glacier Archives

The subglacial microbiome splits into two clusters. (A) An NMDS on the unaggregated read counts of all taxonomic nodes within 19 abundant subglacial classes splits samples into two clear clusters. (B) Proportions of each subglacial class in each sample, grouped by cluster. (C) Predicted proportion of aerobic vs anaerobic bacteria for each sample, using reads which mapped to taxa in the 16 subglacial bacterial classes. (D) Existing Antarctic subglacial samples can be assigned to one of our clusters by assessing the prevalence of their reported top taxa in our samples. -- biorxiv.org

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Ancient Metagenomics Reveals Subglacial Microbiomes Driven By Oxygen Availability

by Keith CowingJanuary 4, 2026January 3, 2026

Beneath Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets lies an aquatic realm where ice, water, rock, and microbial life interact, driving chemical reactions that can collectively influence the global carbon cycle, polar […]

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter captured this view of Mars’ south polar ice cap Feb. 25, 2015. Three years later, the spacecraft detected a signal from the area to the right of the ice cap that scientists interpreted as an underground lake. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering

Mars South Pole: Suspected Underground Lake Is Probably A Layer Of Rock And Dust

by Keith CowingNovember 25, 2025November 25, 2025

NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has revisited and raised new questions about a mysterious feature buried beneath thousands of feet of ice at the Red Planet’s south pole. In a […]

Bird’s-eye view of Coloe Fossae larger image

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release

What A Martian Ice Age Left Behind

by Keith CowingNovember 14, 2025November 14, 2025

Earth isn’t the only planet to go through ice ages. A handful have hit our home planet in the last 2.5 billion years, with the most recent – which peaked […]

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release

Ice Planet Research: Antarctic Glacier Retreated Faster Than Any Other In Modern Earth History

by Keith CowingNovember 4, 2025November 6, 2025

A glacier on Antarctica’s Eastern Peninsula experienced the fastest retreat recorded in modern history—in just two months, nearly 50 percent of the glacier disintegrated.

Schematic representation of extreme environments across the Indian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean that serve as planetary analogues. Terrestrial ecosystems include mud volcanoes, saline habitats, desert sandstorms, glaciers, ophiolites, geothermal springs, high-altitude lakes, and natural caves and mines. Marine ecosystems of the Indian Ocean remain relatively underexplored, with documented sites including deep-sea hydrothermal vents and subsurface trenches. This figure is adapted and inspired by Merino et al. (2019).617618619620

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Planetary Analog Sites In The Indian Subcontinent And The Indian Ocean: Underexplored Environments Suited For Astrobiological And Space Research

by Keith CowingOctober 5, 2025October 5, 2025

The central objective of astrobiology is to evaluate the habitability of other planetary bodies and given the high cost and logistical complexity of space missions, preliminary investigations of planetary analog […]

Habitable snow area changes across the Antarctic Peninsula. 50 km hexagonal grids showing the sum of area of habitable snow for green snow algae (GSA – (B, C)) and red snow algae (RSA – (F, G)) under 2021 (B, F) and predicted 2100 (C, G) climate conditions. Habitable area is cumulative from 1st November to 21st January (2021 or 2100). Maps (A) and (E) show the length of the 95% credible interval for areas that meet the models’ threshold criteria. Maps (D) and (H) show whether habitable area increased or decreased between 2021 and 2100 within each 50 km grid cell. The triangle marker line is the boundary of greater melt in 2021 than in 2100, where melt was greater to the east of the line and less to the west. Map insets are of the South Orkney Islands and are a different scale (also depicting a 50 km hexagonal grid). The map overview in h shows the extent of the main map views of the Antarctic Peninsula and of the South Orkney Islands inset in yellow. -- Frontiers

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report

Modelling Snow Algal Habitat Suitability And Ecology Under Extreme Weather Events On The Antarctic Peninsula

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2025September 23, 2025

Snow algae form extensive blooms within Antarctica’s coastal snowpacks and are a crucial contributor to its scarce terrestrial ecosystems.

Surface elevation change from mid-2010 to mid-2020 over David 2 subglacial lake

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ice Planet Survey: 85 New Subglacial Lakes Detected Below Antarctica

by Keith CowingSeptember 19, 2025September 19, 2025

Hidden beneath the biggest ice mass on Earth, hundreds of subglacial lakes form a crucial part of Antarctica’s icy structure, affecting the movement and stability of glaciers, and consequentially influencing […]

Glacial/Periglacial Processes -- NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona larger image

Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Status Report

Glacier-like Features on Mars

by Keith CowingSeptember 6, 2025September 6, 2025

There are many locations in the mid-latitudes of Mars that look like material has flowed. This image shows an example flowing downhill between two ridges.

This is an example of a debris-covered glacier on Mars. New research into these features suggests that they are purer than once thought, with implications for understanding Mars’ overall water budget and resource utilization on future crewed missions. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release

Mars Glaciers Are Purer And More Uniform Than Previously Thought

by Keith CowingJuly 25, 2025July 25, 2025

On the slopes of Martian mountains and craters clings what appears to be flowing honey, coated in dust and frozen in time. In reality, these features are incredibly slow-moving glaciers, […]

Site locations and hypothesized pan-Arctic glaciation. ODP Site 910 and MD99-2277 (red dots) are located in the Eurasian sector of the Arctic Ocean and central Nordic Seas, respectively. Site 910 lies just beyond the margins of the maximum MIS 2 Eurasian ice sheets [gray dashed line; based on (51)], while MD99-2277 was simultaneously covered by sea ice. However, both sites are hypothesized to have been fully glaciated under the maximum pan-Arctic ice sheet extent (white shaded extent with blue flow lines) proposed by Hughes et al. (75) [modified from Jakobsson et al. (7) and Geibert et al. (3)]. - Science Advances

Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Ice World Oceanography: The Arctic Ocean Remained Open To Life During Ice Ages

by Keith CowingJuly 5, 2025July 5, 2025

For years, scientists have debated whether a giant thick ice shelf once covered the entire Arctic Ocean during the coldest ice ages.

glacier

Ancient Metagenomics Reveals Subglacial Microbiomes Driven By Oxygen Availability

Mars South Pole: Suspected Underground Lake Is Probably A Layer Of Rock And Dust

What A Martian Ice Age Left Behind

Ice Planet Research: Antarctic Glacier Retreated Faster Than Any Other In Modern Earth History

Planetary Analog Sites In The Indian Subcontinent And The Indian Ocean: Underexplored Environments Suited For Astrobiological And Space Research

Modelling Snow Algal Habitat Suitability And Ecology Under Extreme Weather Events On The Antarctic Peninsula

Ice Planet Survey: 85 New Subglacial Lakes Detected Below Antarctica

Glacier-like Features on Mars

Mars Glaciers Are Purer And More Uniform Than Previously Thought

Ice World Oceanography: The Arctic Ocean Remained Open To Life During Ice Ages

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: Wheels Down In Cape Town

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,221 16 October 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

SwRI Staff Contribute To New Ideas About Origins Of Uranus And Neptune

A Voyage Into The Slow-motion World Of Earth’s Deep Seas

Rosalind Franklin Rover Stand-In Tackles A Tilted Descent