tagged w/ Antarctic
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These places accommodate some miraculous and natural superpowers that man could not solve their mystery clues even with the most advance devices human had made so far. Their myths and legendary rumors remain unknown and mysterious to the outside world.These places accommodate some miraculous and natural superpowers that man could not... more
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This 20 minute video explains how ice cores and climate models are used to predict future climate. No warm and fuzzies, just the science. Travel with a scientist from his field site in Antarctica where ancient ice is collected, to the labs where measurements are made to determine how greenhouse gases change climate, to the computer facilities used to predict future climate.This 20 minute video explains how ice cores and climate models are used to predict... more
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Scientists unveiled Sunday the first direct evidence that massive floods deep below Antarctica's ice cover are accelerating the flow of glaciers into the sea. How quickly these huge bodies of ice slide off the Antarctic and Greenland land masses into the ocean help determine the speed at which sea levels rise.
The stakes are enormous: an increase measured in tens of centimetres (inches) could wreak havoc for hundreds of millions of people living in low-lying deltas and island nations around the world.
Researchers discovered only recently that inaccessible subglacial lakes in Antarctica periodically shed huge quantities of water.
Data collected by a satellite launched in 2003 -- the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite, or ICESat -- revealed a complex network of subglacial plumbing in which water periodically cascades from one hidden reservoir to another.
But the new study, published online in the journal Nature Geoscience, is the first to measure the potential impact of this invisible flooding on sea-bound glaciers.
A trio of scientists led by Leigh Stearns of the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine matched ICESat data against a nearly 50-year record of how fast the Byrd Glacier in East Antarctica has moved toward the sea.
They discovered that during the same 14-month period that 1.7 cubic kilometres (0.4 cubic miles) of water cascaded through subglacial waterways, the 75-kilometre (45-mile) long glacier downstream pick up speed, moving about 10 percent faster.
"Our findings provide direct evidence that an active lake drainage system can cause large and rapid changes in glacier dynamics," the researchers concluded.
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Two forces -- both driven by global warming -- cause sea levels to rise. One is thermal expansion of sea water.
The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned last year that thermal expansion will push sea levels up 18 to 59 centimetres (7.2 to 23.2 inches) by 2100, enough to wipe out several small island nations and severely disrupt low-lying mega deltas in Asia and Africa.
But the report failed to take into account the impact of the second force: additional water from melting sources of ice.
The ice sheet that sits atop Greenland, for example, contains enough water to raise world ocean levels by seven metres (23 feet).
Even the gloomiest global warming predictions do not include such a scenario.
But recent studies suggest that runoff from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets could drive sea levels higher than once thought, one reason the IPCC decided to remove the upward bracket from its forecast.Scientists unveiled Sunday the first direct evidence that massive floods deep below... more
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Changes to the Antarctic ice shelf are causing seals to fight for air and penguins to give up on their young.
These are the findings of a new study, which illustrates the direct impact climate change is having on the physiology, behaviour and survival of Antarctic species.
In 1998, ecologist and evolutionary biologist Associate Professor Terrie Williams of the University of California at Santa Cruz and her team began a study on Weddell seals in Antarctica.
Three years later, an enormous iceberg detached near Antarctica's McMurdo Sound. According to Williams and her colleagues, the event was caused by global warming, which has likely been melting and weakening ice at the poles.
The 10,900 square kilometre iceberg, named B-15, drifted westward and lodged on nearby Ross Island.
The impact upon the animals of the region was immediate.
"Our first clue that there was a problem was that the seals were not returning to their usual pupping areas, and that there were fewer seals even later in the season," says Williams.
She and her colleagues noticed that the ice around Ross Island did not experience its usual "break-out" that year.
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But we shouldn't care about what our actions are doing to other species,right? Afterall, humans are omnipotent over all the Earth... the evidence of that starkly seen based on its decay.
Changes to the Antarctic ice shelf are causing seals to fight for air and penguins to... more
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"We can firmly say that today's concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane are 28 and 124 percent higher respectively than at any time during the last 800,000 years," said Thomas Stocker, an author of the report at the University of Berne."We can firmly say that today's concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane... more
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mrcc55
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added this
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5 years ago
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A study of Antarctic ice shows more proof that man is disrupting the climate. We need real answers on cutting back on the pollution. The next administration must make this a priority. A study of Antarctic ice shows more proof that man is disrupting the climate. We need... more
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A seal has been framed trying to have sex with a penguin. The roughly 240-pound seal subdued the 30-pound adult penguin by lying on it. The hapless bird of unknown sex struggled, rapidly flapping its flippers and attempting to stand and escape. A seal has been framed trying to have sex with a penguin. The roughly 240-pound seal... more
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My site is collection of news articles, videos and documentaries from across the net. I have made it easy by putting the info at your finger tips. I cover Global warming , climate change , abrupt climate change, state of the planet -oceans, Arctic, Greenland, Antarctic, Forest, Biofuels, Peak oil and moreMy site is collection of news articles, videos and documentaries from across the net.... more
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mrcc55
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added this
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5 years ago
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Providing an acoustic live stream of the Antarctic underwater soundscape is a formidable challenge. After all, more than 15000 km lie between Antarctica and our institute in Germany. Underwater sound is recorded by means of two hydrophones by PALAOA, an autonomous, wind and solar powered observatory located on the Ekström ice shelf (Boebel et al., 2006). The data stream is transmitted via wireless LAN from PALAOA to the German Neumayer Base. From there, a permanent satellite link transmits the data to the AWI in Germany. A constant hiss pervading the signal is the natural, isotropic background noise made audible here through the use of ultra sensitive hydrophones. Additional broad band noise caused by wind, waves and currents adds to it on occasion. Due to the limited bandwith of the satellite link, jamming of the WLAN link due to storms, or energy shortage, the connection might temporarily be down or scrammed. In this case, please dial in later!Providing an acoustic live stream of the Antarctic underwater soundscape is a... more
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twodee
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added this
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5 years ago
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A vast ice shelf hanging on by a thin strip looks to be the next chunk to break off from the Antarctic Peninsula, the latest sign of global warming’s impact on Earth's southernmost continent.
