Author: Chris Mooney
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The crack in this Antarctic ice shelf just grew by 11 miles. A dramatic break could be imminent
An enormous rift in one of Antarctica’s largest ice shelves grew dramatically over the past month, and a chunk nearly the size of Delaware could break away as soon as later this winter, British scientists reported this week. If this happens, it could accelerate a further breakup of the ice shelf, essentially removing a massive…
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The Arctic is showing stunning winter warmth, and these scientists think they know why
Last month, temperatures in the high Arctic spiked dramatically, some 36 degrees Fahrenheit above normal — a move that corresponded with record low levels of Arctic sea ice during a time of year when this ice is supposed to be expanding during the freezing polar night. And now this week, as you can see above,…
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Trump names Scott Pruitt, Oklahoma attorney general suing EPA on climate change, to head the EPA
In a move signaling an intention to dismantle President Obama’s climate change and environmental legacy, President-elect Trump will nominate Scott Pruitt, the attorney general of the oil and gas intensive state of Oklahoma, to head the Environmental Protection Agency. Pruitt has spent much of his energy as attorney general fighting against the agency he will…
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The North Pole is an insane 36 degrees warmer than normal as winter descends
Political people in the United States are watching the chaos in Washington in the moment. But some people in the science community are watching the chaos somewhere else — the Arctic. It’s polar night there now — the sun isn’t rising in much of the Arctic. That’s when the Arctic is supposed to get super-cold,…
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Scientists are racing to study Antarctica’s most threatened glacier – before it melts away
U.S. and British science agencies Thursday announced a multi-million dollar research mission to study an enormous and remote Antarctic glacier that is already showing accelerating ice loss and could trigger a major rise in sea levels before the end of the century. The move reflects the growing sense of urgency around the world about understanding…
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Why turning our clocks back Sunday makes no sense
Back in 1784, hanging out in Paris and heady with Enlightenment, Benjamin Franklin had an idea. Struck by the fact that Parisians were sleeping during sunlight hours and then staying up late at night by candlelight, he calculated the number of candles that were being wasted — and came up with a very impressive number, 64 million pounds worth…