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Rising methane emissions could derail the Paris Agreement
April 19th, 2019An unexpected acceleration in methane growth is threatening to negate or reverse efforts to stave off climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Although scientists don’t know where all the extra methane is coming from, it’s clear that drastically reducing emissions from man-made sources will be necessary to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement, researchers say.
Wildflowers of the melting glaciers
April 6th, 2019As the planet warms and Himalayan glaciers melt, a small miracle is taking place. On the boulders and rubble that are exposed by melting ice, pioneering wildflowers are colonizing the new land. These species have special adaptations to deal with the challenging environment, such as long elastic roots, wind-proof exteriors, and an array of special enticements to attract scarce pollinators.
5 science teams racing climate change as the ecosystems they study disappear
April 5th, 2019By Bob Berwyn in Inside Climate News: From mountain glaciers to coastal seabeds, five research projects to watch as scientists race to understand the human drivers of global warming, including Craig Lee's ice patch archaeology.
Alpine tundra releases long-frozen CO2 to the atmosphere, exacerbating climate warming
March 21st, 2019Thawing permafrost in high-altitude mountain ecosystems may be a stealthy, underexplored contributor to atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions, new University of Colorado Boulder research shows. The findings, published today in the journal Nature Communications, show that alpine tundra in Colorado's Front Range emits more CO2 than it captures annually, potentially creating a feedback loop that could increase climate warming and lead to even more CO2 emissions in the future.
Alpine tundra releases long-frozen CO2
March 21st, 2019Thawing permafrost in high-altitude mountain ecosystems may be a stealthy, underexplored contributor to atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions, new CU Boulder research shows. The new findings, published today in the journal Nature Communications, show that alpine tundra in Colorado’s Front Range emits more CO2 than it captures annually, potentially creating a feedback loop that could increase climate warming and lead to even more CO2 emissions in the future.
Marine organisms in Southern Ocean will face shallower zone for life
March 14th, 2019Marine organisms in the Southern Ocean may find themselves between a rock and a hard place by the end of the century as ocean acidification creates a shallower zone for life. The new research results, reported this week in the journal Nature Climate Change, forecast that at current carbon dioxide emission rates, the depth at which some shelled organisms can survive will shrink from an average of 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) to just 150 meters (492 feet) by the year 2100, a drastic reduction in habitat.