Firn aquifers—pockets of meltwater beneath the surface of an ice sheet—could have far-reaching impacts on subglacial hydrology, a new study finds.
glaciers & ice sheets
Posted inNews
Seismic Clues to Surging Glaciers
Measuring seismic waves passing through a glacier suggests that not only is liquid water playing a role in periodic surging but the water is channeled into cracks from across the ice.
Posted inNews
Plastic Fragments Found for the First Time on a Glacier
The discovery, made in the Italian Alps, confirms the ubiquity of plastic pollution worldwide.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Very Warm Water Observed Along West Antarctic Ice Shelf
Two years of mooring observations at the edge of the continental shelf show that wind stress and upwelling control the inflow of some of the warmest water observed at an ice shelf front in Antarctica.
Posted inNews
Did Global Glaciation Cause the Great Unconformity?
In a new study, researchers make the case that large-scale glaciation during parts of the Neoproterozoic era led to extensive erosion of Earth’s crust.
Posted inNews
Sand from Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheet Could Bring in Business
The effects of climate change could fuel a new sand mining industry in Greenland.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Humming Ice Shelf Changes Its Seismic Tune with the Weather
Seismic waves resonating within the upper layers of the Ross ice shelf could help scientists monitor the Antarctic melt season and understand factors that could lead to sudden ice shelf collapse.
Posted inNews
Modern Warming Is Undoing Millennia of Arctic Ice Cover
Plants and rocks at the edges of glaciers have been entombed in ice for more than 40,000 years. Modern warming, unmatched in 115,000 years, is now uncovering these landscapes.
Posted inNews
Watch Tiny Cracks Travel in 3-D
Scientists used a transparent gel and high-speed photography to figure out how cracks form and spread. What they found could help explain earthquakes and fracturing glaciers.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Monsoons in Africa Drove Glacier Growth in Europe
A new study shows that low-latitude weather can affect distant glaciers.