Tag Archives: Ice

An undisclosed ice base uncovers ethereal cosmic particles in Antarctica

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Scientists have faced a challenge for nearly a century: How do you detect the undetectable, like the elusive neutrino? But now, in a groundbreaking discovery, neutrinos from elsewhere in the Milky Way have been detected for the first time, shedding light on a new era of neutrino astronomy.

The discovery of neutrinos has opened up new possibilities, and researchers like Steve Sclafani from the University of Maryland are excited about this new frontier. Neutrinos, the second most abundant elementary particles in the universe, are notoriously difficult to detect due to their elusive nature. When Austrian physicist Wolfgang Pauli proposed their existence in the 1930s, he thought they could never be detected, but he was proven wrong in 1956.

The discovery of neutrinos from outside the Milky Way was made possible by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive telescope located near the South Pole. By detecting high-energy neutrinos from distant galaxies, scientists are uncovering the mysteries of cosmic particle accelerators. These accelerators, like supermassive black holes, can provide clues about the origins of cosmic rays and other cosmic phenomena.

Small particles, huge targets

The IceCube detector, operated by a collaboration of scientists from around the world, works by detecting Cherenkov radiation emitted when high-energy neutrinos interact with the ice. This innovative approach allowed researchers to distinguish Milky Way neutrinos from other background signals, leading to the detection of hundreds of neutrinos over a 10-year period.

By studying the distribution of these neutrinos, scientists hope to learn more about the origins of cosmic rays and other high-energy phenomena in our galaxy. With plans to expand the IceCube observatory and improve detection methods, the future of neutrino astronomy looks promising.

Birth of neutrino astronomy

The detection of high-energy neutrinos from the Milky Way marks a new era in astronomy, providing researchers with a unique tool to study cosmic phenomena. By tracking these neutrinos back to their sources, scientists hope to uncover the mechanisms behind cosmic particle accelerators and other cosmic mysteries.

Neutrino astronomy offers a new perspective on the universe, allowing researchers to peer into the heart of energetic and turbulent environments near supermassive black holes. This discovery opens up a whole new window on the universe, providing invaluable insights into the workings of the cosmos.

New perspective

Neutrino astronomy has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the universe, offering a rare glimpse into the inner workings of cosmic particle accelerators and other energetic phenomena. By studying the origins of high-energy neutrinos, researchers can uncover the mysteries of the cosmos and explore new frontiers in astrophysics. Exciting times lie ahead for neutrino astronomy, with new discoveries and advancements on the horizon.

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About our experts

Mirko Hünefeld from Dortmund University of Technology and Steve Sclafani from the University of Maryland are leading scientists in the field of neutrino astronomy. Their contributions to the IceCube observatory have helped advance our understanding of the universe and unlock new insights into cosmic phenomena.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

3D Printed Ice Blood Vessels Could Enhance the Quality of Artificial Organs

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3D printed blood vessel ice template

Philip LeDuc and others/Carnegie Mellon University

Complex artificial organs can be created by 3D printing molds of veins, arteries, and capillaries in ice, casting them in organic materials, and melting the ice to form delicate, hollow networks. This leaves space for the complex vascular grafts required for the development of laboratory-cultured internal organs.

Researchers have been working for decades to develop artificial organs to meet the high global demand for transplants such as hearts, kidneys and livers. However, creating the vascular network necessary to keep them alive remains a challenge.

Existing technology can grow artificial skin and ears, but the meat and organ materials disappear when they are more than 200 micrometers away from blood vessels. Philippe Leduc at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania.

“It's about twice the width of a hair. Once you get through that, and you can't access nutrients anymore, your cells start dying,” he says. Therefore, new processes will be needed to produce internal organs cheaply and quickly.

LeDuc and his colleagues experimented with printing blood vessels with meltable wax, which requires fairly high temperatures and can leave behind residue. “One day, out of the blue, a student of mine said, 'What if we tried using water, the most biologically compatible substance in the world?'” he says. “And I'm like, 'Oh, yeah.' It still makes me laugh. It's that simple.”

They developed a technique that uses a 3D printer to create a mold of the inside of an organ's blood vessels in ice. In the test, they embedded them in a gelatin material that hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light before the ice melts away.

The researchers used a platform cooled to -35°C and a printer nozzle that ejected hundreds of drops of water per second, allowing them to print structures as small as 50 micrometers in diameter.

