Climate Change Archive

  • A polar bear on Arctic sea ice. Photo from NASA Earth Observatory.

    Methane: It’s Not Just for Jupiter Any More

    Posted on May 15, 2012 | No Comments
      By Jason Klein The molecule methane (CH4) can be found on many planets in our solar system, including Earth. Its presence is essential for life as we know it, and can be found in the guts of cattle and termites. Methane is also a...

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  • Correlation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, seawater, and seawater pH (acidity). Graphic reproduced from Mathaba.

    Ocean acidification

    Posted on May 13, 2012 | No Comments
    By Gavin Roy, MS candidate. When thinking about climate change, one’s mind often turns to smokestacks, smoggy skies, and the image of mirages on a hot, hazy day. Less considered is what has been called global warming’s “evil twin”: the acidification and warming of the...

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  • Photo from NASA

    Part 8: Climate modeling

    Posted on May 10, 2012 | No Comments
    By Luisa Cristini, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa. [Note from the editor: This is the eighth in a series of blog entries that will focus on introductory topics in climate dynamics and modeling, and will be a great insight into the current understanding of...

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  • A scientist from the University of Arizona boring a tree ring sample.

    Tree Rings: A Type of Weather Data

    Posted on May 8, 2012 | No Comments
    By Penny Paugh Trees grow on every continent except Antarctica, and the rings they contain embody a record of climate change going back thousands of years.  Each ring represents a single year’s growth, so not only can a ring count tell us how old a...

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  • Deer graze near a flooded oil derrick in a field in Louisiana. Image reproduced from AP.

    The Economic Impact of Extreme Weather in the US

    Posted on May 4, 2012 | No Comments
    A team of social scientists and economists from Colorado and California recently completed a study on the United States economy’s sensitivity to weather variability: extreme heat, extreme cold, droughts, and floods. This study marked the first time that US economic susceptibility to extreme weather had...

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  • A twilit Antarctic landscape. Reproduced from BAS.

    The UK Cuts Antarctic Research

    Posted on May 2, 2012 | No Comments
    By Penny Paugh The British polar research community is at risk. The UK government plans massive cuts, more than 25 percent, to the budget of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The cuts are ordered as a means to reduce the UK’s national deficit. BAS is...

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  • Homepage of the Charles Darwin Foundation: www.DarwinFoundation.org

    Galápagos: A Living Ecological Lab

    Posted on April 27, 2012 | No Comments
    By Penny Paugh The Galápagos Islands off the western coast of South America are renowned as an evolutionary and ecological living laboratory. These Pacific islands can serve as a barometer to gauge how climate and ecosystems interact, and provide a unique window into the relationship...

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  • Map of Rwanda. Image reproduced from HistorySpeaks.org.uk

    Rwandan Drought; Ongoing Climate Concerns

    Posted on April 25, 2012 | No Comments
    by Aura Lawson La Niña has persisted longer than expected this year, and with it comes agricultural uncertainty for many countries across the globe. Rwanda is no exception. Anthony Twahirwa, head of Rwanda’s Meteorological Center, explains that their forecasting agency expected decreased rainfall as a...

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  • CO2 by energy-dz dot come

    Part 7: Earth’s Carbon Cycle

    Posted on April 20, 2012 | No Comments
    Luisa Cristini, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa [Note from the editor: This is the seventh in a series of blog entries that will focus on introductory topics in climate dynamics and modeling, and will be a great insight into the current understanding of the...

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  • NASA close-up image of a solar flare (false color).

    Recent Solar Storm Floods Earth’s Upper Atmosphere

    Posted on April 17, 2012 | No Comments
    By Pennell Paugh Though the Earth is constantly bombarded by charged particles from the Sun, which emits material in all directions in a process known as the solar wind, sometimes the Sun ramps up magnetic activity on its surface, triggering huge flares of insidious plasma....

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