Category Archives: Climate Change

Extraordinary warmth envelops Arctic as Polar Vortex dislodges cold air to US, Europe

During the middle of February, a split in the Polar Vortex allowed cold air to plunge southward and warm air to surge northward to the North Pole. The Polar Vortex is a storm high in the atmosphere that helps to keep frigid air locked up in the Arctic. Occasionally, this storm gets distorted, moves southward and can…

Sea rise is outpacing Everglades restoration — but scientists say there’s a solution

For years, South Florida water managers struggling to reverse the damage done to the Everglades by decades of flood control have done their best to replicate nature, timing the flow of water into marshes with the state’s wet and dry seasons. But now researchers looking at 16 years worth of data say creeping sea rise…

Large beetles are shrinking, thanks to climate change

If you’re afraid of giant insects, climate change has a silver lining for you. A new study shows that as temperatures have increased over the past century, the world’s biggest beetles may have been shrinking, some downsizing by as much as 20% in 45 years. This new work “is a powerful demonstration of how climate…

The Hole in Earth’s Ozone Layer Is Healing

Efforts to heal the hole in Earth's ozone layer over Antarctica appear to be paying off, according to a new, first-of-its-kind study that looked directly at ozone-destroying chemicals in the atmosphere. Earth's ozone layer protects the planet's surface from some of the sun's more harmful rays that can cause cancer and cataracts in humans, and…

Climate change drives collapse in marine food webs

A new study has found that levels of commercial fish stocks could be harmed as rising sea temperatures affect their source of food. University of Adelaide scientists have demonstrated how climate change can drive the collapse of marine "food webs." Published in the open access journal PLOS Biology, the study's lead author PhD student, Hadayet Ullah…

Humidity may prove breaking point for some areas as temperatures rise, says study

Climate scientists say that killer heat waves will become increasingly prevalent in many regions as climate warms. However, most projections leave out a major factor that could worsen things: humidity, which can greatly magnify the effects of heat alone. Now, a new global study projects that in coming decades the effects of high humidity in…

Sea turtles overcame hurricane and heat to have decent South Florida nesting season

Green sea turtles, once served in soup with a splash of sherry, overcame a hurricane and another hot summer to produce a record South Florida nesting season. Sea turtle nesting season officially ended Tuesday, with the suspension of rules restricting beach lighting that could disorient newly hatched turtles. For months, thousands of female greens made nighttime crawls…

The Everglades have always been hit by hurricanes. Thanks to climate change, Irma could be a different matter.

As residents of the Southeast are returning home and assessing the damage left by Hurricane Irma, Florida scientists are anxiously waiting to evaluate the storm’s impact on one of the state’s most valuable — and vulnerable — ecosystems: the Everglades. Already threatened by the continuous progression of sea-level rise — which pumps damaging salt water into…

What counting Florida butterflies can tell the world about climate change

Every year when summer temperatures sizzle and the rest of South Florida heads inside, a dedicated crew of citizen scientists ventures into the buggy heat to do an increasingly difficult job: count butterflies. For the last quarter century, the North American Butterfly Association has tallied the nation’s population of butterflies three times a year, including…

Toxic Algae May Be Linked to Fatal Liver Disease in Some Areas, Study Says

Residents who live near large blue-green algae blooms are at a higher risk to develop fatal nonalcoholic liver diseases than those who don't, according to a study from Ohio State University. Cyanobacteria blooms, such as the one last summer in Martin, Lee, Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties that prompted a state of emergency, contain the toxins microcystin, nodularin…