NASA reported this week that Greenland’s surface ice is undergoing a major melt event this summer. Such an event is rare — the last wide surface melt was in 1889. DotEarth’s Andy Revkin discusses this phenomenon and the press surrounding the story; a video with ESS‘ Bob Hawley is included.
Read more »Climate feedback estimates are narrowed, faster than thought - Phys.org
In a paper published in the journal Climate of the Past, the researchers use Antarctic and Greenland ice cores to examine the time lag between changes in temperature and in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels in the past. Their findings suggest that feedbacks in the climate system – in which warming is linked to natural carbon dioxide increase, driving further warming – may operate faster than previously thought.
Read more »Nautilus survives 500 million years, but can it survive 7 billion people? - Phys.org
The nautilus, a creature that pulled easily through the asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs, now hangs on the brink of extinction because it has become coveted by human beings. Read more here; ESS‘ Peter Ward is quoted.
Read more »Wet climate may have driven Mongol invasion - LiveScience
Preliminary new findings suggest that, contrary to previous assertions, consistent rain and warm temperatures may have given the Mongols the energy source they needed to conquer Eurasia: grass for their horses. Read more here; OCEAN‘s Avery Shinneman is mentioned.
Read more »Treasure hunt: the battle over Pebble Mine - PBS.org
Global mining giant Anglo-American and its Canadian partner, Northern Dynasty, want to dig one of the world’s largest open-pit mines – up to three miles wide and thousands of feet deep – in the near-pristine watershed of Bristol Bay, home to the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. Learn more about this proposal and the controversy surrounding it; SAFS‘ Thomas Quinn is quoted.
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