climate change

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Heat, Drought Savaging US Infrastructure

Roads crack, nuclear plants shut down as weather grows extreme

(Newser) - Farming isn't the only thing being devastated by the country's ongoing drought—much of the US' infrastructure is getting pounded, too, as the record-setting heat takes its toll on concrete, steel, and pavement, reports the New York Times . In Washington, DC, 100-degree temperatures caused a subway to...

To Fight Climate Change, Dump Iron in Water?

Old theory gains traction following experiments

(Newser) - Algae growing around Antarctica is short on iron. For decades, scientists have theorized that iron dumped in the oceans there could help fertilize the algae—and that algae could in turn absorb carbon dioxide, thus battling global warming. While tests have shown that iron can, in fact, fuel algae blooms,...

Mammoth Iceberg Splits From Greenland Glacier

Changes to glacier 'disturbing,' say alarmed scientists

(Newser) - A colossal iceberg twice the size of Manhattan has broken away from the end of Greenland's Petermann glacier. Another, even bigger, iceberg broke from the northerly glacier in 2010 , and scientists had been keeping an eye on a crack near the glacier's tip for years, reports AP . "...

US Had Hottest 12 Months Ever
 US Had Hottest 12 Months Ever 
Jul 9, 2012 2:38 PM CDT

US Had Hottest 12 Months Ever

And the hottest first half of a year ever

(Newser) - If you're still reeling from this weekend's heat wave, this is going to sound especially credible: The US just completed its hottest 12-month stretch ever recorded, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today. That's in part thanks to a warmer-than-average June, which saw 170 all-time high...

Heed These Wildfires, Climate Change Skeptics

Things are only going to get worse unless we change ways: Essayist

(Newser) - Political scientist Mark Lubell has been trying to convince his nuclear engineer dad of the dangers of global warming for years now, and he just got a big helper in the form of Colorado's Waldo Canyon wildfire. Lubell's parents were among those who had to evacuate, he writes...

Climate Change Caused Wildfires
 Climate Change 
 Caused Wildfires 
scientists say
Jul 2, 2012 6:33 PM CDT

Climate Change Caused Wildfires

Warmer temperatures leave states susceptible to record fires

(Newser) - Officially, lightning and suspected arson caused Colorado's record wildfires—but scientists say the real culprit is climate change. The science is simple: Warmer temperatures diminish winter snow and kill off spring rain, leaving state land a parched tinder box ready to go up in flames. And Colorado is not...

Sea Levels Rising Way Faster Than We Thought

National Research Council revamps earlier estimates

(Newser) - Living near a coastline? Sea levels are expected to rise by up to 55 inches worldwide over the next century, according to a study that radically reinterprets the results of climate change. The US National Research Council study, released yesterday, concludes that sea levels will increase 20 to 55 inches...

Rhode Island Heating Up Faster Than the Rest of US
Rhode Island Heating Up Faster Than the Rest of US
study says
Jun 17, 2012 6:54 AM CDT

Rhode Island Heating Up Faster Than the Rest of US

Scientists determine fastest-warming states

(Newser) - Live in Rhode Island? Then you may be getting hotter by the second. Climate Central scientists calculated the average daily high and low temperatures for each state in the continental US in order to determine which ones may be more affected by climate change, and Rhode Island took top honors...

Virginia Lawmaker: 'Sea Level Rise' Is 'Left-Wing Term'

GOP Del. Chris Stolle gets 'liberal' terms excised from study

(Newser) - Virginia lawmakers will study the dangers of sea level rise provided one phrase is never uttered: "sea level rise." Republican state lawmakers agreed to commission a study on the phenomenon as long as "left-wing" terms like "sea level rise" and "climate change" were removed. Democrats,...

US Has Hottest Spring Ever
 US Has Hottest Spring Ever 
Jun 8, 2012 6:05 AM CDT

US Has Hottest Spring Ever

It was 5 degrees above average

(Newser) - It's been the hottest spring ever in the contiguous US—by far: The months of March, April, and May clocked in at two degrees warmer than the previous record. With an average temperature of 57.1 degrees, it was five degrees hotter than the average spring. At 64.3...

