. Medical and Hospital News .




ICE WORLD
Warming ocean thawing Antarctic glacier
by Staff Writers
Fairbanks AK (SPX) Sep 25, 2013


Bill Shaw attaches a thermistor string to measure ice temperatures. Photo by M. Truffer.

For the first time, researchers completed an extensive exploration of how quickly ice is melting underneath a rapidly changing Antarctic glacier, possibly the biggest source of uncertainty in global sea level projections.

Martin Truffer, a physics professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Tim Stanton, an oceanographer with the Naval Postgraduate School, were able to look underneath the Pine Island Glacier on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and take exact measurements of the undersea melting process.

"This particular site is crucial, because the bottom of the ice in that sector of Antarctica is grounded well below sea level and is particularly vulnerable to melt from the ocean and break up," said Truffer, a researcher with UAF's Geophysical Institute. "I think it is fair to say that the largest potential sea level rise signal in the next century is going to come from this area."

Their measurements show that, at some locations, warm ocean water is eating away at the underside of the ice shelf at more than two inches per day. This leads to a thinning of the ice shelf and the eventual production of huge icebergs, one of which just separated from the ice shelf a few months ago.

Their work was highlighted in a recent issue of Science. Both Truffer and Stanton, with other scientists from around the world, have spent years studying the underside of the Antarctic ice shelf and glacier, but the recent research took place in early 2013.

"UAF's part was to accomplish the drilling," Truffer said, crediting Dale Pomraning, with the GI's machine shop. "We have a hot water drill that is modular enough to be deployed by relatively small airplanes and helicopters, and we have the expertise to carry this out."

The drilling allowed the team to measure an undersea current of warm water, driven by fresh water from the melting glacier. The measurements will be used with both physical and computer models of ocean and glacier systems, said Stanton.

"These improved models are critical to our improved ability to predict future changes in the ice shelf and glacial melt rates of the potentially unstable Western Antarctic Ice Shelf in response to changing ocean forces," Stanton said.

.


Related Links
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Beyond the Ice Age






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Get Our Free Newsletters
Space - Defense - Environment - Energy - Solar - Nuclear

...





ICE WORLD
Warm Ocean Rapidly Melting Antarctic Ice Shelf from Below
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Sep 18, 2013
For five years, a scientific expedition tried reaching Pine Island Glacier ice shelf in a remote, wind-ridden corner of Antarctica. The obstacles to get to the ice shelf were extreme, but the science goal was simple: to measure how fast the sea was melting the 37-mile long ice tongue from underneath by drilling through the ice shelf. The international team, led by NASA's emeritus glaciolog ... read more


ICE WORLD
NASA tests space radar for finding buried victims

FBI releases chilling video of navy yard shooter

Japan suspends senior official over tsunami victims blog

Twitter launches emergency alerts

ICE WORLD
GPS III And OCX Satellite Launch and Early Orbit Operations Successfully Demonstrated

Raytheon UK receives first order for its latest GPS Anti-Jam prototype

Next Boeing GPS IIF Satellite Arrives at Cape Canaveral for Launch

USAF Institute of Technology signs Agreement on new GPS technology development with Locata

ICE WORLD
Genetic study pushes back timeline for first significant human population expansion

Your brain digitally remastered for clarity of thought

Findings in Middle East suggest early human routes into Europe

Paleorivers across Sahara may have supported ancient human migration routes

ICE WORLD
Zimbabwe poachers jailed 15 years for elephant poisoning

81 elephants die of poisoning in Zimbabwe: authorities

Immune to ageing

S. Africa rhino poaching toll hits record near 700

ICE WORLD
Projected climate change in West Africa not likely to worsen malaria situation

HIV infections plummet since 2001: UN

Disarming HIV With a "Pop"

AIDS epidemic's end by 2030 seen: UN official

ICE WORLD
Chinese activist accuses Beijing of targeting his family

China executes former street vendor, provokes outcry

As Bo starts prison term his torture legacy endures: lawyers

Bo Xilai sentenced to life in prison: court

ICE WORLD
Russia home to text message fraud "cottage industry"

Global gangs rake in $870 bn a year: UN official

Mexican generals freed after cartel charges dropped

ICE WORLD
Asia to have most millionaires: survey

US Fed probing market trades before policy release

Outside View: Easy money is narcotic

China free trade zone to allow banned websites: report




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2012 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement