News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
The massive Thwaites glacier in West Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by 65cm if it were to completely collapse. And, worryingly, recent research suggests that its long-term stability is doubtful as the glacier hemorrhages more and more ice. Adding 65cm to global sea levels would be coastline-changing amounts. For context, … Read more
Deep under the ice of Antarctica’s Ekström Ice Shelf there is nothing but complete darkness. Well, complete darkness and a thriving ecosystem that’s existed for thousands of years, according to a new paper by researchers from the UK and Germany. “This discovery of so much life living in these extreme conditions is a complete … Read more
The variety of species found below an Antarctic ice shelf shows that life can survive in hostile, food-poor environments for thousands of years Environment 20 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan Hot water drilling in Antarctica Sophie Berger/AWI An astonishing variety of marine life has been discovered in the freezing darkness hundreds of metres below Antarctica’s … Read more
A crucial ice shelf on Antarctica‘s Thwaites Glacier is on track to collapse within five years, accelerating the melting of the notorious ‘doomsday glacier’. Thwaites, which is the size of Florida, is already melting quickly, losing about 50 billion tons of ice per year. The glacier earned its grim nickname because its total collapse would raise global sea … Read more
An alarming crackup has begun at the foot of Antarctica’s vulnerable Thwaites Glacier, whose meltwater is already responsible for about 4% of global sea-level rise. An ice sheet the size of Florida, Thwaites ends its slide into the ocean as a floating ledge of ice 45 kilometers wide. But now this ice shelf, riven by … Read more