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Earther7 Graphics That Show Why the Arctic Is in Trouble
It’s no secret that the Arctic is in trouble. And while the worrying state of the ice in the region has made numerous headlines this year, they’re just the latest twists and turns in a long-term trend. One of the best gauges for putting what’s happening in the region into perspective is the National Oceanic … Continued
By Jody Serrano -
EartherConservationThe Trump Administration Hid Polar Bear Research That Could Threaten Its Plan to Drill the Arctic
A federal study found that oil and gas drilling in Alaska puts polar bears at risk. But U.S. Geological Survey Director James Reilly, the head of the department that conducted the research, refused to make the study public, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday. The Interior Department’s research looked into the number of polar bears … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherArctic Sea Ice Hit a Scary Milestone
Arctic sea ice shrank to its second lowest level on record, researchers announced on Monday. Sorry. It’s typical for Arctic sea ice to melt in summer and freeze back up in winter. But thanks to a wild-ass, record-breaking heat waves in the Earth’s northernmost regions, this year’s minimum ice extent is anything but normal. The National Snow … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherThe Arctic We Know Is Disappearing
There have been some pretty freaky things happening in the Arctic this year, with historic levels of ice melt, absurdly high temperatures, and wildfires in an area that’s meant to be the definition of cold. New research by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) shows that we shouldn’t just treat these occurrences … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherScientists Made an Alarmingly Easy Trip to the North Pole
At Earther, we’ve been following the historic extent of ice melt in the Arctic this summer pretty closely. But not as closely as Gunnar Spreen and his research team, who are literally following the ice. “We’re attached to an ice floe now,” he said on the phone from a research vessel called the Polarstern, which … Continued
By Dharna Noor -
EartherClimate ChangeTurns Out a Wild Geoengineering Plan to Refreeze Arctic Sea Ice Isn’t the Best Idea
As the world spins closer to climate catastrophe, fringe ideas are inching toward the mainstream. Geoengineering is among the topics that were once verboten but are now finding traction. And that includes some pretty out-there ideas, including ones focused on saving polar ice by pumping massive amounts of seawater onto the surface of ice, where … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherConservationMicroplastics Are Airborne, Polluted Arctic Snow Reveals
Microplastic pollution has become so ubiquitous, it’s almost easier to find places covered in the stuff than not. High peaks, low valleys, and even the air we breathe is filled with microscopic bits of plastic. New research published on Wednesday in Science Advances shows that even the remote ice floes of the Arctic have measurable … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeAre We Watching the Arctic Pass a Tipping Point This Summer?
The Arctic’s summer of discontent is reaching a fever pitch this week. The heat wave that broke records in Europe is coming to Greenland and could melt enough ice to measurably raise global sea levels; wildfires are blazing on every continent, pumping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; and sea ice is at record-low levels. Whether … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate ChangeThe Last of the Arctic’s Old Sea Ice Is on the Verge of Vanishing
Pour one out for old Arctic sea ice, because it’s basically a goner. The severe toll of climate change at the top of the world is becoming clearer with each passing day. The latest sign comes courtesy of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), which released its monthly sea ice update on Thursday. … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherEarth ScienceGreenland’s Melt Will Drive Up Sea Levels…But Also Give Us Sand
Greenland is rapidly melting. Blame it on climate change. This is no good news, but a new paper points out an unexpected benefit as a result of all this lost ice: sand. The world is in need of sand—in part, to prepare for rising sea levels and strengthen coasts—and Greenland could play a major role … Continued
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EartherClimate Change
Climate Change Has Wiped Out Most of the World’s Oldest Sea Ice
There is no clearer sign of Arctic transformation than the age of its sea ice. Findings released on Tuesday show that ice has never been younger, and while humans may envy its youth, it’s an incredibly bad sign for the region. Rising air and ocean temperatures have sent old sea ice into a death spiral. … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
The Arctic Ocean Is Quickly Becoming the Atlantic
The seas between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans are a battleground between two opposing bodies of water. And it appears that the Arctic is starting to lose the war. This is happening faster than models projected, and scientists don’t quite know what the long-term impacts will be. The rapid “Atlantification” of the Arctic Ocean is … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
There’s Way Too Little Ice Around Svalbard Right Now
If you came here looking for good Arctic sea ice news, I have some. Kidding, there’s no such thing as good Arctic sea ice news these days. When we last checked in with ice in the north, the picture was, uh, not good! The Bering Sea had lost all of its ice roughly a month … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Bering Sea Ice Is Basically Gone
Bering Sea ice has been battered all year by warm waters and wild winter heat waves. But at least it won’t have to suffer any more, because now it’s nearly all gone, basically a month ahead of schedule. The bizarre saga of Arctic sea ice this winter has extended into spring, with the Bering Sea … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Old Arctic Sea Ice Is Virtually Gone—and That’s Bad [Update]
The winter of discontent in the Arctic has morphed into a spring of discontent. Shocking new data shows that the region has lost almost all its old sea ice. Its disappearance, driven by warming waters and rising air temperatures, means the region is losing a bulwark against even more dramatic sea ice loss. On Thursday, … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Both Poles Are Having a Weird, Bad Year For Sea Ice So Far
As Americans were donning green shirts and tossing back pints of Guinness, the Arctic was limping toward its annual wintertime sea ice maximum. According to data released Friday by the National Snow and Ice Data Center, it was the second-lowest annual maximum on record. Sea ice in the Arctic very likely peaked on March 17 … Continued
By Maddie Stone -
EartherClimate ChangeThe Melting Arctic Is Messing With Shipping
Arctic sea ice is like a living, breathing organism. Each winter, it inhales cold air and causes a freeze up, then in the summer, it exhales a breath of older sea ice from the high Arctic into the seas on its southern edge. New research shows that the region is starting to hyperventilate, though. Warming … Continued
By Brian Kahn -
EartherClimate Change
Climate Change Is Making Beluga Whales Work for Their Meals
When sea ice melts in the summer, beluga whales that hang out in the Bering Sea during winter traverse up north. This is typically when they eat really good, but climate change may be messing with their summertime fish buffets. With the increased loss of sea ice and the shift in prey habits, beluga whales … Continued
