From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Driftwood found along the shores of northern Svalbard that were once frozen in sea ice offers insight into changes in the ice and Arctic Ocean currents over the last 500 years, according to a new study that traces their journey from boreal forests in the north to the beaches in Norway’s archipelago.
The paper, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, found that fewer driftwood has made its way to Svalbard over the last three decades, a change that underscores just how much sea ice -- an important part of the Arctic ecosystems -- is melting.
The driftwood comes from dying trees -- some from hundreds of years ago -- that fall into the large, high-latitude rivers in North America and Eurasia, which then flow into the Arctic Ocean. The wood can become trapped in the forming sea ice, which allows it to travel along the Arctic currents without sinking, making it an important intermediary for measuring the area of the ocean covered by sea ice.
The oldest Arctic sea ice is only four years old and getting younger, making it challenging for scientists to track and better understand how ice, ocean temperatures and currents have changed over time and what it signals for the future.
The study, by a team of scientists from the U.K., Iceland and Norway, measured the tree ring width of the driftwood samples and compared them to the tree ring widths from trees throughout the boreal forests to determine which country or watershed the driftwood originally came from and what type of tree it was. Scientists were even able to trace some of the driftwood to specific rivers. This allowed researchers to approximate the likely path it took across the ocean.
The results were then compared with sea ice observations from Icelandic fishers, seal hunters and passing ships, dating as far back as the 1600s and more recent data from sources including satellite images, to see if the results correlated.
The study found that older driftwood from 1700 to 1850 came from a wide range of sources -- meaning there was more sea ice carrying the fallen trees from a wider variety of places. As warming temperatures melt the Arctic sea ice, fewer driftwood can be carried in frozen ice across long distances.
“Driftwood deposits on Arctic shorelines form a unique and currently under-utilized resource for the reconstruction of sea ice transport within large-scale Arctic Ocean circulations throughout the Holocene,” the authors wrote in the study.
While using driftwood to study climate change is not new, this is the first study that examines whether it can be used to investigate past currents and ice coverage.
“It’s such a fragile system,” said the study’s lead author, University of Oxford geoscientist Georgia Hole in a statement. “If the sea ice does decline as predicted, then this will kind of be a dying field.”
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.
Another suspect is in custody in connection with the gold heist at Toronto Pearson International Airport last year, police say.
Careful attention to government statements and legislation is required to get a handle on the level of risk British Columbians’ information is under, as investigators probe multiple breaches under a continued barrage of attacks.
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
A Conservative government led by Pierre Poilievre would not legislate on, nor use the notwithstanding clause, on abortion, his office says, as anti-abortion protesters gather on Parliament Hill.
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents. The couple announced the news on Thursday on Instagram, both sharing a video that showcases Hailey Bieber's growing belly.
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
The Oscar-winning team behind the nearly US$6 billion blockbuster 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' trilogies is reuniting to produce two new films.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.