What Scientists Just Discovered In Greenland Could Be Making Sea-Level Rise Even Worse
Source: The Washington Post, Written By Chelsea Harvey This NASA animation shows Greenland's ice mass loss from January 2004 to June 2014. (NASA) Rising global temperatures may be affecting the Greenland ice sheet — and its contribution to sea-level rise — in more serious ways that scientists imagined, a new study finds. Recent changes to the island’s snow and ice cover appear to have affected its ability to store excess water, meaning more melting ice may be running off into the ocean than previously thought.
The 2015 Wildfire Season Set an Ominous Record
Source: Climate Central The U.S. as a whole may finally be feeling winter’s chill, but the newly released 2015 wildfire numbers serve as a reminder of how hot and smoky the past year was. The National Interagency Fire Center’s numbers vividly illustrate how 2015 was a record setter. U.S. wildfires scorched 10.12 million acres. Annual acreage burned by wildfires in the U.S. since 1970 That bests the previous mark of 9.87 million acres set in 2006, and it's the first time wildfire acreage burned has crossed the 10-million acre threshold. The impacts of climate change mean that the threshold will likely be crossed more often in the coming century as wildfire season lasts longer and sparks more large fires.