LeDuc says the process is conceptually simple, but requires complete coordination. If the droplet is ejected too quickly, the droplet will not solidify quickly enough to create the desired shape, but if it prints too slowly, it will just form a clump.

The system is also affected by weather and humidity, so researchers are looking into using artificial intelligence to adjust the printer to different conditions.

They also used a version of water in which all the hydrogen was replaced with deuterium, a stable isotope of the element. This so-called heavy water has a high freezing point and helps create a smooth structure by avoiding unwanted crystallization. Deuterium is not radioactive, unlike some isotopes, and tests have shown it to be safe for creating artificial organs, LeDuc said.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Study finds that low carbon dioxide emissions from volcanoes may have caused the Sturtian ‘Snowball Earth’ ice age.

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of Sturtian “Snowball Earth” Ice Age (717 million to 661 million years ago) is considered the most extreme icehouse period in Earth’s history. In a new study, geologists from the University of Sydney and the University of Adelaide used plate tectonics modeling to identify the most likely cause of the Staats Ice Age.

Artist’s impression of “Snowball Earth”. Image credit: Oleg Kuznetsov, http://3depix.com / CC BY-SA 4.0.

“Imagine if the Earth almost completely froze over, which is exactly what happened about 700 million years ago,” said lead author Dr. Adriana Dutkiewicz, a researcher at the University of Sydney. .

“The Earth was covered in ice from the poles to the equator, and temperatures plummeted. But what caused this to happen is an open question.”

“We think we have now solved the mystery. Historically, volcanic carbon dioxide emissions have been low, driven by the weathering of large volcanic rock mountains in what is now Canada. It’s a process that absorbs carbon dioxide.”

Named after Charles Sturt, a 19th-century European colonial explorer of central Australia, the Sturtsian Ice Age spanned 717 million to 660 million years, long before dinosaurs and complex plants existed on land. It continued until ten thousand years ago.

“There are many possible causes for the trigger and end of this extreme ice age, but the most mysterious one is why it lasted 57 million years. It’s hard for humans to imagine,” Dr. Dutkiewicz said.

Dr. Dutkiewicz and his colleagues used a plate tectonics model that simultaneously shows the evolution of continents and ocean basins after the breakup of the ancient supercontinent Rodina.

They connected it to a computer model that calculates the outgassing of carbon dioxide from submarine volcanoes along mid-ocean ridges, where plates diverge and new oceanic crust is born.

They soon realized that the beginning of the Starch Ice Age correlated precisely with the lowest ever levels of volcanic carbon dioxide emissions.

Additionally, carbon dioxide flux remained relatively low throughout the ice age.

“At that time, there were no multicellular animals or land plants on Earth,” Dr. Dutkiewicz said.

“Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere were determined almost entirely by carbon dioxide emitted by volcanoes and by the weathering processes of silicate rocks that consume carbon dioxide.”

“At that time, geology ruled the climate,” said co-author Professor Dietmar Müller, a researcher at the University of Sydney.

“We think the Staats Ice Age began with a double whammy: plate tectonics realigned to minimize volcanic degassing, while at the same time Canada’s continental volcanic belt began to erode, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Consumed.”

“As a result, atmospheric carbon dioxide has fallen to levels that could begin an ice age. This is estimated to be less than 200 parts per million, less than half of today’s levels.”

The team’s current research raises interesting questions about the long-term future of the planet.

Recent theories suggest that over the next 250 million years, Earth will evolve toward Pangea Ultima, a supercontinent hot enough to wipe out mammals.

However, the Earth is currently on a trajectory where volcanic carbon dioxide emissions decrease as continental collisions increase and plate velocities decrease.

So perhaps Pangea Ultima will snowball again.

“Whatever the future holds, it is important to remember that geological climate changes of the type studied here occur very slowly,” Dr. Dutkiewicz said.

“According to NASA, human-induced climate change is occurring 10 times faster than ever before.”

of study appear in the diary geology.

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Adriana Dutkiewicz other. The period of the Sturtian “Snowball Earth” ice age is associated with unusually low gas emissions at mid-ocean ridges. geology, published online on February 7, 2024. doi: 10.1130/G51669.1

Source: www.sci.news

Killer whale pod trapped in drift ice off the coast of Japan vanishes

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Killer whale trapped in ice off the coast of Japan

NHK/Screenshot

A pod of more than a dozen killer whales has gone missing after languishing in Japan's icy waters for nearly a day, trying to escape being trapped in an ice floe. It is unknown what happened to them, but they may have died.

