Britain and the US launched a US$25 million project last Monday to study the risks of a collapse of a giant glacier in Antarctica that is already shrinking and nudging up global sea levels. The five-year research, involving 100 scientists, will be the two nations’ biggest joint scientific project in Antarctica since the 1940s. Ice is thawing from Greenland to Antarctica and man-made global warming is accelerating the trend.
The scientists will study the Thwaites Glacier, which is roughly the size of Florida or Britain, in West Antarctica, the UK Natural Environment Research Council and US National Science Foundation said in a joint statement. “Rising sea levels are a globally important issue which cannot be tackled by one country alone,” UK science minister Sam Gyimah said.
Thwaites and the nearby Pine Island Glacier are two of the biggest and fastest-retreating glaciers in Antarctica. If both abruptly collapsed, allowing ice far inland to flow faster into the oceans, world sea levels could rise by more than 1m, threatening cities from Shanghai to San Francisco and low-lying coastal regions.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
The scientists will deploy planes, hot water drills, satellite measurements, ships and robot submarines to one of the remotest parts of the planet to see “whether the glacier’s collapse could begin in the next few decades or centuries,” the statement said.
Despite satellites, “there are still many aspects of the ice and ocean that cannot be determined from space,” said Ted Scambos, of the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the lead US scientific coordinator.
Other scientists from South Korea, Germany, Sweden, New Zealand and Finland will also contribute.
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
The US is keeping up with research even though US President Donald Trump doubts mainstream scientific findings that human activities, led by the burning of fossil fuels, are the main cause of global warming.
(Reuters)
英國和美國上週一展開一項斥資兩千五百萬美元的研究計畫，以探討南極洲一條巨型冰河的崩塌風險。這條冰河已經開始縮小，並且逐漸造成全球海平面上升。由一百名科學家參與的這項五年研究計畫，將是一九四○年代以來英美兩國所進行最大的科學研究合作計畫。從格陵蘭到南極洲，地球兩極的冰層正在融化，人為的全球暖化效應更加速這個趨勢。
Photo: Reuters
照片：路透
英國自然環境研究委員會與美國國家科學基金會在聯合聲明中指出，科學家將研究南極洲西部的史威茲冰河，該冰河面積相當於佛羅里達州或是整個英國。英國內閣科學大臣山姆·吉馬表示：「上升中的海平面是一項全球性的重要議題，非單一國家能獨力處理。」
史威茲冰河與鄰近的松島冰河是南極洲規模最大而且退縮速度最快的兩條冰河。如果兩條冰河突然崩塌，導致遠在內陸的冰更快流入海洋，可能導致全球海平面上升超過一公尺，將嚴重威脅上海和舊金山等城市，以及其他地勢低矮的沿海區域。
英美聯合聲明表示，科學家將在這個全球有數最偏遠的地區廣泛運用飛機、熱水鑽機、衛星測量、船隻，以及機器潛艇，以檢視「史威茲冰河崩塌是否會在接下來幾十年或幾世紀發生。」
美國國家雪冰資料中心的泰德‧史坎波斯是該研究計畫的美國主協調人。他指出，雖然有衛星協助，「冰層與海洋仍然有許多面相是無法從高空中推斷。」
來自南韓、德國、瑞典、紐西蘭以及芬蘭等國的其他科學家也會為此研究貢獻心力。
儘管美國總統唐納‧川普對於主流科學研究結果抱持著懷疑的態度，並不認為人類活動──主要來自於燃燒化石燃料──是全球暖化的主要原因，然而美國仍然持續進行相關研究。
（台北時報章厚明譯）
Many consumers are guilty of filling drawers or closets with old laptops, cellphones, fitness trackers and other electronic devices once they are no longer needed. It’s hard to know where to recycle such items, or it seems costly and inconvenient to do so. The world generates millions of tons of electronic waste — also called e-waste — each year. According to the UN’s most recent estimate, people worldwide produced 62 million metric tons of e-waste in 2022, and only about 22 percent of it was properly recycled. The US’ Environmental Protection Agency estimates that less than a quarter of e-waste is
You’re sitting in class when a classmate asks to borrow a pencil. It seems like a small favor, so you agree without hesitation. The following week, the same classmate asks to share your notes. Later, they request help with a group project. You agree each time — after all, you helped out the first time — but before you know it, it has become automatic. This scenario demonstrates the “foot-in-the-door technique,” a psychological concept that shows how agreeing to small, acceptable demands makes it easier to accept larger ones later on. The name for this strategy comes from door-to-door
A: The four-day Tomb Sweeping Day long weekend begins Friday and will run until Monday. Are you going to sweep your ancestors’ tombs? B: I did in advance last weekend, so I can go to Kaohsiung to see the musical “The Phantom of the Opera.” A: Wow, is “Phantom” touring Taiwan again? It debuted in 1986, so this year marks the 40th anniversary of the show. B: And it’s not just touring Kaohsiung starting March 31, but also Taipei starting April 21 and Taichung starting May 26. A: “Phantom” is one of the world’s Four Major Musicals. I’ve seen all of them, except “Les
Continued from yesterday（延續自昨日） https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang Gig Tripping “Gig tripping” combines concerts with travel. People fly to see their favorite artists perform — usually abroad—and spend a few days sightseeing before or after the show. While die-hard fans have done this since the 1960s, the post-pandemic travel boom changed the game. Even people who aren’t superfans are now booking international concert trips because they want to make the most of travel opportunities. This trend exploded in the US, as the math makes sense. Domestic concert tickets are so costly that flying abroad for the show plus tourism expenses often matches or even beats the price
RSS