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Articles on Ice sheets

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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.
Community members from Utqiagvik, Alaska, look to open water from the edge of shorefast sea ice. Matthew Druckenmiller

2021 Arctic Report Card reveals a (human) story of cascading disruptions, extreme events and global connections

Sea ice is thinning at an alarming rate. Snow is shifting to rain. And humans worldwide are increasingly feeling the impact of what happens in the seemingly distant Arctic.
Archaeologist and paleoenvironmental researcher Isaac Hart of the University of Utah surveys a melting ice patch in western Mongolia. Peter Bittner

Melting Mongolian ice reveals fragile artifacts that provide clues about how past people lived

From the high Yukon to the mountains of Central Asia, melting ice exposes fragile ancient artifacts that tell the story of the past – and provide hints about how to respond to a changing climate.
Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

A significant number of New Zealanders overestimate sea-level rise — and that could stop them from taking action

Survey respondents who overestimated the amount and speed of sea-level rise were more likely to express greater concern. But concern is not always helpful in prompting action.
The big wildcard for sea level rise is Antarctica. James Eades/Unsplash

Antarctica is headed for a climate tipping point by 2060, with catastrophic melting if carbon emissions aren’t cut quickly

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.

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