Phys.org September 12, 2023 An international team of researchers (UK, Italy, Germany, USA – University of Alaska, Cornell University) studied 600 glaciers located on and near 37 ice-clad volcanoes in South America. The results demonstrated glacier sensitivity to volcanic heat. They distinguished between “volcanic glaciers” and “proximal glaciers” and calculated their equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs). For each ice-clad volcano, they compared the ELAs of its volcanic glaciers to those of its proximal glaciers and established volcanic thermal anomaly. Results highlighted the impact of volcanic heat on glacier elevation; emphasized the need to exclude glaciers on, or near, volcanoes from glacier-climate […]
Tag Archives: Glaciers
Ice formation on surfaces enhanced via a non-classical nucleation process
Phys.org August 17, 2021 Understanding the process of ice formation can decelerate the rate at which glaciers melt and sea levels rise and alleviate other major environmental concerns. To better understand the non-classical nucleation theories researchers at the University of Hong Kong combined Markov State Models (MSMs) and transition path theory (TPT) to identify intermediate states of disordered ice mixtures and compare parallel pathways (classical vs. non-classical). This advantage helped unravel the underlying mechanisms of non-classical nucleation processes and the co-existence of the two pathways. They showed that the disordered mixing of ice stabilizes the critical nucleus and makes the […]