Arctic rivers face big changes with a warming climate, permafrost thaw and an accelerating water cycle − the effects will have global consequences

A new study shows how thawing permafrost and intensifying storms will change how water moves into and through Arctic rivers.

Ambarish Karmalkar, Assistant Professor of Geosciences, University of Rhode Island • conversation
March 5, 2024 ~8 min

Global warming may be behind an increase in the frequency and intensity of cold spells

Cold snaps can affect everyday services and infrastructure, putting lives at risk.

Beatriz Monge-Sanz, Senior Researcher, Department of Physics, University of Oxford • conversation
March 4, 2024 ~8 min


Red Sea shipping disruptions could be avoided in the future by using the Arctic – but it could spell trouble for fragile ecosystems

Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea have disrupted trade between Asia and Europe – could ships cross the Arctic instead?

Gokcay Balci, Assistant Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain, University of Bradford • conversation
Jan. 19, 2024 ~7 min

Extreme cold still happens in a warming world – in fact climate instability may be disrupting the polar vortex

While the world can expect fewer severe cold events as average temperatures rise, people still need to be prepared for wintery blasts.

Mathew Barlow, Professor of Climate Science, UMass Lowell • conversation
Jan. 17, 2024 ~5 min

Findings indicate less methane from unmapped Arctic lakes

Small unmapped lakes in the Arctic are far less abundant than previously thought, which researchers say is good news for methane emissions.

Juan Siliezar-Brown • futurity
Dec. 14, 2023 ~7 min

Arctic Report Card 2023: From wildfires to melting sea ice, the warmest summer on record had cascading impacts across the Arctic

The early heat melted snow and warmed rivers, heating up the land and downstream ocean areas. The effects harmed salmon fisheries, melted sea ice and fueled widespread fires.

Twila A. Moon, Deputy Lead Scientist, National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder • conversation
Dec. 12, 2023 ~10 min

Earthworms are our friends – but they will make the climate crisis worse if we're not careful

Thawing permafrost in the far north is an inviting prospect for invertebrate burrowers.

Kevin Richard Butt, Reader in Ecology, University of Central Lancashire • conversation
Nov. 13, 2023 ~7 min

Why do climate models underestimate polar warming? ‘Invisible clouds’ could be the answer

Stratospheric clouds over the Arctic may explain the differences seen between the polar warming calculated by climate models and actual recordings, according

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Nov. 8, 2023 ~7 min


Compatible seabirds may make better parents, but personality clashes can lead to family tragedy and 'divorce'

Like humans, seabirds seem less likely to part ways when they have relationships built on similar personalities.

Fionnuala McCully, PhD candidate in behavioural ecology, University of Liverpool • conversation
Oct. 18, 2023 ~7 min

Deeper snow in Arctic can thaw permafrost

Deeper snowpack than normal in some parts of the Arctic is driving the thawing of long-frozen permafrost carbon reserves, researchers report.

Lucas Van Wyk Joel-UC Irvine • futurity
Aug. 21, 2023 ~7 min

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