U.S. downplayed effect of Deepwater Horizon oil spill on whales, emails reveal

By Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent, www.guardian.co.uk24 October 2012 The images from the summer of 2010 were undoubtedly gruesome: the carcass of a young sperm whale, decayed and partially eaten by sharks, sighted at sea south of the Deepwater Horizon oil well. It was the first confirmed sighting of a dead whale since the BP […]

Ocean geoengineering scheme condemned by scientists – ‘The consequences of tampering with nature at this scale are not predictable’

By Rhian Waller of NG Explorers18 October 2012 (National Geographic) – Unbeknownst to most scientists until a few days ago, two hundred thousand pounds of iron sulphate were dumped into North Pacific Ocean in July, with the aim to trigger a large plankton bloom. This experiment was conducted by the Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation, under […]

Ocean acidification emerges as new climate threat

By Juliet Eilperin, The Washington Post 29 September 2012 HOMER, Alaska – Kris Holderied, who directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, says the ocean’s increasing acidity is “the reason fishermen stop me in the grocery store.” “They say, ‘You’re with the NOAA lab, what are you doing on ocean acidification?’ ” Holderied […]

Graph of the Day: Global Temperature Anomalies, July 2012

Caption by Mike Carlowicz17 August 2012 July 2012 was the hottest month on record for the contiguous (lower 48) United States, according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It turns out that the month was pretty warm globally as well, lining up as the fourth warmest […]

Arctic sea ice continues to track at levels far below average

By Natasha Vizcarra24 July 2012 Arctic sea ice continued to track at levels far below average through the middle of July, with open water in the Kara and Barents seas reaching as far north as typically seen during September. Melt onset began earlier than normal throughout most of the Arctic. Overview of conditions As of […]

U.S. drought could go through October – ‘We don’t have a reason for saying it’s going to improve’

By Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Dale Hudson and Cynthia Osterman19 July 2012 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Hotter-than-normal temperatures are expected through October over most of the contiguous 48 U.S. states, with below-average precipitation for Midwest areas already hit by the worst drought in a half century, government forecasters said on Thursday. Experts at the National Oceanic […]

The Big Heat in the Midwest U.S. – ‘It’s like farming in Hell’

By Elizabeth Kolbert 16 July 2012 (23 July 2012 issue of The New Yorker) […] It is now corn-sex season across the Midwest, and everything is not going well. High commodity prices spurred farmers to sow more acres this year, and unseasonable warmth in March prompted many to plant corn early. Just a few months […]

Graph of the Day: Departure from Average of U.S. Temperature, June 2012

This time series shows the five warmest years that the contiguous U.S. has experienced, and how the year-to-date temperature evolved each month throughout those years. The time series also shows the 2012 year-to-date temperature through June, which was the warmest first half of any year on record for the lower 48. The year-to-date period of […]

Texas drought and British heat of 2011 linked to climate change

By Deborah Zabarenko; Editing by Bill Trott10 July 2012 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Climate change increased the odds for the kind of extreme weather that prevailed in 2011, a year that saw severe drought in Texas, unusual heat in England and was one of the 15 warmest years on record, scientists reported on Tuesday. Overall, 2011 […]

2011 was hottest year in U.S. since records began in 1895

Washington, D.C., 10 July 2012 (ANI) – Last year in the continental United States has been recorded as the country’s hottest year since 1895, government scientists have said. According to the BBC, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that the US had broken its record for the hottest six months. Agency’s weather experts […]

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