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☆ Ocean temperatures are off the charts right now, and scientists are alarmed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Ocean surface heat is at record-breaking levels. Since La Niña ended in March, ocean temperatures seem to be on a rebound, scientists say. Worrying impacts of ocean warmingWhatever the reasons behind the increase in ocean heat, the impacts are potentially catastrophic if temperatures continue to head off the charts. For now, ocean surface temperatures have started to fall, even if they remain high for this time of year. As scientists continue to analyze the reasons for record ocean warming, they are clear records will continue to be smashed as the climate crisis intensifies.

☆ Billionaire Richard Branson defends space travel, argues it can benefit planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Richard Branson on board Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity in July 2021. The billionaire believes the environmental costs of space travel are set to "come down even further." British billionaire Richard Branson believes space travel can be beneficial for the planet, arguing that trips like the one he undertook in 2021 open doors and cut red tape. During his interview with the BBC, Branson described space travel as being "incredibly important" for the Earth and made the case for it to continue. "Communication between people is being transformed because of space travel and satellites up there," he said.

☆ Why Does This Cannibalistic Fish Keep Washing Ashore?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For hundreds of years, a strange species of fish with long fanglike teeth that eats its own kind and spends most of its time at the bottom of the ocean has somehow found its way to the shores of the West Coast. The latest appearance by a lancetfish, as the species is known, was on a beach in Oregon, state officials said Monday, prompting more speculation about why the deep-sea creature occasionally surfaces on land. Lancetfish are obscure in part because they have no commercial appeal — meaning that they don’t taste good. The silvery and gelatinous fish have a “scientific name translates to something like scaleless lizard or scaleless dragon,” and they look the part, said Elan Portner, a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, one place where lancetfish have been found washed ashore. Lancetfish also “migrate as far north as subarctic areas like Alaska’s Bering Sea to feed,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

☆ Fact Check-Ocean pulled to Earth by force of gravity
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The ocean is pulled down to Earth due to gravity, despite a viral post shared online falsely claiming that the planet’s oceans are held inside a “container,” with Antarctica forming the external ridge. The posts allude to flat earth conspiracies. OUR CONTAINER.”The ocean is pulled down to the irregular ellipsoid-shaped Earth due to gravity (here), however, and is not held together by containers on a flat surface. On Earth, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “gravity pulls all objects ‘downward’ toward the center of the planet” (bit.ly/41XcxYq). The ocean is pulled to Earth due to gravity.

CNN —Thunderstorms can bring dangerous lightning, heavy rain, strong winds and sometimes ice stones falling from the sky – known, of course, as hail. Hail forms when warming at the Earth’s surface causes water to evaporate and rise, eventually reaching freezing temperatures higher in the atmosphere. Hail formation can be broken into two types: wet growth or dry growth, according to the National Weather Service. The new formations then fall and freeze together relatively slowly, which can give hail interesting shapes depending on how the pieces combine. Since freezing isn’t immediate during wet growth, air bubbles can escape, which makes these hailstones partially clear.

The northern and southern lights, which are usually confined to the Arctic and Antarctica, have generated awe and wonder for centuries. The northern lights were visible over St. Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay, England on Monday. The southern lights glowed over Lake Ellesmere on the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand on Monday. Over the next few years, the northern lights might appear further south more regularly, said Robert Massey, executive director at the Royal Astronomical Society. A National Weather Service employee took a photo of the northern lights in Maine on Sunday.

☆ Northern Lights Are Seen in Places Where They Normally Aren’t
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The sky over an unusually wide swath of the northern hemisphere lit up with a brilliant display of color overnight into Monday morning, dazzling people across North America and Europe. The display was potentially visible as far south as Iowa in the United States, as well as in parts of southern England, scientists said. The phenomena, known as the aurora borealis or northern lights, occurs when particles emitted by the sun collide with particles that are already trapped around Earth’s magnetic field, and can often be seen from parts of Iceland, Canada and Alaska. But on Friday, the sun let off a large burst of energy, said Robert Steenburgh, a space scientist with the Space Weather Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (These bursts are also known as coronal mass ejections.)

☆ How to put your best travel foot forward for Earth Day 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

But you don’t have to totally cut out travel or stay super close to home to be a good planetary citizen. You need a city that’s dedicated to getting it right to best enjoy an urban biking vacation. Here, we've curated 30 of our favorite corners, including the Thu Bon River, which flows through central Vietnam. A maze of rivers and caves, the UNESCO World Centre is defined by its craggy limestone facades and jade green water. Bruno De Hogues/Photodisc/Getty Images Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park: A UNESCO World Heritage, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is heaven for spelunkers.

