Dangerous slowing of Antarctic ocean circulation sooner than expected

“Our data show the impacts of climate change are running ahead of schedule,” said lead author Kathryn Gunn, of the Australian Science agency CSIRO and Britain’s Southampton University. The…Continue readingDangerous slowing of Antarctic ocean circulation sooner than expected

Antarctic alarm bells: Observations reveal deep ocean currents are slowing earlier than predicted

We found melting of Antarctic ice is disrupting the formation of Antarctic bottom water. The meltwater makes Antarctic surface waters fresher, less dense, and therefore less likely to sink.…Continue readingAntarctic alarm bells: Observations reveal deep ocean currents are slowing earlier than predicted

Researchers discover a cause of rapid ice melting in Greenland

“These ice-ocean interactions make the glaciers more sensitive to ocean warming,” said senior co-author Eric Rignot, UCI professor of Earth system science and NASA JPL research scientist. “These dynamics…Continue readingResearchers discover a cause of rapid ice melting in Greenland

Humanity’s tipping point? How the Queen’s death stole a climate warning’s thunder

On September 8, 2022, at 6.30pm in Britain, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The news broke just 30 minutes before the press embargo lifted on…Continue readingHumanity’s tipping point? How the Queen’s death stole a climate warning’s thunder

Twilight zone at risk from climate change

Life in the ocean’s “twilight zone” could decline dramatically due to climate change, new research suggests. The twilight zone (200m to 1,000m deep) gets very little light but is…Continue readingTwilight zone at risk from climate change

Antarctica’s heart of ice has skipped a beat: Science briefing calls for action

In 2022 the summer minimum was less than 2 million square km for the first time since satellite records began. This summer, the minimum was even lower—just 1.7 million…Continue readingAntarctica’s heart of ice has skipped a beat: Science briefing calls for action

New Research Sparks Concerns That Ocean Circulation Will Collapse

The groundbreaking modeling study published by Australian and American researchers at the end of March for the first time includes a detailed assessment of the likely impact of melting…Continue readingNew Research Sparks Concerns That Ocean Circulation Will Collapse

UN reports ‘off the charts’ melting of glaciers

The world’s glaciers melted at dramatic speed last year and saving them is effectively a lost cause, the United Nations reported Friday, as climate change indicators once again hit…Continue readingUN reports ‘off the charts’ melting of glaciers

Extreme wildfires are turning the world’s largest forest ecosystem from carbon sink into net-emitter

The new study showed a significant increase in emissions from boreal fires over the past two decades. Things were particularly dramatic in 2021, when they comprised a record 23%…Continue readingExtreme wildfires are turning the world’s largest forest ecosystem from carbon sink into net-emitter

‘Everyone should be concerned’: Antarctic sea ice reaches lowest levels ever recorded

Continue reading‘Everyone should be concerned’: Antarctic sea ice reaches lowest levels ever recorded

Ecosystem collapse ‘inevitable’ unless wildlife losses reversed

Scientists studying the Permian-Triassic mass extinction find ecosystems can suddenly tip over.Continue readingEcosystem collapse ‘inevitable’ unless wildlife losses reversed

Faster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 3

Continue readingFaster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 3

Faster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 2

Continue readingFaster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 2

Faster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 1

Continue readingFaster, higher, hotter: What we learned about the climate system in 2022: Part 1

Scientists warn that many dangerous feedback loops make climate action more urgent

Continue readingScientists warn that many dangerous feedback loops make climate action more urgent

Human activity and drought ‘degrading more than a third of Amazon rainforest’

Fires, land conversion, logging and water shortages have weakened resilience of 2.5 million square kilometres of forest, says study.Continue readingHuman activity and drought ‘degrading more than a third of Amazon rainforest’

Worst impacts of sea level rise will hit earlier than expected, says modeling study

Using the new measurements of land elevation, Vernimmen and co-author Aljosja Hooijer found coastal areas lie much lower than older radar data had suggested. Analyses of the new lidar-based…Continue readingWorst impacts of sea level rise will hit earlier than expected, says modeling study

