We took up some basics about mangrove forests in a previous article, including how widespread and productive these ecosystems can be. Now people have begun to realize the importance of mangrove forests to the health of the planet. Not just for the obvious reasons, but for the single fact that mangroves are benevolent guardians of
It isn’t official yet, but 2014 appears to have been the hottest year on the world temperature record. In December, during the U.N. climate talks in Lima, Peru (COP20), the World Meteorological Organization announced in a provisional statement that this conclusion about 2014 weather and climate was virtually certain. WMO bases its report on datasets
Michael Mann, originator of the hockey stick graph that shook world science in the 2001 IPCC Third Assessment Report and contributed to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize, posted some thoughts today about the final IPCC climate synthesis report released by the UN on Sunday. Mann’s take on the key points of the report, which calls for zero fossil fuel
It’s still Climate Week, though the marches and summit conference are over. If you’d like to spend some time doing a brief climate watch this weekend, here are a few suggestions. These short takes are the result of surveying over 500 free and publicly available videos. Each takes around three minutes or less to watch.
Remember the difference between weather and climate? We know what happens when the weather changes—it’s obvious. Climate is another story. Read on. When it rains, you put on a raincoat or take your umbrella when you go out. It snows: time for high boots, a heavier coat, scarf, and warm gloves. And sunny days, well,
The White House released a report this morning from the Council of Economic Advisers that shows the consequences of not doing something about climate change NOW. Our sister publication, CleanTechnica, has the full story, along with a word from noted Penn State climatologist Michael E. Mann. One important section of the report discusses a number of
More imminent than deadly viruses or terrorists at national events is the phenomenon of climate change, a force examined in a groundbreaking new report released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Titled National Landmarks at Risk: How Rising Seas, Floods and Wildfires are Threatening the United States’ Most Cherished Historic Sites, the study examines
(All figures are from the 2014 National Climate Assessment draft.) Later today (Tuesday, May 6), at 8 a.m. EDT, the National Climate Assessment and Development Advisory Committee of experts meets by conference call to approve the final version of the Third National Climate Assessment. The gist of their message, as Suzanne Goldenberg of The Guardian
BREAKING: Late this evening (8 pm EST, or tomorrow, March 31, at 9 am in Tokyo), something large and unpleasant will hit the fan about climate change. At a press conference in Yokohama, the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change will release its Fifth Assessment Report on impacts of human activities on current and
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society of London debut Climate Change: Evidence & Causes, a new publication produced jointly by the two world-leading scientific institutions, live on the internet on Thursday, February 27, 2014, from 10:00-11:30 EST. The new publication bills itself as “a brief, readable reference document for decision makers,
It’s easy to forget how completely our view and understanding of the world is based on things that are in actuality always changing — and in the case of climate, changing rather rapidly. This new interactive map from National Geographic really drives that point home — with only slightly elevated sea levels (or diminished, such
Officials open the 2013 UNFCCC meetings with determination and louder warnings…. (Photo source: http://ow.ly/qL43P) It’s time for the governments of the world to struggle with climate change policy again. Every year, late in November and early in December, representatives of 195 nations gather for two weeks to try to negotiate global responses to the increasingly
Research has found that approximately 99% of our planet’s land-locked ice is held up in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. The remainder, however, is out in the open, located primarily in the glaciers dotted throughout the appropriate latitudes across the planet. And according to new research, those glaciers contributed approximately the same amount of
New research has shown that rising sea levels could be greatly slowed if certain fast cycling pollutants are cut from the numerous emissions being pumped into the atmosphere. According to the research, published in the journal Nature Climate Change this week, cutting levels of methane, soot, refrigerants, and gases that lead to the formation of ground-level ozone,
Climate change deniers are often want to pronounce the current trends in our climate as being part of a larger cycle of warming. Despite the overwhelming lack of evidence for such a claim, it is always important to look at climate cycles to see where and how they might play a part. New research published in
