Climate

The World Meteorological Organization has confirmed the highest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica. On February 6, 2020 at Argentina's Esperanza Base, located on the Antarctic Peninsula, a maximum temperature of 18.3 °C (69.9 °F) was reached.

Though some folks chase storms for thrills or curiosity, there are also those who do so for scientific purposes. And it's the lattermost pursuit that will see a small fleet of unmanned surface vehicles deliberately head into hurricane territory.

Scientists have mapped ‘atmospheric rivers’ in Earth’s atmosphere that are responsible for transporting huge quantities of potentially dangerous aerosols around the planet, which eventually descend and impact air quality.

High-altitude icy clouds may have allowed ancient Mars to host rivers and lakes by warming the planet via a greenhouse effect, according to a new study. The theory could be tested by NASA’s Perseverance rover, which is currently exploring the planet.

A team of researchers has found that aerosol particles can contain up to three liquid phases at once. The strange discovery has implications for air quality and climate models, since they could change the level of sunlight reflected or absorbed.

In the event of a global catastrophe, how would we protect the wide variety of plants and animals on Earth? A team of researchers has now proposed a “Noah’s Ark” on the Moon that stores millions of samples of seeds, spores, sperm and eggs.

For many people, the beauty of spring is countered by the sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes of allergies that come with warmer weather. For those people, science has some bad news – climate change may be making pollen season longer and more severe.

Comprehensive climate data has shown that globally, 2020 was the warmest year on record, tied with 2016. Worryingly, 2020’s record came in spite of a La Niña event, which has a cooling effect, while 2016’s record came off the back of a warming El Niño.

Based on historical readings from an automatic weather station in Greenland, on December 22, 1991, Klinck, located on the summit of the Greenland ice sheet, plunged to -69.6 °C (-93.3 °F), the coldest recorded temperature in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Arctic is one place that’s been hit particularly hard by climate change. Now a new study has shown that the Arctic is beginning to transition into an entirely new climate state, leaving its predominantly frozen state behind.

What would Earth’s climate naturally be doing if it weren’t for human intervention? Researchers have now analyzed 12,000 years of climate data, and found that human-induced warming interrupted and reversed a long-term natural global cooling period.

The rise of the Roman Empire may have been helped along by a colossal volcanic eruption that occurred on the opposite side of the Earth just after the death of Julius Caesar. The eruption may have altered the climate triggering famine and unrest.