 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Past Antarctic Ice Sheet Development Linked To Ocean Temperatures And Co2
Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Sep 17, 2004 New research published in the September 17 issue of the journal Science sheds light on the evolution of Earth's climate system by identifying changes in temperature, ocean circulation, and global carbon cycling associated with the rapid growth of Antarctic ice sheets approximately 14 million years ago. By studying chemical changes in deep sea sediments, scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara discovered that high-latitude Southern Ocean cooling helped to trigger this major expansion of Antarctic ice sheets, which have since become a permanent feature of the global climate system. These results document ice sheet history and supply crucial insight into the dynamics of the global climate system. Scientists have long recognized that the Southern Ocean and the development of Antarctic ice sheets play a major role in the evolution of Earth's present climate system. Only now have researchers been able to obtain a clearer picture of the relationship between high-latitude temperatures, global carbon cycling and the size of Antarctic ice sheets. Southern Ocean temperature data exhibits a rapid 7 degree cooling of surface waters around 14 million years ago and suggests a strengthening of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in response to changes in the geometry of Earth's orbits. As a result, Antarctica became increasingly isolated from tropical heat and moisture sources. Records of Antarctic ice volume indicate that following this cooling ice sheets expanded rapidly to near present-day size, which suggests that changes in the Southern Ocean directly influence the size of the Antarctic ice sheet. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Science SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Nuclear Space Technology at Space-Travel.com
Rewriting Glacial History In Pacific North America
Edmonton AB (SPX) Jan 10, 2006Although the story on glacier fluctuations in northwestern North America over the last 10,000 years has remained largely unchanged for decades, new evidence discovered by a University of Alberta researcher will rewrite that glacial history and offer clues about our climate history during the last several thousand years. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights 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 SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
