Climate
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ClimateIce loss from Greenland’s glaciers may level off
Simulation suggests long-term effect on sea level not as dire as some predictions.
By Erin Wayman -
ClimateCuts in some greenhouse gases could slow sea level rise
Methane, ozone and other short-lived pollutants have a big impact on ocean heights, simulation finds.
By Erin Wayman -
ClimateRising carbon dioxide means more air turbulence
More jarring flights are likely, simulation suggests.
By Erin Wayman -
EarthModerate climate warming could melt permafrost
Ancient cave formations in Siberia reveal effects of warmer past on frozen ground.
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HumansCold spells were dark times in Eastern Europe
Cooler periods coincided with conflicts and disease outbreaks, a tree-ring study spanning the last millennium finds.
By Erin Wayman -
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ClimateExtremely Bad Weather
Teasing out global warming's role in worsening hurricanes, droughts and other extreme events.
By Janet Raloff -
ClimateGulf Stream might be releasing seafloor methane
Greenhouse gas may be flowing into ocean waters off the U.S. east coast.
By Tanya Lewis -
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EarthExtreme hot spells rising
Analyzing six decades of temperature records reveals inexorable warming and increasing episodes of extreme heat.
By Janet Raloff -
EarthStronger storms may destroy ozone
Extra water vapor churned high into the atmosphere by climate change–fueled tempests could trigger destructive chemical reactions.
By Devin Powell -
HumansDepolarizing climate science
A study out this week attempts to probe why attitudes on climate risks by some segments of the public don’t track the science all that well. Along the way, it basically debunks one simplistic assumption: that climate skeptics, for want of a better term, just don’t understand the data — or perhaps even science. “I think this is sort of a weird, exceptional situation,” says decision scientist Dan Kahan of the Yale Law School, who led the new study. “Most science issues aren’t like this.” But a view is emerging, some scientists argue, that people tend to be unusually judgmental of facts or interpretations in science fields that threaten the status quo — or the prevailing attitudes of their cultural group, however that might be defined. And climate science is a poster child for these fields.
By Janet Raloff