Carbon Dioxide Levels Pass 'Depressing' Milestone

Levels of gas in Arctic hit level not seen for 800K years

(Newser) - In a development climate scientists are calling "depressing" and "troubling"—but not the least bit surprising—the level of the main global warming pollutant has passed a new milestone. Monitoring stations all over the Arctic are measuring more than 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in...

New Environmental Worry: Ancient Gas

Researchers now able to distinguish new, old sources of methane

(Newser) - There are huge quantities of methane locked in ice sheets around the world, threatening to speed up climate change as they get released in melting ice. But determining which methane is the ancient kind and which is much younger and hails from, say, plant life that has decayed in lakes...

Peru: Climate Change Behind Dead Animals?

Dead dolphins, birds could have been affected by warming waters

(Newser) - Peru may finally have an answer for the 5,000 birds and nearly 900 dolphins that have died on its northern coast: climate change. As waters warm, food supply is disrupted, says the country’s deputy environment minister. A weather expert also confirms warmer waters due to El Niño...

Last 12-Month Stretch Warmest on Record

NOAA: US temperatures were highest in the 117 years on record

(Newser) - It's getting hot out there. The 12-month period from May 2011 to April 2012 was the warmest since records began in 1895, according to the NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. The year-long stretch was 0.1°F warmer than the previous record-setter, November 1999-October 2000, and was 2....

Culprit in Prehistoric Climate Change: Dinosaur Farts

Dino flatulence could be to blame, says new study

(Newser) - Dinosaurs may have their own flatulence to thank for the warm climate—about 18 degrees hotter—when they roamed the Earth back 150 million years or so ago. During the Mesozoic era, the creatures likely generated 520 million metric tons of methane every year, researchers find. That's not too...

Billboard Equates Climate Believers to Crazy Killers

Heartland Institute ends ad campaign 'experiment'

(Newser) - A conservative think tank has pulled a controversial billboard that compared those who believe in global warming to deranged killers. The Heartland Institute was taking heavy flak for the digital sign in Chicago that featured a photo of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski and the question, "I still believe in Global...

Influential Climate Change Scientist: I Was an 'Alarmist'

James Lovelock says global warming isn't happening as quickly as he thought

(Newser) - James Lovelock, a favorite of environmentalists ever since he originated the "Gaia" theory that views the planet as a single organism, admits today that he may have overreacted a bit when it comes to climate change. In recent years, Lovelock hypothesized that billions of us would die within the...

First 3 Months of Year Obliterate US Heat Records

 2012 Obliterating 
 US Heat Records 
in case you missed it
Apr 14, 2012 11:51 AM CDT

2012 Obliterating US Heat Records

March, in particular, was unseasonably warm

(Newser) - If you found yourself thinking last month, "Wow, it's awfully hot for March," you weren't wrong. Temperatures were 8.6 degrees higher than normal last month in the contiguous US, and 6 degrees above average for January, February, and March, the AP reports. According to the...

Climate Change Solution: Rebuild Human Beings

Bioengineering can make us smaller, smarter, and intolerant to red meat

(Newser) - Frustrated by the lack of progress in fighting climate change? Researchers suggest we should consider re-engineering human beings rather than trying to reverse climate change directly, LiveScience reports. "We might not be entirely serious that people should be doing this," says Anders Sandberg, an author of a study...

Weapon of the Future: Water

 Weapon of the Future: Water 
in case you missed it
Mar 25, 2012 6:11 PM CDT

Weapon of the Future: Water

US intelligence fears 'water-based state conflict' in not-so-distant future

(Newser) - Soon, the precious commodity that starts wars may not be oil: It'll be water. Thanks to fresh-water shortages, droughts, and floods, US intelligence thinks it's increasingly likely that water could be "used as a weapon" in war, with one state denying water to another, according to a...

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