When the atmosphere had much higher levels of carbon dioxide, Antarctica was as warm as California. New research has revealed that 430 million to 50 million years ago, temperatures on the frozen continent averaged 57 degrees Fahrenheit, with part of the surrounding Pacific Ocean reaching up to 72 degrees. In this ancient era, known as the Eocene epoch, carbon dioxide […]
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In 2016, the world’s 2nd largest emperor penguin colony had been wiped out overnight. Thousands of emperor penguin chicks drowned after an ice shelf in Antarctica collapsed. In the years following the catastrophic collapse of the ice shelf at Halley Bay, Scientists have concluded that no breeding has been detected in the area since. On average, approximately 15,000 to 24,000 […]
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When an El Nino hits, the lives of penguins are in peril. During the 1997 El Nino the penguin population fell by a third. During Climate Change a difference in temperature of at least one degree can be a life and death situation for penguins. Researchers followed a group of about 15 breeding penguins from 1992 to 2010 on the […]
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The amount of CO2 is increasing all the time – we just passed a landmark 400 parts per million concentration of atmospheric CO2, up from around 280ppm before the industrial revolution. That’s a 42.8% increase. A tiny amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, like methane and water vapor, keep the Earth’s surface 30°Celsius (54°F) warmer than it would be […]
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In the center of Africa’s Congo Basin, they have found about 30 billion metric tons of carbon that is equal to 20 years of US fossil fuel emissions. While using satellite imagery scientists have found 56,000 square feet of highly acidic swamp with depths of 20 feet. This area is the largest peatland found in the Tropics. Being highly acidic […]
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New South Wales and southern Queensland are going to be suffering from warmer weather and less rain than in the past. This temperature change is called “sudden stratospheric warming.” It happens when the air above the South Pole starts to warm up rapidly. Predictions are that the warming of Antarctic will likely be higher than a previous record high in […]
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More than 100 intense Arctic wildfires have ravaged the Arctic since June, with scientists describing them as “unprecedented.” Satellite images show huge clouds of smoke billowing across uninhabited Arctic land in Greenland, Siberia and parts of Alaska. The wildfires come after the planet experienced the hottest June on record and is on track to experience the hottest July on record, […]
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Between fighting wildfires and rerouting the Iditarod, Alaska has had a tough time with climate change. But at least there’s one good outcome: local food. In Bethel, a town in southwestern Alaska, farmer Tim Meyers is taking advantage of rising temperatures to grow food in the previously inhospitable tundra. NPR reports: At the 15-acre organic farm, which has been operating for more […]
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Tropical forests account for a third of the total carbon fixed by photosynthesis. Lianas’ increasing abundance may be driven by changing climate, increased disturbance or by more severe seasonal drought. By reducing the ability of tropical forests to accumulate and store carbon released through burning fossil fuels, lianas could cause a positive feedback loop, accelerating climate change. “This study has […]
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Results from a new climate reconstruction of how Antarctica’s ice sheets responded during the last period when atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reached levels like those expected to occur in about 30 years, plus sediment core findings reported in a companion paper, suggest that the ice sheets are more vulnerable to rising atmospheric CO2 than previously thought. Details appear in two […]
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