By Penny Paugh Over half of the Arctic is covered by forest. Snow blanketing over a forest actually keeps the soil at a fairly high temperature. Most climate models do not account for the size of forestry in that area, but some are models are now beginning to account for this variable. Climate modeler Isabelle […]
phytoplankton
Role of Phytoplankton in Atmospheric Regulation
June 19, 2012
By Penny Paugh Scientists have been examining the self-regulating factors of climate and the oceans. A study conducted at NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, WA, has been looking at the role of the tiny organisms and the planet’s atmosphere. “For many years, we thought that chemical emissions from phytoplankton was the major player in […]
Part 2: The Ocean – Earth’s Climate Engine
February 28, 2012
By Luisa Cristini, PhD, University of Hawaii at Manoa [Note from the editor: This is the second in a series of blog entries that will focus on introductory topics in climate dynamics and modeling, and will be a great insight into the current understanding of the science.] Seventy-one percent of the Earth’s surface is covered […]
Volcano Eruption Leads to Phytoplankton Bloom
October 9, 2010
By Pennell Paugh We recently wrote that phytoplankton, which is the basis for the vast majority of oceanic and some freshwater food chains, is on the decline due to global warming of the planet. However, a new article published in Geophysical Research Letters, reports that the recent eruption of a volcano in the on the […]
Ocean warming could have severe consequences for marine life
May 23, 2010
May 2010 By Kevin Tsai The effects of climate change, such as melting ice caps and increasing tropical hurricane intensity, may seem remote to many people. On the other hand, decades of increasing ocean temperatures, which reached new record average highs in June 2009, will likely drive changes to marine life that no one will […]