On the morning of September 5, a loosely swirling system of thunderstorms formed off the western coast of Africa. By September 6, the system had become a Category 1 storm, with maximum…
Category: Climate
Some leaves in tropical forests may be getting too hot for photosynthesis
Like people, leaves have their limits when it comes to heat. Scientists first reported in 1864 that the leaves of some plants could survive up to 50° Celsius, only to perish beyond…
How one device could help transform our power grid
From Colorado to Washington, from Ohio to Pennsylvania, coal-fired power plants are shutting down. The United States is on track to retire half of its capacity to generate electricity from coal by…
Antarctic sea ice has been hitting record lows for most of this year
Something strange is happening to the Antarctic’s sea ice. The areal expanse of floating ice fringing the continent is not only at a record low for this time of year — surpassing…
Emperor penguins lost thousands of chicks to melting ice last year
Thousands of emperor penguins in western Antarctica lost their chicks last year, largely due to receding sea ice, satellite data suggest. Over the last two years, sea ice has reached record lows…
Arctic sea ice may melt faster in coming years due to shifting winds
A flip-flopping, yearslong pattern of winds helps control the fate of the Arctic’s sea ice — by regulating how much of the Atlantic Ocean’s relatively warm, salty water sneaks northward into the…
Nature’s changing colors makes climate change visible
Nature’s changing colors makes climate change visible
Extreme ocean heat off Florida has ebbed. But for marine life, the danger remains
In late July, a fierce ocean heat wave ratcheted up temperatures in Florida’s coastal waters to unprecedented highs. One buoy bobbing in shallow, turbid Manatee Bay logged a measurement of 38.3˚ Celsius…
Extreme heat taxes the body in many ways. Here’s how
July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded. It could even be the hottest month in human history. And it’s just one in a chain of broken heat records (SN: 7/13/23). A…
July 2023 nailed an unfortunate world record: hottest month ever recorded
Most humans felt the scorching touch of climate change in July. July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded, and climate change made the elevated temperatures across 51 percent of Earth’s land…