Climate change could cause ‘disaster’ in the world’s oceans, say scientists

Continue readingClimate change could cause ‘disaster’ in the world’s oceans, say scientists

Humanity devouring itself and the planet

“At the moment,” writes Warren Hern, “we are the most misnamed species on the planet: Homo sapiens sapiens—’wise, wise man.’ Not.” Hern, 84, physician and adjunct professor of anthropology…Continue readingHumanity devouring itself and the planet

Why scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis

More and more scientists are now admitting publicly that they are scared by the recent climate extremes, such as the floods in Pakistan and west Africa, the droughts and…Continue readingWhy scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis

Arctic fires could release catastrophic amounts of carbon dioxide

Global warming is responsible for bigger and bigger fires in Siberia, and in the decades ahead they could release huge amounts of carbon now trapped in the soil. Researchers…Continue readingArctic fires could release catastrophic amounts of carbon dioxide

Scientists discover mechanism that can cause collapse of great Atlantic circulation system

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), a system of ocean currents that carry warm water from the tropics into the North Atlantic, and transport cold water from the northern…Continue readingScientists discover mechanism that can cause collapse of great Atlantic circulation system

Sea-level rise ‘may cross two meters by 2100’

An ADB report presented during the bank’s annual board meeting (26-30 September) warns that sea levels in the Asia-Pacific could exceed two meters by 2100. “For short- to medium-term…Continue readingSea-level rise ‘may cross two meters by 2100’

Almost 70% of animal populations wiped out since 1970, report reveals

Earth’s wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years, according to a leading scientific assessment, as humans continue to clear forests, consume beyond…Continue readingAlmost 70% of animal populations wiped out since 1970, report reveals

Megadrought in the American south-west: a climate disaster unseen in 1,200 years

Caption for figure above: Grid-cell specific rankings of 22-yr negative soil moisture anomalies (drought rank) in 2000–2021 compared to the driest 22-yr period in each previous drought event back…Continue readingMegadrought in the American south-west: a climate disaster unseen in 1,200 years

World heading into ‘uncharted territory of destruction’

The world’s chances of avoiding the worst ravages of climate breakdown are diminishing rapidly, as we enter “uncharted territory of destruction” through our failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions…Continue readingWorld heading into ‘uncharted territory of destruction’

Countries growing 70% of world’s food face ‘extreme’ heat risk by 2045

The latest assessment by risk company Verisk Maplecroft brings those two threats together to calculate that heat stress already poses an “extreme risk” to agriculture in 20 countries, including…Continue readingCountries growing 70% of world’s food face ‘extreme’ heat risk by 2045

‘Nothing left to burn’: Wildfires blaze through the Arctic

Smoke from hundreds of wildfires has darkened skies over the Alaskan interior this summer with the state experiencing its fastest start to the fire season on record amid hot…Continue reading‘Nothing left to burn’: Wildfires blaze through the Arctic

World on brink of five ‘disastrous’ climate tipping points

The climate crisis has driven the world to the brink of multiple “disastrous” tipping points, according to a major study. It shows five dangerous tipping points may already have…Continue readingWorld on brink of five ‘disastrous’ climate tipping points

Climate change: Potential to end humanity is ‘dangerously underexplored’ say experts

Global heating could become “catastrophic” for humanity if temperature rises are worse than many predict or cause cascades of events we have yet to consider, or indeed both. The…Continue readingClimate change: Potential to end humanity is ‘dangerously underexplored’ say experts

The world is ‘perilously close’ to irreversible climate change

Amazon rainforest becomes a savanna The 2.5 million square mile rainforest is so vast it creates its own rainfall and is home to 10% of the world’s species. But…Continue readingThe world is ‘perilously close’ to irreversible climate change

Critical measures of global heating reaching tipping point, study finds

“There is growing evidence we are getting close to or have already gone beyond tipping points associated with important parts of the Earth system” The 5 hottest years on…Continue readingCritical measures of global heating reaching tipping point, study finds