Latest news with #Arctic
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers make stunning discoveries after tracking massive sharks' movements for full year — here is what they found
Researchers make stunning discoveries after tracking massive sharks' movements for full year — here is what they found While uncovering the mysteries of one of the ocean's largest residents in a year-long project, researchers have discovered some concerning details. What's happening? The basking shark is the second-largest fish in the world, second only to the whale shark. However, until recently, little was understood about its migratory habits. As Forbes noted, it was once unknown where these plankton-feeding giants went after they slipped beneath the surface. A team of researchers tagged and tracked several basking sharks in a wide-ranging study. Two female basking sharks showed vastly different behavior after the summer feeding season in the Arctic. One made a round trip from the Arctic to the Azores, a distance spanning thousands of miles. Another stuck around the area before traveling to the North Sea in the spring. Why are basking sharks important? The basking shark is a gentle giant that poses no threat to people. Once abundant, they were heavily fished to near extinction for their oil and meat until commercial fishing was prohibited in 1995. As the Shark Trust noted, they're currently protected under several international treaties. The research demonstrates the adaptability of basking sharks, which can tolerate vastly different ocean temperatures. While this can be encouraging for the long-term prospects of the endangered species, it is also a worrying sign about the health of the ocean. Basking sharks and other megafauna, such as gray whales, play a vital role in the ocean's ecosystem. Filter feeders control plankton populations and cycle nutrients wherever they are present. If they are removed or displaced from their normal ranges, the balance of the food web is disrupted. Warmer ocean temperatures, particularly in the Arctic, are forcing the basking sharks and whales to forage elsewhere. What's being done to protect marine megafauna? The study represents an important starting point for forming effective conservation strategies for the basking shark. Because the sharks travel over such a vast distance, it can complicate matters. Do you worry about air pollution in your town? All the time Often Only sometimes Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Ultimately, it's a matter of continuing to raise awareness and protecting the ocean by reducing single-use plastics and supporting clean-up efforts. The research also emphasizes the need to limit human-caused production of planet-warming pollution, which leads to higher ocean temperatures and melting polar ice caps. With rapidly changing temperatures, it's more difficult to track the behavior of creatures like the basking shark and provide effective protection for them. Positive, planet-focused lifestyle changes, such as driving gas-guzzling cars less frequently and supporting eco-friendly brands, can have significant ripple effects that can benefit even the most elusive of creatures. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
The Arctic Got So Warm in February, Svalbard's Ground Was ‘Like Soft Ice Cream'
The Arctic island of Svalbard is so reliably frigid that humanity bet its future on the place. Since 2008, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault—set deep in frozen soil known as permafrost—has accepted nearly 1.4 million samples of more than 6,000 species of critical crops. But the island is warming six to seven times faster than the rest of the planet, making even winters freakishly hot, at least by Arctic standards. Indeed, in 2017, an access tunnel to the vault flooded as permafrost melted, though the seeds weren't impacted. This February, a team of scientists was working on Svalbard when irony took hold. Drilling into the soil, they gathered samples of bacteria that proliferate when the ground thaws. These microbes munch on organic matter and burp methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas and significant driver of global warming. Those emissions are potentially fueling a feedback loop in the Arctic: As more soil thaws, more methane is released, leading to more thawing and more methane, and on and on. Scientists can now dig with silverware in the Svalbard winter because the Arctic has descended into a crisis of reflectivity. Until recently, the far north had a healthy amount of sea ice, which bounced much of the sun's energy back into space, keeping the region cool. But as the planet has warmed, that ice has been disappearing, exposing darker water, which absorbs sunlight and raises temperatures. This is yet another Arctic feedback loop, in which more warming melts more sea ice, leading to more local warming, and on and on. Making matters worse, as temperatures rise in the far north, more moisture enters the atmosphere. For one, warmer seawater evaporates more readily, adding water vapor to the air. And two, a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. This leads to the formation of more low-level clouds, which trap heat like blankets—especially in the dark Arctic winter—amplifying the warming. That, combined with the loss of sea ice, is why the Arctic is warming up to four times as fast as the rest of the planet, with Svalbard warming even faster than that. During the winter, Svalbard's soils have historically frozen solid, and scientists assumed this made microbial activity grind to a halt. Reindeer could push through the snow to graze on vegetation. But February's heat and rain melted the snow, forming vast pools of water that froze once temperatures dropped again. That created a layer of ice that reindeer couldn't break through. 'What we encountered was just so powerful, to be in the middle of this event,' said James Bradley, a geomicrobiologist at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography and Queen Mary University of London and co-lead author of the paper. 