Arctic sea ice hits record low

Anthea LacchiaClimate

Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has fallen to the lowest recorded level for the winter season, according to US scientists.

Cyclone Pam and DigitalGlobe FirstLook coverage

Anthea LacchiaClimate, Disasters

This last weekend Tropical Cyclone Pam struck the Islands of Vanuatu in the South Pacific causing widespread devastation. We were asked by a GEB reader whether the satellite imaging companies would be collecting and publishing satellite imagery of Vanuatu. DigitalGlobe has a subscription service called ‘First Look’ that provides access to timely satellite imagery for disaster zones. It is targeted … Read More

The Pacific islands losing a way of life to climate change – in pictures

EarthzineClimate

Over 150,000 people living on the low-lying atolls of Kiribati and the Marshall Islands are threatened by rising sea levels and as flooding becomes more common, relocation is the only option left • Read more: Losing paradise: the people displaced by atomic bombs, and now climate change Continue reading…

Climate change aggravating cyclone damage, scientists say

EarthzineClimate

Rising sea levels making island nations such as Vanuatu more vulnerable to storms and amplifies the impact of tropical cyclones Scientists say the devastation caused by Pam, the most powerful cyclone to hit the South Pacific since records began, was aggravated by climate change. However, the effect the changing climate is having on tropical storms remains largely unresolved. The president … Read More

El Niño has arrived, says NOAA

Anthea LacchiaClimate

After several months of speculation due to borderline conditions in the Pacific Ocean, El Niño is finally here, according to scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center. They issued an El Niño advisory on March 5, 2015. While El Niño events typically trigger changes in the weather across the globe, the current El Niño event … Read More

Arctic sea ice is getting thinner faster than expected

EarthzineClimate

Study combining disparate data for first time finds sea ice thickness down 65% since 1975 because of global warming, reports Climate Central While the steady disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic has been one of the hallmark effects of global warming, research shows it is not only covering less of the planet, but it’s also getting significantly thinner. That … Read More

Snffing out origins of methane: instrument identifies methane's origins in mines, deep-sea vents, and cows

EarthzineClimate, Earth Observation, Technology, Uncategorized

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in its capacity to trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere for a long time. The gas can originate from lakes and swamps, natural-gas pipelines, deep-sea vents, and livestock. Understanding the sources of methane, and how the gas is formed, could give scientists a better understanding of its role in warming … Read More