polar science
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In Sediments Below Antarctic Ice, Scientists Discover a Giant Groundwater System
For the first time, scientists have mapped in detail water locked in a deep basin far under the Antarctic ice. The discovery could have implications for how the continent reacts to, or even contributes to, climate change.
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Solar Energy Explains Fast Yearly Retreat of Southern Ocean Sea Ice
Sea ice in the Southern Ocean retreats each year much faster than it develops. This has puzzled scientists, but the explanation turns out to be simple.
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Scientists Have Discovered an Ancient Lake Bed Deep Beneath the Greenland Ice
Using radar and other techniques, researchers have mapped out the sediments left by a lake that apparently existed before Greenland was glaciated. Next step: drilling through the ice to see what they contain.
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Scientists Harness Satellites to Track Algae Growth on Greenland Ice Sheet
To measure algal blooms across large regions of the Greenland ice, and understand their effects on melting over time, scientists are turning to space.
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Stability Check on Antarctica Reveals High Risk for Long-Term Sea Level Rise
The warmer it gets, the faster Antarctica will lose ice, and at some point the losses will become irreversible. That is what researchers say in a new cover story in the leading journal Nature, in which they calculate how much warming the Antarctic Ice Sheet can survive.
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Warmer Temperatures Drive Arctic Greening
Using satellite images spanning decades, a new study has found that the northern tundra is becoming greener, as warmer air and soil temperatures lead to increased plant growth.
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Deep Channels Linking Antarctic Glacier’s Underside to Ocean Could Hasten Melting
Newly discovered seabed channels beneath the Thwaites Glacier may be pathways for warm ocean water to melt the ice’s undersides and contribute to sea level rise.
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Antarctic Ice Shelves Vulnerable to Sudden Meltwater-Driven Fracturing, Says Study
A new study says that many of the ice shelves ringing Antarctica could be vulnerable to quick destruction if rising temperatures drive melt water into the numerous fractures that currently penetrate their surfaces.
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Greenland Ice Sheet Saw Record Loss in 2019
An international team of polar researchers says that the Greenland ice sheet experienced record loss in 2019.
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