Climate change – Page 2

New Article on ScientificAmerican.com: Whaling logbooks reveal clues to climate change

by Kat LongArticles July 25, 20140 comments

My latest story, “250-Year-Old Eyewitness Accounts of Icier Arctic Attest to Loss of Sea Ice,” has just been posted on Scientific American‘s website. This marks my debut for the nation’s most prestigious science magazine! My story looks at ARCdoc, the research project based at the University of Sunderland, that data-mined old ships’ logbooks for weather …

2.74 Million for UEA’s Arctic Ice Melt Project

by Kat LongCommentary February 28, 2014February 27, 20140 comments

The University of East Anglia—where I spent a semester abroad in 1996—is launching a project to predict how the Arctic will cope with global warming by constructing a sea ice chamber and using state-of-the-art computer models. The €2M ($2.74 million) research initiative will reproduce the chemical exchanges between the ocean, sea ice, snow and the …

Court Deals Blow to Arctic Drilling Plans

by Kat LongArticles, Commentary January 23, 2014January 22, 20140 comments

The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled on January 22 that the Department of the Interior illegally sold offshore oil and gas leases in the Chukchi Sea, off the northwest coast of Alaska. The court found that the government had failed to adequately evaluate the impacts of drilling—and inevitable mishaps—in the Arctic environment. …

Polar Science and Art Meet in “Vanishing Ice”

by Kat LongArticles, Commentary January 6, 2014January 3, 20140 comments

A current exhibit—that I wish I could see for myself—at the Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, Wa. explores my favorite subject: the intersection of art, polar science and the history of exploration. Vanishing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art, 1775-2012, is on view through March 2. “First and foremost, this show is a tribute to …

Arctic Report Card: Sixth-Warmest Year on Record

by Kat LongCommentary December 30, 2013December 28, 20130 comments

NOAA released the annual Arctic Report Card in December, revealing that the climate was slightly cooler than the previous year—but that long-term climate warming and changes in the environment persist. The Arctic Report Card aggregates trends in the atmosphere, sea ice and ocean, marine ecosystems, terrestrial ecosystems and the terrestrial cryosphere (i.e., ice on land). …