Study says ice sheets can crumble quickly

Slight ocean warming enough to tip the system Staff Report Just small increases in ocean temperatures during past geological epochs may have been enough to tip Northern Hemisphere ice sheets toward disintegration, even as air temperatures remained cold. That could spell trouble in the current era of climate warming, according to a new study led

Signs of serious global warming impacts piled up in 2016

There wasn’t any relief from a wave of worrisome global warming news in the spring of 2016, including a study from Harvard showing how rising temperatures will send ozone levels surging to dangerous highs across parts of the U.S. “In the coming decades, global climate change will likely cause more heat waves during the summer,

October ends up as 3d-warmest for Earth

Year-to-date still on record-breaking pace Staff Report The average global temperature for October 2016 was 1.31 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, putting the month in a tie with 2003 for the third-warmest October on record. Including 2016, the past three Octobers have been the three warmest in the historical record, but with the

Abrupt climate change linked with ocean current shutdown

‘Rollercoaster’ temps prevailed as iceberg flotillas invaded North Atlantic Staff Report By studying chemical tracers in seafloor sediments, scientists have been able to show that periods of abrupt climate change during the last ice age are somehow linked with dramatic changes in key ocean currents, especially the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, which carries heat from

Sunday set: Changing world

Global warming will irrevocably alter the face of the Earth The more I report on climate change and the environment, the more I learn to cherish the landscapes that I see, because it’s really starting to sink in that humankind, during this Anthropocene Age, is fundamentally changing Earth’s ecosystems, altering the climate and impacting the

Greenland ice sheet meltdown not affecting Gulf Stream – yet

New study says impacts expected to show up in 20-30 years Staff Report Ocean researchers tracking currents in the North Atlantic say that, so far, the massive amounts of freshwater, pouring off the melting Greenland Ice Sheet haven’t yet had a major effect on the Gulf Stream. That influx of fresh water has increased by

13 consecutive months of record-high temps for Earth

No relief from global warming streak Staff Report The planet’s global warming streak continued in May, which marked the 13th month in a row that the average temperature over land and sea surfaces reached a new monthly record. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it’s the longest such streak since record-keeping started in

Connecting the climate change dots

Pole to pole and across the world’s oceans and mountains, climate change impacts are adding up By Bob Berwyn For any Summit Voice readers not following my Twitter or Facebook feeds, here’s a list of links to my recent stories for InsideClimate News. Of greatest interest here in the West is a new University of

More evidence that melting Arctic ice drives widespread changes in northern hemisphere weather patterns

‘Blocking highs’ becoming more common over Greenland Staff Report Just a few weeks after scientists reported record early melting on parts of the Greenland Ice Sheet, a new study helps explain some of the recent dramatic climate shifts in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. Stationary high pressure systems over Greenland have become more

Arctic sea ice maxes out at record low extent

‘The Arctic is in crisis’ Staff Report After a winter that saw average temperatures across most of the Arctic hover between 4 to 11 degrees Fahrenheit above average, sea ice in the region peaked at a record low extent for the second year in a row. “I’ve never seen such a warm, crazy winter in