antarctic ice – Shamskm: A site to exchange knowledge and solutions

The Era of Neutrino Astronomy has Begun

By Guest PostNovember 30, 2013Scienceactive galactic nuclei, antarctic ice, askaryan radio array, astronomy, astrophysicists, black holes, cosmic neutrinos, data collection, era, extraterrestrial neutrinos, francis halzen, Galaxy, gamma ray, gregory sullivan, high energy particles, ice, icecube neutrino observatory, kara hoffman, magnetic fields, massless particles, mysterious phenomena, neutrino astronomy, neutrino detector, new age, nsf, origin and cause, solar system, south pole, statistically significant signal, stream to earth, telescope, teraelectronvolts, tev, university of maryland, vladimir papitashvili

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Astrophysicists using a telescope embedded in Antarctic ice have succeeded in a quest to detect and record the mysterious phenomena known as cosmic neutrinos – nearly massless particles that stream to Earth at the speed of light from outside our solar system, striking the surface in a burst of energy that can be as powerful as a baseball pitcher’s fastball. Next, they hope to build on the early success of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory to detect the source of these high-energy particles, said Physics Professor Gregory Sullivan, who led the University of Maryland’s 12-person team of contributors to the IceCube Collaboration.

“The era of neutrino astronomy has begun,” Sullivan said as the IceCube Collaboration announced the observation of 28 very high-energy particle events that constitute the first solid evidence for astrophysical neutrinos from cosmic sources. (more…)

‘Tiger stripes’ underneath Antarctic glaciers slow the flow

By Guest PostNovember 30, 2013Environmentantarctic glaciers, antarctic ice, bed of rock, british antarctic survey, climate change, douglas macayeal, Europe, flow of glaciers, friction zones, massive antarctic glaciers, mathematical modeling, North America, olga sergienko, pattern, pine island glacier, princeton university, richard hindmarsh, satellite measurements, sea-level rise, sediment, thwaites glacier, tiger stripes, university of chicago, warming climate, west antarctica

Narrow stripes of dirt and rock beneath massive Antarctic glaciers create friction zones that slow the flow of ice toward the sea, researchers at Princeton University and the British Antarctic Survey have found. Understanding how these high-friction regions form and subside could help researchers understand how the flow of these glaciers responds to a warming climate.

Just as no-slip strips on flooring prevent people from slipping on a wet floor, these ribs or “tiger stripes” — named in reference to Princeton’s tiger mascot — provide friction that hinders the glaciers from slipping along the underlying bed of rock and sediment, the researchers report online in the journal Science. (more…)

Hearty Organisms Discovered in Bitter-Cold Antarctic Brine

By Guest PostNovember 26, 2012Environmentammonia, anoxic brine, antarctic ice, aquatic environment, brine, cryo environment, earth, east antarctica, ecosystem, europa, extreme environment, frozen environment, hearty microbes, jupiter, lake vida, life, mcmurdo dry valleys, michigan state university, microbial life, microbial metabolism, model, moon, nathaniel ostrom, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, permanent darkness, subzero temperature, sulfur, supersaturated, vacation destination, water, zoologist

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Where there’s water there’s life – even in brine beneath 60 feet of Antarctic ice, in permanent darkness and subzero temperatures.

While Lake Vida, located in the northernmost of the McMurdo Dry Valleys of East Antarctica, will never be a vacation destination, it is home to some newly discovered hearty microbes. In the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Nathaniel Ostrom, Michigan State University zoologist, has co-authored “Microbial Life at -13ºC in the Brine of an Ice-Sealed Antarctic Lake.” (more…)

Tag Archives: antarctic ice

The Era of Neutrino Astronomy has Begun

‘Tiger stripes’ underneath Antarctic glaciers slow the flow

Hearty Organisms Discovered in Bitter-Cold Antarctic Brine