December 2010 had the lowest ice extent for the month since the beginning of satellite records. The linear rate of decline for the month is –3.5% per decade. The low ice conditions in December occurred in conjunction with above-average air temperatures in regions where ice would normally expand at this time of year. Air temperatures […]
CBC NewsFriday, January 7, 2011 | 3:50 PM ET Severe flooding in eastern Australia that forced thousands of people to flee their homes ended one of the wettest years ever recorded. The second half of 2010 was the rainiest since record-keeping began in 1900, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology reported [pdf] in its annual climate statement […]
The blogosphere has noticed a seemingly large increase in the number of mass animal deaths globally, and Desdemona would be remiss not to comment. As a general rule, Des doesn’t post about big animal kills, unless they’re very large scale and unusual, e.g., Cold empties Bolivian rivers of fish — ‘There’s just a huge number […]
The first decade of the 2000s, or the years 2001–2010, was warmer than the preceding decades in the whole of Finland, even though 2010 was colder than the long-time average. According to the Finnish Meteorological Institute’s statistics, the first decade of the 2000s (2001–2010) was the warmest decade in the history of Finland’s temperature measurements, […]
By Nick Sundt11/23/2010 The Amazon region is experiencing the third extreme drought in a dozen years — and it may turn out to be the worst on record. The droughts coupled with recent research findings, suggest that rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will rapidly increase the frequency and severity of droughts in the region. […]
By Mason Inman for National Geographic News Published December 31, 2010 This story is part of a special National Geographic News series on global water issues. Nearly a third of India is suffering from chronic water shortages, and making up for it with “the world’s largest groundwater mining operation,” according to experts. A band of […]
Federal forecasters say it is likely that Lake Mead will receive a larger than usual release of water from Lake Powell in the coming year, as conditions in the two reservoirs approach a trigger point for so-called “equalization.” The extra water for Lake Mead — 9 million acre-feet instead of the standard 8.23 million acre-feet […]
CBC NewsLast Updated: Monday, January 3, 2011 | 6:46 PM CST A lack of sea ice in parts of Canada’s eastern Arctic is contributing to unusually mild temperatures in Nunavut, according to scientists. In recent months, the weather in many parts of Nunavut has been 10 to 12 degrees above the –20 and –30 C […]
Caption by Mike CarlowiczDecember 25, 2010 Tiny solid and liquid particles—some you can see, some you cannot—can be found in the air everywhere on the planet, at any time of year. The amount of particles, known to scientists as aerosols, fluctuates naturally with the seasons and natural events, as well as with human activities. Dust […]
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune Thursday, December 30, 2010, 7:30 PM Louisiana’s coastline continues to be smeared with significant amounts of oil and oiled material from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, with cleanup teams struggling to remove as much as possible of the toxic material by the time migratory birds arrive at the end of […]
