Scientists Say We Could Be Headed Toward a New Ice Age

Bright Side

Are scientists warning that Earth could be moving toward a new Ice Age? 🧊 In this video, we explore the latest climate research, ancient climate cycles, and the surprising science behind global cooling predictions. Discover how ocean currents, solar activity, and shifting temperatures could reshape our planet’s future. We break down real scientific evidence, past Ice Age events, and what this could mean for humanity. If you’re interested in climate science, Earth mysteries, and future predictions, this is a must-watch.  Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

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00:00Did you know that the Pleistocene era was a really important time in Earth's history?

00:06It's when the last ice age happened, and glaciers covered a lot of the planet.

00:11This period of time lasted for about 2.6 million years, and ended around 11,700 years ago.

00:18What's even cooler is that modern humans, like us, had actually evolved during this time,

00:25and had spread all over Earth before it ended.

00:29There were also some really fascinating animals that lived during the Pleistocene,

00:33like woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats.

00:38Unfortunately, many of them went extinct at the end of this era.

00:43Earth has had some pretty wild weather patterns over the last 2.4 billion years.

00:48Although the planet is mostly ice-free, we now cycle in and out of freezing ice ages.

00:54During these glacial periods, temperatures drop, and huge areas of the planet get covered in ice.

01:01It all starts with a bit of snow, which then builds up over time.

01:06The ice reflects sunlight, making things even cooler.

01:09The result?

01:10Vast glaciers that slowly move toward the equator, changing the landscape as they go.

01:16And when the ice melts, sea levels rise again, and everything changes all over again.

01:24In total, there have been at least 5 ice ages so far.

01:28The first one was so intense that the whole planet turned into a huge snowball.

01:34Right now, we're actually in the middle of an ice age.

01:38But we're currently in a temporary warm spell that started around 11,000 years ago.

01:43These warm periods are called interglacials, and we're not quite sure how long they last.

01:50There are still massive ice sheets covering Antarctica and Greenland

01:54that hold 75% of Earth's fresh water.

01:57When these finally melt, it'll mark the end of the current ice age.

02:02Earth's temperature is affected by something called the Milankovitch cycles.

02:07Basically, the amount of heat we receive from the sun changes over years, decades, and millennia

02:14because of Earth's orbit, tilt, and axis angle.

02:19There are three different patterns to these cycles.

02:22The first is called eccentricity, which is all about the shape of our orbit.

02:27The second is obliquity, which has to do with the tilt of the Earth.

02:32And the third is precession, which is like a wobble as Earth spins.

02:38Depending on where we are in these cycles, we might experience colder or warmer temperatures.

02:44But other things, like the position of continents and the atmosphere,

02:48also play a role in our planet's fate.

02:52For example, our planet's orbit is not quite circular.

02:56It's actually a bit elongated, shaped almost like an egg.

03:01That means we're sometimes a little closer or farther from the sun, depending on the time of year.

03:07We call the point farthest away from the sun the apogee, and the closest point is the perigee.

03:13When we're at the apogee, we're moving away from the sun, but gravity eventually pulls us back toward it.

03:19This means our orbit changes a little each time, gradually shifting our position relative to the sun.

03:26Don't worry, even though the orbit changes over thousands of years,

03:30it doesn't have a big impact on our day-to-day lives.

03:35Changes in Earth's orbit can affect how much sunlight we get during the summer.

03:39This means that ice sheets in the northern hemisphere will melt less,

03:44and over time, they actually start to grow.

03:46As they grow, they reflect even more sunlight,

03:50which makes the climate even cooler and spreads the ice even farther.

03:55This process can last for a really long time, like 10,000 to 20,000 years,

04:01and eventually, it brings the planet into its next freezing season.

04:07As for the next ice age, scientists believe it might be postponed indefinitely.

04:13They've found that our human interaction with the environment, like the use of fuels,

04:18could delay the next ice age by up to 100,000 years.

