News

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Exeter expert to advise select committee on benefits of species re-introduction in UK
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Exeter researchers recognised in global rankings
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Biodiversity economics research programme awarded £1m
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How fluctuating oxygen levels may have accelerated animal evolution
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Natural England and University of Exeter announce partnership
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The University of Exeter’s role in the new Devon Carbon Plan
The final version of the Devon Carbon Plan has been published today by the Devon Climate Emergency partnership.

Major new tipping points initiative launched at conference
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Little Ice Age study reveals North Atlantic reached a tipping point
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Risk of passing multiple climate tipping points escalates above 1.5°C global warming
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Exeter debate on 'positive tipping points'
World-renowned experts will discuss the power of "positive tipping points" to tackle the climate crisis at the University of Exeter next week.

Crime-scene technique identifies asteroid sites
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Community growing schemes and mapping empty housing identified as key sustainability goals for Cornwall
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Amazon's growth limited by lack of phosphorus
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Experts to discuss 'tipping points' alliance
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Climate change: potential to end humanity ‘dangerously underexplored’
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Exeter researchers pay tribute to James Lovelock
University of Exeter researchers have paid tribute to scientist James Lovelock, who has died aged 103.

'Sensing system' spots struggling ecosystems
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£3 million for new carbon capture project and pilot plant
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Introducing the Real Living Wage to Penzance would improve the local economy, new research suggests
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Climate change will increase chances of wildfire globally – but humans can still help reduce the risk
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Investing in nature is key to levelling up rural regions in the UK says new report
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People power can tackle climate crisis
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Science Futures to make Glastonbury debut
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Talking Deck to help people with life and health issues
A new "Talking Deck" will help shape conversations at an Exeter wellbeing hub.

No "echo chambers" in Reddit climate debate
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New study maps financial ownership of more than $1 trillion of the fossil fuel industry’s projected ‘stranded asset’ losses due to low-carbon transition
Driven by technological, societal and political change, renewable energy technologies are progressively replacing fossil fuels.

People must be 'heart' of climate action
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Deep ocean warming as climate changes
Much of the "excess heat" stored in the subtropical North Atlantic is in the deep ocean (below 700m), new research suggests.

Royal Geographical Society awards for two Exeter academics
Two professors at the University of Exeter have received prestigious awards from the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Resilience of ecosystems can be measured from space
A natural habitat's ability to withstand and recover from damage can be empirically monitored from space.

Origin of complex cells started without oxygen
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Surfer science supports seawater study
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Major research effort to save future of European peatlands
A five-year, £3.7m research project involving scientists from the UK and across Europe will assess the risk that climate change poses to peatlands, and improve methods of managing these important ecosystems.

Exeter experts comment on IPCC report
University of Exeter researchers have commented on the new report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Last chance to have a say on the Devon Carbon Plan
Devon residents have one final chance to give their views on the Devon Carbon Plan before its publication this summer.

Amazon rainforest losing resilience
The Amazon rainforest is becoming less resilient – raising the risk of widespread dieback, new research shows.

Exeter and Potsdam agree 'tipping points' partnership
The University of Exeter and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) have signed an agreement to jointly investigate climate change tipping points.

IPCC report highlights need for climate action and adaptation
A new report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the need stop carbon emissions and adapt to "unavoidable risks", according to one of its Lead Authors.

COP26 deal sparks hope for positive tipping points
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Councils urged to sign 'motion for the ocean'
UK councils are being urged to sign a "motion for the ocean" – pledging to engage with citizens to promote ocean recovery.

Social sciences to play vital role in meeting UK’s net zero goals
The UK’s journey to net zero by 2050 is set to be bolstered by the social sciences, thanks to a major new investment from ESRC.

4°C warming by 2100 'can't be ruled out'
Global warming of 4°C by 2100 still cannot be ruled out, according to experts whose work informed a new UK government report.

More trusting societies have been more successful at reducing coronavirus cases and deaths
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Borgen Bay. Credit Mike Meredith.
Underwater tsunamis created by glacier calving cause vigorous ocean mixing
Scientists on a research vessel in Antarctica watched the front of a glacier disintegrate and their measurements “went off the scale”.
As well as witnessing disruptions on the ocean surface, they recorded “internal” underwater tsunamis as tall as a house, a phenomenon that has been previously missed in the understanding of ocean mixing and in computer models.
The team, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) researchers, report their observations today in the journal Science Advances.
Internal tsunamis are an important factor in ocean mixing, which affects life in the ocean, temperatures at different depths, and how much ice the ocean can melt.
Ice in Antarctica flows to the coast along glacier-filled valleys.
While some ice melts into the ocean, a lot breaks off into icebergs, which range in size from small chunks up to the size of a country.
A team on board the BAS research ship RRS James Clark Ross were taking ocean measurements close to the William Glacier, situated on the Antarctic Peninsula, as the front of it dramatically disintegrated into thousands of small pieces.
The William Glacier typically has one or two large calving events per year, and the team estimated this one broke off around 78,000 square metres of ice – around the area of 10 football pitches – with the front of the glacier towering 40m above sea level.
Before it broke away, the water temperature was cooler at around 50-100m in depth and warmer below this.
After the calving, this changed dramatically, with temperature much more even across different depths.
Lead author of the study Professor Michael Meredith, head of the Polar Oceans team at BAS, said: “This was remarkable to see, and we were lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
“Lots of glaciers end in the sea, and their ends regularly split off into icebergs.
“This can cause big waves at the surface but we know now it also creates waves inside the ocean.
“When they break, these internal waves cause the sea to mix and this affects life in the sea, how warm it is at different depths and how much ice it can melt.
“This is important for us to understand better.
“Ocean mixing influences where nutrients are in the water and that matters for ecosystems and biodiversity.
“We thought we knew what caused this mixing – in summer, we thought it was mainly wind and tides, but it never occurred to us that iceberg calving could cause internal tsunamis that would mix things up so substantially.”
Professor James Scourse, Head of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Exeter, was Principal Scientific Officer on the RRS James Clark Ross at the time of the calving event, which was captured by a Sky News team on board at the time.
Two other scientists from Exeter have been central to the interpretation of the data captured, Dr Katy Sheen and PhD student Tobias Ehmen of the Centre for Geography and Environmental Science on the Penryn Campus.
"Often the most important and exciting discoveries in science are serendipitous – you happen to be at the right place at the right time with the right instruments and the right people – and because you know it's important you just make sure you tweak the work plan to make the most of what nature has offered you,” Professor Scourse said.
“We did that in Börgen Bay back in January 2020 and as a result we've produced the first data on a process that has implications for how fast the ocean is able to melt the ice sheets. This has implications for all of us."
As opposed to the waves caused by wind and tides, tsunamis are caused by geophysical events where water is suddenly shifted, for example by an earthquake or landslide.
Internal tsunamis have been noticed in a handful of places, caused by landslides.
Until now, no one had noticed that they are happening around Antarctica, probably all the time because of the thousands of calving glaciers there.
Other places with glaciers are likely affected also, including Greenland and elsewhere in the Arctic.
This chance observation and understanding is important, as glaciers are set to retreat and calve more as global warming continues.
This could likely increase the number of internal tsunamis created and the mixing they cause.
This process is not factored into current computer models enabling us to predict what might happen around Antarctica.
This discovery changes our understanding of how the ocean around Antarctica is mixed and will improve knowledge about what it means for climate, the ecosystem and sea level rise.
Professor Meredith said: “Our fortuitous timing shows how much more we need to learn about these remote environments and how they matter for our planet.”
The research cruise on RRS James Clark Ross was part of the ICEBERGS project and was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.
Date: 23 November 2022