'It really almost all melted over large, large, large areas of the ground. That ground remained frozen, so the water didn't have too many places to drain away to, so what we also saw was huge pooling of liquid water over the tundra.' This new climate regime could be profoundly altering the soil microbiome. Scientists assumed that methane-producing bacteria, known as methanogens, stopped proliferating when Svalbard's soils froze in the winter, just like food in your freezer keeps for months because it's in a hostile environment for microbes. But with warm spells like this, thawing could awaken methanogens, which could still produce that greenhouse gas even if it then rains and a layer of ice forms at the surface. In addition, that solid cap on the soil will stop the exchange of atmospheric gases into the ground, creating anaerobic, or oxygen-poor, conditions that methanogens love. 'In some areas, deeper layers might never freeze completely, which means the methanogens and microbes at depth remain active,' Giovannelli said. 'There's no real winter period.' Vegetation, too, is changing up there, a phenomenon known as Arctic greening. As temperatures rise, trees and shrubs are creeping north to conquer new territory. The good news is that those plants capture carbon as they grow, mitigating global warming to a certain extent. But the bad news is that dark-colored vegetation absorbs more of the sun's energy and raises temperatures, just like the exposed ocean does. And shrubs trap a layer of snow against the landscape, preventing the chill of winter from penetrating the soil and keeping it frozen. The speed of transformation in the Arctic is shocking, even for stoic scientists. And as nations keep spewing greenhouse gases, the feedback loops of the far north are threatening to load the atmosphere with still more methane. 'We call this the new Arctic—this is not something that is a one-off,' Giovannelli said. 'And on the other side, we've probably been a bit too cautious with our warnings regarding the climate. It's not something for the next generation. It's something for our generation.' This article originally appeared in Grist at Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Learn more at
Cision Canada
3 hours ago
- Science
- Cision Canada
Xanadu Selected for Prestigious Canadian Defence Program to Pioneer Next-Generation Battery R&D
TORONTO, July 30, 2025 /CNW/ - Xanadu, a global leader in quantum computing hardware and software, today announced its selection for Round 1 of the highly-competitive "IDEaS NORAD Modernization S&T Contest," an initiative by Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) within Canada's Department of National Defence (DND). This selection underscores Xanadu's innovative capabilities in pioneering quantum algorithms for advanced battery design, a crucial step towards strengthening North America's defences against evolving aerospace and maritime threats, particularly in extreme environments. The IDEaS NORAD Modernization S&T Contest aims to foster groundbreaking solutions to modernize the science and technology portfolio of NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Xanadu will receive an initial grant of $1,000,000 CAD to design quantum computing algorithms and methodologies for next-generation battery development. The goal is to advance the methods needed to design new batteries that are highly resilient to extreme conditions, including dramatic temperature changes, strong mechanical pressures, and radiation exposure. "We are honoured to be chosen for this groundbreaking program," said Juan Miguel Arrazola, Director of Quantum Algorithms. "Our work will focus on developing quantum algorithms to simulate battery mechanisms that lead to degradation performance under extreme conditions, such as ultra-low temperatures. The goal is to identify how quantum computers can lead to the development of more resilient batteries, unlocking new capabilities across defence, industry, and science." Xanadu's proposed project directly addresses two key IDEaS challenge topics: enhancing Arctic mobility and navigation of military platforms, and accelerating the development of quantum technologies. The Arctic is an increasingly important geostrategic region for North American defence, and current battery technologies struggle in its remote and extreme weather conditions, limiting the effectiveness of autonomous and remotely piloted systems. Xanadu's quantum-enabled simulations will help overcome the limitations of classical computing methods, enabling the design of batteries that can withstand these harsh environments. This project builds on Xanadu's extensive expertise and prior work in using quantum algorithms to simulate the design of new materials. This commitment to innovation will not only strengthen Canada's defence capabilities, but also enable breakthroughs with far-reaching implications for clean energy, transportation, and scientific exploration, demonstrating the transformative potential of quantum computing for a safer and more sustainable future. About Xanadu: Xanadu is a Canadian quantum computing company with the mission to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. Founded in 2016, Xanadu has become one of the world's leading quantum hardware and software companies. The company also leads the development of PennyLane, an open-source software library for quantum computing and application development. Visit or follow us on X @XanaduAI. About the IDEaS NORAD Modernization S&T Contest: The Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program supports the ongoing evolution of continental defense capabilities by investing in researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The NORAD Modernization S&T Contest specifically aims to assess new threats, evolve research and development, and co-develop technological solutions in immediate priority areas for North American defence. SOURCE Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc.
