2024 Was Europe’s Hottest Year, Punctuated by Extreme Weather Events

Copernicus Climate Change Service and World Meteorological Organization, 15 April 2025 2024 was Europe’s warmest year on record, with estimated losses from storms and flooding alone reaching €18.2 billion, revealed the annual climate report published by the EU’s Copernicus Programme and WMO. The report consolidates 40 datasets to track the impacts of climate change on […]

Tracks of City-sized Icebergs around UK Show Collapse of Major Ice Sheet 18,000 Years Ago

Nature Communications, 24 April 2025 Deep gouges in the seafloor beneath the North Sea reveal that large icebergs tens of kilometers wide floated along the modern UK coastline towards the end of the Last Ice Age, and may help predict how Antarctica may respond to warming temperatures. The study documents the catastrophic collapse of ice […]

Rivers Flowing Under the Antarctic Ice Sheet Could Trigger Faster Sea-Level Rise

Nature, 20 March 2025 A study modeling the long-term evolution of rivers beneath Antarctica shows “hotspots” where churning water beneath ice shelves creates vulnerable areas in the ice, which could increase thinning by 20-50% across ice shelves in the Aurora Subglacial Basin by 2100. This East Antarctic basin is grounded below sea level, a particularly […]

Long-Term Health Risks of Flooding Documented in U.S.

Nature, 23 March 2025 This study investigates the long-term health impacts of floods in the US since the turn of the century, calculating that each day with flood conditions was associated with 8 more deaths than expected per 10 million individuals. Researchers specializing in climate change, medical care, and epidemiology synthesized two decades of data […]

COP29 Video of the Week: Ice Sheet Dynamics and Risks of Future Sea Level Rise above 1.5°C

Ice loss from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets has quadrupled since the 1990s and now represents the dominant source of sea-level rise, with potential to add over 15 meters by 2300. Rising global temperatures are approaching thresholds that can trigger irreversible retreat, prompting urgent calls to meet the more ambitious target of the Paris […]

Improved Models of Subglacial Water Show Potential Tripling of Antarctic Ice Loss by 2300

Nature, 7 April 2025 Subglacial water may play a much larger role in Antarctic ice loss than previously thought, and this study suggests that current models may underestimate future sea-level rise by a factor of three. Vast networks of lakes and streams lie beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. This water can lubricate the ice, allowing […]

Near-total Loss of Glaciers in Western Austria at 2°C

The Cryosphere, 1 April 2025 Near-complete glacier loss is expected in new projections of the Ötztal and Stubai mountain ranges of western Austria with global warming above 1.5°C. Between 2006 and 2017, roughly 20% of both glacier area and volume was lost across this region, with five glaciers disappearing entirely. Researchers consolidated decades of glacier […]

Ice Loss in Northern Italy: Disappearing Dolomite Mountain Glaciers

The Cryosphere, 24 March 2025 An international team of researchers analyzing glacier loss in the Italian Dolomites found that this region’s twelve remaining glaciers have together lost 30 meters of thickness over the past four decades. Alarmingly, one third of this loss has occurred since 2010. The iconic Marmolada glacier suffered the greatest loss, enduring […]

ECR Opportunity at Dushanbe International Glaciers Conference, May 29-31

The UN International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation May 29-31, part of the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 (IYGP), will strive to establish the critical role glaciers play for local and regional communities and ecosystems, as well as the urgency in slowing their retreat through sharp reductions in fossil fuel emissions. Briefer “lightning talks” will […]

COP29 Video of the Week: Global Glacier Projections and Paris Limits

Glaciers globally have been retreating and losing mass at an accelerated rate in recent decades, leading to significant impacts such as sea-level rise, freshwater availability, and increased glacial hazards. Even with emissions consistent with 1.5C, glaciers are expected to eventually lose about 40% of their mass due to their delayed response to the changing climate. […]

Economic Loss from Alaskan Permafrost Thaw, Infrastructure Damage: Double Past Estimates

Nature Communications, 21 March 2025 New models refining infrastructure mapping in Alaska show that large economic losses are expected to emerge from permafrost thaw in coming decades. The improved analysis reveals that permafrost-related damage to Alaskan buildings and roads could cost $37 billion by mid-century under a medium emissions scenario (SSP2-4.5) and $51 billion under […]

Low Emissions Would Cut Western U.S. Snowpack Losses by Half

Nature, 1 April 2025 Western U.S. mountain snowpack, crucial for supplying water to roughly 100 million people and accounting for 75% of total water supply over the region, faces significant declines due to climate change. A new study consolidates climate model simulations to produce regional estimates of snow loss under multiple emissions scenarios. Research indicates […]

Sea-Level Rise Surges at End of Last Ice Age Strengthen Future Projections

Nature, 19 March 2025 Reconstructing wetlands from the last Ice Age has revealed periods of rapid sea-level rise equal to, and in some cases exceeding, future projections. By investigating sediment or “peat” from the North Sea, researchers filled gaps in the historical record and identified two periods of intense sea-level rise, peaking at nearly 9 […]

COP29 Video of the Week: Total Emissions from Permafrost Regions Already Warming the Climate

An international team of permafrost scientists outlined new research findings developed in the Regional Carbon Cycle and Processes (RECCAP2) project, aimed at strengthening the construction of comprehensive greenhouse gas budgets to account for all carbon sources and sinks. Latest research shows that the northern circumpolar permafrost region is already warming the global climate. While boreal […]

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