04:23Earth's past ice ages were linked to the amount of solar radiation

04:27and carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere,

04:30and this research can even help us predict future cycles.

04:35It's amazing to think that our actions now

04:38could affect Earth's future for thousands of years to come.

04:42And while it's not really important when the next ice age begins,

04:46it's pretty cool to know that humans have the power to shape the future

04:50on a geological timescale.

04:53Ice ages have had a huge impact on our planet and human civilization,

04:57so it's fascinating to think how our actions now might change things,

05:02maybe even for the better.

05:05What did life look like on our planet during the last ice age, though?

05:09Well, North America, for instance, was home to some huge creatures.

05:13Mammoths.

05:14Saber-toothed cats.

05:16Giant ground sloths.

05:18And mastodons were just a few of them.

05:21And get this.

05:22Even Europe had an 11-foot-tall flightless bird

05:26that weighed almost as much as a polar bear.

05:30Meanwhile, down under in Australia,

05:32there was a giant lizard that lived in all sorts of habitats

05:35during the same time period.

05:38Even though some animals from the Pleistocene era aren't around anymore,

05:43you might recognize many of those that are still around today.

05:46In Alaska, for example, you can still find brown bears,

05:51caribou,

05:51and wolves.

05:54People just like us actually lived through the ice age, too.

05:58Our species, Homo sapiens,

06:00has been around for about 300,000 years.

06:03And we've spread all around the world since then.

06:06Some of our ancestors stayed in Africa during the ice age

06:10and didn't feel the full effects of the cold.

06:12And others ventured out into other parts of the world,

06:16even into the chilly, glacial environments of Europe.

06:20Our early relatives,

06:22like the Neanderthals in Europe,

06:24and the mysterious Denisovians in Asia,

06:27were also around during this time.

06:30Although they seem to have gone extinct

06:32before the end of the ice age,

06:34it's pretty amazing to think about

06:35all those different hominids

06:37that roamed Earth during that period.

06:41What's also fascinating

06:43is how our species managed to survive the ice age,

06:46while some of our cousins didn't.

06:49Some experts believe that our adaptability,

06:52social and communication skills,

06:54and the use of tools

06:55played a huge role in it.

06:58And guess what?

06:59Humans didn't just hunker down during that time.

07:01We actually moved into new areas.

07:05Fossilized footprints found at White Sands National Park

07:08in New Mexico

07:09prove that humans have been in North America

07:12since at least 23,000 years ago.

07:15That's close to the peak of the last ice age.

07:19While a full-blown ice age might still be far away,

07:22there is a possibility of a mini-ice age coming our way.

07:27Some scientists believe that in about 10 years,

07:30we might experience a significant drop in solar activity,

07:34leading to colder temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere.

07:38This could result in conditions

07:40similar to the Little Ice Age in the late 17th century,

07:43when the Thames River in the UK froze over.

07:47While scientists aren't quite sure what caused that cooling,

07:51it's fascinating to think about the potential changes.

07:55We've done it before,

07:56so we know that humans will most likely survive

08:00the next real ice age,

08:02even if we don't manage to figure out a way

08:04to stop the next freezing era.

08:06But it would come at a high cost.

08:08All the ice that would cover most of the Northern Hemisphere

08:11would have to come from oceans,

08:14which would cause the sea level to drop.

08:16This could mean more land for some countries,

08:19but it would also create other problems.

08:23Sea levels going down might seem like a great thing at first,

08:27but actually, it could lead to some challenges.

08:30Having been covered with saltwater for thousands of years,

08:33the new land might not be very fertile.

08:36This means it wouldn't be great for growing crops,

08:39and we'd have to find other ways to feed ourselves.

08:43Back when humans first started out,

08:45there weren't many of us,

08:46and there was plenty of food.

08:50Now, with over 7 billion people on the planet,

08:53it's a different story.

08:55We'll need to be resourceful

08:56to make sure everyone has enough food to eat.

