Most of Northern California’s kelp forest ecosystem is gone, replaced by widespread ‘urchin barrens’ that may persist long into the future, according to a new study By Tim Stephens UCSC Species-rich kelp forests have been replaced by “urchin barrens,” where purple sea urchins cover a seafloor devoid of kelp and other algae. A new […]
At the start of February 2021, a major snowstorm hit the northeast United States, with some areas receiving well over two feet of snow. Just a few weeks earlier, Spain experienced a historic and deadly snowstorm and dangerously low temperatures. Northern Siberia is no stranger to cold, but in mid-January 2021, some Siberian cities reported […]
NOAA’s 15th Arctic Report Card catalogs for 2020 the numerous ways that climate change continues to disrupt the polar region, with second-highest air temperatures and second-lowest summer sea ice driving a cascade of impacts, including the loss of snow and extraordinary wildfires in northern Russia. By NOAA The Arctic Report Card is an annual compilation […]
Under the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, virtually all the world’s nations pledged to limit global warming to “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels and also, if possible, “pursue” efforts to cap warming at 1.5C. At present, the world is not close to being on track to meet either target. By Zeke Hausfather Carbon Brief While the growth of […]
In the past five years global temperature has jumped well above the trend which has been stable at about 0.18°C per decade for the past half century (see figure above). This deviation is too large to be explained by unforced climate variability. By Dr James Hansen and Makiko Sato The immediate suspect is human-made greenhouse […]
Every year, sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean shrinks to a low point in mid-September. This year it measures just 1.44 million square miles (3.74 million square kilometers) – the second-lowest value in the 42 years since satellites began taking measurements. The ice today covers only 50% of the area it covered 40 years […]
Lakes formed by melting glaciers around the world have increased in size by 50% over the past 30 years. That is the main finding of our new study, published in Nature Climate Change, which provides yet another sign of a warming climate – and one that affects water supplies and flood risk for billions of people. […]
The relentless global heat continued as average surface temperature on Earth in July 2020 was the second warmest on record. These monthly posts might be beginning to sound as repetitive as a broken record. But then again, global temperature records continue to be broken, so repetitiveness is probably apropos. Either way, the second half of […]
Citizens’ Climate is excited and grateful to receive a 2020 Keeling Curve Prize in the category of Social & Cultural Pathways. “We are thrilled to see our efforts honored in this way,” Citizens’ Climate Executive Director Mark Reynolds said. “Our staff and volunteers are working hard every day to make climate change a bridge between our […]
The Arctic Circle became unbelievably hot on June 20. In the Russian community of Verkhoyansk, temperatures topped 38C, marking what may be the highest air temperature ever recorded within the Arctic. A wildfire burns outside Fairbanks, Alaska, after a lightning strike. (Catherine Dieleman), Author provided Catherine Dieleman, University of Guelph The Conversation The temperatures at […]
After five consecutive months to start the year that were either the warmest or second warmest on record, June 2020 finally broke the streak by becoming only the [drumroll] third-warmest June on record. 2020’s heat has been relentless. The blazing first half of 2020 has made it incredibly likely that 2020 will finish the year as […]
The latest forecast (pdf) from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) suggests that over the next five years there is a 24% chance of the global average temperature exceeding 1.5C above pre-industrial levels for at least one year. Prof Richard Betts, MBE Carbon Brief While this is another reminder of the Earth’s rising temperatures, it is important to note that […]
The Arctic heat wave that sent Siberian temperatures soaring to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit on the first day of summer put an exclamation point on an astonishing transformation of the Arctic environment that’s been underway for about 30 years. By Mark Serreze, University of Colorado Boulder The Conversation As long ago as the 1890s, scientists […]
This year is shaping up to be one of the warmest years on record – if not the warmest. This is particularly noteworthy because 2020 is likely to see neutral El Niño/La Niña conditions that will play little-to-no role in boosting annual temperatures. By Zeke Hausfather Carbon Brief The first three months of 2020 were the second warmest […]
According to widespread media reports in April, this year, 2020, should have record global warmth. The reports were based largely on a NOAA conclusion that such a record was likely with 75% confidence. April has since come in with record warmth for the month (see map above), although practically the same as April 2016. That […]