2つの企業が、北極海の氷の上に海水を汲み上げて厚みを増し、夏の融解を遅らせる試験を実施した。カナダとノルウェーで行われた実証実験では氷の厚みは増したものの、氷がどれだけ長持ちするかについては効果にばらつきが見られた。
オランダの企業Arctic Reflectionsの研究チームは、2024年4月にスヴァールバル諸島のラグーンで試験を実施した。約1時間にわたって海水を氷の上に汲み上げたところ、氷の厚さは90センチから1.16メートルに増加した。厚みを増した氷は、未処理の氷よりも融解の開始が遅かったものの、完全に融解した日は対照区と同じであった。
New studies indicate that stronger winds and warming deep ocean water have triggered a sharp decline in Antarctic sea ice since 2016. Previously expanding, the ice reached a record high in 2014 before plummeting to record lows. Researchers link this shift to wind-driven upwelling of circumpolar deep water.
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Scientists using deep-diving Argo floats have pinpointed the reason behind Antarctica's dramatic sea ice contraction starting in 2016. The decline stems from a violent release of pent-up heat from ocean depths, triggered by shifting winds and salinity changes. This discovery highlights the ocean's key role in sea ice variability.
An international team led by the University of Portsmouth has cataloged more than 3,100 surging glaciers worldwide that can suddenly accelerate, triggering floods, avalanches and other hazards. These glaciers, concentrated in regions like the Arctic and Karakoram Mountains, affect nearly one-fifth of global glacier area despite comprising just 1 percent of all glaciers. Climate change is altering their behavior, increasing unpredictability.
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Researchers at the University of Rochester have created a solar-powered system that converts seawater into fresh water while avoiding the production of harmful liquid brine. The technology uses laser-textured panels to evaporate water and collect salts as solids.