Global Climate Change


Payoff from Idling Coal Plants Overestimated, Researchers Say

Four researchers from Carnegie Mellon University’s Green Design Institute discuss their more conservative estimates of greenhouse gas emission reductions in two papers this month.

EPA Hosting Black Carbon Symposium Nov. 14

To allow as many people to attend as possible, EPA is holding a satellite event the same day in New York City and also a webinar.

Coral Reef Research Facility Opens in Florida

The new center is the only facility in the country completely dedicated to the ecosystem science of coral reefs.

NIST Identifies 60 Promising Refrigerant Fluids

Using a new computational method, researchers at the Commerce Department agency found these have low global warming potential and boiling points low enough to be used in common refrigeration equipment.

Webinar Explores Health Impacts of Severe Drought

The one-hour webinar on Sept. 18 is part of a series presented by CDC, the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the American Public Health Association.

Study Predicts Trout Extinction in Spain in Less than 100 Years

Trout in the area already face numerous threats, whether it is climate change, pollution, water extraction for irrigation, or overfishing.

Even Deep Oceans Affected by Climate Change

The results of the study concluded that temperature has the biggest influence on traits such as metabolism and growth rate.

NOAA Funds Research on Social Media for Weather Warnings

The awards for four projects by the Office of Weather and Air Quality in the NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research total about $879,000.



How Ocean Currents Affect Global Climate Becoming Better Understood

Florida State University oceanographer Kevin Speer has a "new paradigm" for describing how the world's oceans circulate -- and with it he may help reshape science's understanding of the processes by which wind, water, sunlight and other factors interact and influence the planet's climate.

Link Found Between Cold European Winters and Solar Activity

An international team of researchers show that unusually cold winters in Central Europe are related to low solar activity -- when sunspot numbers are minimal. The freezing of Germany's largest river, the Rhine, is the key.

Past Tropical Climate Change Linked to Ocean Circulation

A new record of past temperature change in the tropical Atlantic Ocean's subsurface provides clues as to why Earth's climate is so sensitive to ocean circulation patterns, according to climate scientists at Texas A&M University.

No-Till Could Help Maintain Crop Yields Despite Climate Change

Reducing tillage for some Central Great Plains crops could help conserve water and reduce losses caused by climate change, according to studies at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Agulhas Current Is Said to Attenuate the Effect of Melting Ice

Some good news in the world of climate research: the Agulhas Current off the coast of South Africa, is said to stimulate North-South ocean circulation in the Atlantic.

Multiple Factors Including Climate Change Led to Collapse and Depopulation of Ancient Maya

A new analysis of complex interactions between humans and the environment preceding the 9th century collapse and abandonment of the Central Maya Lowlands in the Yucatán Peninsula points to a series of events -- some natural, like climate change; some human-made, including large-scale landscape alterations and shifts in trade routes -- that have lessons for contemporary decision-makers and sustainability scientists.

New Climate History Adds to Understanding of Recent Antarctic Peninsula Warming

Results published this week by a team of polar scientists from Britain, Australia and France adds a new dimension to our understanding of Antarctic Peninsula climate change and the likely causes of the break-up of its ice shelves.

Cloud Brightening to Control Global Warming?

Even though it sounds like science fiction, researchers are taking a second look at a controversial idea that uses futuristic ships to shoot salt water high into the sky over the oceans, creating clouds that reflect sunlight and thus counter global warming.

Studies Shed Light On Why Species Stay or Go in Response to Climate Change

Two new studies by scientists at UC Berkeley provide a clearer picture of why some species move in response to climate change, and where they go.

Massachusetts Butterflies Move North as Climate Warms

The authors of a Harvard study published August 19 in Nature Climate Change gathered their data from an unlikely source -- the trip accounts of the Massachusetts Butterfly Club.

Report Card Shows Australia's Oceans Are Changing

The report card provides information about the current and predicted-future state of Australia's marine climate and its impact on our marine biodiversity. The report card also outlines actions that are underway to help our marine ecosystems adapt to climate change.

Researchers Improve Soil Carbon Cycling Models

A new carbon cycling model developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory better accounts for the carbon dioxide-releasing activity of microbes in the ground, improving scientists' understanding of the role soil will play in future climate change.