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Articles on Cryosphere

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Transantarctic Mountains peaks are some of the only parts of the continent not buried beneath ice. Matt Makes Photos / shutterstock

Glaciers have existed on Earth for at least 60 million years – far longer than previously thought

Scientists used satellites to map tens of thousands of glacial landforms in Antarctica’s highest mountains.
Co-author Chloe Gustafson and mountaineer Meghan Seifert install measuring equipment on an ice stream. Kerry Key/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Scientists in Antarctica discover a vast, salty groundwater system under the ice sheet – with implications for sea level rise

Liquid water below the ice determines how fast an ice stream flows. As the ice sheet gets thinner, more of that salty groundwater could rise.
Permafrost and ice wedges have built up over millennia in the Arctic. When they thaw, they destabilize the surrounding landscape. Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Thawing permafrost is roiling the Arctic landscape, driven by a hidden world of changes beneath the surface as the climate warms

Ground is collapsing and massive lakes are draining in a matter of days. Thawing permafrost is having profound effects on the region and its infrastructure.
Greenland’s ice sheet suffered major melting in July 2019, dumping billions of tons of meltwater into the Atlantic Ocena. Jennifer Latuperisa-Andresen/Unsplash

IPCC report paints catastrophic picture of melting ice and rising sea levels – and reality may be even worse

The UN body responsible for communicating the science of climate breakdown has released its long-awaited report on how we’re changing our ice and oceans. In a nutshell, the news isn’t good.

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