More than 2 degrees above 'normal' was hit last week in the northern hemisphere. If only for a few hours, we have apparently crossed a line: it was more than two degrees Celsius above “normal” for the first time in recorded history and likely for the first time in the course of human civilization. That’s important because the governments of the world have set two degrees … [Read more...]
Unfolding the gift of tomorrow: leaving a legacy
A daily diet of environmental news from across the planet might sound like quite a radical regime. Yet I firmly believe in the right to know how my species is changing the world into which I have delivered three children. It matters to me that they, and all vulnerable species, are comfortable and protected. Breaking down this home, our planet, is as good as a gang of people … [Read more...]
Climate change reveals more mercury under Arctic ice
Climate change is thawing Arctic ground that was once frozen all year, making it a potentially potent new source of toxic mercury pollution in the region, according to a new study. Their research, published Friday in the journal Science, found that Arctic permafrost contained high levels of the bacteria that transform inorganic mercury into hazardous methyl … [Read more...]
Arctic sea ice reaches lowest annual maximum on record
This year's maximum Arctic sea ice extent was the lowest in the satellite record and occurred 15 days earlier than the average date for the period from 1981 to 2010, reported NASA and NSIDC. The sea ice cap of the Arctic appeared to reach its annual maximum winter extent on Feb. 25, according to data from the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the … [Read more...]
First three months of 2015 were warmest on record
March this year was the third hottest month in global climate records, according to reports from NASA GISS. The reading — at +0.84 C above the 20th Century average — fell just behind March of 2002 (+0.88 C) and March of 2010 (+0.87 C). With El Nino firing off in the Pacific and polar amplification pushing to ever-greater extremes in the Arctic, 2015 is following hot on the … [Read more...]
Climate change brings giant waves to the Arctic
Huge waves rolling across Arctic Ocean regions that up until recent times have been permanently locked solid with a sea ice cover is seen as more evidence of a warming Earth, researchers say. That sea ice is beginning to experience an onslaught of 16-foot swells that have the potential to break up the sea ice more rapidly than the melting it has experienced over several … [Read more...]
Arctic thaw is spreading wildlife diseases
In recent years, the Arctic has been warming at an unexpected rate — faster than anywhere else on the planet. This has boosted the melting of ice on land and covering much of the Arctic Ocean. The extra melt water has begun eroding natural barriers that once separated parasites from potential hosts, new data show. The result: Animals are becoming infected with new … [Read more...]
