The tropical oceans are home to the most diverse plankton populations on Earth, where they form the base of marine food chains. Modern plankton biodiversity in the tropics is a surprisingly recent development and the result of 8 million years of global cooling, according to a study led by researchers at The University of Texas… Continue Reading Climate Change Could Cause Mass Exodus of Tropical Plankton
Coastal Glacier Retreat Linked to Climate Change
More of the world’s coastal glaciers are melting faster than ever, but exactly what’s triggering the large-scale retreat has been difficult to pin down because of natural fluctuations in the glaciers’ surroundings. Now, researchers at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG) and Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a methodology that they think… Continue Reading Coastal Glacier Retreat Linked to Climate Change
Research Shows How Gulf of Mexico Escaped Ancient Mass Extinction
An ancient bout of global warming 56 million years ago that acidified oceans and wiped-out marine life had a milder effect in the Gulf of Mexico, where life was sheltered by the basin’s unique geology – according to research by the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG). Published in the journal Marine and Petroleum… Continue Reading Research Shows How Gulf of Mexico Escaped Ancient Mass Extinction
Newly Discovered Lake May Hold Secret to Antarctic Ice Sheet’s Rise and Fall
Scientists investigating the underside of the world’s largest ice sheet in East Antarctica have discovered a city-size lake whose sediments might contain a history of the ice sheet since its earliest beginnings. That would answer questions about what Antarctica was like before it froze, how climate change has affected it over its history, and how… Continue Reading Newly Discovered Lake May Hold Secret to Antarctic Ice Sheet’s Rise and Fall
Climate Change Could Reawaken Indian Ocean El Niño
Global warming is approaching a tipping point that during this century could reawaken an ancient climate pattern similar to El Niño in the Indian Ocean, new research led by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin has found. If it comes to pass, floods, storms and drought are likely to worsen and become more… Continue Reading Climate Change Could Reawaken Indian Ocean El Niño