First this year, in June, came the algae: A single-celled alga that went extinct in the North Atlantic Ocean about 800,000 years ago has returned after drifting from the Pacific through the Arctic thanks to melting polar ice. And while its appearance marks the first trans-Arctic migration in modern times, scientists say it signals somethingContinue reading “Whales, algae cross melting Arctic for first time in eons”
Tag Archives: ice
Arctic ice not yet at point of no return, researchers say
Given the dramatic decline in summer ice coverage in the Arctic in recent years, some researchers have feared we are approaching the end of summer ice in the Arctic. But a new study, examining ancient driftwood found along the shores of Greenland, argues in Science that in fact it was much warmer 5000-8000 years ago.Continue reading “Arctic ice not yet at point of no return, researchers say”
The Future of Polar Bears
At the AGU, the world's largest annual physical science conference, a diverse quartet of scientists set out this morning to launch a discussion about the future of polar bears, and the possibility of a refuge for them in northern Canada and Greenland, where ice experts think sea ice, which is crucial to the balance betweenContinue reading “The Future of Polar Bears”
The Melting in Antartica: Much Worse Than Predicted
Yale's potent Environment 360 site interviews a leading glaciologist, Richard Bindschadler, and hears some alarming news about the melt in the coastal Pine Island and Thwaites ice shelves…. e360: I know that the IPCC was saying maybe 1 ½ feet or a half-meter of sea level rise in the 21st century. Is it your opinionContinue reading “The Melting in Antartica: Much Worse Than Predicted”
The Bushian View of Antarctica
Tom Toles of the Washington-Post is the editorial cartoonist most concerned with the fate of the natural world, by far, but he’s also the editorial cartoonist best able to find humor in our Prez’s view of the world, sez me. It’s a balancing act that leads to some unforgettable visions…even in his sketches.
Kit Stolz 