Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Earth Science News .




CLIMATE SCIENCE
Glaciers cracking in the presence of carbon dioxide
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 11, 2012


Notably, the decreased ice strength is not merely caused by material defects induced by CO2 bubbles, but rather by the fact that the strength of hydrogen bonds-the chemical bonds between water molecules in an ice crystal-is decreased under increasing concentrations of CO2. This is because the added CO2 competes with the water molecules connected in the ice crystal.

The well-documented presence of excessive levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere is causing global temperatures to rise and glaciers and ice caps to melt.

New research, published in IOP Publishing's Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, has shown that CO2 molecules may be having a more direct impact on the ice that covers our planet.

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute for Technology have shown that the material strength and fracture toughness of ice are decreased significantly under increasing concentrations of CO2 molecules, making ice caps and glaciers more vulnerable to cracking and splitting into pieces, as was seen recently when a huge crack in the Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica spawned a glacier the size of Berlin.

Ice caps and glaciers cover seven per cent of the Earth-more than Europe and North America combined-and are responsible for reflecting 80?? per cent of the Sun's light rays that enter our atmosphere and maintain the Earth's temperature. They are also a natural carbon sink, capturing a large amount of CO2.

"If ice caps and glaciers were to continue to crack and break into pieces, their surface area that is exposed to air would be significantly increased, which could lead to accelerated melting and much reduced coverage area on the Earth. The consequences of these changes remain to be explored by the experts, but they might contribute to changes of the global climate," said lead author of the study Professor Markus Buehler.

Buehler, along with his student and co-author of the paper, Zhao Qin, used a series of atomistic-level computer simulations to analyse the dynamics of molecules to investigate the role of CO2 molecules in ice fracturing, and found that CO2 exposure causes ice to break more easily.

Notably, the decreased ice strength is not merely caused by material defects induced by CO2 bubbles, but rather by the fact that the strength of hydrogen bonds-the chemical bonds between water molecules in an ice crystal-is decreased under increasing concentrations of CO2. This is because the added CO2 competes with the water molecules connected in the ice crystal.

It was shown that CO2 molecules first adhere to the crack boundary of ice by forming a bond with the hydrogen atoms and then migrate through the ice in a flipping motion along the crack boundary towards the crack tip.

The CO2 molecules accumulate at the crack tip and constantly attack the water molecules by trying to bond to them. This leaves broken bonds behind and increases the brittleness of the ice on a macroscopic scale.

.


Related Links
Institute of Physics
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








CLIMATE SCIENCE
Study maps greenhouse gas emissions to building, street level for US cities
Tempe, AZ (SPX) Oct 10, 2012
Arizona State University researchers have developed a new software system capable of estimating greenhouse gas emissions across entire urban landscapes, all the way down to roads and individual buildings. Until now, scientists quantified carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at a much broader level. Dubbed "Hestia" after the Greek goddess of the hearth and home, researchers presented the new syst ... read more


CLIMATE SCIENCE
Planning can cut costs of disasters: World Bank

12 Chinese workers killed, 24 hurt in dormitory blaze

Far, far beyond wrist radios

World leaders meet on disaster management in Japan

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Boeing to Build 702HP Communications Satellite for SES

Rovsing And SSBV Merge Satellite Simulation And Test Services

TACLANE-MultiBook Delivers Classified and Unclassified Information for Government and Agency Workers

Photonic gels are colorful sensors

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Brazil sets up special security force to protect Amazon

Small fish can play a big role in the coastal carbon cycle

A new cave-dwelling reef coral discovered in the Indo-Pacific

Costa Rica tightens ban on shark fins

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Polarstern returns with new findings from the Central Arctic during the 2012 ice minimum

DRI scientist co-authors study outlining vast differences in polar ocean microbial communities

ESA satellites looking deeper into sea ice

Russian boy discovers 'woolly mammoth of the century'

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Unravelled mushroom genome offers many opportunities

Nigerian farmers sue Shell in Dutch case with global reach

Halving the food losses would feed an additional billion people

Putin Calms Russians Over Poor Harvest

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Floods kill 7 in Russian Caucasus: official

NASA's HS3 Mission Thoroughly Investigates Long-Lived Hurricane Nadine

Japan tsunami gives lessons on disaster management

Nigerian president pledges $110 million to floods victims

CLIMATE SCIENCE
Thousands march in Mali to urge intervention against Islamists

Nigerian farmers sue Shell in Dutch case with global reach

Amnesty International calls on DRCongo to halt clashes in east

Nigerian army denies rampage, killing civilians after attack

CLIMATE SCIENCE
New human neurons from adult cells right there in the brain

Dating encounters between modern humans and Neandertals

Last speaker of 'fisherfolk' dialect dies

Compelling evidence that brain parts evolve independently




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement