http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/snow_and_avalanches/ Learn about snowfall and avalanches. Read research on snow and ice composition and more. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/snow_and_avalanches/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103447.htm In a new study, measurements were made during three Austral summers to study the optical properties of the Antarctic system and to produce radiation information for additional modeling studies. The system has an important part in the global climate due to its size, its high latitude location and the negative radiation balance of its large ice sheets. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103447.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121117.htm Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonization is having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or millions of years. Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109121117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172251.htm Researchers spent two months this summer high in the Peruvian Andes and brought back two cores, the longest ever drilled from ice fields in the tropics. This latest expedition focused on a yet-to-be-named ice field 5,364 meters above sea level in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102172251.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005211748.htm Early in the 20th century, a succession of adventurers and scientists pioneered the exploration of Antarctica. A century later, they're still at it, albeit with a different set of tools. This fall, a team of modern explorers will fly over Earth's southern ice-covered regions to study changes to its sea ice, ice sheets, and glaciers as part of NASA's Operation Ice Bridge. Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005211748.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143331.htm The most comprehensive picture of the rapidly thinning glaciers along the coastline of both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets has been created using satellite lasers. The findings are an important step forward in the quest to make more accurate predictions for future sea level rise. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923143331.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915202155.htm The ice sheets that sculpted the landscape of Northern Britain moved in unexpected ways and left distinctive egg-shaped features, according to new research. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915202155.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142354.htm Arctic and Antarctic research teams pulled back to warmer climates when the International Polar Year wrapped last March. But the call has gone out for a return to the poles for a more focused investigation into the effects of global warming. Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910142354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910184312.htm Much of circumpolar Arctic research focuses on the physical, direct changes resulting from climate warming such as sea ice retreat and temperature increases. "What's understudied is the living component of the Arctic and that includes humans," said an Alaska researcher. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910184312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130806.htm University of Illinois geologist William Shilts has spent nearly two decades studying glaciers on Bylot Island, an uninhabited island about 300 miles southwest of Thule, Greenland. He, his students and other geologists who followed in his footsteps have chronicled the decline of several Bylot Island glaciers. Photos of the island from the 1940s to the present offer a vivid picture of the changing glaciers and the forces that shape their retreat. Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090831130806.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720134246.htm A new study takes scientists a step further in their quest to understand how Antarctica's vast glaciers will contribute to future sea-level rise. They describe how a new 3-D map created from radar measurements reveals features in the landscape beneath a vast river of ice, 10 times wider than the Rhine, in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720134246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611192134.htm It may not be the Yeti, but in a remote region of the Russian mountains a previously unknown and entirely unique form of plant root has been discovered. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611192134.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200804.htm Accelerated snowmelt -- precipitated by desert dust blowing into the mountains -- changes how alpine plants respond to seasonal climate cues that regulate their life cycles, according to a new study. These results indicate that global warming may have a greater influence on plants' annual growth cycles than previously thought. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629200804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630205159.htm Is it possible that something as insubstantial and transitory as snow could be responsible for large scale vertical movements of Earth's surface and the excavation of deeply incised gorges? Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090630205159.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090513234814.htm Water is constantly being moved about our planet. The water, or hydrologic, cycle describes how water changes from liquid to solid to vapor and how it is stored in a variety of places: under the ground, in the atmosphere and ocean and in the form of ice and snow. Thanks to new research from NASA, it is now easier to accurately track snowmelt -- water from snowpacks that melt in spring -- in mountainous regions. Mon, 18 May 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090513234814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512153335.htm There has been recent disagreement about the snowpack decline in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, but new research leaves little doubt that a warmer climate has a significant effect on the snowpack, even if other factors keep year-to-year measurements close to normal for a period of years. Fri, 15 May 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512153335.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430092530.htm In Maine, government scientists have figured out how to measure snowfall in remote areas with a bucket, a small windmill, and the sun -- all the while saving money, energy, and, ultimately helping to save lives. Sat, 09 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090430092530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505072502.htm Motorway-sized troughs and channels carved into Antarctica's continental shelves by glaciers thousands of years ago could help scientists to predict future sea-level rise, according to a new article in the journal Geology. Wed, 06 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090505072502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090418090255.htm The combined global land and ocean surface average temperature for March 2009 was the 10th warmest since records began in 1880, according to an analysis by NOAA. Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090418090255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401102938.htm Arctic reindeer herders are facing the challenges of adapting to climate change as a warmer Arctic climate makes it harder for herds to find food and navigate. To help them adapt, the ESA-backed Polar View initiative is providing them with satellite-based snow maps. Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401102938.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401103555.htm Imagine a piece of ice 1,000 miles long, 400 miles wide, and 2 miles thick in the center. That's the Greenland ice sheet. But that island-sized piece of ice is melting, so NASA researchers are flying to the Arctic this week to learn more about the nature of those changes. Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401103555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090315092035.htm The combined global land and ocean surface average temperature for February 2009 was the ninth warmest since records began in 1880, according to an analysis by NOAA. Mon, 16 Mar 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090315092035.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224163643.htm Exquisitely detailed and beautifully symmetrical, the snowflakes made by a mathematician are icy jewels of art. But don't be fooled; there is some serious science behind a mathematician's charming creations. Although they look as if they tumbled straight from the clouds, these "snowfakes" are actually the product of an elaborate computer model designed to replicate the wildly complex growth of snow crystals. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090224163643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090216131158.htm The Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets are melting, but the amounts that will melt and the time it will take are still unknown, according to researchers. Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090216131158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218081629.htm Areas with lowland permafrost are likely to shrink in northern Sweden. Warmer summers and more winter precipitation are two of the reasons. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218081629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090204112237.htm Inuit trails are more than merely means to get from A to B. In reality, they represent a complex social network spanning the Canadian Arctic and are a distinctive aspect of the Inuit cultural identity. And what is remarkable is that the Inuit's vast geographic knowledge has been passed through many generations by oral means, without the use of maps or any other written documentation. Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090204112237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129113327.htm Snow that blows and drifts across roadways has long troubled road maintenance crews and commuters alike, creating treacherous driving conditions and requiring additional maintenance resources to mitigate the problem. Now, engineers have developed "SnowMan," a user-friendly, desktop software package that puts cost-effective solutions to the snow drift problem at the fingertips of highway designers and road maintenance personnel. Fri, 06 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129113327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129090002.htm Glaciers around the globe continue to melt at high rates. Tentative figures for the year 2007, of the World Glacier Monitoring Service indicate a further loss of average ice thickness of roughly 0.67 meter water equivalent (m w.e.). Some glaciers in the European Alps lost up to 2.5 m w.e. Wed, 04 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129090002.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231131813.htm Scientists in China report that small bugs deposited in ice and snow might tell how our climate has been changing. Wed, 14 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231131813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112093336.htm Soot from pollution causes winter snowpacks to warm, shrink and warm some more. This continuous cycle sends snowmelt streaming down mountains as much as a month early, a new study finds, which could exacerbate winter flooding and summer droughts. How pollution affects a mountain range's natural water reservoirs is important for water resource managers in the western United States and Canada who plan for hydroelectricity generation, fisheries and farming. Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112093336.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090109131100.htm Engineers have invented a way to cheaply and effectively keep ice off power lines. The new proprietary technology is called a variable resistance cable (VRC) de-icing system. With only minor cable modifications plus some off-the-shelf electronics, the system switches the electrical resistance of a standard power line from low to high. The high resistance automatically creates heat to melt ice build-up or keep it from forming in the first place. Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090109131100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090102101455.htm Satellite observations during the past decade have shown dramatic changes in flow speed on year-to-year timescales at Greenland's outlet glaciers. Seismic events traced back to glaciers during the same time period have been interpreted to have resulted from calving events at the glacier terminus or surging events lubricated by subglacial meltwater. Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090102101455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222113530.htm The idea of a white Christmas may seem magical for many of us, but spare a thought for a team of scientists forgoing the festive season to take part in a novel campaign being carried out in one of the most inhospitable regions on Earth to support ESA's CryoSat mission. Thu, 25 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222113530.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111303.htm Polar bears -- especially the marginal individuals like some sub-adult males -- could adapt to changes in ice and the ability to hunt seals by eating snow goose eggs. According to new calculations, bear movement should coordinate more and more with nesting as the Arctic warms, especially near Hudson Bay. Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111303.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215121632.htm Rocky Mountain ski areas face dramatic changes this century as the climate warms, including best-case scenarios of shortened ski seasons and higher snowlines and worst-case scenarios of bare base areas and winter rains, says a new Colorado study. Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215121632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202115322.htm When slab avalanches thunder into the valley, winter sports fans are in danger. Researchers have now gained amazing insights into the formation of these avalanches -- especially regarding how they are remotely triggered by skiers in more gently inclined areas. Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202115322.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201101153.htm A new study of backcountry ski habits finds training has little impact on risk of being caught in an avalanche, and Americans have higher avalanche risk than Canadians. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201101153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107072003.htm In the Arctic in spring, the snow cover gives off nitrogen oxides. This phenomenon, the extent of which had not been previously realized, is the source of one third of the nitrates present in the Arctic atmosphere, according to researchers. Scientists made a quantitative study of the origin and evolution of nitrogen compounds in the Arctic atmosphere, in order to understand their environmental impact on this region. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081107072003.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119171523.htm Scientists recently found evidence that bacteria and biological cells are the most efficient ice-forming catalysts in precipitation from locations around the globe. The formation of ice in clouds is important in the processes that lead to snow and rain. Ice-nucleating bacteria -- which have been referred to as "rain-making bacteria" -- may be significant triggers of freezing in clouds and influence the water cycle. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081119171523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103090900.htm The Greenland ice cap has been a focal point of recent climate change research because it is much more exposed to immediate global warming than the larger Antarctic ice sheet. Yet while the southern Greenland ice cap has been melting, it is still not clear how much this is contributing to rising sea levels, and much further research is needed. Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103090900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080905164328.htm Much has been said about the situation of the glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, but little is known about those in the high mountain areas of the Iberian Peninsular. A Spanish research study has revealed, for the first time, that now only the Pyrenees has active glaciers. Furthermore, the steady increase in temperature, a total of 0.9°C since 1890, indicates that Pyrenean glaciers will disappear before 2050, according to experts. Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080905164328.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828171703.htm Eroded gullies on the flanks of Martian craters may have been formed by snowmelt as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago and in sites once occupied by glaciers. Similar conditions can be found in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. Rather than being a dead planet, the new data are consistent with dynamic climate changes on Mars. Sat, 30 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080828171703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080724220104.htm The Arctic may get some temporary relief from global warming if the annual North American wildfire season intensifies, according to a new study. Smoke transported to the Arctic from northern forest fires may cool the surface for several weeks to months at a time, according to the most detailed analysis yet of how smoke influences the Arctic climate relative to the amount of snow and ice cover. Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080724220104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715152306.htm Several snowmobiles navigated speedily over arctic ice and snow in Alaska's outback in late June. This scene might seem ordinary except that the recently unveiled snowmobiles are unmanned, autonomous, toy-size robots called SnoMotes -- the first prototype network of their kind envisioned to rove treacherous areas of the Arctic and Antarctic capturing more accurate measurements that will help scientists better understand what is causing the well-documented melting of ice in those regions. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715152306.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715155513.htm Global warming could lead to larger changes in snowmelt in the western United States than was previously thought, possibly increasing wildfire risk and creating new water management challenges for agriculture, ecosystems and urban populations. Researchers discovered that a critical surface temperature feedback is twice as strong as what had been projected by earlier studies. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715155513.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708093615.htm Meltwater is rapidly increasing the tempo of glacial movements on the rim of the Greenland ice sheet. Over the long term, however, this process is interrupted as meltwater drains away via broad channels, as a result of which ice movement decreases once again. Ultimately, this is not a cause of accelerated sea level rise. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708093615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603085922.htm Global climate change will not only impact plants and animals but will also affect bacteria, fungi and other microbial populations that perform a myriad of functions important to life on earth. It is not entirely certain what those effects will be, but they could be significant and will probably not be good. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603085922.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080525090113.htm Following a formidable 106-day trek across the Arctic, which ended with the two Arctic Arc expedition members relying on Envisat images to guide them safely through disintegrating sea-ice, intrepid polar explorer Alain Hubert recently visited ESA to handover a unique set of snow-depth measurements. To coincide with the launch of the International Polar Year (IPY) 2007-2008, explorers ventured out onto the sea-ice to embark upon a trek from Siberia to northern Greenland via the North Pole -- a route never before attempted. Thu, 29 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080525090113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080526153152.htm In an unexpected consequence of climate change, scientists are raising the possibility that glacial melting is releasing large amounts of the banned pesticide DDT, which is contaminating the environment in Antarctica. Tue, 27 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080526153152.htm