Climate Change 2016: Make America Hot Again

by Katie Dagon figures by Utsarga Adhikary Heat waves and droughts are staples of summer weather in America. This summer has proven to be no different! Much of the central and eastern U.S. endured a strong heat wave in mid-July. While the “heat dome” has subsided, parts of the Northeast are still under a severe drought (see Figure 3). What makes a particular period of … Continue reading Climate Change 2016: Make America Hot Again

Climate Change Makes the Earth Wobble

In the year 2000, the Earth’s spin axis made a sudden turn towards the east. While some shifts in the geographical pole occur regularly and are well understood, this sudden shift required a new explanation. According to teams from UT Austin and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), climate change is the driving force behind the north pole’s wayward path.   In 2013, the team from … Continue reading Climate Change Makes the Earth Wobble

Pausing to Talk About Climate Change

You might have heard something in the news recently about climate change ‘pausing’, ‘stopping’ or ‘slowing down’. While there is some truth to the phrase ‘global warming hiatus’, the issue is in fact a complex one. The hiatus represents an interesting example of an unexpected event which science cannot yet fully explain, despite taking place during a time in which our knowledge about the climate … Continue reading Pausing to Talk About Climate Change

Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Scientists Talk About Climate Change

Scientific conclusions about climate change have moved beyond the realm of pure science and begun to percolate into social policy and political decisions. As a result, many non-scientists are interested in the latest news about climate change, from companies in the energy sector to government officials across the globe. Interest groups and policymakers participate in matters ranging from validating scientific data to interpreting the impact … Continue reading Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Scientists Talk About Climate Change

Ecosystem Shift: How Global Climate Change is Reshaping the Biosphere

An overwhelming scientific consensus agrees that global climate change is real and humans are causing it. The 2014 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a publication that aggregates current climate-science knowledge, concluded that recent global climate change has affected both human and natural systems on every continent and in the oceans [1]. Global shifts in temperature, precipitation patterns, ocean levels, and the … Continue reading Ecosystem Shift: How Global Climate Change is Reshaping the Biosphere

Signal to Noise Special Edition: Climate Change

Articles in this Special Edition Pausing to Talk About Climate Change Katie Dagon Is Global Warming Over? Lauren Kuntz Beyond the Ivory Tower: How Scientists Talk About Climate Change Emily Low Ecosystem Shift: How Global Climate Change is Reshaping the Biosphere Matthew Schwartz Earth’s Climate: Stable up to a (Tipping) Point Dan Katzenberger The Climate Challenges of Developing Nations Ilana Kelsey Warmer Climates Not Cool … Continue reading Signal to Noise Special Edition: Climate Change

UN reaffirms man-made climate change. What’s next?

The UN has released a report reiterating that sufficient data exists to conclude that not only is climate change occurring, but that human use of coal, oil, and natural gas is the primary cause. This report highlights the stark fact that poorer populations disproportionally live in regions most vulnerable to climate change. Developed areas will be affected too. New York City, in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, is already focusing on “climate-proofing” its electrical system. Read on to learn more! Continue reading UN reaffirms man-made climate change. What’s next?

Climate Change: What We Know and Where We Go From Here

Presented by Elizabeth Thomas, Sujit Datta, and Atreyee Bhattacharya During the last three billion years, Earth’s climate has nurtured life. However, records of Earth’s history indicate that climate has changed dramatically with major consequences for its inhabitants. What drives such climate changes? What are the consequences? In tonight’s lecture, we discuss the effects that greenhouse gases can have, as well as a novel engineering approach … Continue reading Climate Change: What We Know and Where We Go From Here

Curbing the chemistry of climate change

The 2011 Harvard Radcliffe Institute Science Symposium, “Something in the Air: Climate Change, Science, and Policy” [1] brought together internationally renowned researchers to address the state of our current knowledge of climate science and courses of action that might lie ahead in addressing human-induced climate change. Chemistry plays an essential role in every aspect of studying and modeling the climate, as well as developing predictions … Continue reading Curbing the chemistry of climate change

March 3 – Taking the Temperature: Your Health, Our Climate, and What We Can Do About It

Time: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 3rd Join us on: Zoom (password: science) or YouTube Live Speakers: David Mazumder Graphics: Jasmin Joseph-Chazan Doomsayers (and world experts) tell us that our future could look like the ultimate disaster movie come to life unless we take action to prevent “catastrophic global warming.” In this unfolding drama, economic costs and disruptive technologies play leading roles, but our warming world … Continue reading March 3 – Taking the Temperature: Your Health, Our Climate, and What We Can Do About It