Summit Voice

A domino effect in coral reefs?

A diverse coral reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands. PHOTO BY CAROLINE ROGERS/USGS.

Staff Report

Researchers who tended multiple patches of coral species in an underwater lab found that  diverse colonies are much more resilient than those comprised of single species.

A study led by Georgia Institute of Technology scientists found that the “effective extinction” of many coral species is making the…

Climate science update: Not much time

Greenland and the Arctic are in big trouble, and you should care

Swirling sea ice off the coast of Greenland. @bberwyn photo.

I had a chance to do some in-depth reporting on climate change in the Arctic and on Greenland, and the news continues to get worse. We need to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, and we need to start right now.

The changes that have already happened in the Arctic…

New study quantifies climate change feedback loop Frozen gas bubbles trapped in the ice of a Colorado reservoir are a sign that emissions of heat-trapping pollution like methane are increasing as the planet warms. @bberwyn photo. Staff Report Scientists in the Netherlands say they’ve established “unequivocal, strong relations” between global warming and increasing methane emissions from lakes and…

Backlit.

Gone to seed.

Bold pattern.

Pollinator.

Forest dance.

It’s mid-summer, so all the bugs and plant are engaged in their eternal dance of life, with flowers blooming and pollinators doing their thing, all setting the stage for the next act of the play. But as you may or may not know, global warming has thrown many of these cycles out synch. Some of the best long-term research on this topic comes from the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Crested Butte, where scientists have shown how the shifting seasons are affecting butterflies and hummingbirds.

And when it comes to climate change, nature is kind of the opposite of Las Vegas. What happens there doesn’t stay there. All of nature is interconnected, so you can be sure that impacts to one part of the ecosystem will ripple through all the other parts eventually. The cycle of blooming plants and pollinating insects is so critical that there is actually a potential threat to food systems for humans. That doesn’t mean that we might not be able to address some of those challenges with technology or other innovations, but that’s bound to be expensive. It’s probably best to try and maintain natural ecosystem functions as best as we can by limiting global warming. And even if we do that right away, we’re still going to see some long-term impacts based on the warming that’s already locked into the climate system.

Vail Resorts targets zero emissions by 2030

Can the Colorado-based ski company lead the industry to a sustainable future? The ski slopes of Breckenridge, one of the Vail Resorts-owned ski areas planning to cut its operational carbon footprint to zero by 2030. @bberwyn photo. Staff Report In what may be a game-changer for the ski industry, Vail Resorts has announced that it wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its operations to zero…

Gradual CO2 buildup can trigger sudden climate tipping points

A new study links rising CO2 concentrations with disruptions to key climate-controlling currents during ice age climate shifts. Ice age ocean current disruptions linked with greenhouse gas changes Staff Report Scientists say they’ve discovered another huge climate warning sign in the Arctic. Past increases in CO2 levels in the air drove ocean currents to a tipping point had a big impact on…

GOP launches new assault on public lands

Proposed bill would cut environmental reviews for massive clear cut logging and block access to environmental justice Proposed legislation introduced by Republicans in Congress would open the door to widespread clearcutting without environmental reviews and black conservation advocates from seeking environmental justice in federal courts. @bberwyn photo. Staff Report Once again, Republican…

Earth to Pruitt: Paris is still on!

EPA chief continues to alienate important allies This now seems to be a bit of prescient moment during the COP 21 talks in Paris. @bberwyn photo. By Bob Berwyn The U.S. government continues to show how out of tune it is with the rest of the world’s leading economic nations with a press release from the EPA claiming that it has “reset” the conversation about climate change to reflect the Trump…

Cornflowers scattered in a grain field in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria.

The verdant blush of spring in the orchard country of Lower Austria.

Rose garden.

Wild mountain strawberries.

Linz, sprawled along the Danube, with the crest of the Alps just visible on the far horizon on the right.

Out of the city and into the countryside the past few days, enjoying windswept grain fields, swimming holes, wild berries and ripening fruit trees in mountain orchards. A few scenes from  Upper and Lower Austria in this early summer set. Visit the Summit Voice Sunday Set archive for more travel pics, or head over to our online gallery at FineArt America for a full selection of nature and landscape photography.

Pesticides impair honey bee flying abilities

Nonlethal exposure has significant impacts, new study shows Exposure to nonlethal levels of neonicotinoid pesticides hampers honey bee flight. @bberwyn photo. Staff Report The evidence keeps mounting that pesticides are the main driver of honey bee declines. In a new study, scientists with the University of California San Diego showed that a commonly used neonicotinoid pesticide (thiamethoxam)…

Atlantic Ocean warmth melts sea ice from below

Mixing waters may hasten arrival of ice-free Arctic Ocean summers Arctic sea ice is being melted by intrusions of warmer Atlantic Ocean water. @bberwyn photo. Staff Report In yet another sign that the balance of Earth’s climate system is being perturbed by global warming, scientists are documenting how a steady intrusion of water from the Atlantic is undermining sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The…

March 2017 ends up as 2d-warmest on record for Earth

U.S. and northeastern Eurasia were the hot spots for the month Surface air temperature anomaly for March 2017 relative to the March average for the period 1981-2010. Source: ERA-Interim. (Credit: ECMWF, Copernicus Climate Change Service) Staff Report There was no let-up in the year-long global heatwave last month, as March ended up being the second-warmest ever, just 0.10 degrees Celsius behind…

Deep oceans at risk from climate change

Close-up of a tripod fish at 1960 meters depth in the Northeast Providence Channel near Eleuthera Island. Photo courtesy NOAA. ‘It is the equivalent of having summer for the first time in thousands to millions of years’ Staff Report Deep sea ecosystems that have barely been explored are at risk from global warming, as low-oxygen zones spread and ocean acidification increaseses. By 2100, organisms…

What’s driving the collapse of Antarctic ice shelves?

New CSU study eyes regional climate cycle as one factor Disintegration of ice shelves in East Antarctica has been linked with a regional climate pattern and could result in a spiraling increase in sea levels. @bberwyn photo. Staff Report This year’s rapid loss of sea ice around Antarctica may make the floating ice shelves along the coast of the continent even more vulnerable to collapse, and a …

EPA backs away from protecting pollinators

Bees are taking a big hit from neonicotinoid pesticides, and the EPA isn’t going to be much help. @bberwyn photo. Proposed restrictions become voluntary guidelines Staff Report Multiple studies have shown that neonicotinoid pesticides are having all sorts of negative impacts on bees, from killing their brain cells, to causing queen bees to lay fewer eggs. Now, the EPA has acknowledged that…

2016 is third hottest-ever year in a row

Climate data show steady pace of global warming A NASA map shows the pattern of global warming in 2016. Staff Report For the third year in a row, the average global temperature climbed to a new record in 2016, reaching 1.69 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, according to the most recent state of the climate report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. During a…

Ocean layering around Antarctica could signal major meltdown

Study warns of 10-foot sea level rise Antarctica could be closer to a meltdown than previously thought. @bberwyn photo. Staff Report As scientists learn more about the dynamics of the ocean around Antarctica, they’ve discovered a climate warming signal. Distinct layers of water, marked by temperature boundaries, are forming right now, leading to conditions similar to about 14,000 years ago, when…