| Big Storms Wallop California: An atmospheric river storm pummeled Northern California and Nevada over the weekend, causing widespread destruction and evacuations for hundreds of households along the Truckee and Russian rivers. Climate change is helping to fuel the storm, which is consistent with observed trends and projections indicating that extreme precipitation in California, as well as globally, increases generally in a warming climate. Sunday’s storm is the first in a series of atmospheric river storms expected to hit the region throughout this week. For more on the climate link with this week’s storms and related impacts, visit our Climate Signals backgrounder. (Reuters, AP, Washington Post $, LA Times $, NBC LA, Mashable. Commentary: LA Times editorial $)
Atlantic Coast Saved from Seismic: The Obama administration announced Friday it has denied all applications from fossil fuel companies seeking to conduct seismic testing for oil and gas reserves off the Atlantic coast, effectively shutting down industry hopes for drilling in the area. The announcement, which comes a scant two weeks after the administration closed off oil and gas leases in the Arctic and northern Atlantic, cites a “diminished need” for surveying the area as well as a concern for seismic surveying’s impact on marine life. (Washington Post $, AP, Greenwire $)
Antarctica Going Through a Breakup: An enormous chunk of ice the size of Delaware is poised to break of off one of the Antarctic’s largest ice shelves soon, following a sudden growth in the rift over the past month. Scientists reported Thursday that the 5,000 sq km iceberg remains attached to the Larsen ice shelf by a mere 20 sq km, and that its breakoff will “fundamentally change” the makeup of the Antarctic. The coming breakoff, which would be one of the 10 largest ever recorded, could accelerate the further breakup of the ice shelf and allow Antarctica’s glaciers to flow into the ocean, raising sea levels over the long term by as much as four inches. (AP, Washington Post $, Reuters, USA Today, NPR, Climate Central, Mashable, Christian Science Monitor, Climate Home)
“As Donald Trump Denies Climate Change, These Kids Die of It”: New York Times columnist Nick Kristof dedicated his Sunday column and an accompanying web video to highlight the ongoing drought in southern Africa and the devastating hunger crisis it is causing there. The drought, which new research published last month further links to climate change, has impacted seven countries in the region, resulting in acute malnutrition for 1.3 million children. For more on how the drought ties in to climate change, visit our Climate Signals backgrounder. (New York Times, Nick Kristof column $) |
