A common marine worm key to the richness of many coastal ecosystems is being damaged by the increasing ocean acidification that was thought to imperil mainly shellfish and coral, writes Alex Kirby. It's an unwelcome sign of more unexpected ecological changes to come.
… Lugworms suffer toxic impact of acidifying oceans Alex Kirby | 30th October 2014 News Oceans Climate Change Pollution Toxics Ecology … ecosystems is being damaged by the increasing ocean acidification that was thought to …
New scientific evidence released today by the WMO shows the highest greenhouse gas concentrations on record, writes Alex Kirby, with 2012-2013 a record year for emissions. Meanwhile oceans are acidifying faster than at any time in the last 300 million years.
… Ocean acidification and greenhouse gases hit … | 9th September 2014 News Climate Change Oceans … a record year for emissions. Meanwhile oceans are acidifying faster than at any time … the WMO's revelation that the current rate of ocean acidification, which greenhouse gases …
Paleoclimatology links climate change to mass extinction.
… a rise in temperature from 21°C to 36°C (the ocean temperature at the time of writing this … is about 17°C) in the Tethys, an ancient ocean that was situated at the equator, over … flaws in the data. Despite this, the rise in ocean temperatures at the end Permian is well …
Rising temperatures will result in more snow falling in Antarctica, and the build-up of ice will reduce sea level rise from other sources. But as the extra weight of ice makes Antarctica's glaciers flow faster, the continent will still be a net contributor to sea level rise.
… Tickell | 18th March 2015 News Antarctica Oceans Sea Level Rise Climate Change Science antarctica-ice-meets-ocean-cut.jpg Rising temperatures will result … Antarctica will still lose ice to the ocean But the 'bad news', say the researchers, …
A detailed update of key climate indicators by hundreds of scientists reveals that 2014 saw rises in temperatures, sea levels and greenhouse gases to record levels, writes Alex Kirby.
… Kirby | 29th July 2015 News Climate Change Oceans Science getting-hot-cut.jpg A detailed … to be a record-breaking year. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), … planet." Some - including rising land and ocean temperatures, sea levels and greenhouse …
The East Antarctic ice sheet is thought by most scientists to be stable, reports Alex Kirby. But a German team says it has found how a large part of it could in time melt unstoppably, causing a long term 4 metre rise in global sea levels.
… Alex Kirby | 8th May 2014 News Climate Change Oceans duse_bay_antarctica.jpg The East … trigger a discharge of ice into the ocean which would result in unstoppable … The air over Antarctica remains cold, but oceanic warming can cause the ice on the coast …
Understanding the effects that climate change is having on coral reefs is important for the future of marine ecosystems
… 2018 Comment Coral Coral Reef Coral Bleaching Ocean Acidification Palaeoclimatology … so they dissolve with an increase in oceanic water acidification. Some parts of … effect on coral colonies. Recent rises in ocean temperatures have already impacted …
A climate negotiators gather in Paris for COP21, the WMO say that a combination of human and natural causes will make 2015 temperatures the hottest ever - half way to the 2C 'safety threshold'. But despite the ever falling price of solar and wind, many newly industrialising countries are insisting on coal-fired development.
… likely to be the hottest year on record, with ocean surface temperatures at the highest … recorded for Asia, Europe, South America and Oceania, and for North America. And … trapped by greenhouse gases is going into the oceans, not the atmosphere: "The oceans have …
Scientists analysing more than three decades of weather data for the northern Alaska outpost of Barrow have recorded an astonishing 7°C temperature rise, writes Alex Kirby - and the likely cause is the decline in Arctic sea ice.
… 22nd October 2014 News Arctic Climate Change Oceans Ice alaska-icescape-cut.jpg Scientists … say these falling ice levels over the Arctic Ocean after the maximum annual melt are the … horizon. The heat is blowing off the ice-free ocean Instead, they say, the north wind picks …
Global CO2 concentrations have reached a historic new base of 400 parts per million, writes Alex Kirby, and are unlikely to fall below that level - 40% higher than the pre-industrial era - for many centuries to come. The WMO released the news just as the UK commits to a new London runway.
… of 'sinks' like forests, vegetation and the oceans to absorb CO 2. These sinks currently … atmosphere for thousands of years and in the oceans for even longer . Without tackling CO 2 … a balance between the atmosphere, the oceans and the biosphere. Human activities, …
The journey to extreme depths of the Mariana Trench encountered new species of sea creatures - as well as a plastic bag and sweet wrappers.
… Trench, located in the western Pacific ocean, is the deepest point in the world. … stretch it say that the deepest parts of our oceans are as unfamiliar as alien worlds. …
The plight of much of the world's wildlife seems 'worse than ever', writes Alex Kirby. To blame is unsustainable human consumption, which is driving habitat loss, climate change and the illegal wildlife trade.
… almost double the average loss of land and ocean species. In a foreword the …
The latest IPCC report urges a dash for gas to allow us to reduce the burning of coal, including shale gas from fracking. But as Alex Kirby reports, their calculations appear to be based on an arithmetical flaw.
… colleague Drew Shindell of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have …
Climate change probably caused the savage drought that struck Syria nearly a decade ago, writes Alex Kirby - and helped to trigger the civil war that has so far claimed over 200,000 lives.
Climate change sparked Syria's ruinous war Alex Kirby | 6th March 2015 News Climate Change War Middle East Water Farming syria-poppies-cut.jpg Climate change probably caused the savage drought that …
The Earth is on an unavoidable path towards a 1.5°C temperature rise by mid-century, says a new World Bank report. And as Alex Kirby reports, it could reach 4°C by 2100 unless immediate action is taken - with dire impacts on the planet's poorest people.
… soya and 50% for wheat with 2°C of warming. Ocean acidification, sea level rise, cyclones …
Evidence stretching back 40,000 years shows that global warming will increase drying in a region of East Africa where drought already causes humanitarian crises, writes Alex Kirby - dashing earlier hopes of increased rainfall.
Warming world means more drought in Horn of Africa Alex Kirby | 18th October 2015 News Climate Change Africa War Science drought-ethiopia-cut.jpg Evidence stretching back 40,000 years shows that …
What are orbital theories of climate and how can they help us understand climactic shifts in the geologic past, and the severity of human-induced climate change in the present?
… cyclicity is oxygen-18 from fossil calcite, ocean sediments and ice cores, which is used …