Author Archives: Rolf Schuttenhelm

2 degrees warmer climate in late Pliocene meant 12-32 meters higher sea levels

That would likely mean that also the official UN climate goal of limiting the average world temperature rise to no more than 2 degrees Celsius – a target linked to 450 ppm CO2 equivalent stabilisation scenarios (practically ambitious, theoretically weak) … Continue reading →

During MIS11 interglacial sea levels were 6-13 m higher, Nature study shows

If you are interested in sea level rise news, you have a busy week. First we learn from a Nature Climate Change publication that the Greenland ice sheet is already gone. Then earlier today two studies published in Environmental Research … Continue reading →

The frog that 20 million New Yorkers failed to spot

A team of scientists of Rutgers University, the University of California (LA & Davis) and the University of Alabama has today announced the discovery of a thus far undocumented species of frog. Although in face of the worldwide amphibian decline … Continue reading →

Photo of the day: this worm is missing link in planetary food chain

Life on Earth consists of many millions of species, divided into ever smaller numbers when you zoom out to Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum and Kingdom – of which there are six. When you divide in Domains, there are just … Continue reading →

Arctic ice has had a good winter

Each year at the end of winter the Arctic sea ice reaches its maximum extent. Although unsurprisingly this ice maximum receives less media attention than the annual sea ice minimum in September, combining the two gives a better representation of … Continue reading →

In marine reserves reef sharks do well

After some good news about blue whales perhaps now there is also something hopeful to say about sharks. That however would still depend on whether we will be able to create and maintain protected areas in tropical reef systems along … Continue reading →