2023's extreme storms, heat and wildfires broke records – a scientist explains how global warming fuels climate disasters

The US saw a record number of billion-dollar disasters in 2023, even when accounting for inflation. The number of long-running heat waves like the Southwest experienced is also rising.

Shuang-Ye Wu, Professor of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, University of Dayton • conversation
Dec. 19, 2023 ~9 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


How a thumb-sized climate migrant with a giant crab claw is disrupting the Northeast's Great Marsh ecosystem

South of Cape Cod, fiddler crabs and marsh grass have long had a mutually beneficial relationship. It’s a different story in the North, where the harms can ricochet through ecosystems.

David Samuel Johnson, Associate Professor of Marine Sciences, Virginia Institute of Marine Science • conversation
Dec. 5, 2023 ~9 min

Rogue waves are real and now predictable

Using data from more than a billion waves, scientists have used AI to find a formula for how to predict the occurrence of rogue waves.

Michael Skov Jensen-Copenhagen • futurity
Nov. 28, 2023 ~7 min

Ocean model considers temp spikes and gradual warming

Researchers propose a "more realistic" conceptual model for understanding changes to marine ecosystems in the wake of climate change.

Corrie Pikul-Brown • futurity
Nov. 20, 2023 ~7 min

Team discovers new sulfur cycle in Lake Superior

Researchers have discovered a new kind of sulfur cycle in Lake Superior, and their findings hold clues to the ancient ocean.

Harrison Tasoff-UC Santa Barbara • futurity
Nov. 17, 2023 ~9 min

As the US begins to build offshore wind farms, scientists say many questions remain about impacts on the oceans and marine life

A recent study focusing on how offshore wind farms in Massachusetts waters could affect endangered right whales does not call for slowing the projects, but says monitoring will be critical.

Josh Kohut, Professor of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University • conversation
Nov. 15, 2023 ~10 min

PFAS 'forever chemicals' are getting into ocean ecosystems, where dolphins, fish and manatees dine – we traced their origins

Scientists found PFAS hot spots in Miami’s Biscayne Bay where the chemicals are entering coastal waters and reaching the ocean. Water samples point to some specific sources.

Olutobi Daniel Ogunbiyi, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry, Florida International University • conversation
Nov. 14, 2023 ~7 min


How PFAS 'forever chemicals' are getting into Miami's Biscayne Bay, where dolphins, fish and manatees dine

Scientists discovered PFAS hot spots in the bay and found PFAS in water along the Atlantic coast. In a new study, they traced the chemicals’ origins to help stop the harm.

Olutobi Daniel Ogunbiyi, Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry, Florida International University • conversation
Nov. 14, 2023 ~7 min

Acapulco was built to withstand earthquakes, but not Hurricane Otis' destructive winds – how building codes failed this resort city

The best science is not always the best engineering when it comes to building codes. It’s also a problem across the US, as an engineer who works on disaster resilience explains.

Michel Bruneau, Professor of Engineering, University at Buffalo • conversation
Nov. 7, 2023 ~9 min

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