Ancient undergrowth discovered beneath Greenland’s ice sheet
Image: Sci-News.com
Looking through the back of your freezer can unearth all manner of goodies that you’d likely forgotten about, but probably nothing quite as surprising as a discovery made at the back of a freezer at the University of Copenhagen.
A 15-foot tube of ice and dirt from Greenland, recovered in 1966 by a US military team that’d drilled over a mile down into the ice, was analyzed for the first time in 2019 — and there was much more than just sand and dirt in the samples.
In a study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, the international team of researchers describe the discovery of “perfectly preserved” twigs and leaves locked within their extracted ice cores. The existence of these plants implies that there was once vegetation in that spot now buried by ice, which shows that a decent portion of Greenland must have been ice-free within the past million years.
Scientist Andrew Christ reported that the samples are like a time capsule of Greenland before the ice. “Ice sheets typically pulverize and destroy everything in their path,” he said, “but what we discovered was delicate plant structures. They’re fossils, but they look like they died yesterday.”
See more here: cnet.com
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Jerry Krause
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Hi People,
One needs to ask: Why drill down over a mile into the ice and not analyze the bottom15-foot tube of ice and dirt until 53 years later??? Is the answer that the purpose of the 1966 project was only to discover the history of trapped gases of the more than mile long ice core???
If so, I would describe this a case of terrible tunnel vision!!
This obviously is evidence related to Michael Clarke’s question: “What Caused It To Snow For 1000 Years?” (https://principia-scientific.com/what-caused-it-to-snow-for-1000-years-the-math-and-the-aftermath/). Except when I went to the link to the recent study and read the abstract it seems maybe a 1000 years is too short of a time period. “Here, we use multiple methods to determine GrIS history from subglacial sediment at the base of the Camp Century ice core collected in 1966.[Greenland Ice Sheet—GrlS] … The unique subglacial sedimentary record from Camp Century documents at least two episodes of ice-free, vegetated conditions, each followed by glaciation. … The unique subglacial sedimentary record from Camp Century documents at least two episodes of ice-free, vegetated conditions, each followed by glaciation. …. We conclude that the GrIS persisted through much of the Pleistocene but melted and reformed at least once since 1.1 Ma.”
Thus, we have documented evidence that a NATURAL warming period had to have melted the GrlS at least once and at least two NATURAL cold periods have reformed the GrlS at least twice.
Except it seems these these scientists do not see these obviously observed facts refute any idea that human activity is required cause any presently observed melting of the GrlS. Of course, this does not prove that human activity has absolutely no influence upon any possible melting. But first we must try to understand what Michael was trying to understand. Which was how could the glaciers which moved (or formed) to 45 degrees N or lower latitudes over portions of North America, Europe, and Asia.
We must confront these scientists to explain this evidence which thay have observed. But first we must see the obvious that can be seen.
Have a good day, Jerry
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schutzhund
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Drilled one mile down to bring up this sample…how many years ago did that represent the surface? and how many feet of ice was then put up? how?
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MattH
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Hi, is there anybody…. out there.
The first dumb question I submit is, did the vegetation grow under what is now a mile thick ice sheet while Greenland was in situ or has Greenland been a party to continental drift and a billion or so years ago was further south?
Now, where is Jim Kammis when you want him? There are many readers here at PSI who could clarify this fundamental question.
Thank you. Matt
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Jerry Krause
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Hi MattH,
“Hi, is there anybody…. out there.” Good question!
Our problem seems to be: Attention Span. The visitors (commenters) here at PSI are different. Of course, we are all different just as it is said that no two snowflakes are the same. Think (reason) about this.
I am going to see if I can find the link to an essay where I began in bigger and bold font: “Warning: If you do not have a pressing desire to learn something, do not waste your time reading further. For learning requires a significant effort,”
Have a good day, Jerry
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Jerry Krause
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Hi MattH,
This was too easy. (https://principia-scientific.com/the-corvallis-or-uscrn-site-a-natural-laboratory-part-two/). Have you seen this?
Have you seen this?
Have a good day, Jerry
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