Research team charts history of Antarctic glaciers

McMurdo Dry Valleys (Credit: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons)

Researchers from Boston University and the University of Massachusetts have recently returned from a trip to McMurdo Station in Antarctica, according to a release, where they studied changes in the continent’s glaciers.

The scientists focused on three major glacier systems in the McMurdo Dry Valleys during the expedition. Much of their work involved taking field measurements, like gathering rock samples or tracking erosion levels. Glacial deposits were also mapped.

Researchers say some of the glacier systems they analyzed have responded to small shifts in climatic conditions. Others, they note, appear more vulnerable to major shifts.

Image: McMurdo Dry Valleys (Credit: NASA, via Wikimedia Commons)