From 2012 to 2013, March Blows Hot, Then Cold
Think of the Arctic as the Northern Hemisphere’s refrigerator. The blocked weather pattern — which some scientists think may be tied to the rapid warming of the Arctic and the subsequent loss of sea ice cover — has opened the refrigerator door, causing cold air to spill out of the freezer that is the Far North and help develop winter storms in the … Read More
It’s ‘Survival of the Fattest’ for Canada’s Polar Bears
One of the most southerly populations of polar bears now has only limited time to hunt on sea ice due to a warming climate, research suggests. The polar bears of Hudson Bay, Canada, migrate onto land in the summer when the sea ice melts, relying on fat reserves to survive until the sea refreezes in late November or early December. During the winter… Read More
Ramifications of Extreme Weather Tops Climate News
Katrina-like storm surges, drought and heavy rains, and what we can learn from the ancient past. … Read More
If You Thought 2012 Was Hot, Just Wait a Few Years
It’s already March, but the country is still recovering from last year’s extreme weather and climate events. As the hottest year on record in the U.S., 2012 brought intense drought across the Midwest and Great Plains, record wildfires in the West, and Hurricane Sandy’s path of destruction to the East Coast. But if you thought 2012 was hot, just … Read More
February Keeps the Planet’s Warm Streak Alive: NOAA
Warm conditions in February 2013 helped keep sustain the planet’s remarkable hot streak, marking the 336th consecutive month that global temperatures rose above the 20th century average, according to data released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The average global temperature reached 54.93 degrees Fahrenheit last … Read More
Warming Means Wetter Weather – and Drier Weather
Welcome to the see-saw world of climate change. Rainy seasons will get rainier. Dry seasons will tend to become more parched. Even if the total annual rainfall does not change very much, the seasonal cycles will – with obvious consequences. Floods and droughts will become more frequent, according to Chia Chou of the University of Taipei, and collea… Read More
Climate to Warm Beyond Levels Seen for 11,300 Years
A new reconstruction of the Earth's climate history all the way back to 11,300 years ago found that the planet has never been warmer than it is today, and that temperatures are likely to climb into unprecedented territory by 2100, due to increasing amounts of planet warming greenhouse gases in the air. The study, published Thursday in the journal … Read More
Remarkable Summer in Australia Is its Hottest On Record
The scientists said the heat this summer was particularly striking, because it occurred without the warming influence of an El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean. El Niño conditions, which are characterized by warmer than average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial tropical Pacific, can alter weather patterns worldwide. … Read More