Fishermen near Hokkaido first noticed the pods struggling in the thick mud early Tuesday morning. Images and drone video show at least 12 orcas. Several boys struggle in a small space It was trapped in heavy ice about 1 km offshore.

As of Wednesday morning, The containment area was empty.Japanese news outlet NHK said it gave hope that the animals may have escaped to the open waters of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

However, late Tuesday afternoon, a pod of 17 orcas was found trapped on an ice floe 2 kilometers northeast of their original location. NHK reporting.

“Orcas are not ice-adapted whales. They are not comfortable in this area.” colin galloway at the University of Manitoba, Canada. “So they are definitely experiencing the stress of confinement and are more likely to be starving.”

Cetaceans that permanently inhabit the Arctic region, such as narwhals (Monodon Monoceros) and belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), can sometimes become trapped in ice. Killer whale (killer whale) However, they usually avoid heavy ice and avoid getting trapped.

Still, black-and-white marine mammals can end up in icy waters at the wrong time.in 2016 reviewScientists found that since 1840, there have been 17 incidents in the Northern Hemisphere where a total of 100 orcas were trapped in ice. Almost half of them occurred in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, Japan. Confinement usually ends in the killer whale's death, Galloway said.

Scientists believe that even the reported orcas “broken freedomAfter being trapped in the ice, they can die struggling through further ice drifts while trying to reach the open sea.

A 2019 study of ice-trapped killer whales suggests that: Mammals can live on body fat for up to 50 days before being trapped and starving to death.. Sightings of orcas trapped in the ice have increased in recent years, as the Arctic ice melts and curious orcas seek new territory to explore.

Global warming may indeed be playing a role, Galloway says. His team is currently investigating the environmental impact of killer whales' gradual northward migration. But it's also possible that entrapment incidents simply appear to be more common because people are reporting more incidents.

“Just because we've gotten better at detecting, observing, and recording climate warming, and we're more interested in it, it's very difficult to disentangle the relationship between climate warming.” “That's one of the predictions,” he says.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Possible Vast Global Ocean Discovered Beneath Ice on Saturn’s Moon Mimas

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Mimas photographed by NASA's Cassini spacecraft

NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology/Space Science I

Saturn's moon Mimas appears to have a vast global ocean beneath its icy shell, according to detailed measurements of its orbit. If other icy worlds have similar oceans, the number of planets that can support life could increase.

Mimas is the smallest of Saturn's seven major moons. For a long time, it was thought that most of it was composed of solid ice and rock, but in 2014 astronomers observed that the orbit around Saturn was unexpectedly wobbling, suggesting that this could only be explained by either a rugby ball-shaped nucleus or a liquid ocean.

Many astronomers rejected the ocean explanation, as the friction required to melt the ice would have caused visible marks on Mimas's surface. However, recent simulations suggest that this ocean may exist even without such traces.

Looking for more clues? Valerie Rainey Researchers from France's Paris Observatory analyzed observations of Mimas' orbit by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. They found that the orbit around Saturn has shifted by about 10 kilometers over 13 years.

According to the team's calculations, this orbital drift could only have been caused by an ice shell sliding over the ocean, or by wobbles from the physically impossible pancake-shaped core.

The moon's elliptical orbit and lack of surface markings also suggest that the ocean is about 30 kilometers deep and formed less than 25 million years ago. “It was very recent,” Rainey says. “We are more or less witnessing the birth of this global ocean.”

This recent activity could help explain not only the lack of traces on the surface, but also why the moon is so different from its neighbors. Enceladus has a similar shape and orbit to Mimas, and has a global ocean, but it also has a very active surface and giant spout. Rainey said the difference is simply a difference in time, and in a few million years Mimas' ice could melt and it could look similar to Enceladus.

“It would be surprising if that were true,” he says. William McKinnon at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. But he says there are still things that aren't perfectly aligned, such as the vast 80-mile-wide Herschel crater, which was formed by a giant impact. If Mimas' ice shell was truly only tens of kilometers deep, McKinnon said, we would have seen evidence of a distorted crater floor in the impact and aftermath. It's also unlikely, he says, that you'll be able to get a front-row seat at such a short and unique time in Mimas' long history. “I remain a Mimas ocean skeptic,” McKinnon says.

