ALBUFEIRA

1º Dedo

“Antarctica's Denman Glacier is sinking into the world's deepest canyon.”

(Brandon Specktor/livescience.com)

The melting glacier could raise sea level by almost 5 feet (1.5 meters).

Denman trough (dark blue strip) sinks some 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) below sea level, and could soon become the burial plot of a massive, dying glacier.

The glaciers of Antarctica are melting at unprecedented rates, and a giant canyon in the continent's rocky underbelly could make matters much worse.

2º Dedo

“Traces of ancient rainforest in Antarctica point to a warmer prehistoric world.”

(Imperial College London/sciencedaily.com)

Researchers have found evidence of rainforests near the South Pole 90 million years ago, suggesting the climate was exceptionally warm at the time.

A team from the UK and Germany discovered forest soil from the Cretaceous period within 900 km of the South Pole. Their analysis of the preserved roots, pollen and spores shows that the world at that time was a lot warmer than previously thought.

The preservation of this 90-million-year-old forest is exceptional, but even more surprising is the world it reveals. Even during months of darkness, swampy temperate rainforests were able to grow close to the South Pole, revealing an even warmer climate than we expected. (Tina van de Flierdt/Department of Earth Science & Engineering/Imperial College London)

3º Dedo

“A COMET TALE.”

(Gerald Rhemann/spaceweather.com)

That's 3.3 million km, or more than twice as wide as the sun. The outer reaches of ATLAS's tail are still faint, but the gossamer filaments can be seen sweeping across the stars (in Rhemann's animation).

Comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) has sprung a tail − and it's impressive

Comet ATLAS is now shining like an 8th magnitude star − too dim to see with the unaided eye but and easy target (for backyard telescopes like Rhemann's). The comet is expected to become much brighter. By the time it sweeps by the sun closer than Mercury in late May, it could rival Venus in the evening sky. That would be a comet tale, indeed.

4º Dedo

“Melting Swiss Glacier Reveals Link Between the Killing of Thomas Becket and Lead Pollution.”

(Paul Seaburn/mysteriousuniverse.org)

Scientist have long theorized that a rise in lead production, lead pollution and deaths and health problems from lead exposure in Europe came from the increased production by lead mines in Germany.

Archaeologist and lead author Chris Loveluck found earlier evidence (of the rise in lead production in an unlikely location – the Colle Gnifetti Glacier in the Swiss Alps. Exposed by the warmth of climate change, they noticed a 50-year concentration of lead pollution – the highest levels until the Industrial Revolution began in the 1800s.

High-resolution analysis of the ice core from Colle Gnifetti, Switzerland, allows yearly and sub-annual measurement of pollution for the period of highest lead production in the European Middle Ages, c. AD 1170–1220. Here, the authors use atmospheric circulation analysis and other geoarchaeological records to establish that Britain was the principal source of that lead pollution.

5º Dedo

“Science Expands on Station, Dragon Departs on Monday.”

(Mark Garcia/nasa.gov)

The International Space Station expanded its research capabilities overnight after robotics controllers installed a new external science platform. Meanwhile, the Expedition 62 crew is packing cargo for return to Earth while getting ready for its own departure.

NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner will take a six-hour ride to their new home in space and begin a 195-day mission aboard the orbital lab.

Commander Oleg Skripochka with NASA Flight Engineers Jessica Meir and Andrew Morgan are preparing to end their mission in space on April 17. They checked their Sokol launch and entry suits they will wear when they parachute to Earth inside the Soyuz MS-15 crew ship for leaks today. The crew is also gathering personal items for stowage inside the Soyuz spaceship.

(texto/legendas/imagens: as indicadas)

Existem coisas fascinantes para os sentidos, que parecem não poder integrar o modelo adoptado: não podem ser reais, mas existem!

Pleneau Bay – Antarctica

A beleza é tudo o que surpreende qualquer um dos – cinco ou seis – órgãos dos sentidos.

(imagem – NG)