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Best of the Web Archive

February 2018

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A 1200-year-old arrow, found partly obscured by snow. Source: Espen Finstad, Secrets of the Ice, Oppland County Council.

Melting Glaciers Could Reveal How Our Ancestors Dealt With Changing Climates. National Geographic

​Meet the Amateur Scientist Who Discovered Climate Change. Wired

Seeking Answers on Climate Change, Scientists Venture Into the Vaults of the Past. Ensia

Memories and History: The 1998 Ice Storm. Nature

Climate Change and the Humanities: A Historical Perspective. Items

​The Three-Degree World: The Cities that Will be Drowned by Global Warming. The Guardian   

January 2018

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A radar map of Antarctica. Source: RADARSAT, NASA.

Rescued Radar Maps Reveal Antarctica's Past. Nature

​
The Stilling: Global Wind Speeds Slowing Down Since 1960. Horizon

​Thinking About the Halifax Explosion in a Time of Climate Change. Acadiensis

How To Survive Climate Change? Clues Are Buried In The Arctic. NPR

Why Did Greenland's Vikings Vanish? Smithsonian Magazine

​Human Influence on Climate Led to Several Major Weather Extremes in 2016. Climate.gov 

December 2017

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Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. Source: Jeremy Harbeck.

Ice Apocalypse: Rapid Collapse of Antarctic Glaciers Could Flood Coastal Cities by the End of this Century. Grist

What the First Thanksgiving can Teach Us About Adjusting to Climate Shock. The Washington Post.

Antarctica: The Ice Inferno. Aeon.

Why Lost Ice Means Lost Hope for an Inuit Village. New York Times.

November 2017

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The pyramids at Giza.

​Volcanoes Helped Violent Revolts Erupt in Ancient Egypt. The NY Times

​
Climate Change Might be Worse than Thought After Scientists Find Major Mistake in Water Temperature Readings. The Independent

An Icy Conquest. New York Review of Books

As Ice Retreats, Frozen Mosses Emerge to Tell Climate Change Tale. Science News

Extraordinary Antarctic Weather May Have Influenced Outcome of Early 20th Century Race to South Pole. AGU

Storms May Have Produced Most Mediterranean “Tsunami” Deposits. EOS    

October 2017

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William Ascroft’s watercolors show blood red sunsets seen visible over London in November 1883 in the aftermath of the August 1883 Krakatau eruption. Source: William Ascroft, "Twilight and Afterglow Effects at Chelsea, London. Nov. 26th 1883." The Eruption of Krakatoa and Subsequent Phenomena, edited by G. J. Symons et al. London: Trübner, 1888. (Used by permission, credit: Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.)

Speculating About the Weather: The Unusual Dry Fog of 1783. NiCHE

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New Study Highlights "Hidden Figure" of Sun Watchers. AGU

Historical Data: Hidden in the Past. Nature Jobs

How Fashion Adapted to Climate Change – in the Little Ice Age. The Conversation

The Sixth Extinction and Our Unraveling World. OSU Origins

​We Charted Arctic Sea Ice for Nearly Every Day Since 1979. You’ll See a Trend. NY Times   

September 2017

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Blue Lake, Mount Gambier: a volcanic crater. Source: Thom Devereux, 2016.

When the Bullin Shrieked: Aboriginal Memories of Volcanic Eruptions Thousands of Years Ago. The Conversation

Frederic Tudor, the Ice King. How Stuff Works

Data Rescue Projects. RealClimate

Record-Shattering 2.7-million-year-old Ice Core Reveals Start of the Ice Ages. Science

August 2017

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Svalbard in the morning. Source: Benoit Lecavalier.

Arks of the Apocalypse. New York Times

This Cave Holds a Spectacular Record of 5,000 Years of Tsunamis. The Atlantic

Events in Iceland Explain Years of Famine in Europe’s Dark Ages. The Economist

​Major Correction to Satellite Data Shows 140% Faster Warming Since 1998. Carbon Brief

Masses of Beautiful Alabaster. Paris Review

​A History of Global Warming, In Just 35 Seconds. Climate Central    

July 2017

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Droughts and Scarcity before Independence in the Viceroyalty of New Granada, 1800–1810. Environment and Society Portal

​The Map Hidden in the Pacific Northwest’s Tree Rings. The Atlantic

Feeling the Heat: How Fish Are Migrating from Warming Waters. Yale Environment 360

Scientists Rescue Ice from Melting Bolivian Glacier – Before it Disappears. The Guardian

Collapse of the European Ice Sheet Caused Chaos. EurekAlert!

