Unravelling the mystery of how life in Antarctica survived past ice ages involved sampling some of the oldest museum records. When combined with a dating database, a familiar story is revealed.
If left unchecked, the complete melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet would cause a global sea level increase of 3.3 metres in the distant future.
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Thwaites Glacier’s ice shelf appears to be splintering, and scientists fear it could give way in the next few years. A polar scientist takes us on a tour under the ice to explain the forces at work.
Co-author Chloe Gustafson and mountaineer Meghan Seifert install measuring equipment on an ice stream.
Kerry Key/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
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.
Scientists hunt for meteorites on the Nansen blue ice area in East Antartica, close to the Belgian Antarctic research station Princess Elisabeth.
BELARE 2019-2020 meteorite recovery expedition on the Nansen Ice Field
Scientists have crafted the world’s first “treasure map” to reveal Antarctica’s meteorites. These chunks of stone-like material could throw light on the mysteries of our early solar system.
Huw Joseph Horgan, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Craig Stevens, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Researchers have surveyed an Antarctic under-ice river for the first time directly, and their observations support the idea that such sub-glacial rivers form estuaries as they flow into the ocean.
People walked down a flood sidewalk in Annapolis, Maryland, on Oct. 29, 2021.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
Climate change is making ocean levels rise in two ways. It’s a problem that will endure even after the world stabilizes and slashes greenhouse gas pollution.
If the world is to adapt to sea level rise with minimal cost, we must address the uncertainty surrounding Antarctica’s melting ice sheet. This requires significant investment in scientific capacity.
The big wildcard for sea level rise is Antarctica.
James Eades/Unsplash
If emissions continue at their current pace, Antarctica will cross a threshold into runaway sea rise when today’s kids are raising families. Pulling CO2 out of the air later won’t stop the ice loss.
Microphones on the seafloor recorded life under the Antarctic ice for two years – inadvertently catching seal trills and chirps that are above the range of human hearing. Could they be for navigation?
A blue ice area, part of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Professor Chris Turney
New research shows that warming by more than 2°C could be a tipping point for Antarctica’s ice sheets, resulting in widespread meltdown and changes to the world’s shorelines for centuries to come.
Meltwater on the ice shelf near the McMurdo research station, Antarctica.
Nicholas Bayou / UNAVCO
Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research at the University of Technology Sydney and Chief Investigator of ARC Centre for Excellence in Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Technology Sydney