Climate scientists say Australia’s uranium polluting Antarctic, Mining.com reports
Mining.com reported University of Maine researchers have found a recent surge in uranium concentrations in the Antarctic can be linked to increased mining activity in Australia. UMaine climate scientists made the discovery during the first high-resolution continuous examination of a northern Antarctic Peninsula ice core. The team, which will publish the results of their research in the Atmospheric Environment Journal, found ice core data revealed a significant increase in uranium concentration that coincides with open pit mining in the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in Australia, according to the article. Uranium concentrations in the ice core increased by as much as 102 between the 1980s and 2000s, accompanied by increased variability in recent years, said lead researcher Mariusz Potocki, a doctoral candidate and research assistant with the UMaine Climate Change Institute. HuffPost Tech UK, The Free Press and Phys.org also published reports on the study.