Global Warming Tipped Scales in Europe’s Heat Wave. Climate Central    

June 2017

Picture
Agassiz glacier. Source: John Scurlock/U.S.G.S.

Mapping 50 Years of Melting Ice in Glacier National Park. New York Times

​
“The great climate silence” and Historians. Active History

Shifting Winds Write Their History on a New Zealand Lake Bed. EOS

No, It's Not Reasonable to Doubt Climate Change. DagomarDegroot.com

The U.S. Is on a Historic Streak of Record Highs. Climate Central

​Climate Change is Turning Antarctica Green, Say Researchers. The Guardian    

May 2017

Picture
Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893.

​Extraordinary Iridescent Clouds Inspire Munch’s ‘The Scream’. EGU Blogs

Climate and Migrations in Early Medieval Germany. Medieval Histories

A Monstrous Volcanic Eruption Gave Life To Frankenstein's Monster. Forbes

Iceberg 'Doodles' Trace Climate History. BBC Science

What Was the Most Significant Environmental Catastrophe of All Time? The Atlantic

How Old Spy Photos are Helping U.S. Scientists Study Climate Change. Vice News
​

Angkor Wat's Collapse from Climate Change has Lessons for Today. National Geographic    

April 2017

Picture
Source: L'illustrazione Italiana / Getty Images
A Century-Old Arctic Shipwreck Could Help Us Predict Extreme Weather. FiveThirtyEight

​Making Peru's Sendero Luminoso: The Mega Niño of 1982-3. Age of Revolutions

I am an Arctic Researcher. Donald Trump is Deleting my Citations. The Guardian

The Seasons Aren't What They Used to Be. New York Times

Climate Change and the Next "Great Dying." The Atlantic

Nature, not Humans, Could be Cause of up to Half of Arctic Sea Ice Loss, Study Claims. The Independent

Explaining a 'Once-in-a-Billion-Year Event': A Perfect Storm of Fire and Ice May Have Led to Snowball Earth. Phys.org    

March 2017

Picture
Source: Humboldt, Ein Naturgemälde der Anden (Chimborazo Map), 1805. Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.

How Artists and Scientists Have Pictured Volcanoes over 600 Years. Artsy

‘Shell Knew’: Oil Giant's 1991 Film Warned of Climate Change Danger. The Guardian

The Deluge of 628 AD and the Collapse of Ancient Iraq. Das Andere Mittelalter

California Megaflood: Lessons from a Forgotten Catastrophe. Scientific American

1,000 Years Ago, Corn Made This Society Big. Then, A Changing Climate Destroyed It. NPR
​

Getting Warmer: Historians on Climate Change and the Anthropocene. Perspectives on History   

February 2017

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The Atomic Origins of Climate Science. The New Yorker

What's the Difference Between Climate and Weather? NOAA Climate

How Close Is 1.5°C? Depends When You Measure From. Climate Central

Date of Ancient Volcanic Eruption Finally Pinpointed Using Fossilised Tree Rings. The Guardian

Winter Is Coming: Europe’s Deep Freeze of 1709. National Geographic

​Scientists React to Earth’s Warmest Year: ‘We are Heading into a New Unknown.' Washington Post    

January 2017

Picture
William Ascroft paints volcanic sunsets, 1883. Source: Manuscripts and Special Collections QE523.K7.

These Are the 10 Most Important Climate Stories of 2016. Climate Central

What Can a Medieval Climate Crisis Teach Us About Modern-Day Warming? The Guardian

Most of Greenland Ice Melted to Bedrock in Recent Geologic Past, Says Study. Science Daily

Mapping Three Decades of Global Water Change. New York Times

The 19th-Century Whaling Logbooks That Could Help Scientists Understand Climate Change. The Guardian

​Weather Exhibition Shows When the River Trent Froze Over. BBC News    

December 2016

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Source: Bern Burgerbibliothek, www.e-codices.unifr.ch

The Coldest Decade of the Millennium? How the Cold 1430s Led to Famine and Disease. EGU Blogs

Mysterious Volcanic Eruption of 1808 Described. Geology Page

A Trump Adviser Wants to Scale Back NASA’s Ability to Study Climate Change. Vox

Ice-Hot News: The “Oldest Ice” Quest has Begun. EGU Blogs

6,000 Years Ago the Sahara Desert was Tropical, so what Happened? Science Daily

​Huge Reduction in African Dust Plume Impacted Climate 11,000 Years Ago. Science Daily    

November 2016

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Lianne McNaughton in Tengger Desert, China. Source: Cameron McNaughton

