Phys.org: Earth science

Around 14,500 years ago, toward the end of the last ice age, melting continental ice sheets drove a sudden and cataclysmic sea level rise of up to 65 feet in just 500 years or less. Despite the scale of the event, known as Meltwater Pulse 1a, scientists still aren't sure which ice sheets were responsible for shedding all that water.

A pair of researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada, working with a colleague from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the U.S., have created a model to visualize how water flows in Antarctica's Aurora Subglacial Basin and how it might flow in coming decades. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, Anna-Mireilla Hayden, Tyler Pelle and Christine Dow suggest that water flowing beneath the ice in the Antarctic today may not be reflective of how it might flow in the future.

Freshwater ecosystems require adequate oxygen levels to sustain aerobic life and maintain healthy biological communities. However, both long-term climate warming and the increasing frequency and intensity of short-term heat waves are significantly reducing surface dissolved oxygen (DO) levels in lakes worldwide, according to a study published in Science Advances.

Children are always asking "Why?" As they experience things for the first time, it's natural to want to find out more. But as children grow into adults, they often dismiss something new that challenges their experience and understanding.