In the News
Alien Waters: Neighboring Seas Are Flowing into a Warming Arctic Ocean
The “Atlantification” and “Pacification” of the Arctic has begun. As warmer waters stream into an increasingly ice-free Arctic Ocean, new species — from phytoplankton to whales — have the potential to upend this sensitive polar environment. Phyllis Stabeno and Sue Moore (NOAA Fisheries OST) are quoted.
These Climate Pollutants Don't Last Long, But They’re Wreaking Havoc on the Arctic
When people talk about climate change, the focus is often on carbon dioxide, and for good reason. The CO2 pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels today will hang around for centuries, building up over time and continuing to warm the planet. Dr. Patricia Quinn is quoted.
Freakishly Warm Weather in the Arctic Has Climate Scientists 'Stunned'
During the Arctic winter, when the sun hides from October to March, the average temperature in the frozen north typically hovers around a bone-chilling minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 degrees Celsius). But this year, the Arctic is experiencing a highly unusual heat wave. Jim Overland is quoted and Muyin Wang's essay is referenced.
US cold snap was a freak of nature, quick analysis finds
Consider this cold comfort: A quick study of the brutal American cold snap found that the Arctic blast really wasn't global warming but a freak of nature. Frigid weather like the two-week cold spell that began around Christmas is 15 times rarer than it was a century ago, according to a team of international scientists who does real-time analyses to see if extreme weather events are natural or more likely to happen because of climate change. Jim Overland is quoted.
Weather 'bombs' and the link between severe winters and climate change
What’s with all the weapons analogies for the storm dumping snow on the East Coast today? The bomb references may seem to have popped up out of nowhere this week, but the word has actually been used to describe powerful, rapidly intensifying winter storms for decades.