Living in China's Expanding Deserts. New York Times

Year Without a Summer. Paris Review
​

A Timeline of Earth's Average Temperature. XKCD

A 1912 News Article Ominously Forecasted the Catastrophic Effects of Fossil Fuels on Climate Change. Quartz

Ancient Andes Glaciers Have Lost Half Their Ice in Just 40 years. New Scientist

​Climate Detectives: What a Historical Climatologist Does. Climate Snack    

October 2016

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Camp Century, 1959. Source: Credit: U.S. Army

The World Passes 400 PPM Threshold. Permanently. Climate Central

A Vault to Preserve the World's Glaciers. CNRS News

A Timeline of Earth's Average Temperature. XKCD

Melting Ice Could Reveal Toxic Cold War Era Waste in Greenland. Eos

Arctic Climate Change Revealed in a Luxury Cruise and Haunting Wreck. Dot Earth

​Conquest of Beijing: Hidden Contributions of Climate Change to the Tumu Crisis, 1449–1450. Arcadia    

September 2016

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Scientific Study Group Favors Recognizing Human-Influenced Epoch. Eos

An Early Start to Climate Change: New Research Shows that the Oceans Began Warming in the Mid-1800s. Future Earth

Nasa: Earth is Warming at a Pace 'Unprecedented in 1,000 years'. The Guardian

The demise of the Maya Civilization: Water Shortage can Destroy Cultures. GeoSpace

August 2016

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Goddard Space Flight Center.

Greenland Lost a Staggering 1 Trillion Tons of Ice in Just Four Years.Washington Post

Analysis of Historical Records Shows Ireland is Prone to Drought. Maynooth University

How a Single Word Sparked a Four-Year Saga of Climate Fact-Checking and Blog Backlash. The Conversation

The World’s Clouds Are in Different Places Than They Were 30 Years Ago.Washington Post

​3,000-Year Sea Level Study Called a Major Advance. NASA    

July 2016

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Byron’s Villa Diodati, by Edward Francis Finden, ca. 1833, after a drawing by William Purser.

Frankenstein, the Baroness, and the Climate Refugees of 1816 The Public Domain Review

The Birthday of the Year Without a Summer. The Otter
​

12,000 Years Ago, Humans and Climate Change Made a Deadly Team. New York Times

Super-Slow Circulation Allowed World's Oceans to Store Huge Amounts of Carbon During Last Ice Age. ScienceDaily
​

30 Years Ago Scientists Warned Congress on Global Warming. What They Said Sounds Eerily Familiar. Washington Post    

June 2016

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CO2 injected deep underground turns to rock - and stays there. New Scientist

Is wacky weather helping melt Greenland? Science

Kingdom-Busting Volcanoes Linked to the Rise of the Roman Empire. New Scientist

See Earth’s Temperature Spiral Toward 2°C. Climate Central

Climatic and Environmental Aspects of the Mongol Withdrawal From Hungary in 1242 CE. Nature

​Report Warns of Climate Disasters that Rival Hollywood's. New York Times    

May 2016

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Victorians Experienced Early Climate Change But Missed the Signs. New Scientist

​
Can Medieval Societies Teach Us How to Adapt to Climate Change? Future Earth

Ancient Volcanoes Could Be Key to Predicting Impact of Climate Change.USC News

Study: Humans Have Caused All the Global Warming Since 1950. The Guardian

​Did Climate Change Cause These Ancient Civilizations to Collapse? Global Past    

April 2016

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Charles Ommanney/The Washington Post, via Getty Images

How Climate Change Has Affected History (Especially Religion). History News Network

Q&A: Author of 'Feminist Glaciology' Study Reflects on Sudden Appearance in Culture Wars Science Magazine

What We’re Doing to the Earth Has No Parallel in 66 Million Years, Scientists Say. Washington Post

Scientists Warn of Perilous Climate Shift Within Decades, Not Centuries. New York Times

​These Ancient Shipwrecks Hold a Hidden Message About Climate Change.Washington Post    

March 2016

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What These Dead Whalers Tell Us About Climate Change. KUOW.org. http://kuow.org/post/what-these-dead-whalers-tell-us-about-climate-change

Leading Scientists Say Warming Slowdown Was Real. Climate Central. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/scientists-say-warming-slowdown-was-real-20068?utm_content=buffer102db&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

How Climate Change Destroyed Britain's "Atlantis." Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/23/how-climate-change-destroyed-britains-atlantis

How Much Warmer Was Your City in 2015? New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/19/us/2015-year-in-weather-temperature-precipitation.html#london_britain

​Why Science Teachers Are Struggling With Climate Change. NPR. http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/19/467206769/why-science-teachers-are-struggling-with-climate-change

