Science & Nature

Back to the Moon: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Project 4/19/2007 NASA will take polar science to the moon in fall 2008 with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will search for surface ice and frost in the polar regions. More
Department of Energy Sequences Polar Microbes as Part of Genomic Research 4/16/2007 DOE hopes to use microbe sequencing to develop new drugs and other products. Polar diatoms, one-celled aquatic algae from the base of the polar food web, are among the creatures being studied. More
Norwegian-U.S. Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica 4/10/2007 The East Antarctic ice sheet looms large in the global climate system, yet relatively little is known about its climate variability or the contribution it makes to sea-level changes. Two overland traverses: one from Norway's Troll Station to the U.S. South Pole station in 2007-2008; and a return trip by a different route in 2008-2009 will investigate climate change in the region. More
Studying Emperors and Pioneering Science on the Frozen Frontier 4/10/2007 For more than 30 years, Gerald Kooyman, a research physiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has studied adaptation in antarctic marine animals. In recent years he has focused on the effects of climate change on Emperor Penguins. More
Earth's Polar Regions Provide Clues to Past Life on Mars 4/6/2007 Because liquid water is a key prerequisite for life, scientists soon began to speculate on the existence of life on Mars. However, before scientists can hypothesize about life on Mars, they must first explain how liquid water can exist in such a cold, dry place. To search for clues, researchers traveled to the most Mars-like conditions on Earth. More
Ice Core Lab a National Repository of Climate Data 4/4/2007 An ice core can contain detailed climate records extending back hundreds of thousands of years. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Ice Core Laboratory stores, curates, and studies these cores. More
NASA Finds Arctic Replenished Very Little Thick Sea Ice in 2005 4/3/2007 A new NASA study has found that in 2005 the Arctic replaced very little of the thick sea ice it normally loses and replenishes each year. Replenishment of this thick, perennial sea ice each year is essential to the maintenance and stability of the Arctic summer ice cover. More
Icecube Neutrino Observatory: Using Ice to Track Subatomic Particles 4/2/2007 Imagine trying to observe particles so small and scarce that a detector a cubic kilometer in area installed under the Antarctic ice sheet is needed. Scientists have not only imagined it, they are building it. More

Back to the Moon: Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Project

4/19/2007 NASA will take polar science to the moon in fall 2008 with the launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which will search for surface ice and frost in the polar regions. More

Department of Energy Sequences Polar Microbes as Part of Genomic Research

4/16/2007 DOE hopes to use microbe sequencing to develop new drugs and other products. Polar diatoms, one-celled aquatic algae from the base of the polar food web, are among the creatures being studied. More

Norwegian-U.S. Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica

4/10/2007 The East Antarctic ice sheet looms large in the global climate system, yet relatively little is known about its climate variability or the contribution it makes to sea-level changes. Two overland traverses: one from Norway's Troll Station to the U.S. South Pole station in 2007-2008; and a return trip by a different route in 2008-2009 will investigate climate change in the region. More

Studying Emperors and Pioneering Science on the Frozen Frontier

4/10/2007 For more than 30 years, Gerald Kooyman, a research physiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, has studied adaptation in antarctic marine animals. In recent years he has focused on the effects of climate change on Emperor Penguins. More

Earth's Polar Regions Provide Clues to Past Life on Mars

4/6/2007 Because liquid water is a key prerequisite for life, scientists soon began to speculate on the existence of life on Mars. However, before scientists can hypothesize about life on Mars, they must first explain how liquid water can exist in such a cold, dry place. To search for clues, researchers traveled to the most Mars-like conditions on Earth. More

Ice Core Lab a National Repository of Climate Data

4/4/2007 An ice core can contain detailed climate records extending back hundreds of thousands of years. Funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Ice Core Laboratory stores, curates, and studies these cores. More

NASA Finds Arctic Replenished Very Little Thick Sea Ice in 2005

4/3/2007 A new NASA study has found that in 2005 the Arctic replaced very little of the thick sea ice it normally loses and replenishes each year. Replenishment of this thick, perennial sea ice each year is essential to the maintenance and stability of the Arctic summer ice cover. More

Icecube Neutrino Observatory: Using Ice to Track Subatomic Particles

4/2/2007 Imagine trying to observe particles so small and scarce that a detector a cubic kilometer in area installed under the Antarctic ice sheet is needed. Scientists have not only imagined it, they are building it. More