NASA-Funded Greenland Survey Reveals ‘Crazy' Amounts Of Ocean Warming
Preliminary data from a NASA-funded Greenland survey point to a two-degree centigrade rise in regional ocean water temperatures in less than a decade.
For the first time ever, a team of researchers took the data from a subglacial Greenland channel in February of this year using a custom-built, remotely operated vehicle equipped with sonar, laser-ranging and a mass spectrometer.
Preliminarily, what we've been able to show is, at least during this year, ocean water in this region is almost two degrees warmer than it was less than 10 years ago, Britney Schmidt, a Cornell University astrobiologist and the ongoing Icefin project's principal investigator, tells me in Reykjavik. It's crazy amounts of warming; we're losing this ice very rapidly and it's much warmer than I would have expected; two degrees in 10 years is insane, she says.
The ROV allows us to find channels that are bringing water out from underneath the ice sheet which has huge climate implications, Schmidt tells me during the recent European Astrobiology Institute's BEACON 25 conference in Iceland. But it also has astrobiological implications, because you're bringing samples from under the ice sheet that we otherwise can't get to, she says.
This ROV exploration is also trailblazing the way for NASA's potential subsurface lander missions to the icy moons of Europa and Enceladus. At the same time, this research is providing the most current data on climate change in our Northern hemisphere.
One of these glaciers has been moving back at about a kilometer a year; others are moving faster, but this system is quite unstable, so we're rapidly losing ice, says Schmidt.
NASA-funded and partly funded by the private Simons Foundation, one aim of the research is to simulate the types of exploration, decision making, and analyses that might be required for a mission one of our solar system's icy moons.
Cornell University astrobiologist Britney Schmidt gives her presentation at the recent European ... More Astrobiology Insitute's BEACON 25 conference in Iceland. Schmidt is pictured here with an image of Icefin, a underwater robotic operated vehicle (ROV).
Retreating Glaciers
Working from temporary headquarters atop Greenland's ice cap, the team made its measurements earlier this year by deploying the ROV into subsurface channels and steering the ROV upstream underneath the ice sheet. The team worked near or on three glaciers, including the Knud Rasmussen Glacier on Greenland's Northwestern Coast
We're able to resolve exactly how the ocean is getting into these channels and how much fresh water is affecting the base of the ice, says Schmidt. That allows us to put much tighter constraints on how melting is happening, she says.
Ice Melt
Even so, Greenland has been rapidly losing ice for the last 100 years due to direct human-caused effects in the Northern hemisphere.
Three glaciers are calving (or losing) ice directly into the ocean.
In the cold part of the season, the team can drive out on snowmobiles to these environments, Schmidt explains in her BEACON 25 talk. The team first drills a hole in the sea ice, then we deploy the vehicle vertically through the ice, then drive it under the ice horizontally, as Schmidt explains in her talk.
Future Icy Moon Exploration
The ways in which we're exploring beneath the ice are analogous to the types of things we'd need to develop to explore Jupiter and Saturn's icy moons, says Schmidt. You'd melt through the ice shell to be able to pull water samples and decide which samples are interesting and then pass the most interesting ones through to in-situ life detection instrumentation, she says.
At the same time, this work is helping the team develop new sample handling systems that oceanographers and climatologists can use on Earth.
Mass spectrometers pull in samples of material and analyze their chemistry. in this case, it's what's called a membrane inlet (semi-permeable) mass spectrometer, says Schmidt. It's pulling dissolved gases out of the water and analyzing their composition, she says. That allows us to do is to understand what's going on underneath the ice and measure just how much melting is happening underneath the glaciers, she notes.
This basic research will also help further NASA's laundry list of tech development needed to manage eventual subsurface sampling of Europa and Enceladus.
How would a subsurface rover on the icy moons of Europa or Enceladus communicate back to Earth?
It would probably need a tether or a set of acoustic transponders that can transit through the ice to allow it to radio back to the surface and then radio out back to Earth, says Schmidt. But it's possible, she says.
But before such ambitious space missions to Europa or Enceladus, there's practical work to do here on Earth. One involves enabling AI for the Icefin ROV so that it can make at least some of its own exploration decisions in situ.
We have a long way to go on under-ice robotic autonomy, both from just how to keep vehicles safe to how to understand the environment, says Schmidt. That's kind of a frontier, not just for space exploration, but also for Earth exploration, she says.
