New South Wales and southern Queensland are going to be suffering from warmer weather and less rain than in the past. This temperature change is called “sudden stratospheric warming.” It happens when the air above the South Pole starts to warm up rapidly. Predictions are that the warming of Antarctic will likely be higher than a previous record high in […]
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Tropical forests account for a third of the total carbon fixed by photosynthesis. Lianas’ increasing abundance may be driven by changing climate, increased disturbance or by more severe seasonal drought. By reducing the ability of tropical forests to accumulate and store carbon released through burning fossil fuels, lianas could cause a positive feedback loop, accelerating climate change. “This study has […]
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Results from a new climate reconstruction of how Antarctica’s ice sheets responded during the last period when atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reached levels like those expected to occur in about 30 years, plus sediment core findings reported in a companion paper, suggest that the ice sheets are more vulnerable to rising atmospheric CO2 than previously thought. Details appear in two […]
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When spring arrives in the Arctic, both snow and sea ice melt, forming melt ponds on the surface of the sea ice. Every year, as global warming increases, melting sea ice leads to more and larger melt ponds. Melt ponds provide more light and heat for the ice and the underlying water, but now it turns out that they may […]
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Climate change, not just increasing atmospheric temperatures, has been affecting the Jet Stream. When the Jet Stream travels across from the West to the East over the Northern Hemisphere in normal conditions the weather is not greatly affected, but because of the climate change it has been slowing down and causing massive heat waves and flooding. When the jet stream […]
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Across the world, bats are in trouble from climate change – not only through collisions with the wind turbines that are intended to mitigate its effects, but from what the increasing warmth does to their ability to find their prey. Bats often get a bad press, portrayed as disease-spreading bloodsuckers. In fact, they perform a vital role as pollinators, seed […]
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Climatologists found that the carbon dioxide levels have risen so high that they could have catastrophic consequences to our life on the planet earth. Prior to the 18th century the levels were averaging about 280 ppm (parts per million). The Industrial Revolution began burning fossil fuels which sent more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. They are predicting that our carbon […]
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A research paper published in Nature Climate Change predicts widespread death of needleleaf evergreen trees (NET) within the Southwest United States by the year 2100 under projected global warming scenarios. The research team that conducted the study, which includes University of Delaware’s Sara Rauscher, considered both field results and a range of validated regional predictions and global simulation models of […]
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The US could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity generation by 80% below 1990 levels within 15 years just by using renewable sources such as wind and solar energy, according to a former government research chief. The nation could do this using only technologies available right now, and by introducing a national grid system connected by high voltage direct current […]
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The last study showed that the world has about 3 trillion trees. That is over the estimate of 400 billion in previous studies. Researchers did a count by actually going out and physically counting trees, using satellite imagery, ground survey, and national forest inventories. Even though we have lost trees from fires, drought, and insect outbreaks there are still more […]
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