temperature
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is an ancient and massive body of freshwater found in the mountainous Russian region of Siberia. Deep and voluminous, Lake Baikal holds 20% of the planet’s unfrozen freshwater. And it’s often been described as the world’s cleanest and most pristine lake.
Rising East Coast Seas
Sea levels are rising around the world because of melting ice as well as warming waters since water expands as its temperature goes up. Average sea levels around the world are predicted to rise by about three feet by the end of the century as a consequence of the warming climate.
Extreme Cold And Climate Change
Global climate change is typically referred to as global warming and that name implies that things are getting warmer all the time. Well, the planet as a whole is, as measured by the planet-wide mean temperature, which continues to rise over time.
Hot Times For Santa
Santa Claus may have to change out of that heavy red suit this Christmas. The North Pole, site of his fabled workshop, is seeing historically high temperatures this year. In fact, it is 36 degrees Fahrenheit higher than it has been in past decades. This is a staggering number.
More Ice In Antarctica
Two years ago, NASA reported that the sea ice surrounding Antarctica reached a new record high extent, surpassing levels mapped since the late 1970s. This seemed to be quite contrary to the global warming trend that is leading to the melting of the Arctic and glaciers worldwide. And in fact, it does seem rather puzzling.
Disappearing Arctic Ice
The top of the world is turning from white to blue in the summer. The ice that has long covered the north polar seas is melting away.
The Hottest Month (Again)
NASA data show that the Earth’s temperature in July was the highest recorded since record-keeping began 136 years ago. It was also the 10th straight month of record-breaking temperatures and was .18 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the previous hottest July in 2011.
A Refuge For Black Spruce
In the Canadian province of Quebec, a study of more than 26,000 trees across an area the size of Spain forecasts winners and losers in a changing climate.
Half A Degree
The average global temperature is one degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. There has long been a goal to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees above those levels. But the Paris climate conference has set a more ambitious goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. What difference would that half a degree make?
Coral Bleaching On The Great Barrier Reef
It was already well-known that coral bleaching was a serious problem in the Great Barrier Reef, but extensive aerial surveys and underwater dives have now revealed the shocking extent of the problem.
[Read more…] about Coral Bleaching On The Great Barrier Reef
The Incredible Shrinking Bison
As the climate warms, all sorts of things are happening in the environment. We know about shrinking ice caps, retreating glaciers, strange winter weather, and so forth. But there are other things that may happen that are unexpected and puzzling.
The Hottest Year
2015 was the hottest year in the historical record, easily breaking the mark set only one year earlier. The unusually large El Niño weather pattern is releasing enormous amounts of heat from the Pacific Ocean into the atmosphere, but climate scientists say that the bulk of the record-setting heat is due to the long-term warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions. The global land surface temperature was 1.6°F above the 20th century historical average. That’s a huge jump from 2014, which was 1.3° above average. That may sound like very little, but for the planet as a whole, it is extremely large.
Arctic Ecosystems
Most of us are aware that shrinking ice cover is bad news for Arctic wildlife, with animals like polar bears and seals losing important breeding, nursery, and feeding grounds. What has received less attention is the impact ice loss has on life in Arctic waters. [Read more…] about Arctic Ecosystems
The Second Hottest Year On Record
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – or NOAA – 2015 was the second hottest year ever recorded in the contiguous United States.
Crocodiles And Climate Change
Crocodiles are large aquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia. The first crocodiles appeared approximately 240 million years ago – around the same time as dinosaurs. And while the resilient species did survive the last great extinction, crocodiles might not be climate change-proof after all.
Coffee And Climate Change
Climate change is threatening crops all around the world, but maybe none more so than coffee. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “higher temperatures, long droughts punctuated by intense rainfall, more resilient pests and plant diseases—all of which are associated with climate change—have reduced coffee supplies dramatically in recent years.”
Planning Cooler Cities
Anyone who has walked the streets of New York City or Washington, D.C. on a stifling summer day can attest to the fact that cities feel hotter. It’s not a matter of perception.
OTEC In Hawaii
The state of Hawaii has a bold energy agenda: it plans to get 100% of its energy from renewable sources by the year 2045. In order to get there, Hawaii is embracing a diversified mix of renewable energy generation sources. Of course, Hawaii’s famous sunshine has allowed the state to have the highest per-capital base of installed solar power in the nation. But it will take more than just solar power for Hawaii to get all of its energy from green sources.
Bumblebees And The Climate Squeeze
