Climate Change, features and articles | Educational Science

Jun 30, 2011

Warming Oceans Will Melt Glaciers Quicker than Expected

Ice sheets simmering in warmer ocean waters could melt much quicker than realized. New research is suggesting that as oceans heat up they could erode away the ice sheets much faster than warmer air alone, and this interaction needs to be accounted for in climate change models. Ocean warming is...

Jun 30, 2011

Climate Change Debunked? Not So Fast

New research suggesting that cloud cover, not carbon dioxide, causes global warming is getting buzz in climate skeptic circles. But mainstream climate scientists dismissed the research as unrealistic and politically motivated. It is not newsworthy, Daniel Murphy, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) cloud researcher, wrote in an email...

Mar 31, 2011

Warming Antarctica Linked to Rising Pacific Temperatures

Rising temperatures in the Pacific may be directly contributing to ongoing warming in Antarctica, a new study finds. Heat rising from warm Pacific waters near the equator causes waves of warmth in the atmosphere — a phenomenon called the Rossby wave train, researchers report today (April 10) in the journal...

Mar 31, 2011

Arctic's Icy Coastlines Retreat as Planet Warms

In the high latitudes, climate change projections must take a new factor into account: Ice. In the Arctic, the loss of sea ice is likely to have dramatic repercussions, including greater erosion, which can present problems for the people and economic activity in this region, according to two new reports....

Nov 30, 2012

WATCH LIVE - News on Earthquakes, Mars, Climate Change & More: AGU 2012 Meeting

The annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, the largest meeting for geoscientists each year, will be taking place in San Francisco this week from Dec. 3-7. Thousands of scientists will descend on the Moscone Center to present and hear about the latest findings in their field, be it seismology,...

Nov 30, 2012

The 7 Hottest Climate Change Stories of 2012

Climate Change in 2012 Sea level rise is swamping coasts; Rodanthe in the Outer Banks of North Carolina is pictured. (Image credit: Andrew Kemp, Yale University)This year saw many climate-related stories making headlines. Some were annual rites that have become familiar in recent years, such as the international climate talks,...

Oct 31, 2012

Pandas' Bamboo Food May Be Lost to Climate Change

Though they are one of the most beloved animal species on Earth, pandas aren't safe from the devastating effects of climate change. According to a new study, projected temperature increases in China over the next century will likely seriously hinder bamboo, almost the sole source of food for endangered pandas....

Sep 30, 2012

Economic Decline Not Enough to Reduce Planet-Warming Emissions

Nations hoping to curb global warming face a quandary: Economic growth means more planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions. On the flip side, economic decline means a drop in greenhouse gas emissions as consumers tighten their belts, factories slow down and less money is spent. A new analysis of data from 1960...

Aug 31, 2012

When Will Arctic Ice Completely Disappear?

The Arctic sea ice just hit its lowest extent since measurements began in the 1970s, raising the question of when Arctic summer sea ice will disappear for good. The answer is not yet clear, thanks to the complex variability of the sea ice from year to year. But scientists say...

Jun 30, 2012

9% of Today's Warming Caused By Preindustrial People

Humans started causing climate change long before the Industrial Revolution and the beginning of the fossil fuel era. A new study shows that the echoes of the earliest human-caused carbon emissions are still present in our atmosphere. In fact, preindustrial carbon emissions, caused by deforestation as the world's population grew,...

Jun 30, 2012

Global Warming Shrinking Plant Leaves

Warming temperatures are turning a native Australian shrub into a mini version of itself, revealing the effect climate change is already having on the globe. Researchers from the University of Adelaide examined specimens of narrow-leaf hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa, subspecies angustissima), a woody shrub with papery red seed capsules that were...

Apr 30, 2012

Studying Climate Change's Impact on Organisms and Ecosystems

This ScienceLives article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. You have probably heard about the great scientific and social dilemma called global warming or climate change. The climate has changed many times in the past, but this time it is changing rapidly because of chemicals...

Apr 30, 2012

Lost Photographs Reveal History of Greenland's Glaciers

A set of 80-year-old photographs discovered in a basement archive reveals the remarkable sensitivity of Greenland's glaciers to climate change, according to a new study that one scientist called glaciological research with a splash of Indiana Jones. The research, published online May 27 in the journal Nature Geoscience, reveals a...

Mar 31, 2012

The Acid Test: Armor-Covered Plankton Adapt to Warming World

Tiny armor-covered creatures that float along with the ocean's currents may adapt and survive, if badly, as their watery world warms and becomes more acidic, a new study finds. Even so, the plankton may become flimsier and could turn into more of a french fry than a nutritious snack for...

Feb 29, 2012

How to Fix International Inaction on Climate

Humans have been altering fundamental natural processes on our planet, but the international community has not effectively addressed the mess we've gotten ourselves and the rest of life on this planet into, according to a group of social scientists. They offer seven recommendations — including restructuring within the United Nations...