New Atlas

Environment Audio available

Quarter of West Antarctic glacier ice unstable, says 25-year satellite study

Michael Irving May 16, 2019

A new study has examined 25 years of satellite data to get a sense of the extent of ice loss across Antarctica. According to the findings, warming waters have destabilized as much as a quarter of the glacier ice in West Antarctica.

Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is one of the places hardest hit by ice loss

3D Printing Audio available

Icy inspection may catch faulty 3D-printed parts

Ben Coxworth May 1, 2019

We're increasingly seeing 3D-printed metal components being used in fields such as aviation, where failures could be catastrophic. It's therefore very important to check those items for structural flaws before they're installed, and the best way of doing so may involve freezing them in ice.

A round 3D-printed metal part, surrounded by ultra-clear ice within a plastic cylinder

Environment Audio available

Antarctica Ice shelf the size of France threatened by effects of climate change

Anthony Wood April 29, 2019

A vital section of the world's largest ice shelf is losing ice 10 times faster than the overall melt rate for the structure, posing a potential risk to its future stability. The Ross Ice Shelf stretches out over 500,809 square km, and accounts for 32 percent of Antarctica's total ice shelf area.

The wall of the Ross Ice Shelf stretches for a staggering 600 km (373 miles) in ...

Physics Audio available

"Snowball chamber" would detect dark matter using supercooled water

Michael Irving April 15, 2019

Although dark matter makes up roughly 85 percent of all matter, it’s still never been directly detected. Now researchers from the State University of New York at Albany have developed a new dark matter detector using supercooled water.

Supercooled water could be used as a new type of dark matter detector

Environment Audio available

Glaciers have lost 9 trillion tonnes of ice since 1961, says satellite study

Michael Irving April 8, 2019

A comprehensive study has combined field observations and satellite data to track glacial ice loss. The team found that between 1961 and 2016, glaciers globally lost a total of over 9 trillion tonnes of ice, contributing significantly to sea level rise.

Glaciers in Northeast India, captured on December 6, 2018

Environment Audio available

Giant iceberg enters "final phase" of breaking away from Antarctica

Michael Irving April 7, 2019

A huge iceberg, roughly twice the size of New York City, is set to soon break off from the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica. With two large cracks due to meet within the next few months, a research station has already been relocated as scientists watch the rifting event enter its “final phase.”

The Halloween Crack, discovered in October 2016, is threatening the Brunt Ice Shelf

Materials

Phase-changing liquid coating keeps surfaces frost-free for longer

Michael Irving March 19, 2019

In cold places, ice and frost can be more than an annoyance – it can be downright dangerous for cars and planes. Now researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago have developed a new anti-icing material that can apparently keep ice at bay much longer than existing technologies.

A new anti-icing material, made of phase-changing liquids, could keep surfaces frost-free up to 300 times ...

Environment Audio available

Arctic Ocean may be ice-free within 20 years

Anthony Wood February 28, 2019

The Arctic Ocean could experience an ice-free summer at some time in the next 20 years, according to a newly-published study. The thawing is due to a combination of a natural warming phase, coupled with the effects of human-induced climate change.

The Arctic could have an ice-free summer by the middle of the century

Automotive

How do everyday drives handle the snow and ice in Colorado’s high country?

Aaron Turpen February 17, 2019

We once again found ourselves at the annual Colorado Winter Driving Encounter put on by our friends at Rocky Mountain Redline. The event pit eight vehicles from various manufacturers against the snow and elements of Colorado’s high country in the winter. The results were both fun and informative.

With great everyday vehicles from several automotive brands on hand we found that today’s modern safety ...

Space Audio available

Liquid lake on Mars might be evidence the Red Planet is still volcanically active

Michael Irving February 12, 2019

Last year a huge lake of liquid water was apparently found beneath the ice at the Martian south pole. A new study has now examined how it might have gotten there, and concluded that Mars must have had volcanic activity much more recently than is normally believed, and may even still be active today.

A visualization of the south pole of Mars, where a huge lake of liquid water is ...