All things geology, climate, oceans, and more
You might have noticed that it’s pretty cold throughout much of the United States—frostbite-inducing, school-closing, scald-yourself-with-boiling-water-while-attempting-that-stupid-instant-snow-trick cold. You might wonder what that means, scientifically. I’m not talking biology—I’m talking chemistry (okay, and a little biochemistry). Temperatures like the -36 degrees Fahrenheit faced by my friends in Fargo, North Dakota this week approach a level of…
The time of great suffering is upon us. The polar vortex is ushering in a deep freeze across the Midwest that’s among the coldest cold air outbreak in recent memory. Temperatures have started to plunge in the Midwest and they won’t stop dropping until they reach record-low territory on Wednesday. We’re talking reaching the point…
The one thing we humans have done an incredible job of leaving behind is plastic. Microplastics, in particular, are seemingly everywhere these days: in sea turtles, table salt, and even beer. Now, a new study offers evidence that microplastics may be infiltrating our groundwater supply, too. Illinois-based researchers found microplastics in springs and wells from…
Australia’s blistering heat wave began in December and has only intensified since then. So far the country has had record runs of hot days and its hottest night ever recorded. Now, catastrophic bush fires have turned the Tasmanian sky red and conditions are expected to become more calamitous later this week. The Tasmania Fire Service…
The second heat wave in two weeks in Southern Australia continued to punish the region, with temperatures in Melbourne hitting 109.4 degrees Fahrenheit (42.8C) on Friday afternoon, and the state of Tasmania struggling to deal with “30 uncontained fires,” according to the Guardian. Electrical blackouts lasting over two hours affected some 200,000 people in the…
A re-analysis of lunar materials collected during the Apollo 14 mission has resulted in a rather astonishing conclusion: One of the rocks brought back appears to contain a small chunk of Earth dating back some 4 billion years. Incredibly, it’s now amongst the oldest terrestrial rocks known to exist. New research published this week in…
If you live in the Midwest, I’m sorry. All signs are pointing toward an extremely dangerous and potentially historic cold snap descending on the region next week thanks to the polar vortex. It will make last week’s dalliance with polar vortex-induced cold look like a beach vacation and could put lives at risk. Weather models…
We have evidently reached the vandalism stage of the public’s fascination with Maine’s 300-foot-wide ice disk. The massive ice structure presently drawing curious onlookers to its location in the Presumpscot River in the Westbrook suburb of Portland apparently piqued the interest of one New Jersey man on a mission. CBS-affiliate WGME reported that Christopher Angulo…
Using a hot-water drill, British scientists have dug a 7,060-foot borehole through the Antarctic ice sheet. The comically long ice hole is the largest ever for West Antarctica, and it’s meant to improve our understanding of climate-related sea level rise. This project, run by the British Antarctic Survey, is called “Bed Access, Monitoring and Ice…
You may have recently read about that colossal spinning ice disk that recently turned up in Maine—the one that appeared larger than a neighboring multi-level parking structure? It stopped spinning. But reader, some ambitious soul has set it free again. After it was reported midweek that the roughly 300-foot-wide ice structure that’s currently chilling in…
Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1, but preparedness season is in full swing. Or at least, it would be if the federal government wasn’t shut down. Of all the trouble the shutdown has brought upon the weather community, this might be the most impactful. Putting the off-season on hold over Trump’s imaginary border emergency…
Australia’s heat wave isn’t slowing down. The Land Down Under broke records late last year with temperatures spiking 11 to 22 degrees Fahrenheit above normal around Christmastime. And 2019 hasn’t offered much relief. Thursday night set a new minimum temperature record of nearly 97 degrees Fahrenheit in New South Wales. This is the highest daily…
By comparing the age of impact craters on the Moon to those on Earth, researchers say they have discovered a surge in the rate of asteroid strikes starting around 290 million years ago—a finding that runs contrary to scientific convention. And indeed, not everyone is convinced by the evidence. Scientists who study ancient impact craters…
A series of monster storms will leave California’s mountains white and set rivers roaring over the back half of the week. The Golden State is looking at feet of snow and hurricane-force winds, and because of all the areas burned by record-setting fires the past two years, a serious risk of mudslides. California’s winter is…
On Sunday, two of the nation’s greatest nemeses will be in Kansas City: the Patriots and the polar vortex. Tailgating at the NFL conference championship game at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium will not be for the faint at heart with temperatures in the single digits and quite possibly sub-zero by game time. Are you ready…
This week in the city of Westbrook, Maine, a huge, rotating circle of ice formed on the Presumpscot River. While it seems like it could be an omen of the impending apocalypse or a particularly low-effort attempt at a crop circle by extraterrestrials, in reality it appears to be another example of a natural yet…
Rapid and erratic movements of Earth’s north magnetic pole have prompted an early update to a model that assists with navigation. The scheduled fix was supposed to happen on January 15, but the U.S. government shutdown has forced an unwelcome delay. The magnetic north pole is shifting at an unprecedented rate. Over the last 30…
Forget Bad Winter, a season of Boring Winter is upon us. At least, if you live in the Northeast U.S. Head on over to the North Pacific, and it’s a different story. There, a massive winter storm is churning that’s been perfectly captured by not one but two satellites. Despite its prodigious size, it has…
In the future, cyborg birds may help monitor ocean currents and help ground-truth satellite data. It may sound like an odd prognostication, but a study released on Thursday in Scientific Reports lays the groundwork. Scientists slapped small GPS units on Scopoli’s shearwaters, a common seabird found throughout the Mediterranean and east Atlantic. Rather than tracking…
Athens just put in a pretty strong bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. A huge dip in the jet stream has allowed polar air to plunge into the normally temperate Mediterranean, dumping snow in Greece’s capital and beach resort towns. On Tuesday, otherworldly scenes emerged across the country as snow caked iconic tourist attractions like…
