Lull in upper ocean warming explained through ENSO – warming trend continues

Shortly after an El Niño event there is elevated heat exchange from the upper ocean layers to the cosmos over the tropical Pacific Ocean. In the North Atlantic Ocean, variations in the ocean circulation affect the heat exchange to the … Continue reading

The wildfire climate feedback, tundra´s case: megatonnes of extra CO2

Globally 2007 was one of the hottest years on record. In the Arctic it led to the thus far smallest sea ice extent. But that’s not the only thing unprecedented that happened in the far north. For the first time … Continue reading

Melting Arctic ice releases persistent organic pollutants

Global temperatures are rising and as a result icecaps are melting. But as a study in Nature Climate Change shows icecaps don’t just discharge water when they melt. They also release a gift from generations past in the form of … Continue reading

The forest fire feedback, Yellowstone’s case: ecosystem shift by 2050

Climate change could cause the forests of the world’s oldest national park, Yellowstone, in the Eastern Rocky Mountains, to shift to a gras and shrub ecosystem, US scientists warn. It could happen in four decades, and will likely not be … Continue reading

Soils don´t need warming to add another positive climate feedback

We recently reported on a possible negative carbon feedback of forest soils in higher latitudes: when such soils warm, nutrient availability may increase, as would (therefore) biomass production and CO2 uptake. But not all climate feedbacks operate through temperature. It … Continue reading

First proof ocean CO2 uptake has started to slow down

From raw measurements we know that in recent years the oceans seem to take up a smaller percentage of the CO2 we emit. Analysing available data a group of three researchers finds in part of the North Atlantic this is … Continue reading