A new report authored by leading scientists and experts explains that the effects of climate change are going to continue threatening the health of coastal communities throughout the United States. The report emphasises the need for increased coordination and planning to protect US coastal communities in the face of a continually changing climate. “[Hurricane] Sandy
Understanding the future of sea-level rise has been at the forefront of climate scientists’ minds for years now, and new research studying fossilised marine animals found in Antarctica’s seabed sediments are providing new clues as to what we might expect from a melting Antarctica. The immediate conclusion of the research is that the melting changes
New analyses of stored carbon in permafrost presented at last week’s annual American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting are causing greater concern amongst climate scientists. One of the new analyses (Hugelius et al) of soil carbon in permafrost utilized data from both new field work and archival records, totaling over 400 sites. The analysis estimates that
The two most massive ice sheets in the world have been losing ice faster and faster over the past ten years, leaving some uncertainty about how quickly they will melt in the future. And now, new research is providing a more clarity about the state of continental ice sheets and how much they are a
In late 2010 residents of Australia would be able to tell you very clearly the impact a strong La Nina can have on the coast: rain. Lots and lots of rain! However, the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of Colorado Boulder will be able to tell you that the same La Nina had
A new study led by researchers from Durham University in the UK has found that the geometry of channels beneath an ice-sheet play a much stronger role in mitigating retreat than previously understood. The findings are part of a study which simulate ice-sheet retreat and collapse over a ten thousand year period in Antarctica,
It’s too late! We’re all going to die! So says the latest research to be published in the respected journal Environmental Research Letters. OK. I might be jumping to a bit of a dramatic conclusion there. In fact, the study in question has shown that the levels of greenhouse gasses we have already pumped into the
The rates of sea level rise along the U.S. Atlantic Coast are increasing 3 to 4 times faster than they are globally, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey. “Since about 1990, sea-level rise in the 600-mile stretch of coastal zone from Cape Hatteras, N.C. to north of Boston, Mass. —
A new study which received a health dose of serendipity has revealed that earthquakes and tsunamis may actually have a huge environmental benefit on beaches. Science is awesome There are many reasons why I love science, and this is just another one to add to the pile. Scientists from Universidad Austral de Chile and
Understanding the contribution outlet glaciers have on the global sea level rise is tricky business, and as a new study shows, we are seriously lacking in long-term information. A lack of long-term data often results in faulty assumptions and hypotheses Previous studies looking at the contribution outlet glaciers have on the global sea level rise
Glaciologist William Pfeffer from the University of Colorado Boulder has been taking photos of the Columbia Glacier in Prince William Sound on Alaska’s south central Pacific coast since 2004 and has created a time-lapse video that documents the glacier’s rapid retreat and subsequent ice discharge. The video shows large chunks splitting off from the glacier
The Greenland Ice Sheet may be sliding faster into the ocean than previously thought as a result of massive releases of meltwater from surface lakes, similar to snow sliding off of a roof on a sunny day, according to a new study by the University of Colorado. The draining of lakes may also lead
Sea levels have risen approximately 20 centimetres in the South West Pacific Ocean since the end of the 19th century, a dramatic increase according to a new study released this week. Scientists found that sea levels in Tasmania remained relatively stable for most of the previous 6,000 years but that around 1880 they started to
A new study published in the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters finds that sea levels could rise one foot by 2050 with the current global warming trend. This would also approximately double coastal flooding risk. There’s an interactive map based on this new study that you can play with, too. Following an image from the report, here’s more in a full
With rising sea-levels a real threat for communities across the face of the planet over the next century, visualising the impact of such a rise is helping communities plan ahead, allowing them to create ways to adapt to climate change impacts such as flooding and storm surges.