January-February 2016

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125-Year Mini Ice Age Linked to the Plague and Fall of Empires. New Scientist. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2076713-125-year-mini-ice-age-linked-to-the-plague-and-fall-of-empires
​

Better Tools to Build Better Climate Models. EOS. https://eos.org/project-updates/better-tools-to-build-better-climate-models

The Volcano That Shrouded the Earth and Gave Birth to a Monster. Nautilus. http://nautil.us/issue/31/stress/the-volcano-that-shrouded-the-earth-and-gave-birth-to-a-monster

Volcanic Eruptions: Reconciling Past Mismatches. Future Earth. http://futureearth.org/blog/2016-jan-21/volcanic-eruptions-reconciling-past-mismatches

Growth Rings On Rocks Give Up North American Climate Secrets. Berkeley News. http://news.berkeley.edu/2016/01/11/rings-on-rocks-detail-north-american-paleoclimate

December 2015

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Vikings’ Mysterious Abandonment of Greenland Was Not Due to Climate Change, Study Suggests. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/12/04/climate-change-may-not-have-driven-the-vikings-from-greenland-after-all

The Civilizing Power of Nature. Hakai Magazine. http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-long/civilizing-power-nature

Does Climate Change Cause Violent Conflict? Scenes of Reason. https://www.scenesofreason.com/does-climate-change-cause-violent-conflict

What Declassified Spy Images are Teaching us About Climate Change. Hakai Magazine. http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/what-declassified-spy-images-are-teaching-us-about-climate-change

Scots University to Save ‘Melting’ Alaskan Village. The Scotsman. http://www.scotsman.com/news/education/scots-university-to-save-melting-alaskan-village-1-3262710

Explaining Extreme Events of 2014. NOAA. ​http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/explaining-extreme-events-2014

November 2015

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Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. Credit: NYT

Greenland is Melting Away. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/27/world/greenland-is-melting-away.html

Carbon emissions hit new high and temperature rise soars to 1oC. New Scientist. https://goo.gl/ohxcAO

Climate and the Khan. Discover Magazine. http://discovermagazine.com/2015/july-aug/14-climate-and-khan

NASA - Antarctica is Not Melting - Land Ice is Growing. Reporting Climate Science. http://www.reportingclimatescience.com/news-stories/article/nasa-antarctica-is-not-melting-land-ice-is-growing.html 

What Declassified Spy Images are Teaching us About Climate Change. Hakai Magazine. http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/what-declassified-spy-images-are-teaching-us-about-climate-change

​Climates of Crisis! Merovingian World. https://merovingianworld.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/climates-of-crisis

October 2015

Picture
Credit: Rhode Island Historical Society/Creative Commons

The Great September Gale of 1815. Slate. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2015/09/the_great_september_gale_of_1815_and_the_way_we_think_about_the_weather.html

Debunking the Top 10 Climate Change Myths. Climate Nexus. http://climatenexus.org/debunking-top-10-climate-change-myths

Why Some Scientists are Worried About a Surprisingly Cold 'Blob' in the North Atlantic Ocean. Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/24/why-some-scientists-are-worried-about-a-cold-blob-in-the-north-atlantic-ocean/?tid=sm_fb

Fastest Recorded Solar Decline Will Cool Global Climate. Reporting Climate Science. http://www.reportingclimatescience.com/news-stories/article/fastest-recorded-solar-decline-will-cool-global-climate.html

Scientists Say California Hasn't Been This Dry in 500 Years Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/09/14/scientists-say-its-been-500-years-since-california-was-this-dry
​

Large Variability Measured in Kuroshio Current East of Taiwan. EOS. https://eos.org/research-spotlights/large-variability-measured-in-kuroshio-current-east-of-taiwan

September 2015

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Muir Glacier, 1880s-90s. Credit: USGS

Repeat Photography of Alaskan Glaciers. USGS. http://www.usgs.gov/climate_landuse/glaciers/repeat_photography.asp

Global Warming 'Hiatus' Never Happened. Science Daily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150917110002.htm

From Katrina, an "Amazing" Decade of Climate Research. Climate Central. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/how-katrina-changed-climate-research-19386

Here's What Happens When You Try to Replicate Climate Contrarian Papers. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/aug/25/heres-what-happens-when-you-try-to-replicate-climate-contrarian-papers

Chinese Cave Inscriptions Tell Woeful Tale of Drought. EOS. https://eos.org/articles/chinese-cave-inscriptions-tell-woeful-tale-of-drought

Science On a Sphere. NOAA. http://sos.noaa.gov/SOS_Explorer/

August 2015

Picture
Credit: Nick Cobbing

When the End of Human Civilization Is Your Day Job. Esquire Magazine. http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a36228/ballad-of-the-sad-climatologists-0815

