We will likely see one of the lowest extents as the ice melt quickens. NASA: As we head toward September, the Arctic is approaching its annual minimum sea ice extent (i.e., the total area covered by at least 15 percent of ice). While it appears 2014 will neither match nor surpass the 2012 record low,…
The preliminary results from scientists studying the mysterious holes (craters), that began emerging in recent times in Siberia, indicate that climate change may be a cause. The Russian crater research team led by Alexei Plekhanov of the Scientific Centre of Arctic Studies, explained a possible mechanism, in a Nature interview. The past two summers were…
Recently a mysterious Siberian crater has been discovered, which subsequently raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the crater formation. Theories include Pingo formation and connections to the thawing of permafrost (ClimateState reported). Robert Scribbler, summed it up: One theory on the feature is that it might be a pingo — a melting of a permafrost water pocket…
Introduction to Methane Hydrate “Methane Hydrates and Contemporary Climate Change” (2011) IDENTIFICATION This post “A Mechanism for Shallow Methane Hydrate Dissociation”, explores possible mechanism which could release vast quantities of shallow Methane Hydrate into the ocean and atmosphere. CH4 Release The following studies explore the release of CH4 emissions in the Arctic region. OBSERVATION…
NOAA: The most common metric for tracking changes in Arctic sea ice over time is sea ice extent. Extent approximates the sea ice you would see from a bird’s-eye view, and it has been declining at a rate of more than 14 percent per decade since satellite measurements began in 1979. If you were to…
Update: As pointed out by one of the authors, Rhiannon Mondav, the microbe is not considered an entire new discovery. (See comment below). Phys.org explains: Scientists from The University of Queensland have discovered a microbe that is set to play a significant role in future global warming. UQ’s Australian Centre for Ecogenomics researcher Ben Woodcroft said…
By Robert Scribbler: While the British Isles suffered a 60 day string of hurricane-force storms delivering the worst rain and wind events since 1766, while the Eastern US suffered numerous and crippling severe storm events, and while California flirted with a 500 year drought before succumbing to a deluge of 11 inch in one day…
It’s that time of year, the perennial “It’s snowing so it can’t be warming” season – or, as scientists call it, “winter”. Depends on where you’re standing, actually — I stood on a frozen lake with Dr. Jeff Masters to discuss the current planetary changes, but at the same time, in Alaska, historic warm temperatures…
Published January 2014: The chilling weather phenomenon that hit much of the U.S. in January is explained by scientist Eric Fetzer using data from NASA’s AIRS instrument.