Scientists have discovered that glaciers in the Russian Arctic Circle are retreating very quickly. And that rapid retreat exposed the ancient whale bone cemetery.
According to a statement from the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Institute (AARI), the research expedition landed on Wiltzek Island, far north of Russia, far north of Russia.
Using satellite imagery, the team compared the glacier’s present and past location, Aari Geologist’s Nikita Demidov said in a statement. Scientists have discovered that the island’s ice caps are divided into two parts for a period of less than 20 years.
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This glacier reduction is part of the wider change. A study from February found that since 2000, glaciers have lost about 5% of the ice worldwide.
Related: Dramatic changes in the Arctic landscape may be permanent
The splitting of the ice revealed several square miles of the island’s surface. Some of the skeletons are well preserved. Demidov pointed out that bones are long-welded and are stored in the worst condition near the shore, the longest-preserved, closest to the glacier.
“Paleontological discoveries show an episode of very rapid sea level changes in areas of Eurasia’s northernmost archipelago that have occurred in the last few millennia,” he said.
According to Russian state news agency TASS, the expedition is from a Russian ice-enhancing vessel called Professor Morkanov and is scheduled to continue until August.
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