In the News
The bottom of the Bering and Chukchi seas could become too warm for some important species
There is danger lurking on the floor of the Bering and Chukchi seas for mussels, snails, clams, worms and other cold-water invertebrates, according to a new study led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists. Muyin Wang is part of the study.
The Arctic Ocean began warming decades earlier than previously thought, new research shows
The Arctic Ocean has been warming since the onset of the 20th century, decades earlier than instrument observations would suggest, according to new research. James Overland is quoted.
Record-breaking extreme heat and cold events may result from similar underlying mechanisms
The highest temperature ever verifiably recorded on Earth—54.4 degrees Celsius (130 degrees Fahrenheit) in Death Valley, California, on July 9, 2021—comes just months after record-low temperatures were recorded across Asia and the United States. In sweltering heat, the results of a rapidly warming Earth are clear. In a blizzard, it can be more difficult to understand how global warming can cause such freezing cold. An international research team examined three extreme events from the past winter to elucidate the mechanisms underlying such swings in temperature and weather. Jim Overland is q... more
As Arctic warms, scientists wrestle with its climate ‘tipping point’
For Arctic scientists, the summer of 2007 changed everything. That’s when, for the first time in history, record warmth melted the Northwest Passage, nearly opening it to shipping; turned a portion of the East Siberian Sea the size of Mexico into open ocean; and shrank the polar ice cap to a size never before reached so early in the March-to-September melt season, as documented by satellite since 1979. Jim Overland is interviewed.
Understanding the Arctic polar vortex
In late February, as the Southern Plains and Gulf Coast suffered through an unusually strong blast of wintry weather, weather talk turned to the polar vortex and the possibility that the extreme cold was yet another example of weather-gone-wild due to global warming. In this article, we’re talking to two NOAA experts, including PMEL's Jim Overland, about the devastating extreme cold event, the polar vortex, and the potential link to global warming.