Latest news with #EuropeanArctic
Irish Examiner
06-08-2025
- Science
- Irish Examiner
Cave discovery reveals oldest community of animals living in European Arctic
The remains of 46 types of mammals, fish and birds, dating back more than 10,000 years have been found in a cave in northern Norway providing the oldest example of an animal community living in the European Arctic region. The discovery, which includes polar bear, walrus, bowhead whale and Atlantic puffin, provides 'a rare snapshot of a vanished Arctic world', according to scientists. Also found were the remains of collared lemmings which are now extinct in Europe and had not been found in Scandinavia before. The team say the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), will help show how wildlife has responded to dramatic climate shifts in the past as the animal community dates to a warmer period of the ice age. Bone fragments in the lab after being excavated from the sediments at the Arne Qvamgrotta cave in Norway. Picture: Sam Walker/Bournemouth University/PA Wire DNA testing carried out for the research found that the lineages of the animals did not survive when colder conditions returned. Sam Walker, of Bournemouth University, said: 'These discoveries provide a rare snapshot of a vanished Arctic world. They also underscore how vulnerable cold-adapted species can be under changing climate conditions, which can help us to understand their resilience and extinction risk in the present.' The remains were found in the Arne Qvamgrotta cave which was first discovered in the 1990s when a local mining industry built a tunnel through the nearby mountain. But it was large excavations carried out in 2021 and 2022 which led to the discovery of the animals which also included common eider, rock ptarmigan and Atlantic cod. The sediment profile in the Arne Qvamgrotta cave in Norway. Picture: Trond Klungseth Lodoen/Bournemouth University/PA Wire Professor Sanne Boessenkool, of the University of Oslo, said: 'We have very little evidence of what Arctic life was like in this period because of the lack of preserved remains over 10,000 years old. 'The cave has now revealed a diverse mix of animals in a coastal ecosystem representing both the marine and the terrestrial environment.' The researchers state that the variety of animals including migratory reindeer suggest the habitat would have been mostly ice-free at the time and the presence of freshwater fish meant there would have been lakes and rivers within tundra. There would also have been sea ice for the bowhead whales and walruses, although this would have been seasonal as the harbour porpoises found are known to avoid ice, the scientists say. The study suggests that although the animals had managed to colonise the region after the glaciers melted, their whole populations had died out as they had been unable to migrate when the ice returned. Dr Walker said: 'This highlights how cold-adapted species struggle to adapt to major climatic events. 'This has a direct link to the challenges they are facing in the Arctic today as the climate warms at a rapid pace. 'The habitats these animals in the region live in today are much more fractured than 75,000 years ago, so it is even harder for animal populations to move and adapt.' Prof Boessenkool added: 'It is also important to note that this was a shift to a colder, not a period of warming that we are facing today. 'And these are cold-adapted species, so if they struggled to cope with colder periods in the past, it will be even harder for these species to adapt to a warming climate.'
BBC News
05-08-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Animals bones from the ice age found in Norwegian cave
Scientists have found rare bones of animals that lived in the European Arctic during a warmer period of the ice age 75,000 years remains of 46 types of animals including a polar bear, walrus and Atlantic puffin were found in a cave on the coast of northern is the oldest example of an animal community during this time. The researchers say the discovery could help them understand how wildlife responded to dramatic changes to the climate back then which can be used for conservation work today. The Arne Qvamgrotta cave in Norway was first discovered in the 1990s but excavations in 2021 and 2022 started to unearth the cave's secrets. Professor Sanne Boessenkool, of the University of Oslo, said: "We have very little evidence of what Arctic life was like in this period because of the lack of preserved remains over 10,000 years old."The cave has now revealed a diverse mix of animals in a coastal ecosystem representing both the marine and the terrestrial environment."Among the animals found were collared lemmings, a species that is extinct in Europe and had never been found in Scandinavia before. From the types of animal remains found here, the scientists concluded that the coast would have been ice free, providing a good habitat for the migratory reindeer whose remains they found. They say there also would have likely been lakes and rivers because of the presence of freshwater fish and that some sea ice must have remained for bowhead whales and walruses. Dr Walker was one of the scientists working on the study from Bournemouth University. He said the remains highlight "how cold adapted species struggle to adapt to major climatic events."The scientists tested the DNA of the animals and found that their family line - their lineage - didn't survive when the conditions got colder again. The say it's likely because the animals lived there once the glaciers melted but once the ice returned, they couldn't move to another area to live in and so their populations died.
