Video of the Week: First “World Day for Glaciers” at the United Nations in New York

Friday March 21st marked the first-ever World Day for Glaciers, bringing together global leaders, cryosphere scientists, and policymakers to address the urgent need for glacier preservation and water security in the face of climate change. This high-level event was held at UN Headquarters in New York alongside ongoing events and sessions in Paris. World Day […]

High-Level Event Celebrating First “World Day for Glaciers” Today in New York

Today marks the first-ever World Day for Glaciers, bringing together global leaders, cryosphere scientists, and policymakers to address the urgent need for glacier preservation and water security in the face of climate change. A high-level event will be held at UN Headquarters in New York from 10am-1pm ET today, alongside ongoing events and sessions in […]

Thwaites Ice Shelf Doubled Melt Rate During Sudden Glacial Lake Drainage

Nature Communications, 6 March 2025 This study reports that the sudden drainage of a lake beneath Thwaites Glacier temporarily doubled the melting of its ice shelf in 2013, pushing ice loss to greater heights than expected. The quick release of lake meltwater, in combination with deep circumpolar ocean waters continually eroding ice shelf cavities, led […]

Weakening Ocean Current Patterns Reduce Global Carbon Uptake, Costing Trillions of Dollars

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 12 January 2025 The AMOC is a large, intertwined system of ocean currents that transports heat throughout the Atlantic Ocean, playing a key role in the regulation of ocean temperatures and global climate patterns. By quantifying the AMOC’s impact on ocean carbon uptake, this study shows that a […]

Geoengineering Curtain Cannot Prevent Retreat of Fast-flowing Greenland Glacier

Communications Earth and Environment, 7 March 2025 Geo-engineering efforts to add an underwater “curtain” to the fjord of one of Greenland’s largest glaciers would not prevent further retreat under even a low emissions scenario, and comes with a plethora of economic and cultural concerns from local Indigenous Peoples. Previous hypotheses suggested that a curtain or […]

COP29 Video of the Week: Polar Oceans – Triple Threat of Acidification, Warming and Freshening

The Arctic and Southern Oceans are crucial components of the global climate system. Their unique ecosystems are under serious threat from warming, acidification, freshening and ice loss. Polar oceans are already experiencing changes in chemistry, and continued warming is leading to population range shifts, changes in food webs, ecosystems, fisheries, and climate regulation. Speakers highlighted […]

Groundbreaking Study Consolidates Two Decades of Glacier Observations

Nature, 19 February 2025 A comprehensive analysis from the Glacier Mass Balance Intercomparison Exercise, or GlaMBIE, reveals global glaciers are losing ice at an alarming rate, averaging 270 billion tonnes annually from 2000 to 2023, with a significant acceleration in recent years. This mass loss, surpassing both Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet contributions, made glaciers […]

Rising Temperatures Expected to Weaken Major Polar-driven Ocean Circulation Systems

Nature and Environmental Research Letters, 26 February and 3 March 2025 Two recent studies refine predictions of North Atlantic and Antarctic ocean circulation behavior this century, highlighting the interconnectedness of the Earth’s polar oceans and climate system. Together, the studies emphasize the urgent need for mitigation of emissions, to avoid major disruption to the delicate […]

Regime Shift in Antarctic Sea Ice Levels

Nature Communications Earth and Environment, 21 February 2025 A new study reveals a significant structural shift in Antarctic sea ice patterns over the past decade. While Antarctic sea ice showed a long-term slightly increasing trend until 2016, patterns changed in 2017 with multiple consecutive summers displaying record-low amounts of sea ice. By reconstructing sea ice […]

到 2100 年,海平面上升可能威胁到北极一半的社区

AGU 地球的未来,2024 年 12 月 16 日。这项跨学科的海岸威胁风险评估整合了北极地区的海蚀、海平面上升和永久冻土融化数据,绘制出了第一幅全面展示气候变化对沿海社区和基础设施脆弱性的地图。结果显示,到 2100 年,% 的沿海居民点将受到影响……

COP29 本周视频:缓慢显现,影响巨大——永久冻土对全球 1.5°C 目标意味着什么

冻土在计算当前和未来碳排放量时起着至关重要的作用。高级研究人员解释了永久冻土融化的近期趋势,并概述了在多种排放情景(包括我们目前的排放轨迹)下,永久冻土融化未来产生的二氧化碳和甲烷排放量。他们深入探讨了对这些排放量进行监测、测量和核算的现状。[…]