A new study may resolve a longstanding mystery: Why is Antarctic sea ice expanding despite climate-related global warming?
Read more at UW Today »Long-term Pacific climate cycle linked to expansion of Antarctic sea ice
Will more snow over Antarctica offset rising seas? Don't count on it
A new study out of Earth and Space Sciences finds that warmer temperatures don't necessarily equal more snowfall in Antarctica after all.
Read more at UW Today »Ice cores, polar bears and whale sounds at 11th Polar Science Weekend
Investigate a real ice core from Greenland, survey microbes from the coldest parts of the world, explore an Arctic ice camp and meet with polar scientists – many of who are from the University of Washington. It’s all part of Polar Science Weekend, returning to Seattle’s Pacific Science Center March 4-6. The three-day event features interactive exhibits and opportunities to talk with top polar scientists who work in some of the most remote and challenging places on Earth.
Read more at UW Today »UW part of team that drilled first deep ice core at the South Pole
This January — high summer at the South Pole — a University of Washington glaciologist helped lead a project that surpassed its goal to drill the first deep ice core at the planet’s southernmost tip, providing material to help solve a climate puzzle. Eric Steig, a UW professor of Earth and space sciences, returned to Seattle this month after being chief scientist for the final stretch of the National Science Foundation-funded effort at the Antarctic station.
Read more at UW Today »Rare beluga data show whales dive to maximize meals
Children’s singer and songwriter Raffi may have brought beluga whales into popular culture with his 1980 song “Baby Beluga,” but surprisingly little is actually known about the life and ecology of these elusive marine mammals that live in some of the world’s most remote, frigid waters. Two distinct populations spend winters in the Bering Sea, then move north as sea ice melts and open water allows them passage into the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.
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