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Arctic saw 2nd warmest year, smallest winter sea ice coverage on record in 2017
A NOAA-sponsored report shows that the warming trend transforming the Arctic persisted in 2017, resulting in the second warmest air temperatures, above average ocean temperatures, loss of sea ice, and a range of human, ocean and ecosystem effects.Now in its 12th year, the Arctic Report Card, released today at the annual American Geophysical Union fall…
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Climate scientists study the odds of a megadrought
To help untangle fact from speculation, Cornell climate scientists and their colleagues have developed a “robust null hypothesis” to assess the odds of a megadrought – one that lasts more than 30 years – occurring in the western and southwestern United States. The research was published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Climate.
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Marine Turtles Dying After Becoming Entangled in Plastic Rubbish
Hundreds of marine turtles die every year after becoming entangled in rubbish in the oceans and on beaches, including plastic ‘six pack’ holders and discarded fishing gear.
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Native Fish Species at Risk Following Water Removal from the Colorado River
Agriculture and domestic activities consume much of the Colorado River water that once flowed to the Colorado Delta and Northern Gulf of California. The nature and extent of impact of this fresh-water loss on the ecology and fisheries of the Colorado Delta and Gulf of California is controversial. A recent publication in the journal PeerJ…
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NRL Researchers Advance Fleet Weather Predictions Through Innovation, Collaboration
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory’s Marine Meteorology Division in Monterey, California, houses a team of scientists and engineers who work in conjunction with the lab’s broader scientific community to provide the fleet with the most accurate weather forecasts possible.
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California's 2017 Wildfire Season Continues to Break Records
The Thomas Fire burning north of Los Angeles in Ventura County, California is now the state’s fifth-largest wildfire on record. Less than 15 percent contained and moving west quickly, the fire is being fueled by dry conditions and strong winds. It is one of five wildfirescurrently burning in southern California.
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University of Florida study: Bird evolves virtually overnight to keep up with invasive prey
The federally endangered bird, the snail kite, was faced with an interesting dilemma: The island apple snail was good to eat, but about two to five times bigger than the native snail that the bird usually consumed. What’s a hungry bird to do? Evolve – quickly.A study by a team of University of Florida researchers…
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Green infrastructure: New tool by University of Toronto researchers to help construction industry reduce carbon footprint
A team of researchers from the University of Toronto is partnering with the construction industry to help reduce the carbon footprint of buildings, bridges, public transit and other major infrastructure projects.“What we’re building is a decision-support tool that can be used in the early stages of design and planning,” says Heather MacLean, a professor in…
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Scientists unveil new satellite-based global drought severity index
Enhanced monitoring tool adds groundwater storage to assessment factors
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Continued Emissions May Cause Global North-to-South Shift in Wind Power By End of Century
The rapidly growing wind energy industry may be challenged by changes in locations of wind resources