09:01Ooh, mysterious mountain ranges

09:03hidden under thousands of tons of ice.

09:06Bizarre, transparent creatures

09:08with see-through skin

09:10singing snowplanes.

09:11Antarctica has its own terrifying secrets.

09:14And now, a mysterious ice hole

09:17the size of Switzerland

09:18that keeps popping open.

09:20And scientists have finally figured out why.

09:23This hole, called the Mod-Rise Polignac,

09:26was first spotted in 1974 and 1976

09:30in the Weddell Sea.

09:32Since then, it's been kind of playing hard to get.

09:35Sometimes it appears,

09:37sometimes it disappears for years.

09:40And when it does show up,

09:42it mysteriously changes size.

09:44For decades,

09:45researchers were trying to figure out

09:47what makes it form.

09:48Then, in 2016 and 2017,

09:52the Polignac went absolutely massive,

09:55more than 30,000 square miles.

09:58The hole stuck around

09:59for several weeks during winters.

10:01It was the first time since the 1970s

10:04that the Weddell Sea

10:05had such a huge, long-lasting Polignac.

10:09Here's the deal with Antarctic sea ice.

10:11In summer, the ice is at its smallest,

10:14around 1 million square miles.

10:17Yeah, that's considered small.

10:18By winter,

10:20it spreads to a whopping

10:217 million square miles,

10:23covering about 4% of Earth's surface

10:25in weird white tiles.

10:28Most of this ice grows

10:29during the weeks-long polar night

10:32on the floating ice shelves

10:33around the continent.

10:34These holes in the ice,

10:36called polignacs,

10:38usually form when strong winds

10:40from inland

10:40push the ice tiles apart.

10:43That same cold wind

10:44also freezes more seawater

10:46inside the hole,

10:47adding extra chunks

10:49to the ice sheet.

10:50But the Maude-Rise

10:51Polignac isn't near the coast,

10:54where those winds

10:54normally help make holes.

10:56Out in the open ocean,

10:58holes like this are rare.

11:00Add in the fact that ice

11:02across the southern ocean

11:03has been shrinking.

11:05No wonder scientists

11:06are left bewildered.

11:08What exact conditions

11:09are creating this stubborn,

11:11giant ice hole?

11:12To crack the mystery,

11:14the scientists dove

11:15into a mountain of data.

11:17Satellites,

11:17floating sensors,

11:19even info from tagged marine animals.

11:21Plus, they had years

11:23of past observations

11:24from other researchers.

11:26And they found

11:27something unusual.

11:29In 2016 and 2017,

11:31the Weddell Sea's

11:32circular ocean current,

11:34called the Weddell Gyre,

11:36was stronger than usual.

11:37That extra punch

11:39made it easier

11:40for salty, warmer water

11:41from deep below

11:42to reach the surface.

11:44The Maude-Rise Polignac

11:46sits above

11:47an underwater mountain

11:48called Maude-Rise.

11:50During those big

11:51Polignac years,

11:52the stronger current

11:54caused salt

11:55to gather around

11:56this submerged peak.

11:57On the surface,

11:58the wind whipped

11:59over the ice,

12:00creating a corkscrew effect.

12:02It literally pulled

12:03that salty water

12:05up from below.

12:06The extra salt

12:07lowered the freezing point

12:08of the surface water,

12:10allowing the Maude-Rise

12:11Polignac

12:12to form and stick around.

12:14Polignac are really

12:16important for the planet.

12:17The dense, salty water

12:19formed in these holes

12:20can travel huge distances,

12:22spreading across

12:23the global ocean

12:24and affecting climates

12:25everywhere.

12:26But these magnificent holes

12:28aren't the only cool

12:30and mysterious phenomena

12:31Antarctica is famous for.

12:33How about underground lakes?

12:36Or, shall I say,

12:37under ice lakes?

12:38Because there are

12:39entire lakes

12:40hidden under

12:41Antarctica's thick ice.

