307 news posts related to Climate

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80 mph speed record for glacier fracture helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse

Illustration of an iceberg with a rift extending from the above water surface to well below under the water

There’s enough water frozen in Greenland and Antarctic glaciers that if they melted, global seas would rise by many feet. What will happen to these glaciers over the coming decades is the biggest unknown in the future of rising seas, partly because glacier fracture physics is not yet fully understood. A critical question is how warmer oceans might cause glaciers to break apart more quickly. 

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El Niño shows us the true face of climate change

a yellow flood sign sitting on the side of a road

Though the El Niño period we’re in is natural and relatively predictable, its impacts on the global environment and economy have been significant — from sweltering heat in Australia to deep freezes across the southern U.S. El Niño may be giving us a glimpse of what’s to come if climate change is not soon curtailed.

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UW research helps California forest managers assess smoke hazards from prescribed burns

trees burn in a wildfire

Across the American West, managers of fire-prone landscapes are increasingly setting small fires to prevent larger, more destructive ones. Commonly called prescribed burns, these targeted, controlled fires keep forests healthy by reducing the buildup of grasses, leaves, branches and other debris that can fuel larger wildfires and smoke out nearby communities.   But smoke from prescribed burns also presents health risks. Today’s forest managers must ask themselves — how much prescribed burning is too much? 

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