Scientists are shocked by the rapid change of events.
Glaciologist Ted Scambos of the University of Colorado was monitoring satellite images of the Wilkins Ice Shelf and spotted a huge iceberg measuring 25 miles by 1.5 miles (41 kilometers by 2.5 kilometers — about 10 times the area of Manhattan) that appeared to have broken away from the shelf.
Scambos alerted colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that it looked like the entire ice shelf — about 6,180 square miles (16,000 square kilometers — about the size of Northern Ireland)— was at risk of collapsing.
David Vaughan of the BAS had predicted in 1993 that the northern part of the Wilkins Ice Shelf was likely to be lost within 30 years if warming on the Peninsula continued at the same rate.
"Wilkins is the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula yet to be threatened," he said. "I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly. The ice shelf is hanging by a thread — we'll know in the next few days and weeks what its fate will be."
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Hmmmm... Maybe we can get more people to take this seriously if we turn it into an environmental reality show... you know, let people actually tune in and watch how we are destroying our own planet.A vast ice shelf hanging on by a thin strip looks to be the next chunk to break off... more
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Scientists investigating the icy waters of Antarctica said Tuesday they have collected mysterious creatures including giant sea spiders and huge worms in the murky depths.
"Gigantism is very common in Antarctic waters," Martin Riddle, the Australian Antarctic Division scientist who led the expedition, said in a statement. "We have collected huge worms, giant crustaceans and sea spiders the size of dinner plates."Scientists investigating the icy waters of Antarctica said Tuesday they have collected... more
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King penquins may be the next species to go extinct due to anthropogenic global warming/climate change.//////Excerpt://////Sitting near the top of the food chain, the king penguins are useful markers for the health of the rest of the Antarctic ecosystem. If global warming means they're not getting enough food, the conditions below the penguins could be even worse. Temperature rise due to climate change is occurring quicker at the poles than the rest of the planet — on the Antarctic Peninsula, temperatures have risen five times faster than the global average over the past 50 years. Even if we can manage to slow the growth in carbon emissions, the poles will likely continue to warm. Though the species that have evolved to survive in harsh Antarctic conditions are necessarily tough, they're also delicate. They're built for the snow and ice — change those conditions, and you take away their habitat and their food supply. Extinction comes next, and nothing can stop it./////end of excerpt.////////Shame on us.King penquins may be the next species to go extinct due to anthropogenic global... more
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The Emperor penguin is the largest type of penguin
Penguins are found in the Antarctic, not Arctic.
The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as th Fairy Penguin), which stands around 40 cm tall (16 in) and weighs 1 kg (2.2 lb).
Back during the ice age, there were 'mammoth penguins' which stood up to 6' tall.
Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air.
Female Adelie penguins prostitute themselves as a means of collecting valuable stones that they use to help protect their nests.
Chinstrap penguins may be the most numerous penguin, with a population estimated at 12 to 13 million.
When an emperor penguin lays an egg she immediately and carefully passes it to her mate who tucks it under a fold of skin between his belly and his feet. The female then goes off to find food, leaving the male with the eggs for 63 days. Emperor penguins live in the Antarctic so the poor male has to withstand freezing cold blizzards, standing in one spot.
Emperor Penguins can dive as deep as 1,750 feet in the frigid waters of the ocean.
Emperor Penguins live in colonies that can be very far away from the ocean waters, such as 50 miles away.
When Emperor Penguins travel for food they can travel up to 870 miles in one single trip.
Penguins seem to have no special fear of humans and have approached groups of explorers without hesitation. This is probably because there are no land predators in Antarctica or the nearby offshore islands that prey on or attack penguins. Instead, penguins are at risk at sea from predators such as the leopard seal.
Among extant penguins larger penguins inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are generally found in temperate or even tropical climates (see also Bergmann's Rule)
The Emperor penguin is the largest type of penguin
Penguins are found in the... more
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Those involved in the frightening Titanic-like Antarctic cruise ordeal are on their way to Chile where they will begin their long journeys home.Those involved in the frightening Titanic-like Antarctic cruise ordeal are on their... more
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They were modern adventure travelers, following the doomed route of Sir Ernest Shackleton to the frozen ends of the earth. They paid $7,000 to $16,000 to cruise on a ship that had proudly plowed the Antarctic for 40 years.
But sometime early yesterday, the Explorer, fondly known in the maritime world as the little red ship, quietly struck ice.
But the vessel did not have a double hull, a complete second steel sheath, the kind developed after the Titanic sank.
And so the 154 people who survived a modern Titanic have fallen into that strange category of luck the kind that would not be necessary had not horrendous bad fortune preceded it
Slide show:http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/11/23/world/1123-ship2_index.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalinkThey were modern adventure travelers, following the doomed route of Sir Ernest... more
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