It should come as no surprise that global warming is as bad as ever, and the future is not looking great. And while the entire world is feeling the effects of human actions on the environment, certain places are suffering worse than others. Specifically, the Arctic has felt consequences unlike ever before. Due to mass […]
Phytoplankton: The chaotic backbone of the Arctic Read More »
Resting in our polar ice, nanoplastics are a small force about the size of a virus silently contaminating our environment and creating potentially devastating consequences. A team of international scientists set out to measure the precise concentration of nanoplastics in polar ice cores. For the first time, there are figures on the extent to which
Nanoplastics officially cover every part of the Earth Read More »
If current climate trends persist, the Arctic Ocean is predicted to become seasonally ice-free by the 2030s. Sea ice follows a cyclic pattern, partially melting in the summer and re-forming with the cooler temperatures of autumn and winter. However, rising global temperatures have increased the melting rate and decreased the formation rate. During future summers,
Ice, ice maybe: Impacts of declining sea ice on Arctic predator-prey dynamics Read More »
While the idea of spending three months of co-op in Antarctica sounds isolating and lonely, it is, in fact, the opposite. I discovered this while on my co-op from December 2021 to March 2022 working with the French Polar Institute to improve long-term penguin observation systems. Every day is heightened by the close community of
Summer campaign in the Antarctic Read More »
Since early expeditions to the farthest regions of the planet, scientists have been intrigued by the presence of visually similar creatures residing in both the Arctic and Antarctic. Hundreds of nearly identical worms, insects, and other small sea creatures have been discovered in both locations. These seemingly bipolar species, living at both the North and
International travel on the ocean floor: How species move between global poles Read More »
Extremophiles are microorganisms that survive — and thrive — in extreme conditions not considered suitable for other forms of life. This umbrella term encompasses bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and fungi with unique adaptations allowing them to inhabit extreme temperature, radiation, salinity, pH, and other physical and geochemical conditions. Extremophiles can be found in deep-sea hydrothermal vents
Alien microbes: The frontier of extraterrestrial research Read More »
The world is constantly in motion. From the smallest particles vibrating in a rock to planetary motion in space, few things remain unchanged. It, then, should be no surprise that Earth’s poles — its rotational axis — also shift. This is actually quite normal; polar motion is categorized in multiple time scales, and the most
Earth unbalanced: Are we changing Earth’s rotation? Read More »
We as humans must serve as protection where resources are scarce, populations are threatened, and where there lacks necessary keys to survival. Climate change is deteriorating habitats and creating unlivable conditions for aquatic ecosystems. People fight against climate change to defend and conserve these natural environments. We want to save the earth! However, this is
Climate change hurts warm waters, too: Coldwater fish need fuel from warm habitats Read More »
According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “without … a sharp decline in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, global warming will surpass 1.5 [degrees Celsius] in the following decades, leading to irreversible loss of the most fragile ecosystems, and crisis after crisis for the most vulnerable people and societies.” As 2030 fast
Opinion: Why Northeastern should become climate resilient Read More »