A huge pool of fresh water in the Arctic Ocean is expanding and could lower the temperature of Europe by causing an ocean current to slow down, British scientists said Sunday. Using satellites to measure sea surface height from 1995 to 2010, scientists from University College London and Britain’s National Oceanography Center found that the [...]
Grey Whale reaches Spain through ice-free Arctic
The wandering grey whale that bewildered scientists after appearing off the coast of Israel last ...
Shrub takeover a sign of arctic change
In the 2011 Arctic Report Card, scientists concluded that the Arctic environment has undergone a fundamental shift in conditions, and that the Arctic of recent years—warmer, greener, less icy—is likely to be the new normal for the Far North. One sign of the ongoing transformation of the Arctic is the spread of shrubs across the [...]
Hurricane force winds, dry conditions drive wildfire in Reno
Firefighters worked early Friday to hold the line on a fast-moving brush fire that tore through the Reno area, destroying more than 20 homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee. The raging wildfire was pushed by high winds Thursday and raced across a tinder-dry landscape south of Reno, destroying homes and other buildings as [...]
Historic snowfall smashes records in Seattle
A historic snow and ice storm paralyzed Seattle on Thursday, shutting the airport and schools, causing car crashes, downing trees and cutting power to at least 90,000 households as blown-out transformers lit up the skies. The National Weather Service declared an ice storm warning early on Thursday through noon local time for eight western Washington [...]
2011 a record year for wet/dry extremes in the U.S.
The combined percent area of the country experiencing either extremely-wet or extremely-dry conditions during 2011 was record high at 58 percent.
2011 the warmest La Niña year on record
When compared to previous La Niña years, the 2011 global surface temperature was the warmest observed during such a year.
NOAA: January tornado outbreak most prolific ever
In Louisville KY, yesterday was most prolific January tornado outbreak ever recorded. https://twitter.com/#!/JustinNOAA
Lowest early January snow levels ever in Sierra Nevada
As 2012 begins a possible drought is looming over California and, again, the Southwest. Snow depth in the Sierra Nevada is at its lowest on record for this time of year early January and no precipitation is in sight for the next two weeks.
First-ever hybrid shark signals adaptation to climate change
Scientists said on Tuesday that they had discovered the world’s first hybrid sharks in Australian waters, a potential sign the predators were adapting to cope with climate change. The mating of the local Australian black-tip shark with its global counterpart, the common black-tip, was an unprecedented discovery with implications for the entire shark world, said [...]
