Tag: global warming

A newly-published study presented the idea of 'artificial snow' could prevent further ice melting and could stop the West Antarctic Ice Sheet from sliding into the ocean. The scientists launched an engineering project to blanket the ice sheet's surface. 

According to scientists, the Thwaites Glacier, which is as enormous as the size of Florida, is on the edge of melting so quickly that it could result to catastrophic global sea level rises. This glacier is one of five recently identified as unstable Antarctic glaciers, which have doubled their rate of ice loss in just six years. 

The United Nations launched their UN Climate Change Annual report that reflects the key achievements of the UNFCCC process and the activities of the secretariat, particularly their impact in relation to the implementation of the Convention, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, while it also presents the outcomes of COP 24 and a look ahead.

Emerging trends in maritime industry include not only a shift towards technology and innovation, but also a constant need to adapt to a number of key environmental issues that seem to redifine how shipping does business. In this regard, IMarEST published an informative infographic, summarizing the key environmental trends for shipping.

As CBC Canada reports, dozens of grey whales have been found dead along the West Coast in recent weeks, while some scientists believe the cause lies in the heated-up Arctic waters off Alaska. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 58 grey whales have been found dead so far for 2019, in sites stretching from California to Alaska

In a new study, the UK Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling informed that it has tracked changes in snow and ice cover across the Antarctic. Namely, the continent's ice sheet has thinned by up to 122 metres in places. Lead author and CPOM Director Professor Andy Shepherd, said that ice losses from East and West Antarctica have contributed 4.6 mm to global sea level rise since 1992.

According to Reuters, the US refused to sign an agreement in the Arctic due to discrepancies over climate change wording, risking the cooperation in the polar region at the sharp edge of global warming. The meeting between eight nations in Finland's Rovaniemi on Tuesday, May 7, was aiming to provide a two-year agenda to balance the challenge of global warming, with sustainable development of mineral wealth.

International climate leader Christiana Figueres, recognized as the architect of the Paris Climate Agreement, delivers the 2019 Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability, addressing efforts to stem the increase in global temperature. Talking about climate change, Ms. Figueres noted that we should focus on how we can move faster in order to protect our climate, instead of asking if we are moving in the right direction.

This winter was the wettest on record for the US, especially after a steady march of snow and rain storms across the country between December 2018 and the end of February 2019, according to data provided by US NOAA. The wet weather last month also made February 2019 the second wettest February on record.  

A white paper published by the EU-PolarNet touches upon some of the most pressing issues that the Polar Regions face nowadays. There regions are the fastest warming areas on Earth and their natural physical processes impact climate conditions and affect lives and livelihoods across the world. If these processes are changed due to global warming, they could lead to changes across the planet with unknown impacts.