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Finnish Shipyards Join With Bollinger, Seaspan on US Icebreakers
Two Finnish shipyards are teaming up with their peers in the US and Canada to offer icebreakers to the US Coast Guard as rivalry in the Arctic heats up. Bollinger Shipyards LLC, based in Louisiana, will lead the partnership that also includes Seaspan ULC of Canada as well as Rauma Marine Constructions Oy and Aker Arctic Technology Oy of Finland, according to a statement on Tuesday.
West Australian
5 hours ago
- Science
- West Australian
Deep-sea jellyfish: UWA-led research suggests mysterious oceanic barrier divides Atlantic ocean
The University of Western Australia has conducted research on alien-like deep sea jellyfish which has hinted at a previously unknown barrier in the North Atlantic Ocean. Dr Javier Montenegro, from UWA's School of Biological Sciences and the Minderoo-UWA Deep-Sea Research Centre, led the study which has been published in Deep Sea Research. It was the distribution of the jellyfish and their differing shapes that alluded to a potential deep-sea bio-geographic barrier. 'This jellyfish, the trachymedusan subspecies Botrynema brucei ellinorae , has two different shapes depending on which area it occurs in – one with a distinctive knob at the top and one without,' Dr Montenegro said in a statement. Dr Montenegro explained that both types of jellyfish occur in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, but jellyfish without the distinctive 'knob' have never been found south of the North Atlantic Drift region — which extends from the Grand Banks off Newfoundland east, towards north-western Europe. The study combined historical observations, photographic records and genetic analyses to examine the distribution of the jellyfish around the world; the study found that genetic data linked the specimens both with and without a knob in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions to specimens with a knob found in the subtropical western Atlantic region. 'The differences in shape, despite strong genetic similarities across specimens, above and below 47 degrees north hint at the existence of an unknown deep-sea bio-geographic barrier in the Atlantic Ocean,' Dr Montenegro said. The findings suggest that a semi-permeable barrier is located in the North Atlantic Drift region which has important consequences for understanding patterns of biodiversity, species evolutionary processes and their dispersal across ocean basins. 'It could keep specimens without a knob confined to the north while allowing the free transit of specimens with a knob further south, with the knob possibly giving a selective advantage against predators outside the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions,' Dr Montenegro said. 'The presence of two specimens with distinctive shapes within a single genetic lineage highlights the need to study more about the biodiversity of gelatinous marine animals.' The study of the trachymedusan subspecies of deep-sea jellyfish follows extraordinary deep-sea discoveries this year. Noteably, an expedition in January 2025 by Schmidt Ocean Institute recorded the first-ever footage of a glacial glass squid. The expedition also recorded the latest sighting of the giant phantom jelly ( Stygiomedusa gigantea ) which can be more than one metre wide, and the animal's four ribbon-like 'oral arms' can reach lengths of more than 10 metres.
