News
Warming-Stoked Eating Huge Holes In Greenland Glacier
Greenland –
Daily tides fueled by warmer water ate a hole taller than the Washington Monument to the bottom of one of Greenland’s biggest glaciers in the last several years, hastening the glacier’s retreat, according to new research.
Scientists are concerned that the occurrence is not isolated to just one glacier, calling into doubt prior estimates of melting rates on the world’s vulnerable ice sheets.
The rapid melt seen in this study occurred on Petermann Glacier in Greenland’s extreme northwest. If this happens throughout the rest of Greenland and the even larger Antarctic ice sheet, global ice loss and sea level rise could accelerate up to twice as quickly as previously estimated, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday.
“It’s bad news,” said research author and glaciologist Eric Rignot of the University of California, Irvine. “We recognize that the present predictions are overly conservative. We know they will have a difficult time matching the current melt record.
He stated that the newly discovered effect of tidal activity “could potentially double the projections” of global melt.
The study focuses on the critical grounding line area of glaciers on ice sheets. This is the point at which glaciers transition from being on land to floating on the sea. Previous research indicates that it is also a hotspot for rapid ice loss.
The grounding line zone at rural Petermann, where few people have gone and no base camps, is more than six-tenths of a mile (1 kilometer) wide and might be as much as 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) wide, according to the study.
Scientists used to believe that daily tides had little impact on the melt. Rignot claimed the day before leaving for an expedition to Petermann that the snow dumped on top of the glacier compensated for the tides pushing further in.
The rapid melt seen in this study occurred on Petermann Glacier in Greenland’s extreme northwest.
However, in Greenland with a warmer ocean due to climate change, tides have become “a very powerful mechanism,” according to Rignot.
“The seawater goes much farther beneath the grounded ice (than previously thought), kilometers, not hundreds of meters,” Rignot added. “And that water is hot enough to melt the glaciers quickly.” And it’s also the glacier’s most vulnerable area.”
Rignot’s team discovered a 669-foot-tall (204-meter) hollow near the grounding line using satellite altitude readings, where the melt rate had been 50% higher in the previous three years than from 2016 to 2019. Previous models predicted no melting there.
Rignot hypothesized that the melting in Petermann has intensified in recent years, later than in the rest of Greenland, since it is so far north that the water melting it from beneath is from the North Atlantic, and it takes longer for the warmer water to arrive there.
Rignot is investigating Petermann this month to obtain further ground-based data utilizing ultrasonography. He last arrived in 2006, a decade before satellites revealed the alterations. When Rignot visited Petermann before the glacier’s retreat increased, he noted motions that made it appear alive.
“When you are standing on that shelf or sleeping on that shelf, you hear noises all the time, loud noises from deep inside cracks forming,” Rignot explained. “That’s when the idea of a glacier being alive starts to sink in.”
Jason Box of the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, who was not involved in the study, praised Rignot’s technique and stated the work made sense, demonstrating “that ocean heat delivery to tidewater glacier grounding lines represents a potentially destabilizing effect.”
Box calculates 434 billion metric tonnes of ice on Petermann is already committed to melting using a new technique called “zombie ice,” which employs a different technique to quantify how much ice is no longer being fed by glaciers and is bound to melt.
According to Pennsylvania State University glaciologist Richard Alley, who was not involved in the Rignot study, “The study provides strong evidence that models need to include these tidal effects deep inland, and if they don’t, they are underestimating future sea level rise.”
SOURCE – (AP)
News
Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.
Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”
The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”
Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.
Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.
The Prime Minister dances.
This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.
Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf
— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024
“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”
“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.
On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”
Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.
Pro-Palestinian protests
Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.
Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.
Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.
On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.
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News
Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla
The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.
The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.
The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.
“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”
According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.
Calgary Zoo Questioned
It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.
An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.
Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.
“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.
The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.
“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.
“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.
While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”
Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.
The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.
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News
Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M
Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.
Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.
The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.
According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.
While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.
Lotto Max History
Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.
The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.
Let’s have a look at the rules:
- Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
- Numbers cannot be repeated
- Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
- Each play buys 3 lines
- Each play costs $5
Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)
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