Tags: Climate change

SMAP Launch Promises New View of Earth’s Soil—From Space

SPACE As climate change issues intensify, and many countries face continuing droughts, NASA’s newest mission plans to offer a bit of assistance in confronting a drying Earth. Sent into orbit just this morning, Saturday Jan. 31 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission plans to give researchers and farmers vital information about the moisture of any given soil on the face of the Earth.

When It Comes to Controversy, Science and the American Public Disagree

While most of the general public may not want to spend their life crunching numbers or mixing chemicals in a lab, often science breaches the great divide. While there may be a few points of contention, the good news at least is that most Americans believe that science and scientists are invaluable resources for information. In fact in a new public opinion poll released yesterday by the Pew Research Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 79 percent of those interviewed said that they believed in the important nature of science. But when it came to controversial topics like climate change and GMOs, the stats and the public opinion were not nearly as generous.

NASA Climate Research Satellite Launch Postponed Due to Fast Winds

Fast winds over California postponed a NASA satellite launch today, but researchers with the space agency say that the mission is far from over. Set to launch this morning, Jan. 29, the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) spacecraft developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory may have had a setback but it still has plans to map the world in a way researchers have never done before.

Extreme Weather Risk Doubles Due To Global Warming

As temperatures around the globe continue to rise we could begin to experience more severe forms of weather much more often, according to a new study. Researchers taking part in the study now believe that the climate phenomena known as El Nino and La Nina are likely to increase in both frequency and violence thanks to global warming.

Doomsday Clock Moves Even Closer to Midnight

The world could be closer to coming to an end, if you believe the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists who moved the clock two minutes closer to midnight. The clock now sits at three minutes to midnight making this the closest it has been to midnight since 1984 during the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

Greenland's Massive Ice Sheets Reveal New Lakes Below

Scientists have discovered changes in the subglacial lakes that have formed below the massive Greenland ice sheet. These lakes could make the ice more sensitive to changes in the climate than many previously believed.

Fertilizers Pose a Threat to the Future of Our Planet

While the concept of feeding our flora may seem innocuous, the use of fertilizers on our crops could be destroying the planet. A new study published in the journal Science by researchers from the University of Wisconsin reveals that excessive use of artificial fertilizers, which contain phosphorus and nitrogen, could pose a threat to the future of planet Earth.

The Pope's Forward-thinking Climate Stance Faces Conservative Opposition

Pope Francis has been finding himself in warm―not holy―waters with conservatives ever since he recently announced the Catholic Church's stance on climate change. He's gone on to publicly state that our planet's altering landscape and atmosphere composition is not just a political issue, but a "human" one as well. The currently appointed pontiff is in the midst of drafting an encyclical, a papal letter to be sent to the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church, which will highlight how the church can catalyze positive climate change. But those within the church are questioning whether or not the leader of the faith should be getting involved.

2014 Is Officially the Warmest Year on Record

Scientists from both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA calculated that in 2014 the world experienced its hottest year in the 135 total years of record keeping. The Japanese weather agency and an independent group from the University of California Berkeley also measured 2014 and determined it was the hottest year on record.

Don’t Believe In Climate Change? NOAA Says 2014 Brought Hottest Summer To Date

In the midst of the United Nation's Climate Change Summit, held in New York City late last summer, many skeptics bolstered their opinions about the current climate change issues at hand. But with heat waves well into the 100's, the sounds of skepticism were silenced by the buzzing of air conditioners hanging near the window. And as it so happens, when researchers and politicians turned to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admistration (NOAA) for answers, a new study revealed that the blistering heat we felt was unlike anything we had ever seen before.

Alarming New Study Reveals Rising Sea Levels is Happening Faster Than Researchers Thought

It could be time to sound the alarm, as a new study reveals that the rise in global sea levels from the end of the 20th century until the last two decades is accelerating much faster than scientists previously believed. It was discovered that there were loopholes in the estimates made for an earlier period which has caused the rest of the readings to be off.

Pushed to the Brink—Humans Put Earth in 'The Danger Zone'

With unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, widespread species extinction, habit destruction, and increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in the oceans courtesy of polluting fertilizers, the Earth is being pushed to the brink and could one day make it unsafe for the continuation of life. The rate at which humans are destroying the environment is entirely unprecedented, and with such a devastating effect unseen in the last 11,700 years, life is facing an uncertain future ahead.

Human Activity May Lead to a Bleaker Life Under the Sea

A new study has found that human activity is having a drastic impact on the creatures under the sea, with many on the verge of extinction thanks to humans. However, swift intervention could still prevent a "disaster of the magnitude observed on land."The study published this week in the journal Science analyzes the impact humans are having on the oceans. According to the group of researchers who developed the study, several marine species could soon be gone forever if changes are not quickly made.

How Zebras Got Their Stripes & Why Climate Change is Likely to Blame

While they're not alone in the vast wonders of Africa's abundant plains, zebras in particular have posed quite a quandary to scientists in past decades. Their unique striping of black and white have always sparked interest in their study, but the ever failing hypotheses quickly discouraged the discovery of their significance-if any at all. But while many researchers have failed in associating the stripes with social order of a herd or even as camouflaging tactics in the wild, a new study published this month in the journal Royal Society Open Science, researchers have discovered that the stripes are much more like a tan than we think.

NASA Rockets Set to Explore the Aurora Borealis

The aurora borealis, better known as the northern lights, is one of nature's most spectacular displays that has captivated the imaginations of people for generations. And with their popular acclaim in mind, NASA plans to explore the aurora borealis in the coming weeks with several unmanned rocket probes in Alaska.

Study Shows Volcanoes May Be Causing Global Cooling

We have known for a while that massive volcanic eruptions, which eject massive amounts of gases into the atmosphere, can block enough solar radiation to have an effect on the climate. For example, scientists believe the explosion of the Indonesian volcano Mt. Tambora in 1815 caused the severe cold spell in 1816. But while scientists may have arrived at a consensus that our planet is warming, according to a new study published this week, some of the warming effects have been offset by small volcanic eruptions over the last decade. The vast quantities of ash and gases ejected from the volcanoes have had a remarkable cooling effect on the climate, by blocking solar radiation.

Polar Bears May Be Solving Their Own Problems—But Not For Long

While researchers and diplomats all over the world are attempting to deal with the issues of climate change, the United Nations in particular who are trying to unite all nations in a collective effort, it’s the animal species at the Earth’s poles that are facing this change on the front line. And though the valiant efforts made in recent summits have yet to amount to much change, it appears that animals in the Arctic are finding a solution of their own— well, a temporary one at least.

Investors Torn on Fossil Fuels and Climate Change

There is a rift forming among energy investors in some of the world's largest energy companies over a global campaign aiming to make fossil fuels as unpopular as tobacco, to better combat climate change. Over the past seven months, investors including the likes of the heirs to the Rockefeller Standard Oil fortune and the board of trustees at California's Stanford University have decided not to invest in coal companies. And the ramifications are significant.
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