However, if Mimas has a hidden ocean, it suggests that other icy planets and moons in the solar system and elsewhere may have the same, expanding the possibility of life. “It's expanding our vision of what is and isn't a habitable world,” Rainey says. “Mimas teaches us that even a corpse that seems to have no life in it may someday come to life.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Scientists Find Worsening Ice Melt in Greenland as Research Advances

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According to a new study, Greenland’s ice sheet has lost approximately 1,965 square miles to glacier retreat since 1985, which is about the same area as the state of Delaware. The study utilized satellite images to track the retreat and discovered that iceberg collapse is accelerating in Greenland, with previous analyses potentially underestimating its impact. The authors of the study noted that the current estimates of ice sheet mass balance may underestimate recent mass loss from Greenland by up to 20%. In recent decades, nearly all of Greenland’s glaciers have thinned or retreated.

The study, published in the journal Nature, is another indication that Greenland’s ice is melting at a rapid rate. There is growing concern among scientists that global warming could trigger a major ice sheet tipping point. If Greenland’s ice completely melts, sea levels could rise by almost 7 feet and change ocean circulation patterns. Additionally, the study suggests that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change may be underestimating how much ice is being lost in Greenland.

Several studies published last year highlighted Greenland’s rapid changes, including one that found the rate of glacier retreat in the 21st century to be twice as fast as the 20th century. Another study showed that floating ice shelves in northern Greenland have lost over 35% of their total volume and are weakening, which could threaten ice sheet stability.

In November, a report by 60 leading snow and ice scientists raised concerns about the fate of the world’s ice sheets, warning that if global average temperatures rise to about 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial baselines, the planet could see sea level rise of more than 40 feet in the coming centuries. The report also indicates that by 2 degrees Celsius, most of Greenland, most of West Antarctica, and vulnerable parts of East Antarctica will have a very long-term chance of warming, leading to relentless sea level rise and decline.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Rising Temperatures Lead to Minimal Ice on Great Lakes

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The Great Lakes, known for ice fishing and winter's frozen waves, rang out a nearly bare New Year's bell.

Less than 0.4% of ice covered the Great Lakes on New Year's Day, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Institute, which uses satellite data to measure ice concentrations.

“There's basically nothing,” said James Kessler, a physical scientist at the institute, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We have about 50 years of data. Today's average for January 1st is about 9%.”

Kessler said that although ice coverage is well below normal, it is not unheard of for ice concentrations to fall below 1% on January 1, still early in the season.

The amount of ice on the Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario) determines when and how raw materials and cargo are shipped from ports in the Midwest. Fish species such as whitefish are covered in ice to protect their eggs for reproduction. Lower ice levels could increase erosion and contribute to changes in weather patterns in the region.

Kessler said temperatures have been unseasonably high this season, making it difficult for ice to form on the lake's surface. According to his research, the Great Lakes' annual ice area varies greatly from year to year, but tends to decline at a rate of about 5% every decade.

“This is certainly a sign of climate change,” he says.

Ice typically reaches its maximum extent from mid-February to early March. In a typical year, about 40% of the Great Lakes are covered in ice at peak times.

Last year, ice coverage reached about 23% and by mid-February the ice had diminished. just covered 7% of the lake.

In 2023, Earth experienced its hottest year on record, largely due to human-induced climate change. Researchers expect temperatures to rise further this year due to El Niño, a natural climate pattern that releases ocean heat into the atmosphere.El Niño winter Warmer trends across the Great Lakes region.

seasonal outlook Temperatures in the Great Lakes region are expected to be higher than normal this year. below average ice.

Forecasters expect little change this week.

Over the next five days, “temperatures are expected to remain near normal across the Great Lakes region, making the forecast less favorable for ice growth,” one report said. Ice outlook prepared by the National Weather Service in Cleveland.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Is aerosol injection a solution to saving ice?

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A recent study from Indiana University’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences suggests that utilizing stratospheric aerosol injection to scatter sunlight-reflecting particles in the atmosphere could help slow the rapid melting of West Antarctica. This strategy aims to reduce the risk of catastrophic sea level rise due to climate change. The study shows that even with efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, significant sea level rise is still expected.

The study is one of the first to explore the effects of climate engineering on Antarctica, particularly focusing on the accelerating ice loss in West Antarctica. Researchers used high-performance computers and global climate models to simulate various stratospheric aerosol injection scenarios. The data analysis for the study was conducted on Carbonate, a large-memory computer cluster at IU University Information Technology Services.

