Earth & Sky

Clear summer skies might be great for picnics, but sea ice does better with some cloud cover. Scientist Jennifer Kay talks about the dramatic loss of sea ice this past summer.

The dirt under our feet can help slow down climate change. Soil microbiologist Chuck Rice of Kansas State University explained how it works.

Scientists are working to confirm the predictions of climate models, and the results aren’t always as expected. For example, the models suggest that global warming means more snowfall near Earth’s poles. That extra snowfall could slow sea level rise, as more water stays in the ice sheets.

Scientists at work in the Arctic say the pace of change there is now so rapid that some creatures might not be able to adapt. For example, Arctic ringed seals give birth and nurse their young in caves dug out on the snow-covered ice.

Leaders of industry, science, journalism, politics, and sustainability converge with members of the general public Wednesday, March 26 in Colorado for the first Aspen Environment Forum on the future of our shared environment.

Contrary to predictions by most climate models and even some Hollywood movies, Earth’s oceans might actually circulate faster as Earth warms. That’s according to research led by climate scientist J.R. Toggweiler of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Lab in Princeton, New Jersey. He said he started by looking at levels of the greenhouse gas CO2 at the peak of ice cover during the last ice age 21,000 years ago.