Laurentide Ice Sheet 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 […]

Graphic showing the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Ridge (red line) and how melting ice from Greenland caused changes in the motion of Earth's crust (purple arrows). -- University of Colorado at Boulder

Analog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Icy Worlds, Press Release

Melting Glaciers May Have Sped Up Continental Drift and Fueled Volcanic Eruptions

by Keith CowingApril 24, 2025April 24, 2025

Around 10,000 years ago as the last Ice Age drew to a close, the drifting of the continent of North America, and spreading in the Atlantic Ocean, may have temporarily […]