Global Climate Change


Tropical Plankton Invade Arctic Waters

For the first time, scientists have identified tropical and subtropical species of marine protozoa living in the Arctic Ocean.

Rise in Temperatures and CO2 Follow Each Other Closely in Climate Change

The greatest climate change the world has seen in the last 100,000 years was the transition from the ice age to the warm interglacial period.

Polar Bear Evolution Tracked Climate Change, New DNA Study Suggests

A whole-genome analysis suggests that polar bear numbers waxed and waned with climate change, and that the animals may have interbred with brown bears since becoming a distinct species millions of years ago.

GPS Can Now Measure Ice Melt, Change in Greenland Over Months Rather than Years

Researchers have found a way to use GPS to measure short-term changes in the rate of ice loss on Greenland – and reveal a surprising link between the ice and the atmosphere above it.

June Global Temperatures Fourth Highest On Record

According to NOAA scientists, the globally averaged temperature for June 2012 marked the fourth warmest June since record keeping began in 1880.

Scientists Connect Seawater Chemistry With Ancient Climate Change and Evolution

Scientists from the University of Toronto and the University of California Santa Cruz are shedding light on one potential cause of the cooling trend of the past 45 million years that has everything to do with the chemistry of the world's oceans.

Global Warming Harms Lakes: Study

Global warming also affects lakes. Based on the example of Lake Zurich, researchers from the University of Zurich demonstrate that there is insufficient water turnover in the lake during the winter and harmful Burgundy blood algae are increasingly thriving.

Soil Moisture and Hot Days Linked in a Global Study

For the first time scientists at ETH Zurich have examined globally the connection between soil moisture and extreme heat with measured data. Their study shows that precipitation deficits increase the probability of hot days in many regions of the world. The results will help to better assess heat risks.



Wildfire Risk Rising Worldwide, Lloyd's Warns

Citing recent wildfires in Colorado, Texas, Russia, Greece, and Chile and a report from climate scientists at the University of California, Berkeley and Texas Tech University, a top official at Lloyd’s said insurers face new challenges from wildfires in many parts of the world.

Back-to-Back La Niñas Cooled Globe in 2011

Worldwide, 2011 was the coolest year on record since 2008, yet temperatures remained above the 30 year average, according to the 2011 State of the Climate report released online today (July 10, 2012) by NOAA.

Got Milk? Climate Change Means Stressed Cows in Southern U.S. May Have Less

“Cows are happy in parts of Northern California and not in Florida” is a good way to sum up the findings of new research from the University of Washington, said Yoram Bauman, best known as the “stand-up economist.”

Researchers Find Evidence of Genetic Change in Salmon in Response to Warming Climate

Because the gradual increase in temperatures worldwide is still relatively new, researchers have had difficulty in finding examples of genetic changes in organisms that are adapting to the warmer temperatures.

Antarctica at Risk From Human Activities

The continent of Antarctica is at risk from human activities and other forces, and environmental management is needed to protect the planet's last great wilderness area.

Swiss Alps Have Influenced Europe's Climate Since the Miocene

Switzerland's highest peaks in the geologically young central Alps have been this high for quite some time, as a new study shows.

Natural Gas is a Much-Needed Tool to Battle Global Warming: Study

No matter how you drill it, using natural gas as an energy source is a smart move in the battle against global climate change and a good transition step on the road toward low-carbon energy from wind, solar and nuclear power.

Climate Change May Lead to Fewer but More Violent Thunderstorms

Researchers are working to identify exactly how a changing climate will impact specific elements of weather, such as clouds, rainfall, and lightning.

Cooling Trend Calculated for First Time in Northern Europe

An international team that includes scientists from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) has published a reconstruction of the climate in northern Europe over the last 2,000 years based on the information provided by tree-rings.

Corals On Ocean Side of Reef Are Most Susceptible to Recent Warming

Marine scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have linked the decline in growth of Caribbean forereef corals -- due to recent warming -- to long-term trends in seawater temperature experienced by these corals located on the ocean-side of the reef.

Satellite Research Reveals Smaller Volcanoes Could Cool Climate

A University of Saskatchewan-led international research team has discovered that aerosols from relatively small volcanic eruptions can be boosted into the high atmosphere by weather systems such as monsoons, where they can affect global temperatures.

Arctic Warming Linked to Reduced Sea Ice and Global Atmospheric Warming

The combination of melting sea ice and global atmospheric warming are contributing to the high rate of warming in the Arctic, where temperatures are increasing up to four times faster than the global average, a new University of Melbourne study has shown.