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Categories: Geoscience: Earth Science, Paleontology: Climate
Published After decades of Arctic sea ice getting faster and more hazardous for transport, models suggest a dramatic reversal is coming



Will ice floating in the Arctic Ocean move faster or slower over the coming decades? The answer to this question will tell us whether marine transportation can be expected to get more or less hazardous. It might also have important implications for the rate of ice cover loss, which is hugely consequential for Northern Indigenous communities, ecosystems, and the global climate system. While observational data suggest the trend has been towards faster sea ice speeds, climate models project that those speeds will slow down during the summer season. This contrast has led to some questions around the plausibility of the model projections.
Published We know the Arctic is warming -- What will changing river flows do to its environment?



Scientists recently combined satellite data, field observations and sophisticated numerical modeling to paint a picture of how 22.45 million square kilometers of the Arctic will change over the next 80 years. As expected, the overall region will be warmer and wetter, but the details -- up to 25% more runoff, 30% more subsurface runoff and a progressively drier southern Arctic, provides one of the clearest views yet of how the landscape will respond to climate change.
Published Arctic could become 'ice-free' within a decade



While summer sea ice loss in the Arctic is inevitable, it can be reversed if the planet cools down, researchers say.
Published Less ice in the Arctic Ocean has complex effects on marine ecosystems and ocean productivity



Most of the sunlight reaching the Arctic Ocean is reflected to space by sea ice, effectively shielding ocean ecosystems from sunlight. As the Arctic sea ice continues its downward trend, larger areas of the ocean become exposed to sunlight for longer periods, potentially allowing more primary production on the seafloor. However, according to a new study, this anticipated increase in primary production does not seem to be occurring uniformly across the Arctic Ocean.
Published Antarctica's coasts are becoming less icy



Scientists found unexpected evidence the area of polynyas around Antarctica is increasing dramatically, and it follows an intriguing cycle, growing and shrinking roughly every 16 years.
Published Humans have driven the Earth's freshwater cycle out of its stable state



New analysis shows that the global freshwater cycle has shifted far beyond pre-industrial conditions.
Published Geologists explore the hidden history of Colorado's Spanish Peaks



A team has collected dozens of samples from across southeastern Colorado, and their results could help to answer an enduring mystery: What made Colorado's High Plains so high?
Published Researchers use GPS-tracked icebergs in novel study to improve climate models



Research unearthed new information to help scientists better understand circulation patterns of ocean water around glaciers. In the summers of 2014 and 2019, a group of pioneers in glacial research attached GPS devices to 13 icebergs and tracked hourly changes in their positions as they passed through Greenland's Ilulissat Icefjord toward the ocean. Study results showed circulation in the primary fjord is greatly affected by freshwater flow from connecting tributary fjords, which is critically important to consider in circulation models.
Published Convergent evolution of algal CO2-fixing organelles



Researchers identified the proteins of a CO2-fixing organelle, namely, 'pyrenoid,' in the marine algal group Chlorarachniophyta and revealed various pyrenoid-associated proteins among algal groups, suggesting the independent evolution of pyrenoids in different algal groups.
Published Glacier shrinkage is causing a 'green transition'



Glacier-fed streams are undergoing a process of profound change, according to scientists. This conclusion is based on the expeditions to the world's major mountain ranges by members of the Vanishing Glaciers project.
Published Mercury rising: Study sheds new light on ancient volcanoes' environmental impact



Massive volcanic events in Earth's history that released large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere frequently correlate with periods of severe environmental change and mass extinctions. A new method to estimate how much and how rapidly carbon was released by the volcanoes could improve our understanding of the climate response, according to an international team.
Published Microbial viruses act as secret drivers of climate change



Scientists have discovered that viruses that infect microbes contribute to climate change by playing a key role in cycling methane, a potent greenhouse gas, through the environment.
Published Building bionic jellyfish for ocean exploration



Researchers show how biohybrid robots based on jellyfish could be used to gather climate science data from deep in the Earth's oceans.
Published Surprising methane discovery in Yukon glaciers: 'Much more widespread than we thought'



Global melting is prying the lid off methane stocks, the extent of which we do not know. A researcher has now discovered high concentrations of the powerful greenhouse gas in meltwater from three Canadian mountain glaciers, where it was not thought to exist -- adding new unknowns to the understanding of methane emissions from Earth's glaciated regions.
Published How first cells could have formed on Earth



New phospholipid discovery brings researchers closer to understanding how primordial cells emerged during origin of life.
Published Emergency atmospheric geoengineering wouldn't save the oceans



Climate change is heating the oceans, altering currents and circulation patterns responsible for regulating climate on a global scale. If temperatures dropped, some of that damage could theoretically be undone. But employing 'emergency' atmospheric geoengineering later this century in the face of continuous high carbon emissions would not be able to reverse changes to ocean currents, a new study finds. This would critically curtail the intervention's potential effectiveness on human-relevant timescales.
Published 80 mph speed record for glacier fracture helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse



New research documents the fastest-known large-scale breakage along an Antarctic ice shelf. A 6.5-mile crack formed in 2012 over 5-and-a-half minutes, showing that ice shelves can effectively shatter -- though the speed is limited by seawater rushing in. The results help inform large-scale ice sheet models and projections of future sea level rise.
Published Climate change threatens thousands of archaeological sites in coastal Georgia



Thousands of historic and archaeological sites in Georgia are at risk from tropical storm surges, and that number will increase with climate change, according to a new study.
Published Study reveals accelerated soil priming under climate warming



A new study highlights a crucial biosphere feedback mechanism and its effects on releasing soil carbon into the atmosphere.
Published Scientists propose new method for tracking elusive origins of CO2 emissions from streams



A team of researchers that specializes in accounting for the carbon dioxide release by streams, rivers and lakes recently demonstrated that the chemical process known as 'carbonate buffering' can account for the majority of emissions in highly alkaline waters. Furthermore, carbonate buffering distorts the most commonly used method of tracking the origins of CO2 in streams. The research proposes a better method for tracking the origin of riverine CO2 emissions.