Archaeology News Online

The Greenland ice sheet is often seen as a pristine environment, but new research has revealed that may not be the case. The Greenland ice sheet is often seen as a pristine environment, but new research has revealed that may not be the case  [Credit: IOP Publishing] A Danish-led study, published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters , examined how microbes from the ice sheet have the potential to resist and degrade globally-emitted contaminants such as mercury, lead, PAH and PCB. Dr Aviaja Hauptmann, from the University of Greenland, led the research. She said: "Globally emitted contaminants accumulate in the Arctic and are stored in the frozen environments of the cryosphere, essentially meaning they have become reservoirs of toxic chemicals. "Our understanding of how biological processes interact with contamination in the Arctic is limited, which is why we hope our study represents a large step forward in the understanding and solving of this problem." The

A new analysis of Greenland's past temperatures will help scientists figure out how fast the island's vast ice sheet is melting, according to a new report from University of Arizona atmospheric scientists. Taken from the International Space Station in 2016, this picture of the southern tip of Greenland shows the island's vast  ice sheet fringed by glaciers that flow into the sea. The glaciers and ice sheet of Greenland cover a land area greater  than the European countries of Germany, France, Spain and Italy combined. If all Greenland's ice melted,  sea levels would rise by about 7 meters (23 feet) [Credit: NASA] The ice sheet has been shrinking since 1900 and the yearly loss of ice has doubled since 2003, other researchers have shown. The accelerated melting of the Greenland ice sheet is contributing to sea level rise. The glaciers and ice sheet of Greenland cover a land area greater than the European countries of Germany, France, Spain and Italy combined. If all Green