Experts warn glaciers in Indian Kashmir melting at alarming rate due to climate changeOctober 13th, 2009 Experts warn glaciers in Indian Kashmir meltingSRINAGAR, India — Indian Kashmir's glaciers are melting fast because of rising temperatures, threatening the water supply of millions of people in the Himalayan region, a new study by Indian scientists says. The study by Kashmir University's geology and geophysics department blamed the effect on climate change, and said it endangered the livelihoods of two-thirds of the region's nearly 10 million people engaged in agriculture, horticulture, livestock rearing and forestry.
Low-level aerial surveys aim to understand rapid Antarctic meltingOctober 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A giant NASA DC-8 aircraft loaded with geophysical instruments and scientists is all set to fly at low level over the coasts of West Antarctica, in order to understand the rapid Antarctic melting. The flights, dubbed 'Operation Ice Bridge', are an effort by NASA in cooperation with university researchers to image what is happening on, and under, the ice, in order to estimate future sea-level rises that might result.
Clouds of soot melting glaciers in Himalayas and Tibetan plateauOctober 5th, 2009 LONDON - In a new research, scientists in India and China have determined that glaciers in the Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau that feed the river systems of almost half the world's people are melting faster because of the effects of clouds of soot from diesel fumes and wood fires. According to a report in the Guardian, the results of the research, to be announced this month in Kashmir, show for the first time that clouds of soot - made up of tiny particles of "black carbon" emitted from old diesel engines and from cooking with wood, crop waste or cow dung - are "unequivocally having an impact on glacial melting" in the Himalayas.
Satellite lasers show rapid thinning of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheetsSeptember 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Using satellite lasers, scientists have made the most comprehensive picture of the rapidly thinning glaciers along the coastline of both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. Researchers from British Antarctic Survey and the University of Bristol describe how analysis of millions of NASA satellite measurements from both of these vast ice sheets shows that the most profound ice loss is a result of glaciers speeding up where they flow into the sea.
"Human polar bear" to swim lake on Mount Everest in April 2010September 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Lewis Gordon Pugh, a British swimmer nicknamed "the human polar bear", is planning to become the first man to swim in a lake on Mount Everest, to highlight the effects of climate change in the Himalayas. According to a report by Sky News, Pugh will take a dip in the waters of a lake on the Khumbu Glacier, 17,000ft above sea level, in April 2010.
Silk made by common Australian green lacewing toughest: StudySeptember 10th, 2009 MELBOURNE - A new research has found that Australian lacewings build tougher silk than silkworms. Scientists at CSIRO Entomology have learnt that silk made by the common Australian green lacewing can be stretched up to six times further than silkworm silk.
Ancient mystery of red hats on giant Easter Island statues solvedSeptember 7th, 2009 LONDON - A team of archaeologists has solved the ancient mystery of why the odd-looking statues on the Easter Island statues wear red hats. Up to one thousand years ago, the islanders started putting giant red hats on the statues.
American glaciers shrinking dramatically in response to global warmingSeptember 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Reports indicate that most glaciers in Washington and Alaska in the US are dramatically shrinking in response to a warming climate. During the past 50 years, USGS (US Geological Survey) scientists have measured changes in the mass (length and thickness) of three glaciers: Alaska's Gulkana and Wolverine Glaciers and Washington's South Cascade Glacier.
Humans causing erosion comparable to world's largest rivers and glaciersSeptember 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has found that large-scale farming projects by humans can erode the Earth's surface at rates comparable to those of the world's largest rivers and glaciers. The research offers stark evidence of how humans are reshaping the planet.
Shrinking glaciers in North America tell story of climate changeSeptember 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - A long-term study of key glaciers in western North America has shown that glacial shrinkage is rapid and accelerating, and that it is a result of climate change. William Shilts, a geologist at the University of Illinois, spent nearly two decades studying glaciers on Bylot Island, an uninhabited island about 300 miles southwest of Thule, Greenland.
Antarctic glacier thinning four times faster than it was 10 years agoAugust 14th, 2009 LONDON - A new research has determined that one of the largest glaciers in Antarctica is thinning four times faster than it was 10 years ago. Professor Duncan Wingham of University College London (UCL) led the research team.
1,400-year-old ancient city discovered in TurkeyAugust 1st, 2009 ANKARA - A team of archaeologists has discovered a castle and an ancient city thought to be almost 1,400 years old in southern Osmaniye province in Turkey. According to a report in Today's Zaman, excavations in the area, carried out by teams from Kocaeli University's archaeology department with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, first revealed the ruins in 2006.
8th century Islamic vase found in JapanJuly 7th, 2009 TOKYO - Shards of an Islamic ceramic vase have been excavated at the former site of Heijokyo palace, in Japan, dating back to the 8th century, making it the oldest uncovered in Japan. According to a report in the Asahi Shimbun, the 19 pieces of what is believed to be a vase more than 50 centimeters tall date back to the late eighth century, about 100 years earlier than Islamic ceramics found in Fukuoka Prefecture.
Himalayan glaciers are melting dangerously due to global warmingJune 24th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists in Nepal have embarked on the first field studies of Himalayan glacial lakes, some of which are feared to be swelling dangerously due to global warming. In May, they completed the field visit to the first location, a lake in the Everest region, in a series of studies.
Mysterious South American glaciers grow as others shrinkJune 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - In times when most glaciers in the world are shrinking due to global warming, two mysterious South American glaciers are displaying strange behavior in the sense that they are growing. "Most of the 50 massive glaciers draped over the spine of the Patagonian Andes are shrinking in response to a global warming," said Andres Rivera, a glaciologist at the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile.
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