12:43Scientists first found

12:44them back in 1970

12:46using radar.

12:47And now they think

12:48there are around

12:49400 lakes

12:51tucked under

12:51around 2 miles of ice

12:53in the explored areas.

12:54These lakes

12:55likely formed

12:56after Antarctica

12:57broke off

12:58from Gondwanda Land,

13:00the ancient supercontinent.

13:02Surprisingly,

13:03the water in the lakes

13:04doesn't freeze

13:05because the ice above

13:07presses down too hard.

13:09Hey, it's physics, bro!

13:11The biggest of them all

13:12is Lake Vastok,

13:13discovered in the 1990s.

13:16It sits a bit more

13:17than 2 miles

13:18below the ice.

13:19Scientists have drilled

13:20down to take samples,

13:22and the water they pulled up

13:23was about 26 degrees Fahrenheit,

13:26even though the lake

13:27had been trapped under ice

13:28for over 20 million years.

13:31There's also

13:32Lake Williams.

13:33In 2014,

13:35scientists made

13:36a lit discovery there.

13:37They found

13:38a thriving colony

13:39of microorganisms

13:41nearly a mile

13:42under the ice.

13:43Those tiny creatures

13:45never saw sunlight

13:46or fresh air.

13:48Instead,

13:48they used methane

13:50and ammonium

13:51as energy to grow.

13:53Another marvel

13:54hides in plain sight

13:55in the McMurdo Dry Valley.

13:57It's a waterfall

13:58that looks like

13:59something straight out

14:00of a horror movie.

14:02Bright, crimson water,

14:04like blood

14:04gushing from a wound

14:06in the ice,

14:07pours down 5 stories

14:08from Taylor Glacier

14:09into Lake Bonny.

14:11Ooh, spooky.

14:12But there's actually

14:13a scientific reason

14:14behind it.

14:15The water that feeds

14:17blood falls

14:18used to be part

14:19of a salty lake.

14:20Now,

14:21it's completely cut off

14:22from the atmosphere

14:23because glaciers

14:24formed on top of it.

14:26Trapped more than

14:271,300 feet underground,

14:28the water

14:29has become

14:30super salty.

14:31Three times saltier

14:32than seawater,

14:33and it can't freeze.

14:35This underground water

14:37is also packed

14:37with iron

14:38and completely lacks

14:40oxygen in sunlight.

14:41When it slowly

14:42seeps through a crack

14:44in the glacier

14:44and hits the open air,

14:46the iron oxidizes,

14:48basically rusts,

14:49and turns the water

14:50that eerie dark red.

14:53With such creepy landscapes,

14:55Antarctica might look

14:56like a frozen wasteland.

14:58Freezing cold,

14:59almost no rain,

15:00and winds that could

15:01knock you off your feet.

15:03The coldest Earth's

15:04temperatures ever

15:05was recorded there,

15:07minus 128.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

15:11And still,

15:12Antarctica is actually home

15:14to some seriously

15:15bizarre wildlife.

15:16For the longest time,

15:18scientists thought

15:19nothing could survive

15:20under all that ice.

15:22Turns out,

15:23they were very wrong.

15:24There are all sorts

15:26of creatures

15:26that have adapted

15:27to the brutal environment.

15:29Tiny microbes,

15:31crustaceans,

15:32colossal squid,

15:33and spiders so big,

15:35their legs could cover

15:36a dinner plate.

15:37Giant worms

15:38with shiny golden bristles

15:40and huge sharp-toothed jaws

15:42also lurk under the ice.

15:44And then,

15:45there's the ice fish.

15:47A completely see-through fish

15:49with huge eyes and organs,

15:51you can literally see

15:52through its skin.

15:53These fish have built-in

15:55antifreeze proteins

15:57to survive the freezing waters,

15:59and they can't live

16:00anywhere warmer.

