invasive species have rapidly colonized new ground exposed by melting glaciers in the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, according to new research......»»
Largest ice shelf in Antarctica lurches forward once or twice each day
In Antarctica, heavy glaciers are always on the move. Conveyor belts of ice, known as ice streams, are the corridors of faster flow that carry most of the vast glaciers' ice and sediment debris out toward the ocean......»»
Abrupt climate fluctuations in Tibet as imprints of multiple meltwater events during the early to mid-Holocene
A recent study published in the journal Science Bulletin was led by Dr. Shugui Hou (Nanjing University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University) and Dr. Hongxi Pang (Nanjing University). Shugui Hou drilled an ice core with a length of 127.8 m from the Zangs.....»»
Milk on ice: Antarctic time capsule of whole milk powder sheds light on the enduring qualities of dairy products
In a remarkable discovery, whole milk powder manufactured in New Zealand in 1907 and transported to Antarctica with explorers seeking the South Pole was unveiled after more than a century. The findings have allowed dairy researchers to answer the que.....»»
Accelerating China"s transition to carbon neutrality and clean air
China's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 necessitates significant transformations across its economic landscape. Concurrently, air pollution remains a pressing issue, affecting millions and necessitating urgent action. Recognizing th.....»»
Mathematical innovations enable advances in seismic activity detection
Amidst the unique landscape of geothermal development in the Tohoku region, subtle seismic activities beneath the Earth's surface present a fascinating challenge for researchers. While earthquake warnings may intermittently alert us to seismic events.....»»
Antarctic sea ice near historic lows: Arctic ice continues decline
Sea ice at both the top and bottom of the planet continued its decline in 2024. In the waters around Antarctica, ice coverage shrank to near-historic lows for the third year in a row. The recurring loss hints at a long-term shift in conditions in the.....»»