Search Results for: antarctica

Earth

Satellites show how a massive lake in Antarctica vanished in days

Within six days, an Antarctic lake with twice the volume of San Diego Bay drained away, leaving a deep sinkhole filled with fractured ice.

Planetary Science

A meteor may have exploded over Antarctica 430,000 years ago

Tiny spherules recovered from a mountaintop suggest a space rock broke apart midflight and sprayed debris across thousands of kilometers.

Planetary Science

Earth sweeps up 5,200 tons of extraterrestrial dust each year

Thousands of micrometeorites collected from Antarctica come from both comets and asteroids, a new study suggests.

Microbes

Missing Antarctic microbes raise thorny questions about the search for aliens

Scientists couldn’t find microbial life in soils from Antarctica, hinting at a limit for habitability on Earth and other worlds.

Climate

Collapse may not always be inevitable for marine ice cliffs

Runaway collapse of ice cliffs could dramatically boost sea level. But these cliffs may not be so vulnerable, new simulations suggest.

Climate

A trek under Thwaites Glacier’s ice shelf reveals specific risks of warm water

An underwater autonomous craft collected the first data on the chemistry of seawater eroding the icy underbelly of Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier.

Earth

Earth’s oceans are storing record-breaking amounts of heat

2020 was just the latest in a series of record-breaking years for ocean heat.

Earth

50 years ago, scientists clocked the speed of Antarctic ice

Today’s instruments offer a more precise view, and reveal the effects of climate change.

Climate

Global warming may lead to practically irreversible Antarctic melting

Simulations suggest that even if the Paris climate goals are met, melting Antarctica ice will still cause sea levels to rise by more than 2 meters.

Climate

‘Ice Rivers’ invites you to get to know our world’s melting glaciers

In her new book, Jemma Wadham brings readers along on her scientific expeditions to the world’s iciest places.

Planetary Science

NASA’s Perseverance rover split CO₂ to make breathable air on Mars

An oxygen-making experiment on Perseverance shows that astronauts will one day be able to make air to breathe and, better yet, rocket fuel.

Animals

Snake-eating spiders are surprisingly common

Spiders from at least 11 families feed on serpents many times their size, employing a host of tactics to turn even venomous snakes into soup.