Climate
Early Earth may have been prone to deep freezes
December 5, 2011 8:55 am | News | CommentsTwo University of Colorado Boulder researchers who have adapted a 3D, general circulation model of Earth's climate to a time some 2.8 billion years ago when the sun was significantly fainter than present think the planet may have been more prone to catastrophic glaciation than previously believed.
Earth’s oxygen followed long and bumpy path to stability
December 5, 2011 5:39 am | News | CommentsAfter a obtaining a series of cores deep in the wilds of Russia, researchers have concluded that the appearance of oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere probably did not occur as a single event, but as a long series of starts and stops. The finding refutes previous theories on the appearance of this gas in our atmosphere.
Report: geoengineering could save or destroy Earth
December 2, 2011 11:41 am | News | CommentsA report released late Thursday in London and discussed Friday at the U.N. climate conference in South Africa said that—in theory—reflecting a small amount of sunlight back into space before it strikes the Earth's surface would have an immediate and dramatic effect. But no one knows what the side effects would be.
Thawing permafrost vents gases to worsen warming
December 1, 2011 4:53 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsScientists are now warning that 45 billion metric tons of carbon from methane and carbon dioxide trapped below thawing permafrost will likely seep into the air over the next several decades. The trend, they say, will accelerate and amplify global warming.
Digital microscope to impact climate research
December 1, 2011 4:03 am | News | CommentsA new, intelligent digital microscope developed at Massey University is set to positively impact climate research. Palynologists around the world are now testing the microscope, called the Classifynder, in studying pollen and other organic microfossils.
Climate sensitivity to carbon dioxide more limited than extreme projections
November 29, 2011 3:43 am | News | CommentsA new study suggests that the rate of global warming from doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide may be less than the most dire estimates of some previous studies—and, in fact, may be less severe than projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report in 2007.
UN: Concentrations of greenhouse gases hit record
November 22, 2011 5:30 am | News | CommentsCarbon dioxide levels for 2010 have recently been release by the World Meteorological Organization. They show that CO 2 levels are now at 389 parts per million, up from about 280 parts per million 250 years ago. Also, levels are up 2.3 parts per million from 2009.
Science panel: Get ready for extreme weather
November 21, 2011 3:46 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsAfter meeting in Uganda, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report on global warming and extreme weather. It predicts that heat waves that are now once-in-a-generation events will become hotter and happen once every five years mid-century. Other extreme weather events including storms and floods, it says, will become more frequent and more pronounced.
Biggest mass extinction in history gets worse
November 17, 2011 10:40 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsAbout 252 million years ago, a wave of cataclysmic vulcanism commenced the Great Dying, which wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth. A new study based on a digs in China has greatly shortened the period of death to less than 100,000 years, and revealed details on how much the climate changed during that period.
Separating signal and noise in climate warming
November 17, 2011 9:21 am | News | CommentsIn order to separate human-caused global warming from the "noise" of purely natural climate fluctuations, temperature records must be at least 17 years long, according to climate scientists. To address criticism of the reliability of thermometer records of surface warming, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists analyzed satellite measurements of the temperature of the lower troposphere and saw a clear signal of human-induced warming of the planet.
Scientists tackle the carbon conundrum
November 16, 2011 8:40 am | News | CommentsU.S. scientists have developed a new, integrated, ten-year science plan to better understand the details of Earth's carbon cycle and people's role in it. Understanding the carbon cycle is central for mitigating climate change and developing a sustainable future.
Study rethinks the ocean's role in Pacific climate
November 15, 2011 5:37 am | News | CommentsUniversity of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science researchers have climate scientists rethinking a commonly held theory about the ocean's role in the global climate system. The new findings can aid scientists in better understanding and predicting changes in the Pacific climate and its impacts around the globe.
