Contribution of Alaskan glaciers to sea level rise derived from satellite imagery

International audienceOver the last 50 years, retreating glaciers and ice caps (GIC) contributed 0.5 mm/yr to sea level rises (SLR), and one third is believed to originate from ice masses bordering the Gulf of Alaska. However, these estimates of ice wastage in Alaska are based on methods that measure a limited number of glaciers and extrapolate the results to estimate ice loss for the many thousands of others. How these methods capture the complex pattern of decadal elevation changes at the scale of individual glacier and mountain range is unclear. Here, combining a comprehensive glacier inventory with elevation changes derived from sequential digital elevation models (DEMs), we found that, between 1962 and 2006, Alaskan glaciers lost 41.9 ± 8.6 km**3/yr water equivalent (w.e.) and contributed 0.12±0.02 mm/yr to SLR. Our ice loss is 34% lower than previous estimates. Reasons for our lower values include the higher spatial resolution of our glacier inventory and the reduction of ice thinning under debris and at the glacier margins which were not resolved in earlier work. Estimates of mass loss from GIC in other mountain regions could be subject to similar revisions

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

A sub-Neptune transiting the young field star HD 18599 at 40 pc

Transiting exoplanets orbiting young nearby stars are ideal laboratories for testing theories of planet formation and evolution. However, to date only a handful of stars with age <1 Gyr have been found to host transiting exoplanets. Here we present the discovery and validation of a sub-Neptune around HD 18599 , a young (300 Myr), nearby (d = 40 pc) K star. We validate the transiting planet candidate as a bona fide planet using data from the TESS , Spitzer , and Gaia  missions, ground-based photometry from IRSF , LCO , PEST , and NGTS , speckle imaging from Gemini, and spectroscopy from CHIRON , NRES , FEROS , and Minerva-Australis . The planet has an orbital period of 4.13 d , and a radius of 2.7 R⊕ . The RV data yields a 3-σ mass upper limit of 30.5 M⊕  which is explained by either a massive companion or the large observed jitter typical for a young star. The brightness of the host star (V∼9 mag) makes it conducive to detailed characterization via Doppler mass measurement which will provide a rare view into the interior structure of young planets

Microbial communities and processes in Arctic permafrost environments

In polar regions, huge layers of frozen ground, termed permafrost, are formed. Permafrost covers more than 25 % of the land surface and significant parts of the coastal sea shelfs. Its habitats are controlled by extreme climate and terrain conditions. Particularly, the seasonal freezing and thawing in the upper active layer of permafrost leads to distinct gradients in temperature and geochemistry. Microorganisms in permafrost environments have to survive extremely cold temperatures, freeze-thaw cycles, desiccation and starvation under long-lasting background radiation over geological time scales. Although the biology of permafrost microorganisms remains relatively unexplored, recent findings show that microbial communities in this extreme environment are composed by members of all three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya), with a total biomass comparable to temperate soil ecosystems. This chapter describes the environmental conditions of permafrost and reviews recent studies on microbial processes and diversity in permafrost-affected soils as well as the role and significance of microbial communities with respect to global biogeochemical cycles