Fossil Fuels May Bring Major Changes to Carbon Dating. Climate Central. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/fossil-fuels-major-changes-radiocarbon-19288

"Carbon Sink" Detected Underneath World's Deserts. AGU Newsroom. http://news.agu.org/press-release/carbon-sink-detected-underneath-worlds-deserts

Mammoths Died Out Because of Sudden Climate Change. Discover News. http://news.discovery.com/earth/global-warming/mammoths-died-out-because-of-sudden-climate-change-150725.htm

Gulf Stream Slowdown Linked with European Cooling. Reporting Climate Science. http://www.reportingclimatescience.com/news-stories/article/gulf-stream-slowdown-linked-with-sudden-european-cooling.html

Medievalist Helps Scientists Rewrite Climate Records. Medievalists.net. http://www.medievalists.net/2015/07/09/medievalist-helps-scientists-rewrite-climate-records

June/July 2015

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New York under 6 meters of water. Credit: Climate Central

Global Warming Causing Great Loss of Bumblebee Habitat. Sci-News. http://www.sci-news.com/biology/science-global-warming-loss-bumblebee-habitat-03004.html

Sea Level Could Rise at Least 6 Meters. Scientific American. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sea-level-could-rise-at-least-6-meters

Heat is Being Stored Beneath the Ocean Surface. NASA Earth Observatory. http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=86184&src=eorss-iotd

Study Finds Sudden Shift in “Forcing” Led to Demise of Laurentide Ice Sheet. OSU News. http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2015/jun/study-finds-sudden-shift-%E2%80%9Cforcing%E2%80%9D-led-demise-laurentide-ice-sheet

Thawing Arctic Carbon Threatens 'Runaway' Global Warming. The Ecologist. http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2869575/thawing_arctic_carbon_threatens_runaway_global_warming.html

Because There Are No Spare Earths. NASA Climate Change. http://climate.nasa.gov/blog/2295

What's Really Warming the World? Bloomberg Business. http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-whats-warming-the-world

May 2015

Picture
Credit: BBC News

Sending Ice to Antarctica. BBC News. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32802588

Thawing Arctic Carbon Threatens 'Runaway' Global Warming. Ecologist. http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2869575/thawing_arctic_carbon_threatens_runaway_global_warming.html

Most Glaciers in Everest Area will Disappear with Climate Change - Study. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/27/most-glaciers-in-mount-everest-area-will-disappear-with-climate-change-study

Global Warming Brews Weird Weather. Nature News. http://www.nature.com/news/global-warming-brews-weird-weather-1.17407?WT.mc_id=TWT_NatureNews

Why Our Students Should Debate Climate Change. Edge Effects. http://edgeeffects.net/teaching-climate-change

Longer Melt Season a Game Changer for Arctic Mammals. NASA Global Climate Change. http://climate.nasa.gov/news/2279/

April 2015

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2012 Chronostratigraphic Chart.

The Inhuman Anthropocene. Avidly. http://avidly.lareviewofbooks.org/2015/03/22/the-inhuman-anthropocene 

How Western Canada Glaciers Will Melt Away. CBC. http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/how-western-canada-glaciers-will-melt-away-1.3022242

Light Blue Books: Reading About Winter Ecology and Climate History. Uncommon Sense. http://blog.oieahc.wm.edu/light-blue-books-reading-about-winter-ecology-and-climate-history

Climate Change Does Not Cause Extreme Winters, Experts Say. ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150327132207.htm

Study: Melting Greenland Ice Sheet is Rapidly Slowing the Gulfstream. Mashable. http://mashable.com/2015/03/24/gulf-stream-slowdown-study-tipping-point

March 2015

Picture
Credit: Matt Mahurin, Rolling Stone.

The Pentagon and Climate Change. Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-pentagon-climate-change-how-climate-deniers-put-national-security-at-risk-20150212

The Cold That Binds: Ice, Climate History, and a Hobbit Hole. The Otter. http://niche-canada.org/2015/03/11/the-cold-that-binds-ice-climate-history-and-a-hobbit-hole

Light Blue Books: Reading About Winter Ecology and Climate History. Uncommon Sense. http://blog.oieahc.wm.edu/light-blue-books-reading-about-winter-ecology-and-climate-history

Who’s Really to Blame for the Black Death? Pacific Standard. http://www.psmag.com/health-and-behavior/the-european-rats-have-been-innocent-this-whole-time

Combined Arctic Ice Observations Show Decades of Loss. ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150303095838.htm
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