Glaciers are important regulators of the Earth’s climate system, affecting the hydrological cycle, energy balance and the development of downstream ecosystems. Other than the polar regions, the Tibetan Plateau stands […]
polar
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ice Planet Recon: Antarctica Has A Huge, Completely Hidden Mountain Range
Have you ever imagined what Antarctica looks like beneath its thick blanket of ice? Hidden below are rugged mountains, valleys, hills and plains.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report
Humidity Enhancement in Dry Permafrost: The Effects of Temperature Cycles on Habitability
The search for life in the solar system often focuses on water and on environments where habitable conditions exist, persistently or occasionally.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Tricorders & Sensors, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Tricorder Tech: Extant Life Detection Using Label-Free Video Microscopy In Analog Aquatic Environments
The ability of microbial active motion, morphology, and optical properties to serve as biosignatures was investigated by in situ video microscopy in a wide range of extreme field sites where […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ice Planet, Ocean Planet: Melting Antarctic Ice Sheets will slow Earth’s Strongest Ocean Current
Melting ice sheets are slowing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC), the world’s strongest ocean current, researchers have found.
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release
Using Orbital Radar To Explore An Ice Planet
This artist’s concept depicts the NISAR satellite orbiting Earth over Antarctica. Short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, the mission is an equal collaboration between the NASA and the Indian Space […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ice World Update: Marked Decrease in Arctic Pressure Ridges
In the Arctic, the old, multiyear ice is increasingly melting, dramatically reducing the frequency and size of pressure ridges. These ridges are created when ice floes press against each other […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Earth’s Northernmost Seafloor Hydrothermal System Shows Even More Variety In Vent Styles Than Expected
A new study about Earth’s northernmost seafloor hydrothermal system shows even more variety in vent styles than previously thought. This has important implications for understanding the origin of these vents […]
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
NASA’s SWIM Robot on Glacial Ice in Alaska
A model of a tiny, wedge-shaped robot designed to explore subsurface oceans of icy moons, right, sits beside a large waterproof capsule containing electronics and sensors for testing below glacial […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report
Evaluation of Extraction Solvents for Untargeted Metabolomics to decipher the Dissolved Organic Matter of Antarctic Cryoconite Holes
Cryoconite holes are biological hotspots with a high biogeochemical turnover rate, contributing significantly to the glacial ecosystem’s overall carbon cycles and net fluxes.