http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tundra/ The Tundra Biome. Read the latest research on the tundra including information on tundra ecology, energy resources and the effects of climate change on this biome. Full articles, photos, free. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 21:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tundra/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508132549.htm Research done by the US Department of the Interior to determine if global warming threatens the polar bear population is so flawed that it cannot be used to justify listing the polar bear as an endangered species, according to a new study. The Interior Department has been ordered to make a determination by May 15. Sat, 10 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508132549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134246.htm Scientists probing volcanic rocks from deep under the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean have discovered a special geochemical signature until now found only in the southern hemisphere. The rocks were dredged from the remote Gakkel Ridge, which lies under 3,000 to 5,000 meters of water; it is Earth's most northerly undersea spreading ridge. Mon, 05 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430134246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180253.htm Fewer caribou calves are being born -- and more of them are dying -- in West Greenland as a result of a warming climate. The researchers believe that caribou may serve as an indicator species for climate changes including global warming. The research shows that the timing of peak food availability no longer corresponds to the timing of caribou births. Fri, 02 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430124607.htm New calculations indicate the record low minimum extent of sea ice across the Arctic last September has a three-in-five chance of being shattered again in 2008 because of continued warming temperatures and a preponderance of younger, thinner ice. Warming temperatures, preponderance of young, thin ice drives prediction. Fri, 02 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430124607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429120817.htm The state of Alaska has the dubious distinction of leading the lower 48 in the effects of a warming climate. Small villages are slipping into the sea due to coastal erosion, soggy permafrost is cracking buildings and trapping trucks. In an effort to better understand how the Pacific Northwest fits into the larger climate-change picture, scientists are heading to Denali National Park on the second leg of a multi-year mission to recover ice cores from glaciers in the Alaska wilderness. Thu, 01 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080429120817.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428071113.htm A mammal has been discovered living in Ireland, which has never been seen there before. The shrew, which has been spotted in Tipperary and Limerick, is only the third new mammal to be found on the island in almost 60 years. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428071113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112455.htm The Wildlife Conservation Society recently launched a four-year study to determine if climate change is affecting populations of a quintessential Arctic denizen: the rare musk ox. The research team will be assessing how musk ox are faring in areas along the Chukchi and northern Bering Seas, and the extent to which snow and icing events, disease, and possibly predation may be driving populations. Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424112455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423154558.htm The loss of sea ice due to climate change could spell disaster for polar bears and other Arctic marine mammals. Sea ice is the common habitat feature uniting these unique and diverse Arctic inhabitants. Sea ice serves as a platform for resting and reproduction, influences the distribution of food sources, and provides a refuge from predators. The loss of sea ice poses a particularly severe threat to Arctic species, such as the hooded seal, whose natural history is closely tied to, and depends on, sea ice. Sat, 26 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423154558.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423181652.htm Last year alone global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, increased by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons. Additionally methane rose by 27 million tons after nearly a decade with little or no increase. NOAA scientists released these and other preliminary findings Aprill 23 as part of an annual update to the agency's greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423181652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421111622.htm The Antarctic deep sea is getting colder, which might stimulate the circulation of the oceanic water masses. Scientists studied ocean currents as well as the distribution of temperature, salt content and trace substances in Antarctic sea water. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421111622.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421124230.htm The shrinking expanse of Arctic sea ice is increasingly vulnerable to summer sunshine. New research finds that unusually sunny weather contributed to last summer's record loss of Arctic ice, while similar weather conditions in past summers did not have comparable impacts. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421124230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414103617.htm For the first time, a German has taken part in a Russian drift expedition. He has spent seven months on an ice floe and gained observational data from a region, which is normally inaccessible during the Arctic winter. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414103617.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415205350.htm The largest ice shelf in the Northern Hemisphere has fractured into three main pieces. During a recent patrol across the northernmost parts of Canada, researchers found a new 18 kilometer-long network of cracks running from the southern edge of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf to the Arctic Ocean. This accompanies a large central fracture that was first detected in 2002, and raises the concern that the remaining ice shelf will disintegrate within the next few years. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415205350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407132120.htm Scientists are now flying through springtime Arctic pollution to find out why the region is warming -- and summertime sea ice is melting -- faster than predicted. Some 35 NOAA researchers are gathering with government and university colleagues in Fairbanks, Alaska, to conduct the study. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407132120.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401165017.htm This month, NASA begins the most extensive field campaign ever to investigate the chemistry of the Arctic's lower atmosphere. The mission is poised to help scientists identify how air pollution contributes to climate changes in the Arctic. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401165017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402210456.htm At a hearing on Capitol Hill April 2, the National Wildlife Federation urged immediate action to protect America's polar bears from the impacts of climate change by listing polar bears under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Facing a court-imposed deadline, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year proposed to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the ESA. FWS was required by the ESA to issue a final listing decision twelve months thereafter. FWS missed this deadline nearly three months ago despite the imminent dangers to polar bears, as demonstrated by unprecedented melting of Arctic ice in 2007. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402210456.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325171221.htm Concerned about hikers' and campers' persistent doubts that a small can of liquid pepper spray could stop half a ton of claws, muscle and teeth, biologists analyzed 20 years of bear pepper spray incidents. They report that spray effectively halted aggressive bear behavior in 92 percent of the cases. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325171221.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324203807.htm A decline by more than 70 percent of several North American shorebird species since the early 1970s has brought state, federal and international concern about conservation efforts for these birds and their wetland habitat. Wildlife ecologists are particularly interested in conservation measures aimed at slowing the decline. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324203807.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319085406.htm Scientists know that air pollution particles from mid-latitude cities migrate to the Arctic and form an ugly haze, but a new study finds surprising evidence that polar explorers saw the same phenomenon as early as 1870. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319085406.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318121552.htm Rain falling on snow sounds like a relatively harmless weather event, but when it happens in the far north it can mean lingering death for reindeer, musk oxen and other animals that normally graze on the Arctic tundra. Scientists say satellite data could be used to help save herds of musk oxen and reindeer from starvation when ice storms cut off their food supply. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318121552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318151743.htm Using the latest satellite observations, NASA researchers and others report that the Arctic is still on "thin ice" when it comes to the condition of sea ice cover in the region. A colder-than-average winter in some regions of the Arctic this year has yielded an increase in the area of new sea ice, while the older sea ice that lasts for several years has continued to decline. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318151743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314100420.htm Envisat captures the break up of the massive A53A iceberg located just east of the South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314100420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311163631.htm The pending federal decision about whether to protect the polar bear as a threatened species is as much about climate science as it is about climate change. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering a proposal to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, a proposal largely based on anticipated habitat loss in a warming Arctic. Climate models -- mathematical representations of the natural processes affecting climate -- factored heavily in the scientific information requested by the FWS to guide its official recommendation, which was due Jan. 9. Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311163631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307224040.htm Interactions between the stratospheric ozone chemistry and atmospheric air flow lead to significant changes of airflow patterns from the ground up to the stratosphere. Scientists at the Research Unit Potsdam of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research have investigated this fundamental process for climate interactions in the Arctic, and for the first time, incorporated it into climate models. Until now, it was not known what caused the natural variations of atmospheric air flow patterns which have played an important role for climate changes in the last decades. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307224040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305105209.htm Scientists recently developed a new modeling approach to estimate sea ice thickness. This is the only model based entirely on historical observations. The model was developed by scientists with the US Geological Survey and the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow. Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305105209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304200902.htm Research from ancient sediment cores indicates that a warming climate could make the world's arctic tundra far more susceptible to fires than previously thought. The findings are important given the potential for tundra fires to release organic carbon -- which could add significantly to the amount of greenhouse gases already blamed for global warming. Wed, 05 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304200902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214153536.htm For most northern indigenous people, the roughly 3 million caribou in the world are their most important terrestrial subsistence resource, and while hunters and scientists alike have long expressed concern about the on-going availability of caribou, their perceptions of the causes of change differ. Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214153536.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212134803.htm Arctic rivers transport huge quantities of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to the Arctic Ocean. The prevailing paradigm regarding DOC in arctic rivers is that it is largely refractory, making it of little significance for the Arctic Ocean biogeochemistry. However, a recent study shows that DOC in Alaskan arctic rivers is remarkably labile during the spring flood period when the majority of annual DOC flux occurs. Sat, 16 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080212134803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211142020.htm Scientists are testing a robotic probe in a polar-style, under-ice exploration of Madison's Lake Mendota that may have out-of-this world applications. The wintry Wisconsin conditions are hoped to simulate and to demonstrate whether the probe's systems can operate in icy conditions as a first test of using such a vehicle in a similar environment on Jupiter's moon Europa. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211142020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211134449.htm New Arctic sea floor data suggests that the foot of the continental slope off Alaska is more than 100 nautical miles farther from the US coast than previously assumed. The data, gathered during a recent mapping expedition north of Alaska, could support US rights to natural resources of the sea floor beyond 200 nautical miles from the coast. Tue, 12 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080211134449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113831.htm Ice caps on the northern plateau of Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic have shrunk by more than 50 percent in the last half century as a result of warming, and are expected to disappear by the middle of the century. Researchers also find tantalizing evidence that ancient tropical eruptions of volcanoes triggered Little Ice Age. Sat, 02 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130200934.htm Arctic marine conditions contribute to an oil spill "response gap" that effectively limits the ability to clean up after an oil spill. A new report concludes that the only way to avoid the potentially devastating environmental risks is to ensure that no more of the Arctic is opened up to oil development until the response gap is closed. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130200934.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116114150.htm Climatologists have found that 2007 tied with 1998 for Earth's second warmest year in a century. The greatest warming in 2007 occurred in the Arctic, and neighboring high latitude regions. Global warming has a larger affect in polar areas, as the loss of snow and ice leads to more open water, which absorbs more sunlight and warmth. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080116114150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111100636.htm Birds captured in the hyperboreal tundra were carriers of antibiotics-resistant bacteria. These findings indicate that resistance to antibiotics has spread into nature, which is an alarming prospect for future health care. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111100636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111100652.htm A new study indicates older, multi-year sea ice in the Arctic is giving way to younger, thinner ice, making it more susceptible to record summer sea-ice lows like the one that occurred in 2007. Sun, 13 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111100652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080104144354.htm The US government issued its Final Notice of Intent for the Chukchi Lease Sale 193 opening approximately 29.7 million acres of the pristine Chukchi Sea to oil and gas activities on January 2. This controversial announcement comes just days before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is due to decide if the polar bear should be listed under the Endangered Species Act due to severe habitat loss from melting sea ice in Alaska's Arctic Ocean caused by global warming. Mon, 07 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080104144354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201343.htm Scientists gathering evidence of ancient ice sheets uncovered a new mystery about what's happening on the Arctic sea floor today. Sonar images revealed that, in some places, ocean currents have driven the mud along the Arctic Ocean bottom into piles, with some "mud waves" nearly 100 feet across. Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201236.htm Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural "sunscreen" than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C above average in one place this year, a high never before observed, say oceanographers who have compiled the first-ever look at average sea surface temperatures for the region. Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201236.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211232947.htm While two new studies by researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences predict wetter storms for the Arctic and for the Northern Hemisphere because of global warming, whether or not this means more net precipitation depends on the latitude. Thu, 13 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211232947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126143646.htm Some 40,000 walruses have appeared on the Russian Arctic coast, a phenomenon that scientists believe is a result of global warming melting Arctic sea ice. According to WWF, this is the largest walrus haul out -- areas where walruses rest when they are out of the water -- registered in the Russian Arctic. Mon, 10 Dec 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126143646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126112255.htm Ecologists pay too much attention to increasingly rare "pristine" ecosystems, say some researchers. They assert that the current system of classifying ecosystems into biomes (or "ecological communities") like tropical rainforests, grasslands and deserts may be misleading. Instead, they propose an entirely new model of human-centered "anthropegenic" biomes. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126112255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126115307.htm It was not the isolation of the Ice Age that determined the genetic distribution of bears, as has long been thought. One possible interpretation is that the hunting of bears by humans and human land use have been crucial factors. Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126115307.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071122091757.htm Canada has announced one of the largest land conservation initiatives in Canadian history near the East Arm of Great Slave Lake and around the Ramparts River and Wetlands, both in the Northwest Territories. The northern wilderness set aside totals more than 10 million hectares. Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071122091757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115202541.htm Refrigeration units began pumping chilly air deep into an Arctic mountain cavern today, launching the innovative and critical "cooling down" phase of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in advance of its official opening early next year as a fail-safe repository of the world's vital food crops. Svalbard is now three days into the three-month "Polar Night" period when there is 24 hours of complete darkness. Fri, 16 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115202541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071113200545.htm A team of NASA and university scientists has detected an ongoing reversal in Arctic Ocean circulation triggered by atmospheric circulation changes that vary on decade-long time scales. The results suggest not all the large changes seen in Arctic climate in recent years are a result of long-term trends associated with global warming. Wed, 14 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071113200545.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026095001.htm More marine transportation is expected in the Arctic as sea ice continues to diminish, amid warnings of "significant hazards to navigation." The reduction in the sea ice extent has been much faster than global climate models predicted. Mon, 29 Oct 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071026095001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025174618.htm Scientists have now identified a new likely source of a spike in atmospheric methane coming out of the North during the end of the last ice age. Methane bubbling from arctic lakes could have been responsible for up to 87 percent of that methane spike, said researchers. The findings could help scientists understand how current warming might affect atmospheric levels of methane, a gas that is thought to contribute to climate change. Fri, 26 Oct 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025174618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001160655.htm Arctic sea ice during the 2007 melt season plummeted to the lowest levels since satellite measurements began in 1979. If ship and aircraft records from before the satellite era are taken into account, sea ice may have fallen by as much as 50 percent from the 1950s. The September rate of sea ice decline since 1979 is now more than 10 percent per decade, according to scientists. Tue, 02 Oct 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001160655.htm