It sounds like the opening scene of an apocalyptic movie: scientists drilling ice cores from an ancient glacier uncover archaic, previously unknown viruses. But that’s exactly what a team of scientists from Ohio State University (OSU) has achieved by sampling 15,000-year-old ice cores from the Tibetan Plateau in China. What they found, as reported this … Continue reading Ancient viruses found in Tibetan glacier
Tag: ice
Atmospheric rivers help create sea ice holes
Long “atmospheric rivers” help create massive holes in Antarctic sea ice and may influence ocean conditions around the vast continent, according to new research. Scientists studied the impact of the intense plumes of warm and moist air that flow to the polar environment from the coast of South America and found that their repeated arrival … Continue reading Atmospheric rivers help create sea ice holes
Ice, ice, maybe?
An attempt to produce a disordered form of ice is a surprise failure, raising awkward questions. Phil Dooley reports.
As glaciers retreat, tsunamis may increase
Alaskan case study uncovers how glacial melt causes landslides into deep water bodies. Andrew Masterson reports.
Signs of hidden lake found beneath Martian ice caps
A Mars orbiter has detected radar reflections from what appears to be a 20-kilometre-wide lake of water buried beneath ice. Richard A. Lovett reports.
Low Antarctic sun
Sea ice around Antarctica is dwindling to near-record lows.
A pond in the Arctic ice
Melting ice shelves are changing the chemistry of the Arctic Ocean.
Shifting ice
Keeping an eye on the Larsen ice shelf in Antarctica.
Martian melt
As the seasons turn on Mars, the frozen carbon dioxide at the poles melts away.
Hidden life may thrive in caves beneath Antarctic glaciers
Ice caves hollowed out by steam from a volcano contain DNA traces from a huge range of life-forms, writes Andrew Masterson.
How to make hot ice
Creating an exotic state of water that may exist on other planets is a high-pressure job.
Earth’s epic flashes can help rate exoplanet habitability
NASA’s Deep Space Climate Observatory captures light reflected off ice crystals high in the atmosphere, writes Ariella Heffernan-Marks.