☆ NOAA Forecasters See a Respite for California
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The NewsWeather forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday issued their latest outlook for the United States, and there’s at least one piece of hopeful news for a state that has already had a wild year, weather-wise: California. But according to NOAA’s latest forecasts, temperatures for May through July are highly likely to be in line with historical averages across California and Nevada. For May, much of California could even see cooler-than-normal conditions, the agency said. This could mean the snow’s melting would be more gradual than abrupt, more beneficial to water supplies than destructive to homes and farms. “The picture is relatively optimistic compared to what it could be,” said Andrew Schwartz, lead scientist at the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory, part of the University of California, Berkeley.

☆ How Unusual Was This Winter’s Snowfall Across the U.S.?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Zach Levitt | Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +9 min

Boston New York City 120 inches 120 80 80 Previous years since 2003 40 40 This year Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Philadelphia Washington, D.C. 120 120 80 80 40 40 Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr. Boston 100 inches Previous years since 2003 80 60 40 20 This year Oct. Dec. Feb. Apr.

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☆ What is a red flag warning? What to know as fire weather conditions affect more parts of the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here's what to know when you see a red flag warning in your area, and how to protect yourself. Red flag warnings indicate dry, arid weather and strong wind conditions that increase the possibility of dangerous wildfires. One map shared on Twitter by climate reporter Dave Levitan shows the latest range of red flag warnings stretching from New Mexico to Massachusetts. Be careful with cigarettes during a red flag warning. Lastly, the NWS has some basic guidelines to avoid igniting fires during a red flag warning:

☆ Billionaire founder of Paul Mitchell and Patron invests in man-made coral reefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Diana Olick | In Dianaolick | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Coral reefs, often called the "rainforests of the sea," support roughly 25% of all known marine species. And the planet has lost half its coral reefs since the 1950s due in large part to climate change. The annual value of U.S. commercial and recreational fisheries dependent on coral reefs is $200 million. Brosnan has been studying coral reefs for more than 25 years, with a specific focus on the Caribbean. So right now today, we lose more coral reefs in a day than we can restore in a decade."

☆ 478 tornado reports across 25 states: How a mild winter led to destruction
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Denise Chow | Nigel Chiwaya | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

There have been at least 478 tornado reports this year across 25 states as of Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Only 2017, with 503 tornado reports, and 2008, with 523, had more at this point in the year. The southern part of the U.S. was not particularly cold this winter." This dynamic is why tornadoes in the South occur more commonly in the cooler months, from late fall through winter and into early spring. These storms are also projected to hit Southern states like Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee more frequently in the future, according to the research.

☆ Multiple killed and injured after tornado slices through southeastern Missouri
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( David K. Li | Kathryn Prociv | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The tornado caused widespread destruction and killed and injured multiple people. A "significant" tornado tore through southeastern Missouri on Wednesday morning, leaving multiple people dead and widespread destruction as authorities warned of more twisters. Mike Parson posted an aerial picture of the devastation in Bollinger County, saying that "fatalities have been confirmed and others have been injured." There are at least "four weather-related deaths" in or around Bollinger County, Highway Patrol Sgt. The highway patrol has urged people to avoid the area as first responders work to find injured.

☆ A camera caught a fish swimming more than 8,300 meters below the surface near Japan, making it the deepest observation of a fish ever recorded
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Researchers spotted the fish in the Izu-Ogasawara trench near Japan, the outlet reported. Previously, the deepest recorded fish was seen at 8,178 meters in the Mariana Trench in 2018Top editors give you the stories you want — delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Previously, the deepest recorded fish was spotted 8,178 meters down in the Mariana Trench, according to BBC News. The previous deepest recorded fish in the Mariana Trench was identified as a Mariana snailfish, which had been known to scientists since 2014, Insider reported at the time. "We predicted the deepest fish would be there and we predicted it would be a snailfish," Jamieson said according to the outlet.

☆ Florida aquarium to release orca after more than 50 years in captivity
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Tyler Clifford | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A killer whale jumps out of the water in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonMarch 30 (Reuters) - A Florida aquarium has reached a deal with animal welfare advocates to release Lolita, a 5,000-pound (2,268 kg) killer whale held in captivity for more than half a century, officials said on Thursday. The plan to return Lolita to her natural habitat requires federal approval, according to the newspaper. The Seaquarium's previous owner, SeaWorld Entertainment Inc (SEAS.N), phased out killer whale shows in 2016. Killer whales are highly social mammals that have no natural predators and can up to 80 years.

☆ A powerful 'X-class' solar flare just hit Earth. Forecasters are bracing for more sun activity in the coming days.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The sun blasted Earth with a powerful X-class solar flare on Tuesday, causing radio blackouts. Three more moderate solar flares followed, and we could see more eruptions in the coming days. This may be a precursor to even more solar activity in the coming days. NASA/SDOThat report forecast a chance of more M-class flares in the coming days, with a "slight chance" of another X-class flare on Thursday. More often, though, solar activity triggers energetic displays of Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, sometimes pushing them further south than their normal Arctic occurrence.