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Fast Company
2 minutes ago
- Fast Company
We designed shade out of our cities. We can design it back in
As I write these words, a heat wave is sweeping through Europe. Last month, a heat wave swept through the East Coast. Next month, a heat wave might sweep through the Middle East, or South Asia, or North Africa. As temperatures continue to reach record highs—and climate change increases the likelihood of heat waves—the sun has become foe, and shade has become king. Shade can lower the ambient temperature of the air by as much as 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It can cool surfaces by as much as 45 degrees. But where is it? Ten thousand years ago, more than half of the land on Earth was shaded by tree canopies. Today, after millennia of deforestation, agriculture, and urbanization, that number has dropped to just 30%. The problem is particularly dire in cities: A recent map by UCLA and the nonprofit American Forests revealed staggering 'shade deserts' in almost every major urban region in the U.S. According to journalist and author Sam Bloch, this dearth of shade is by design. In his new book, simply titled Shade, Bloch argues that the absence of shade from our lives is not an accident. 'Shade has been deliberately designed out of our environments,' he tells me on a recent phone call. 'Those decisions may have made sense in the past, but we are rapidly moving into a new world where sun protection is going to be as important as sun access.' Shade as old as time Humans have sought shade for as long as we have lived under the sun. 'Forget palm trees and ponds,' Bloch writes. 'In ancient Mesopotamia, cities were the real oases.' Four thousand years ago, in places where temperatures could soar up to 130 degrees, Sumerians used city walls for shade. They built deep, narrow streets and packed houses close together. Unlike modern cities, which are laid out along the cardinal directions, Sumerians also oriented their cities diagonally, which offered equal amounts of sun and shade on both sides of the street. In his book, Bloch mentions the work of Mary Shepperson, a U.K. archaeologist who specializes in urban archaeology of the Middle East. After modeling the sun's daily and seasonal paths over Mesopotamian cities, Shepperson found that the orientation of streets, their narrowness, and small protrusions like vertical rooftop parapets and horizontal eaves likely made for pleasant, shaded cities. The 'wisdom of shade,' as Bloch calls it, was known to the Syrians, Phoenicians, and Persians. Later, it was embraced by the Greeks and Romans, and eventually exported by the Islamic caliphate to modern-day Spain and Portugal. But that is the extent it traveled. Europeans had their own beliefs about what makes a healthy city, and they exported those beliefs to the New World. 'In temperate climates, the sun was their friend, not their enemy,' Bloch writes. 'They had little use for shade.' How we designed shade out of our cities If shade is as old as time, so are our preconceptions against it. Over 2,000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Onesicritus taught that shade stunted growth. As Bloch points out, our prejudice against shade even shines through in the language we use: When something is dubious, it's shady. When we feel offended, we take umbrage. Americans, perhaps more so than others, take particular umbrage at shade. 'We think shade is yucky. It's for damp corners and fetid ponds,' Bloch writes. This goes back to the early colonizing days. When Europeans arrived in modern-day America, they brought with them a 'deep and abiding fear of forests,' which were considered pagan and unholy. In 1771, an English patrician proclaimed 'a garden in a street is not less absurd than a street in a garden.' Or as the author puts it: 'A city dweller who planted trees in their front yard was just another country bumpkin.' Many factors further contributed to the downfall of shade, but perhaps the most significant of them is our ancestors' fear of tuberculosis. Early research from the 1900s showed that bacteria could be killed with sunlight. This understanding birthed a fixation for sunlight that translated to some of the most famous modernist buildings of the time, including Alvar and Aino Aalto's Paimio Sanatorium in Finland. In the U.S., urban planners introduced zoning that called for 'setbacks.' They wrote 'solar codes' into urban plans. They widened roads (which also helped cars thrive) and carved out paths for sunlight to reach deep into the streets. 'This fear of tuberculosis has driven so much of our urban design,' Bloch tells me. The approach trickled down to buildings, as architects clad office buildings and homes with large expanses of glass. Le Corbusier declared glass the foundational material of modernism. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe famously said, 'It's up to the engineers to find some way to stop the heat from coming in or going out,' about his Farnsworth House. Glass, we know now, is notorious for trapping heat. But it has survived as a material of choice, thanks to another notorious invention: AC. Modern air-conditioning was invented in 1902 by American engineer Willis Carrier, who designed a system to control humidity at a printing plant in Brooklyn, New York. Suddenly, external shading systems like brise-soleils, awnings, sun sails—systems that have been used in European cities for centuries—were dismissed as costly add-ons that could never match the level of comfort provided by cool air being fanned through your house. Case in point: After the Truman administration renovated the White House in the 1950s—installing mechanical cooling in the process—it foolishly took down the stripy summer awnings that once kept it cool. Air-conditioning revolutionized cooling around the world, but as Bloch writes, 'it came at a cost.' It distanced us from nature and trapped us inside climate-controlled boxes. It lowered our comfort level and our defenses. Even worse: It exacerbated the heat problem it's supposed to solve by sucking the hot air from our houses and expelling it in our cities. According to computer simulations from Paris and Phoenix, the waste heat from AC units makes the surrounding air about 2 to 3 degrees warmer. 