Euronews
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
June heatwave pushes Europe into record-breaking territory
As Europe bakes in its first major heatwave of the year, temperature records are being broken across the continent. During June, countries experienced temperatures more typical of July and August, with records broken from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean. The Portuguese weather service (IPMA) reported 46.6 °C in Mora on 29 June - the hottest ever recorded in mainland Portugal during June. Norway's Banak station reached 32.5°C, the highest temperature ever recorded within the European Arctic for the month. The extreme heat has brought health warnings, school closures and restrictions on outdoor work. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has said that for the continent as a whole, this month is likely to rank among the top five warmest Junes on record. How long will Europe's heatwave last? Scientists have said that this extended period of above-average temperatures is being caused by a heat dome. This is when a high-pressure area stays over the same place for days or even weeks, trapping the hot air below it. This acts something like a saucepan lid, causing temperatures to become hotter and hotter. Last week, a strong area of high pressure built over Western Europe. It extended up across Spain and Portugal into France, then spread to Germany and Italy over the weekend. After days of record-breaking heat, forecasters say there will be some relief on Wednesday into Thursday as thunderstorms and cooler temperatures arrive from the Atlantic, according to Météo-France. Spain and Italy may have to wait until the weekend to see temperatures begin to drop. France sees its second-hottest June since 1900 In France, temperatures of 40°C were recorded in Paris on Tuesday. The country's national weather agency placed several regions under the highest red alert. More than 1,300 schools were fully or partially closed across the country, and the summit of the Eiffel Tower has been closed to visitors until Thursday because of the heat. "June 2025 has become the second hottest June since records began in 1900, behind June 2003," French Ecology Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on Wednesday morning. 30 June was the hottest day since measurements began in 1947, according to Météo-France. Later, Pannier-Runacher added that more than 300 people have been taken into emergency care, and two had died as a result of heat-related illnesses. June 'pulverised' heat records in Spain Spanish weather service Aemet said that an 'extremely hot' June had 'pulverised records', surpassing the normal averages for July and August. It recorded an average of 23.6°C - the highest for the month in 64 years and 0.8°C higher than the previous record set in 2017. Provisional data shows that nine days in June broke records for their respective dates. Aemet says that in an 'undisturbed climate', five record warm days would be expected in an entire year. Ramón Pascual, a delegate for Spain's weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press the "very intense heat wave' is clearly linked to global warming. High sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are not helping either, as they reduce any cooling effects a nearby body of water might have. Millions of Europeans are being exposed to high heat stress The June-July heatwave is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress, according to Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the ECMWF. 'And our reanalysis data shows that many Europeans have experienced very high temperatures for the period since the start of June,' she adds. 'The temperatures observed recently are more typical of the months of July and August and tend to only happen a few times each summer. We saw it again in 2024, the warmest year on record.' Burgess also says climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense, and they are now impacting larger geographical areas. Hot spells like this could become more frequent in the UK The UK experienced its hottest day of the year so far on Tuesday with a recorded temperature of 34.7°C in London's St James's Park. Provisional data from the Met Office indicates that the country experienced its second warmest June since 1884. The average temperature for the month reached 15.2°C, only surpassed by June 2023, which saw average temperatures of 15.8°C. It follows a record-breaking spring that was officially the warmest and sunniest on record. June continued that trend, the Met Office said, marked by two heatwaves and high temperatures at the end of the month. 'While we've not conducted formal climate attribution studies into June 2025's two heatwaves, past studies have shown it is virtually certain that human influence has increased the occurrence and intensity of extreme heat events such as this,' says Met Office climate scientist Dr Amy Doherty. Doherty adds that numerous climate attribution studies have shown that human influence increased the chance of specific heatwaves occurring, including those in summer 2018 and July 2022. "Our Met Office climate projections indicate that hot spells will become more frequent in our future climate, particularly over the southeast of the UK. Temperatures are projected to rise in all seasons, but the heat would be most intense in summer."
Business Wire
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Saildrone Closes $60M Financing to Bring Maritime Autonomy to Europe
COPENHAGEN, Denmark--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Saildrone, the global leader in maritime autonomy, today announced the closing of a $60 million investment round led by EIFO, the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark. The investment will be used to bring Saildrone technology to Europe to address the urgent need for maritime security for critical infrastructure and wider defense applications. "Our goal is to provide 24/7, year-round coverage for all critical infrastructure within the Baltic and North Sea, safeguarding these highly valuable installations for current and future generations." – Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins Share The Baltic, North Sea, and European Arctic waters are currently facing unprecedented threats, and the need for persistent maritime domain awareness has never been greater. Saildrone's extreme endurance unmanned surface vehicles utilize sophisticated sensors, combined with proprietary AI algorithms, to give a full picture of the maritime environment above and below the sea surface. 'I am thrilled to partner with EIFO and the Danish government to establish Saildrone's European headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark,' said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone's founder and CEO. 'Denmark's unique geographic and political position at the heart of northern Europe makes it the perfect place to establish our European headquarters and operational hub. Working initially with the Danish Armed Forces, we plan to roll out Saildrone's maritime intelligence services to multiple NATO countries during the course of the year. Our goal is to provide 24/7, year-round coverage for all critical infrastructure within the Baltic and North Sea, safeguarding these highly valuable installations for current and future generations.' In addition to EIFO, other participants in the round included existing investors Lux Capital, Washington Harbor Partners, Crowley, and Academy Securities, joined by new investors Pinegrove, BZH Capital, What If Ventures, and Calm Ventures. 'We are thrilled to invest in Saildrone and subsequently that Denmark has been chosen as the center for Saildrone's European activities. Saildrone is a leading company in a rapidly growing market, and gaining access to this technology can become critical for both Denmark's and Europe's security. We expect Saildrone will have an impact on both the Danish defense industry and the Danish challenges with surveillance in the Arctic and counteracting sabotage in Danish waters—at a fraction of the cost of a patrol ship,' said Peder Lundquist, CEO of EIFO. Saildrone will deploy the first four Saildrone Voyagers in the Baltic Sea in June 2025, under contract to the Danish Armed Forces. About Saildrone Saildrone is a maritime defense and oceanographic survey company creating a paradigm shift in how navies, governments, and commercial organizations obtain the real-time, accurate data required to monitor the maritime domain. Powered primarily by renewable wind and solar energy, Saildrone's fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) provides long-duration operations measured in months, not days. Saildrone USVs carry sophisticated sensors combined with proprietary AI algorithms to give a full picture of the maritime environment above and below the sea surface, supporting border protection, critical infrastructure security, and hydrographic survey. Saildrone has sailed more than 2,000,000 nautical miles from the High North to the Southern Ocean and spent over 50,000 days at sea in the harshest ocean conditions on the planet.
