Oceans

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The world’s oceans hit an average temperature of 20.96°C (69.728°F ) this week, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service. It is the highest average ocean temperature ever recorded, beating a previous record from 2016. So reports Rosie Frost at Euronews. Climate scientists at the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change […]

Climate Crisis

WMO: July to be Hottest month on Record, as World enters era of Global Boiling, Global Burning

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The World Meteorological Association said this weekend as July comes to a close that it will have been the hottest month in recorded history. Its first three weeks were certainly the hottest on record. It likely will have been the hottest month in 120,000 years. Modern homo sapiens as a […]

Climate Crisis

Climate Change has landed Florida in Hot Water, with Worse to Come if we Keep Burning Fossil Fuels

Florida Phoenix

Craig Pittman ( Florida Phoenix) – As a collector of clever Florida signs, I could not decide which one was a better commentary. One, circulated by WINK-TV, showed a sidewalk chalkboard announcement: “The heat index is between OMG and WTF.” The other, on a sign outside the Red Barn Bar in Sarasota, made the […]

Climate Crisis

Corals are starting to Bleach as Global Ocean Temperatures hit Record Highs

The Conversation

By Ian Enochs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | – The water off South Florida is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) in mid-July, and scientists are already seeing signs of coral bleaching off Central and South America. Particularly concerning is how early in the summer we are seeing these high ocean temperatures. If the […]

Antarctica

Fractured Foundations: how Antarctica’s ‘landfast’ Ice is Dwindling and why that’s bad News

The Conversation

By Alexander Fraser, University of Tasmania; Christine Weldrick, University of Tasmania; Laura Dalman, University of Tasmania; Matthew Corkill, University of Tasmania and Pat Wongpan, University of Tasmania | – There’s more to Antarctic ice than meets the eye. Sea ice is not a uniform crust overlying the salty Southern Ocean. Our new research is the […]

Climate Crisis

Hurricanes push heat deeper into the Ocean than Scientists realized, boosting long-term Ocean Warming

The Conversation

By Noel Gutiérrez Brizuela, University of California, San Diego and Sally Warner, Brandeis University | – (The Conversation) – When a hurricane hits land, the destruction can be visible for years or even decades. Less obvious, but also powerful, is the effect hurricanes have on the oceans. In a new study, we show through real-time […]

Acidification of Oceans

Oceans absorb 30% of our CO2 Emissions; Phytoplankton are Central to its Climate Impacts

The Conversation

By Tyler Rohr, University of Tasmania; Anthony Richardson, The University of Queensland; and Elizabeth Shadwick, CSIRO | – The ocean holds 60 times more carbon than the atmosphere and absorbs almost 30% of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from human activities. This means the ocean is key to understanding the global carbon cycle and thus our […]

CO2

Carbon Dioxide in our Atmosphere hits High not seen for Millions of Years, threatening Accelerated Global Heating

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced Monday that parts per million of carbon dioxide in our planet’s atmosphere averaged 424 ppm in the month of May, reaching a level not seen for millions of years. In May 2022 it was only 421 ppm so this is a tremendous […]

Climate Crisis

Rapid Heating of Oceans Frightens Scientists: Threatens Marine Life, Coastal Areas

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The oceans are hot. They are hot in a way that surprises and distresses climate scientists, Everyone knew they would heat up because of the climate emergency. But no one thought it would happen this fast and with this intensity. Moreover, some of the side effects we are seeing, like […]