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy predicting the weather is so hardWeather forecasting is a complicated task for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that begins with collecting billions of observations per day on metrics like temperature and wind speed. This information is then fed into supercomputers that produce weather models that meteorologists use to come up with forecasts. But these models are not perfect. Now, NOAA is exploring buying data as a service from startups like Tomorrow.io and Saildrone to improve its forecasting.

☆ As climate change intensifies extreme weather, NOAA looks to startups to help improve its forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Magdalena Petrova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The U.S. experienced 18 separate billion-dollar weather or climate disasters in 2022, costing a total of $165 billion in damages. This information is then fed into powerful supercomputers that produce weather models that meteorologists use to come up with forecasts. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, accurate weather forecasting is becoming more important than ever. The weather forecasting services industry in the U.S. was estimated to be worth about $17.4 billion in 2023, according to IBISWorld. CNBC spoke with two such companies, Boston-based Tomorrow.io and Alameda, California-based Saildrone, to learn how their technology can help improve weather forecasting for NOAA and others.

☆ A deadline looms for rules governing deep-sea mining, but a rushed decision may be risky
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Proponents say that deep-sea mining there is a less damaging way to gather metals like nickel, copper, manganese and cobalt. Opponents of deep-sea mining say there is not enough information to make that kind of decision. Critics of the idea of deep-sea mining have said the process is being rushed. That's what's behind the drive for diversity of supply on land-based mining, as well as exploration of alternatives such as deep-sea mining." Finding consensus for the Wild West of the seaOpponents of deep-sea mining want to tap the brakes.

Entrepreneur Luke Iseman said the sulfur dioxide in the balloons would deflect sunlight and cool the atmosphere, a controversial climate strategy known as solar geoengineering. The Mexican government told Reuters it is now actively drafting “new regulations and standards” to prohibit solar geoengineering inside the country. While the Mexican government announced its intention to ban solar geoengineering in January, its current actions and plans to discuss geoengineering bans with other countries have not been previously reported. GLOBAL GEOENGINEERING BANClimate policy experts said Mexico is in a position to help set the rules for future geoengineering research. David Keith, a professor of applied physics and public policy at Harvard University who has dedicated much of his research to solar geoengineering, called Iseman's launch a "stunt."

☆ Wet winter eases California drought, giving way to spring flood risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "We're not calling for catastrophic and major widespread flooding," said Ed Clark, director of NOAA's National Water Center. California's winter was marked by a punishing succession of so-called atmospheric river storms, the product of vast, dense airborne currents of water vapor funneled in from the tropical Pacific. The storms have unleashed widespread flooding, mudslides, power outages, fallen trees, surf damage, road wash-outs and evacuations since late December. "Winter precipitation, combined with recent storms, wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020, and is expected to further improve drought conditions this spring," NOAA said.

☆ Factbox: Why is Cyclone Freddy a record-breaking storm?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Nellie Peyton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HIGHEST CYCLONE ENERGYFreddy holds the record for most accumulated cyclone energy (ACE), a measure based on a storm's wind strength over its lifetime, of any storm in the southern hemisphere and possibly worldwide. Freddy has generated about as much accumulated cyclone energy as an average full North Atlantic hurricane season, according to the World Meteorological Organization. By last week it was in second place for the most accumulated cyclone energy of any storm since 1980, with the record held by Hurricane and Typhoon Ioke in 2006. RECORD LENGTHFreddy may have broken the record for longest-lasting tropical cyclone on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Freddy had seven separate cycles of rapid intensification, according to satellite estimates, said the World Meteorological Organization.

A team of scientists with the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have conducted the first assessment of marine heatwaves along North America's continental shelves. Surface heatwaves can be picked up by satellites and can result in huge algal blooms. It found that while sometimes a marine heatwave can hit both the sea surface and ocean bottom at the same time, bottom heatwaves can also occur on their own. Marine heatwaves have become about 50% more frequent over the past decade. Past bottom marine heatwaves have decimated Pacific cod and snow crab populations.

☆ Record-strength cyclone Freddy pounds Mozambique after making second landfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JOHANNESBURG, March 12 (Reuters) - Cyclone Freddy battered central Mozambique on Sunday after making landfall for a second time in a month and breaking records for duration and strength of tropical storms in the southern hemisphere. More than 171,000 people were affected after the cyclone swept through southern Mozambique last month, killing 27 people in Mozambique and Madagascar. More than half a million people are at risk of being affected Mozambique this time, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). At least one person was killed there on Saturday when his house collapsed on him as the storm swept onshore, state TV reported. Two weeks ago, 27 died when the storm first made landfall, after first being spotted near Indonesia on Feb. 6.

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