'All this happened when we turned our backs on shade,' Bloch writes. How we can design shade back into our cities So, how do we learn to love shade again? The good news is that there's no need to reinvent the wheel. In his book, Bloch highlights examples from cities all over the world. In Bologna and Singapore alike, people can walk under miles of covered sidewalks that are carved out of the ground floors of buildings. Italians call them portici (porticoes). In Singapore, they're known as 'five-foot ways.' In Seville—where seats at the bullring cost two to three times more when they're in the shade—practically all windows are shaded by roller blinds, or persianas de esparto, which are threaded grass curtains that Sevillanos drape over their balconies. Every spring, the Spanish city also installs toldos over streets and plazas. These 'sun sails' have been used for so long (over 500 years) that they have become a proud tool in the city's shade vernacular. Naturally, every city's 'shade tool kit' will vary based on its climate policy, geographic and socioeconomic conditions, and affinity for design-led solutions. Barcelona has set up 'climate shelters,' while Dallas has been planting thousands of trees. And Los Angeles has been coating its streets and roofs with solar reflective paint. Since the early 2000s, architects have been pushing for more passive houses. But as Bloch writes, the incentives largely benefit the future occupants, whose energy bills are lowered, not the developers, whose bottom lines remain the same whether or not a building is climate-resilient. This 'split incentive' problem has notably hampered construction and can only be solved if cities implement stronger building codes and grant developers stronger financial incentives. (Building a passive house typically costs around 10% more.) Perhaps it would help shift our perception of shade if cities classified heat as an environmental hazard, like water or air pollution. The Clean Water Act limited what industries and farms could dump into waterways. The Clean Air Act required power plants and factories to monitor, control, and report their emissions. A similar requirement for heat might help us take more actionable steps toward heat mitigation. 'If we ever agree that heat is a threat to our freedom and happiness, then we might also decide that shade, our defense against it, is an inalienable right,' Bloch writes. (Even if studies have shown the cooling benefits of shade, Bloch says there is no single, widely accepted index to measure shade's thermal impact.) For Bloch, the problem with shade access isn't necessarily technological but psychological. Some of the experts he interviewed for the book are even calling for a life 'after comfort'—where architecture is made more porous, and where we can learn to live with heat. Studies have found that people who are forced to deal with heat can tolerate it more than those who can escape it. In the U.S., the ideal indoor temperature ranges between 73 and 78 degrees. In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso—where AC is virtually nonexistent—studies say that the Burkinabe people's ideal temperature is closer to 86. Similar studies have shown that people in Marrakech, Morocco, are more likely to feel comfortable than people in Phoenix, Arizona, despite a similar climate. Bloch knows that the cooling effect provided by shade is never going to replace the icy blast of AC. 'Even on a thermodynamic level, it's not doing the same thing,' he tells me. 'But if we can adjust our expectations as to what comfort really is, we might be able to be more tolerant of shade as a viable solution.'
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Florida Tech withdraws from Cape Canaveral rocket-noise study, citing its narrow scope
Citing insufficient pricing and scope of research, the Florida Institute of Technology has withdrawn from a partnership with the city of Cape Canaveral to monitor potential impacts of rocket launches on buildings and infrastructure. This $10,019 study, which the Cape Canaveral City Council approved in April, called for Florida Tech to install sensors — including sound level meters, accelerometers and air quality monitors — at a handful of buildings across Cape Canaveral and collect data before, during and after rocket launches. But upon further review, Florida Tech withdrew because "the $10,000 cost and narrow purview are insufficient to appropriately examine the issues at hand," university spokesperson Wes Sumner said. Specifically, Sumer said a more robust study using more sensors in more locations — including weather sensors — would better address the complexities at play. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral "Florida Tech initially estimates that cost for an appropriately detailed study could be $100,000 or more. The ongoing work from faculty at (Brigham Young University) into the acoustics of rockets, for example, which has produced multiple journal articles, alludes to the broader effort needed for more meaningful, impactful data," Sumner said in an email. Why study rocket launch acoustics? In a news post, City Hall staffers said Cape Canaveral residents are concerned about the possibility of long-term structural damages such as cracking, foundation settling and shattered windows — particularly in light of increasing launch rates and rocket sizes. Florida's Space Coast remains on track to crack the 100-launch barrier for this first time this year. "The City's goal in pursuing this research was to determine the long-term impacts