The circulation of water through the Atlantic Ocean during the last Ice Age was faster than previously assumed, and stronger than it currently is today, according to new research led by environmental physicists at Heidelberg University, Germany. The “Atlantic heat pump” sees warm water from the Gulf of Mexico transported north and west where it
Scientists from the University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences have announced a major breakthrough in a decades old debate, the understanding of our planet’s climate machine, by reconstructing a highly accurate record of changes in ice volume and deep-ocean temperatures over the last 1.5 million years. The results of this study offer insights into a
New research from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen has shown that the rise in temperature after the last ice age into the warmer intergrlacial period was followed closely by a rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide, contrary to previously held opinion. The research was published in the journal Climate of the Past and showed
Ari Jokimäki recently published one of his regular roundups of climate science research news. Since you probably haven’t seen many (or any) of these stories in the mainstream media, I’m reposting the roundup here in full. The post is from AGW Observer (via Skeptical Science). Enjoy! by Ari Jokimäki Wouldn’t it be nice to
A new and extensive study that is the biggest of its kind, involving over 40 academic institutions around the world, has tackled one simple question: did humans or climate change cause the extinction of the megafauna of the Ice Age. Mammals such as the woolly rhinoceros and woolly mammoth are long since gone, but leave
Often thought to be one of the more stable processes on Earth, the rise and fall of the tides, have turned out to be as unpredictable as anything else, when considered over a longer time frame. This, from new research which suggests that shows how tides have changed dramatically over thousands of years.
With scientists unsure as to the endgame of the current climate change affecting our planet, one big question is always on peoples’ lips; how severe can climate change get? According to the results of a study published in the latest edition of the journal Science, the answer is not good. An international team of scientists
As we near 2011, I know I must try to prepare myself for 2012, and the (next) wave of apocalyptic doom-saying that, according to the ‘fin-de-cyclists’, was predicted by the ancient Mayan mathematicians over 3 thousand years ago. Of course, they never predicted an End, per se, it’s just that they only extended their 260
We know that water vapour and clouds are major contributors to Earth’s greenhouse effect, providing the feedback mechanisms to power the warming that keeps us from another ice age. A new study, however, has shown that it is carbon dioxide –- which only accounts for 20 percent of the greenhouse effect, compared to water vapour
Fed by demand from growing markets in Asia, poaching of rhino horns in Africa has dramatically increased in the last three years, according to a recent article, as well-organized groups have started using high-tech equipment–including helicopters–to track and kill the endangered animals.
A recent study has shown that a large release of CO2 could in fact speed up the melting following an ice age. Authored by Tom Guilderson from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, the study used radiocarbon dating to trace the pathway of carbon dioxide released from the deep ocean into
A team of geoscientists working on a separate geological project in South Australia accidentally stumbled upon the oldest evidence of animal life yet found. Previously, the oldest fossil evidence of non-unicellular, “hard bodied” life forms dates to about 550 million years ago. This new discovery pushes back the clock on animal life by 80 to 90 million years.
Clues found near the summit of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii suggest that changes in a far flung climate system had implications all over the world. Boulders deposited on the summit of Mauna Kea by an ancient glacier have provided evidence of ancient glacier formation, a result of the most recent ice age,
The North Pacific Ocean might very well have acted as a sort of backup generator for Earth’s climate towards the end of the last major ice age. A new study to be published in the July 9 issue of the journal Science authored by an international team of scientists from Japan, Hawaii and Belgium looks
Scientists are beginning to suspect that a change in global wind patterns helped end the last major ice age. In a new review paper published this week in the journal Science a team of researchers looked to a global shift in winds to explain why Earth suffered such an extreme warming despite evidence only existing
What happens when Earth’s carbon cycle is altered? Looking back 720 million years might give us a clue. [social_buttons]A new study led by researchers from Princeton University suggests that a “snowball Earth” period created a significant change in the planet’s carbon cycle which in turn may have produced even more ice-ages. Understanding the causes and
The movie The Day After Tomorrow saw the planet globally affected by the cessation of the ocean conveyor belt, or, more precisely known as the thermohaline circulation (THC). The northern hemisphere suffered massive drops in temperature, rises in sea level and a variety of other climate conditions. Putting aside the fantastical nature of the speed
The headlines are out, 1966 was the last time North America and much of Siberia have seen so much snow. An article in Canada’s National Post summarized weather around the northern hemisphere and concluded that arctic ice is back, heavier than ever in some areas, and China is reeling from its worst winter in a
