Thawing Permafrost Could Release Vast Carbon Deposits, Diseases

by Science World Report | January 8, 2014 | Release URL Dr Guido Grosse has been studying the Arctic for fourteen years to find out how the frozen ground, known as the permafrost, is reacting to an environment that is getting hotter all the time. The samples he has drilled out – in regions so…

White House: The Polar Vortex Explained in 2 Minutes

by Becky Fried | January 08, 2014  | Release URL Here at the White House, while we’re beginning to thaw from this week’s bone-chilling deep freeze, our discussions about the science of weather extremes are heating up. We know that no single weather episode proves or disproves climate change. Climate refers to the patterns observed in…

Melting Point Greenland – 2012 Documentary

2013 National Headliners Award First Prize Environmental Reporting HD 42 mins In the summer of 2012, one of the most vital ecosystems on earth, the Greenland ice sheet, experienced a meltdown that alarmed scientists the world over. Greenland is an island encased in ice and it’s the world’s second largest ice sheet after Antarctica. That…

The Science of the Polar Vortex and Jet Stream

At least since around 2001 we have study papers connecting the polar vortex / jet stream behavior to anomalies, such as cold weather outbreaks or precipitation changes. The polar vortex phenomenon was described as early as 1853. In recent years studies linked changes in the cryosphere to the polar vortex. Feel free to suggest further study papers in the comments.…

Polar Vortex, Jet Stream and Climate Change

Current coverage of polar vortex intrusion. ‘Polar vortex’ could send wind chill to 65 below zero in Midwest More realtime coverage Carson Walker: Temperature records will likely be broken during the short, yet forceful deep freeze that will begin in many places on Sunday and extend into early next week. That’s thanks to a perfect…

Antarctica’s ice loss on the rise (December 2013)

Published 11 December 2013 | Release URL (ESA CryoSat) Three years of observations by ESA’s CryoSat satellite show that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing over 150 cubic kilometres of ice each year – considerably more than when last surveyed. The imbalance in West Antarctica continues to be dominated by ice losses from glaciers flowing…