Ancient midges offer clues to climate variability 10,000 years ago
November 14, 2011 10:24 am | News | CommentsAn analysis of the remains of ancient midges—tiny non-biting insects closely related to mosquitoes—opens a new window on the past with a detailed view of the surprising regional variability that accompanied climate warming during the early Holocene epoch, 10,000 to 5,500 years ago.
Team to drill Pine Island Glacier for answers on melting ice
November 11, 2011 9:18 am | News | CommentsAt one the most remote and inaccessible coastal locations in Antarctica, researchers trying to determine the shape of the cavity beneath the Pine Island Glacier, which has begun flowing faster. They hope to find the pattern of warmer ocean currents that possibly causing the change in flow rate.
Methane may be answer to 56-million-year question
November 8, 2011 7:28 am | News | CommentsThe release of massive amounts of carbon from methane hydrate frozen under the seafloor 56 million years ago has been linked to the greatest change in global climate since a dinosaur-killing asteroid presumably hit Earth 9 million years earlier. New calculations by researchers at Rice University show that this long-controversial scenario is quite possible.
Report: Plants, animals must be quick to pace climate change
November 7, 2011 11:50 am | News | CommentsOne if by land, two if by sea? According to a recent study on climate change “escape routes”, plant and animal populations on both land and in the oceans would need to move at about the same pace to adapt to changing environmental conditions.
Biggest jump ever seen in global warming gases
November 3, 2011 11:53 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsThe world pumped about 564 million more tons of carbon into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009. This represents an increase of 6%, and is more carbon emissions than the worst scenario figures offered by climatologists four years ago.
Study of clays suggests watery Martian underground
November 3, 2011 6:29 am | News | CommentsA new NASA study suggests if life ever existed on Mars, the longest lasting habitats were most likely below the Red Planet's surface. Spectral evidence gathered by orbiters support a new hypothesis that persistent warm water was confined to the subsurface, and erosional were carved during brief periods when the surface supported stable water.
Panel says wild weather worsens
November 1, 2011 5:26 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsA climate report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won’t be released for a few weeks, but a draft of the report from a panel of the world's top climate scientists paints a wild future for a world already weary of weather catastrophes costing billions of dollars.
Forests not keeping pace with climate change
October 31, 2011 11:35 am | News | CommentsMore than half of eastern U.S. tree species examined in a massive new Duke University-led study aren't adapting to climate change as quickly or consistently as predicted.
Skeptic finds he now agrees global warming is real
October 31, 2011 6:33 am | by Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsMotivated by “Climategate”, scientist and global warming skeptic Richard Muller spent two years finding out if mainstream climate scientists were wrong. Though partially bankrolled by global warming deniers, he determined that temperatures really are rising rapidly.
Advanced Earth observer achieves orbit
October 28, 2011 7:44 am | News | CommentsAfter a years-long delay, NASA’s newest climate satellite blasted into space early Friday on a dual mission to improve weather forecasts and monitor climate change. Five scientific instruments will extend more than 30 key long-term NASA datasets, including ozone layer measurements, land cover, and ice cover.
Prehistoric greenhouse data from ocean floor could predict Earth's future
October 27, 2011 9:48 am | News | CommentsNew research from the University of Missouri indicates that Atlantic Ocean temperatures during the greenhouse climate of the Late Cretaceous Epoch were influenced by circulation in the deep ocean. These changes in circulation patterns 70 million years ago could help scientists understand the consequences of modern increases in greenhouse gases.
Tool clears the air on cloud simulations
October 26, 2011 6:12 am | News | CommentsClimate models have a hard time representing clouds accurately because they lack the spatial resolution necessary to accurately simulate the billowy air masses. But Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and international collaborators have developed a new tool that will help scientists better represent the clouds observed in the sky in climate models.
Survey finds public support for geoengineering research
October 24, 2011 11:54 am | News | CommentsThe first international survey by a peer-reviewed journal on the public perception of geoengineering and solar radiation management has found that 72% of respondents approved research into these climate-manipulating techniques.