The results of the study indicate that releasing stratospheric aerosols at multiple latitudes in the tropics and subtropics, with a larger proportion in the Southern Hemisphere, could be the best strategy for preserving Antarctic land ice. The researchers also emphasize the need for further research to quantify changes in melt rates and stress the importance of understanding the potential risks associated with stratospheric aerosol injection. These risks include changes in regional precipitation patterns and the potential for global temperatures to rapidly return to pre-injection levels if treatment is interrupted.

The study expands knowledge about the potential benefits and drawbacks of intentionally cooling the Earth and contributes to a growing conversation about geoengineering in response to the effects of climate change. While more research is needed, the findings highlight the importance of understanding how stratospheric aerosol injection affects the Antarctic region.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Tracing the Sea Ice Highway: The Arrival of North America’s First Immigrants

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New findings suggest that early humans arrived in North America earlier than 13,000 years ago, likely taking advantage of the “sea ice highway” along the Pacific coast. This theory is supported by paleoclimate data, challenges traditional migration theories, and emphasizes the adaptability of early humans. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

A new study suggests that some early Americans may have traveled down the coast from Beringia 24,000 years ago on winter sea ice.

One of the hottest debates in archeology is when and how humans first arrived in North America. Archaeologists have traditionally argued that people walked through temporary ice-free passages between ice sheets an estimated 13,000 years ago.

New evidence casts doubt on traditional theory

But a growing number of archaeological and genetic discoveries, such as human footprints in New Mexico dating back some 23,000 years, suggest that humans were on the continent much earlier. These early Americans likely migrated from Beringia along the Pacific coastline. Beringia is a land bridge between Asia and North America that appeared during the last ice age maximum when ice sheets trapped large amounts of water and caused sea levels to drop.

Now, in a study presented at the American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting (AGU23) in San Francisco on Friday, December 15th, paleoclimate reconstructions of the Pacific Northwest show that sea ice has grown even further south than humans. This suggests that it may have been a means of transportation.

Coastal migration theory

The idea that early Americans may have traveled along the Pacific coast is not new. People may have been south of the giant ice sheet that once covered much of the continent by at least 16,000 years ago. Given that ice-free corridors would not open for thousands of years before these early arrivals, scientists proposed that people instead migrated along a “kelp highway.” Along this path, early Americans slowly made their way down to North America by ship. Abundant supplies found in coastal waters.

Archaeologists have discovered evidence of coastal settlements in western Canada dating back 14,000 years. But in 2020, researchers noted that freshwater from melting glaciers at the time may have created strong currents, making it difficult for people to travel along the coast.

Sea ice in Nunavut, Canada. Credit: Grid-Arendel CC-BY-NC-SA

An icy highway crossing a dangerous sea

To get a more complete picture of ocean conditions during key periods of human migration, Summer Pretorius and colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey examined climate proxies in marine sediments along the coast. Most of the data came from small fossilized plankton. Its abundance and chemistry help scientists reconstruct ocean temperatures, salinity, and sea ice cover.

Praetorius’ presentation is part of a session at AGU23 on the climate history and geology of Beringia and the North Pacific during the Pleistocene. This year, his week-long conference brought together 24,000 of his experts from all areas of earth and space sciences in San Francisco and 3,000 online participants.

Using climate models, Praetorius’ team found that at the height of the Last Glacial Maximum, about 20,000 years ago, ocean currents were more than twice as strong as they are today due to glacial winds and falling sea levels. Pretorius said it would have been very difficult to travel by boat in these conditions, although it was not impossible to row.

However, records show that much of the region had winter sea ice until about 15,000 years ago. As a cold-adapted people, “they may have been using the sea ice as a foothold instead of having to row against this terrible glacial current,” Pretorius said.

Sea ice as a migration path

People in the Arctic now travel along the sea ice on dog sleds and snowmobiles. Pretorius said early Americans may also have used the “sea ice highway” to travel and hunt marine mammals, slowly making their way into North America in the process. Climate data suggest that conditions along the coastal route may have been favorable for migration between 24,500 and 22,000 years ago and between 16,400 and 14,800 years ago, possibly due to the presence of winter sea ice.

Integration of old and new theories

It’s difficult to prove that people used sea ice for travel, given that most ruins are underwater, but the idea is that without land bridges or easy ocean travel, humans It provides a new framework for understanding how it arrived in North America.

And the Sea Ice Highway is not mutually exclusive with other human movements beyond it, Pretorius said. The researchers’ model shows that by 14,000 years ago, the Alaska Current had calmed down, making it easier for people to travel by boat along the coast.

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” she said. “We are always amazed by the ingenuity of ancient humans.”

Source: scitechdaily.com