coastal flooding, lapping method/ Antarctic

On Dec. 1, 1959, representatives of 12 countries, including the United States, signed a treaty in Washington setting aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve, free from military activity.

As Glaciers Melt, Scientists Seek New Data on Rising Seas

By JUSTIN GILLIS

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

From a helicopter hovering over Greenland, the oceanographer Fiammetta Straneo took measurements to determine how fast the water is melting the nearby Helheim Glacier.

Researchers have been startled to see signs of rapid melting in Greenland and Antarctica, but lack enough data to precisely calculate how much coastal flooding could result.

For Cats, a Big Gulp With a Touch of the Tongue

By NICHOLAS WADE

Engineers developed a formula to determine how cats drink, a lapping method too fast for the human eye to see.

lap³ (lăp)

v., lapped, lap·ping, laps. v.tr.

1. To take in (a liquid or food) by lifting it with the tongue.
2. To wash or slap against with soft liquid sounds: waves lapping the side of the boat.

coastal
a.Of or pertaining to a coast.