Other than what we’ve covered already, here are some top global warming stories of the past week or two. January Was Warm! Yes, January was warmer than average. (Surprised?) Michael Lemonick of Climate Central has more: “As it does every month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released U.S. weather stats for the
Climate denial crock debunker Peter Sinclair has a great new video up on an emerging sea-level-rise hockey stick. Here’s an intro from Peter, followed by the video: “Since we have such an active community of armchair oceanographers and spreadsheet Glaciologists here, I thought it would be useful to speak to the real thing, the
The year 2010 saw an unusually high melting season in Greenland which subsequently impacted the amount of ice weighing down the bedrock of the island causing it to lose 100 billion tonnes of ice and uplift by as much as 20 millimetres. These findings come courtesy of nearly 50 GPS stations that have been planted
A team of scientists have set forth from BAS Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula and are heading for Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica where they will survey the world’s largest glacier in an effort to understand how ice is being lost from the glacier and what contribution the loss is likely to
One more excellent post from Skeptical Science this week that I just had to repost in full. Tellin’ it like it is: by dana1981 A number of climate not-so-skeptics have recently been exploiting global sea level data in their latest attempt to hide the incline. Skeptical Science readers will be very familiar with the tactics
Small amounts of subsurface warming of oceans can trigger a massive and rapid collapse of ice shelves, according to an analysis of prehistoric “Heinrich events.”
“If West Antarctica collapsed, that means it’s more unstable than we expected, which is quite scary,” said a scientist who set out to determine whether Greenland or Antarctica will introduce more melting water to rising sea levels.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has unveiled its latest salvo in the fight to curtail human-caused global warming: an interactive ‘Climate Hot Map Scavenger Hunt’. The Climate Hot Map educate sand entertains as it stimulates the user’s curiosity to sift clues and scavenge for answers. What’s more, completing the scavenger hunt qualifies you for a chance to win the fabulous Grand Prize: an Earthwatch Institute trip for two to assess climate impacts in Rio Cachoeira national Reserve in Brazil!
New research which has focused solely on the continental United States of America has found that by 2100, 9 percent of the land within 180 coastal cities could be threatened by rising sea levels. Such a rise means that the Gulf and southern Atlantic coasts would be particularly hard hit, seeing cities like Miami, New
Some of the top climate science news from around (other than what we’ve already covered): Must-read Hansen and Sato paper: We are at a climate tipping point that, once crossed, enables multi-meter sea level rise this century Climate change is likely to be the predominant scientific, economic, political and moral issue of the 21st century
New research from Victoria University in Australia has revealed new findings pointing to why the Antarctic ice sheets have melted in the past, and how they might be most affected in the future, and how their current-day degradation might affect the ocean levels. In a paper published in the latest edition of the journal Nature
Rising sea levels? No problem, let’s just do some massive geoengineering. Hmm, not so fast.. h/t Climate Denial Crock of the Week
A new study published in the most recent edition of the journal Nature Geoscience has shown that meltwater from small mountain glaciers and ice caps will contribute anywhere between seven and eighteen centimetres to world sea level rise by the year 2100. The largest of these contributors will be the glaciers in Arctic Canada, Alaska,
According to new research published in the latest edition of the journal Nature Geoscience the current impact of CO2 on the atmosphere will have lasting effects for the next thousand years, in the best case scenario. Within the proposed thousand years, the computer simulations created saw climate change patterns reversing in places such as Canada,
Sea levels are rising worldwide and many coastal communities will soon begin planning — if they haven’t already — for the need to relocate and deal with the encroaching sea waters. However, sea level rise is not just the result of the polar ice caps melting, as Chesapeake Bay is in the midst of finding
This post is part of our participation in Blog Action Day 2010, which is on the topic of Water. As R. Buckminster Fuller reminded us, we are all traveling aboard “spaceship Earth”…all 6+ billion of us. What makes our spaceship so unique (as far as we know), and vital, is the presence of a great deal
Targets for limiting the global temperature to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels shouldn’t be considered ‘safe’ according to new research from climate change experts at the University of Exeter. Professor Chris Turney and Dr Richard Jones, both from the University’s Department of Geography, have reported in the latest issue of the Journal of Quaternary
A new University of Central Florida study will examine how rising sea level could harm estuaries and coastal communities along the Florida Panhandle and Alabama and Mississippi coasts.