16:01Even stranger,

16:02they don't have hemoglobin,

16:04the protein that makes

16:05our blood red.

16:06In other words,

16:08they survive

16:08without the stuff

16:09that literally

16:10keeps most animals alive.

16:13But Antarctica

16:14wasn't always

16:15the frozen desert

16:16we know today.

16:17Millions of years ago,

16:19before the Ice Age,

16:20it was actually warm,

16:22lush,

16:23and full of life,

16:24maybe even home

16:25to ancient civilizations.

16:27Hard to imagine, huh?

16:29Scientists figured this out

16:30after finding

16:31fossilized wood,

16:33tropical tree remains,

16:34and leaf impressions,

16:36all pointing to the existence

16:37of rainforests.

16:39On top of that,

16:40they've uncovered fossils

16:42of marine animals,

16:43birds,

16:44and dinosaurs

16:44from the Cretaceous period.

16:46Even tiny creatures

16:48left their mark.

16:49fossilized beetle wings

16:51from 14 to 20 million years ago,

16:54single-cell fossils,

16:55and, astonishingly,

16:5750-million-year-old sperm cells

17:00preserved in the egg case

17:01of an extinct worm.

17:03So, now,

17:04it probably won't shock you

17:06when I tell you that

17:07beneath Antarctica's

17:08thick ice sheets,

17:09there's a massive,

17:10hidden mountain range.

17:12The Gambertsi Mountains

17:14stretch for 745 miles

17:16and rise to almost 10,000 feet,

17:19about the third the height

17:21of Mount Everest.

17:22And all this is buried

17:24under between 6,500

17:26to 13,100 feet of ice.

17:29The mountains were discovered

17:31in 1958.

17:32Scientists noted

17:33a thin patch of ice

17:35and some weird gravity readings

17:36while crossing the continent,

17:38even though no one

17:39has ever seen

17:40those mountains directly.

17:42Researchers use radar

17:43to map their shape

17:44and gravitational

17:45and magnetic readings

17:47to study them

17:48all the way to their base.

17:50Perhaps the craziest part

17:51is that the Gambertsis

17:53are around a billion years old.

17:55So, in theory,

17:57they should have eroded away

17:58long ago.

17:59How they're still standing

18:01is a mystery.

18:02Most scientists think

18:03a frozen mantle

18:04beneath the ice

18:05might be protecting them

18:07from erosion,

18:08keeping this ancient range

18:09intact.

18:11And finally,

18:12Antarctica has its own

18:13soundtrack.

18:15The Ross Ice Shelf,

18:16the continent's

18:17largest ice shelf,

18:18is several hundred feet thick

18:20and spreads over

18:21193,000 square miles,

18:24roughly the size of France.

18:25And scientists have

18:27recently discovered

18:28that this massive ice slab

18:30actually sings.

18:31The eerie melody

18:33comes from wind

18:34blowing over snow dunes,

18:36which creates vibrations

18:37in the ice

18:38and a nearly continuous

18:40seismic hum.

18:41You can't hear it

18:42with your ears,

18:43but seismic sensors

18:44pick up the mournful tune.

18:46In fact,

18:47it was discovered

18:48by accident.

18:49Scientists just installed

18:51special sensors

18:52to monitor

18:52other ice behaviors.

18:54Now, even cooler,

18:56the song changes

18:57depending on

18:57what's happening

18:58on the ice.

18:59Melting,

19:00storms,

19:01and shifting snow

19:02all tweak the vibrations.

19:04Researchers are now

19:05using this haunting melody

19:07as a kind of

19:08early warning system.

19:09They listen to it

19:10in real time

19:11to track the ice shelf stability

19:14and potential collapse.

19:16That's it for today.

19:17So hey,

19:18if you pacified

19:19your curiosity,

19:20then give the video a like

19:21and share it with your friends.

19:22Or if you want more,

19:24just click on these videos

19:25and stay on the bright side!

19:26see it on the other side.

19:26I am going to

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