Latest news with #SecretsoftheIce
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Discoveries from the Arctic — ancient finds, disappearing islands amid ice melt
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All linked stories were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists. July 15 marks World Arctic Sea Ice Day, a campaign organized by Polar Bears International to raise awareness about the rapid loss of sea ice on our planet's northern cap. The Arctic is warming at a rate four times that of the rest of the planet, the organization says, leading to monumental losses of sea ice that can harm not only the ecosystem, but also the animals that call the region home. Just like soil in a forest, sea ice acts as the base of the frozen food chain, providing a place for algae to grow which is eaten by Arctic cod, who then in turn are eaten by predators like polar bears, according to Polar Bears International. Melting ice is causing changes to the shoreline, animal behavior and even leading to new archaeological discoveries as centuries-old artifacts are revealed for the first time. Take a look at some recent discoveries made in the frosty landscape, and how that landscape is changing: Melting ice and observant park ranger lead to 1,500-year-old hunting tool in Norway In Breheimen National Park, Norway, melting ice and a vigilant park ranger led to the discovery of a 1,500-year-old 'scaring stick,' used by ancient hunters to trap reindeer. This artifact, made from a young birch tree, was found flattened against rocks due to the pressure of snow and ice. The Secrets of the Ice team plans to explore more sites for similar discoveries. | Published Aug. 28 | Read More | Melting ice reveals centuries-old fabric items still 'beautifully preserved.' See them Archaeologists at Lendbreen glacier in southern Norway uncovered a beautifully preserved piece of textile likely from the medieval period or Viking age. The site also revealed other artifacts, including a leather or hide object and well-preserved Iron Age arrows. | Published Sept. 10 | Read More | Arctic explorers vanished in 1845. Now, cannibalized body of crew member identified Captain James Fitzjames, who vanished with his crew during the Franklin Northwest Passage expedition in 1845, has been identified through DNA analysis on King William Island, Nunavut, Canada. The discovery of Fitzjames' remains, marked by signs of cannibalism, sheds light on the desperate measures taken by the crew. | Published Sept. 30 | Read More | Schoolchildren check satellite images for island in Russia — then find it's missing In the Arctic Ocean, schoolchildren participating in a Russian program discovered that Mesyatsev Island had vanished due to rising sea levels and coastal erosion. The island, which had shrunk significantly over the years, was completely submerged by September. | Published Nov. 12 | Read More | What do narwhals use their tusks for? First-of-its-kind drone footage offers clues Drone footage from the Canadian Arctic has provided new insights into the purpose of narwhal tusks, revealing their use in hunting and play. The footage shows narwhals using their tusks to stun fish and engage in playful behavior with Arctic char. This discovery highlights the tusks' multifunctional role and the adaptability of narwhals to their environment. | Published March 4 | Read More | Killer whales seen 'kissing' for the first time in the wild, photo shows In the Kvænangen fjords of Norway, above the Arctic Circle, snorkelers captured footage of two killer whales 'kissing' underwater. This rare behavior, observed for the first time in the wild, is believed to reinforce social bonds among juveniles. | Published June 27 | Read More |
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Archaeologists are finding mysterious ancient objects on Norway's melting glaciers. Take a look.
Norway's melting glaciers are revealing objects from the Stone Age, the Iron Age, and the medieval era. Some ancient artifacts are mysteries, but they still indicate trade routes through the mountains. Here's what Norway's glacial archaeologists found in the meltiest part of this past summer. Mysterious and fascinating artifacts are surfacing on melting glaciers across the planet. From strange wooden tools and statues to ancient human remains, these objects are drawing archaeologists into the high, frozen mountains each year. Norway is at the forefront of this emerging field of research, called glacial archaeology. With about 4,500 artifacts discovered, the country claims more than half of the planet's glacial archaeology findings, according to Espen Finstad, who co-leads the Norwegian program, called Secrets of the Ice. Archaeologists there are piecing together clues about ancient industries and trade routes across the glaciers. They just had one of their best field seasons yet. Here's what they found. People have trekked over Norway's glaciers for thousands of years to sell and buy goods. Ancient hunting, travel, and trade routes crossed the mountains between the Norwegian coast and inland areas from the Stone Age. "We are lucky that some of these trade routes have gone over ice," Finstad told Business Insider. Objects that ancient travelers left behind were frozen in the ice for centuries — until recent decades. As humans have burned fossil fuels for energy, releasing heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, global temperatures have been rising for decades. Glaciers everywhere are melting, releasing the ancient artifacts preserved inside them. Some of these objects look familiar, such as this mitten. Others, such as this whisk, are quite different from what we know today. The Lendbreen ice patch is the most fruitful site the archaeologists visit. "There are so many treasures in the ice there," Finstad said. Lendbreen was a common travel route during the Viking and medieval eras. The archaeologists go there almost every year. In the summer of 2024, heavy melting meant lots of new discoveries. "The melting really came rapidly at the end of the season," Finstad said. Finstad's team of about seven archaeologists visited nearly a dozen sites across the mountains to search for artifacts. At Lendbreen, they used pack horses to bring gear up to the site and set up their camp. They stayed there about nine days, Finstad said. Their findings included "two of the best-preserved arrows we ever found," Finstad said. One of them was just lying on top of the ice, waiting to be found. Usually there's a little excavation involved, but the archaeologists simply picked this arrow up. "It's very seldom to find them that well preserved on the ice. So it was kind of a gift. It was very beautiful," Finstad said. Arrows are abundant in the glaciers because reindeer hunting was "almost like an industry" in the Iron Age and medieval era, Finstad said. People hunted for their own food, of course, but also to sell in a market. Arrows can hold clues about past societies. For example, some arrowheads found on the glaciers have tips made from river mussels that must have come from far away, cluing researchers in to just how far people were traveling and trading over the ages. Some of the prehistoric arrows Finstad's team found last season were so well-preserved they still had fletching. Fletching is delicate and doesn't usually last thousands of years. These were rare findings. Some items they find are just "strange," Finstad said. Small bits of wood, leather, and textile are often impossible to identify. Finstad estimated they'd found about 50 small, mysterious objects at Lendbreen in 2024. "It's all kind of small things, daily life things from the Viking Age or older, which you don't find in other archaeology contexts, at least in Norway, because it's gone. It degrades," Finstad said. Heavy snow cut off the archaeologists' efforts — but now they know where to look this summer. "We are excited to go back," Finstad said. Read the original article on Business Insider