on the built environment of repeated rocket launches with ever more powerful launch vehicles, and we still wish to accomplish this," Zachary Eichholz, chief resilience manager for the city of Cape Canaveral, said in an email. "It is currently exploring alternative means to conduct this research, including future initiatives with FIT and other research teams at other universities," Eichholz said. Last week, U.S. Air Force officials collected environmental comments during public hearings in Titusville, Cape Canaveral and Cocoa about SpaceX's proposal to start launching up to 76 Starship-Super Heavy rocket systems per year — with up to 152 sonic-boom-producing landings — at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Those Starship-Super Heavy future liftoffs from Launch Complex 37 would occur 9 miles from Cape Canaveral's closest condominium and 10.4 miles from City Hall, Eichholz said. SpaceX did not respond to messages seeking comment for this story. Space Force, SpaceX, NASA conducting bigger study in CA In terms of scope, a far-larger research collaboration is tracking rocket sonic-boom data this year near Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. This study involves the Space Force, BYU, California State University-Bakersfield, SpaceX, NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration. A network of about 25 monitoring stations is dispatched across 500 square miles of California's central coast, collecting data to create a three-dimensional sound map. "It's like trying to catch lightning in a bottle," Kent Gee, who chairs BYU's Department of Physics and Astronomy, said in a Space Force press release. "All launches generate sonic booms; however, their audibility to the public is influenced by several factors, including the launch trajectory, the size of the rocket, and atmospheric conditions.' Specifically, the California coastal region's multiple "microclimates" add to the complexities, and Gee said launches with nearly identical flight paths can produce vastly different noise levels on the ground. The press release said this variability "has sent researchers on a quest to unravel the complex interplay between rocket trajectories, weather conditions, and topography." Air Force shares Starship-Super Heavy sound details An Air Force 176-page draft environmental impact statement said Starship-Super Heavy noise would represent "a community annoyance" for residential neighborhoods in Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral, Titusville and Merritt Island — particularly during Super Heavy booster landings. During last week's public hearings, mention was made of SpaceX's proposed actions to reduce noise impacts using sound suppression technology: A water deluge system would spray large volumes of water onto the launch pad during liftoff, absorbing acoustic energy and converting it to steam — significantly reducing sound intensity. Flame trenches beneath the launch pad would redirect and disperse exhaust and sound energy away from sensitive areas. In addition, SpaceX will coordinate with Space Launch Delta 45 to alert the public in advance of launches and potential sonic booms via websites and social media. If a sonic boom causes suspected property damage, Air Force meeting materials said building owners could launch a formal claims process by contacting the Space Launch Delta 45 public affairs office. Compensation would be provided in accordance with FAA regulations, the Commercial Space Launch Act and other relevant law and policy. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida Tech withdraws from rocket-noise study with city of Cape Canaveral Solve the daily Crossword
Digital Trends
4 hours ago
- Digital Trends
New Glenn rocket all set for grand mission on only its second launch
Blue Origin has officially announced that its next-generation New Glenn rocket will launch NASA's ESCAPADE Mars mission in a flight targeted for no earlier than mid-August 2025. Lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, NASA's ESCAPADE mission to the red planet will achieve several notable milestones, including becoming the first multi-spacecraft orbital science mission sent to Mars. Two spacecraft, called Blue and Gold, will orbit the distant planet while conducting coordinated, simultaneous observations of Mars's magnetic field as it interacts with the solar wind and drives the escape of elements from Mars' very thin atmosphere into space. Recommended Videos It'll also be the first interplanetary mission for the New Glenn rocket, whose inaugural flight earlier this year involved the deployment of a prototype spacecraft to medium-Earth orbit. Additionally, we'll see Blue Origin attempt to land New Glenn's first-stage booster for the first time, similar to how SpaceX brings home its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket minutes after deploying satellites to space or sending astronauts to orbit. A successful landing would put the New Glenn on a path to first-stage reusability, enabling it to cut costs and increase launch frequency with its heavy-lift rocket. New Glenn's inaugural flight took place in January 2025 and while the rocket successfully reached orbit and deployed its payload, the first-stage booster was lost during descent and so had no chance of attempting a propulsive landing. Blue Origin's 98-meter-tall rocket is powered by seven BE-4 engines that together create almost 4 million pounds of thrust as the vehicle leaves the launchpad, making it around 2.5 times more powerful than the Falcon 9. Adding extra buzz to the mission is the fact that it's NASA's first voyage to Mars since the 2020 launch of the Perseverance rover, which arrived at the planet in spectacular fashion early the following year. Dave Limp, Blue Origin CEO, said in a post on X that the upcoming endeavor will be 'an exciting mission for New Glenn and Mars exploration,' and thanked NASA for 'riding with us to space.'
