In the News
New Study Shows Arctic Ocean Rapidly Becoming More Corrosive to Marine Species
New research by NOAA, University of Alaska, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the journal Oceanography shows that surface waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas could reach levels of acidity that threaten the ability of animals to build and maintain their shells by 2030, with the Bering Sea reaching this level of acidity by 2044.
Washington Climatologist Already Foresees Warm Winter
A strengthening El Nino suggests Washington will have another warm winter, possibly deepening the state’s drought, State Climatologist Nick Bond said Monday. “The odds are for a warmer and drier winter overall,” he said. “And a lower than normal snowpack at the end of it.”
New evidence links Arctic warming with severe weather
Climate scientists are investigating links between Arctic climate change and extreme weather in the northern mid-latitudes. They have found that while it is too soon to know for certain whether the Arctic played a role in persistent cold events during the extreme wet UK winter of 2013/14 and recent USA East Coast winters, new studies are adding to the growing weight of evidence linking increased Arctic temperatures with changes in mid-latitude weather patterns.
Global temperatures hit another record high
Arctic temperatures are increasing two to three times faster than those at the mid-latitudes. Some scientists have theorized that warming Arctic temperatures and melting ice and snow contribute to weaker upper level westerly winds and a wavier jet stream in some years. This wavier path may be causing cold weather conditions to stall over the Eastern seaboard and Midwest United States during recent winters.
Studies Show Potential Impact of Climate on Arctic Species
Findings of two projects released on April 29 by researchers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are shedding some light on the potential impact of climate change on some Arctic marine species.