Ice that floats on far-north oceans has been dwindling the last few years. Scientists have described the shrinking of this solar reflector — once bigger than Russia and now taking up less space than Australia — as a breakdown of the world’s refrigerator. But a group of researchers have found a sliver of good news […]
The United States officially withdrew from the Paris Agreement Wednesday, the first country to leave the global climate change pact as it awaits final results of a close presidential election. The action comes three years after President Donald Trump said he would pull out of the accord that is intended to fight climate change. […]
A new study provides essential information to conserve an endangered species and supports subsistence communities own observations. For the first time, scientists have direct evidence that killer whales are preying on bowhead whales in the U.S. Pacific Arctic. A dramatic loss of sea ice in recent years may be leaving bowheads more vulnerable to […]
“We are headed towards a seasonally ice-free Arctic Ocean, and this year is another nail in the coffin.” Arctic sea ice shrank to the second-lowest extent since records began over four decades ago, federal scientists said Monday, prompting renewed warnings about the climate crisis. The minimum ice cover for 2020 was likely reached on […]
Calmer winds and rising humidity helped firefighters battle more than 100 wildfires Saturday that continued to rage largely uncontrolled along the U.S. West Coast from California to Washington state and beyond, incinerating entire towns and killing at least 24 people. Authorities were concerned, however, that the receding flames could lead to the discovery of […]
Oil, Gas Leasing Would Cause Irreparable Harm to Wildlife, Tundra, Climate ANCHORAGE, Alaska— Environmental groups filed a lawsuit in federal court today challenging the Trump administration’s decision to allow oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Bureau of Land Management’s plan for drilling in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic […]
New research explores how lower-latitude oceans drive complex changes in the Arctic Ocean, pushing the region into a new reality distinct from the 20th-century norm. The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Finnish Meteorological Institute led the international effort, which included researchers from six countries. The first of several related papers was published this month […]
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation and North Pacific Gyre Oscillation are not as effective at helping us predict regional environmental and ecological change as in the past. A new study shows that two important indicators for understanding and predicting the effects of climate variability on eastern North Pacific marine ecosystems are less reliable than they were historically. […]
The Arctic has experienced the warming effects of global climate change faster than any other region on the planet. Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have developed a new theory aided by computer simulations and observations that helps explain why this occurs. A team led by Scripps researcher Emma Beer observed the changes taking place […]