Jan-Mar 2004

Changes in Ecosystems

Human Contributions ad Responses

Climate Variability and Change

Paleoenvironment & Paleoclimate

NOAA's 
Image of the Day 

For documents from the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate Change, 
see our IPCC page.

Workshop on Issues in Global Change.  8-9 April 2004.  Links to presentations and other information.  The workshop was sponsored by the National Academies' Coordinating Committee on Global Change and by the National Academies' Climate Research Committee. 

Invitation to Submit Comments on Draft Guidelines for Producing Climate Change Science Program Synthesis and Assessment Products.  (dtd 29 March 2004)  See also: (links posted 6 April 2004)

• Draft Guidelines for Producing CCSP Synthesis and Assessment Deliverables (PDF)
• Instructions for Submitting Comments
• Synthesis and Assessment Products: Summary Information.   Product-by-product information (participating agencies & working groups, etc). (updated 26 March 2004).

NSF Invites Media to Apply to Report from North Pole on Climate Research.  Press release (dtd 19 March 2004) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). (link posted 9 April 2004)

The 'workhorse' satellite celebrates 20 years.  Press release (dtd 2 Mar 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Envisat concludes a busy second year in orbit.  Press release (dtd 2 March 2004) from European Space Agency. (link posted 9 April 2004)

NASA'S Improved Web-Resource on the World's Changing Climate.  Press release (1 March 2004) from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Earth Observation System Moves Forward with Working Group Meeting in South Africa.  Press release (dtd  24 Feb 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 9 April 2004)

NASA's SORCE Satellite Celebrates One Year of Operations.  Article (dtd 19 Feb 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Implementing Climate and Global Change Research: A Review of the Final U.S. Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan.  Report (issued 18 Feb 2004) from the National Research Council (NRC).  See also the NRC press release (also issued 18 Feb 2004), Government Climate Change Research Plan Provides Guiding Vision And Should Be Implemented, But Needs Additional Funding.  (posted 18 Feb 2004).

ESA to select new Earth Explorer missions.  Press release (dtd 5 Feb 2004) from European Space Agency. (link posted 9 April 2004)

NOAA Climate Diagnostics Center.  Press release (dtd 3 Feb 2004) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (link posted 9 April 2004)

9-11 June 2004.  Boulder, Colorado.  Communicating Urgency, Facilitating Social Change: New Strategies for Climate Change Workshop.  Funded by the  MacArthur Foundation and hosted at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.  See contact information.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

NASA Graduate Student Fellowships In Earth System Science.  Call for proposals issued January 2004 by NASA.  New proposals due 16 March 2004.  Renewal proposals due 31 May 2004.  (posted 12 January 2004)

Joint Statement by the United States and the European Commission Following the Second Joint Climate Change Science and Technology Workshop.  Press release (dtd 30 Jan 2004) from US Department of State. (link posted 9 April 2004)

AGI Publishes 42nd Edition of Directory of Geoscience Departments.  Press Release (30 Jan 2004) from American Geological Institute. (link posted 9 April 2004)

CIESIN Receives Grant to Establish Government Biological Information Site.  Press release (dtd 20 Jan 2004) from The Earth Institute at Columbia University. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Global Change and the Earth System: A Planet Under Pressure.  Information on book (published January 2004) edited by Will Steffen and Peter Tyson.  Includes access to executive summary (PDF, 1.3 MB).  (link posted 9 April 2004)

NASA's New Studies of Earth's Seas, Skies and Soils.  Press release (dtd 6 Jan 2004) from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Global Observing System Hits Milestone with 1,000TH ARGO Float.  Press release (29 Dec 2003) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate, Biodiversity and Oldest Humans Mark NSF Science Highlights From 20.  Press release (dtd 23 Dec 2003) from the National Science Foundation. (link posted 9 April 2004).

U.S., Italian Representatives Discuss Ways to Tackle Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 12 Dec 2003) from the U.S. Department of State. (link posted 9 April 2004)

National Academy of Sciences to Open New Science Museum in Washington, DC,  Press release (17 Nov 2003) from Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT).  "The Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) is an information and analysis tool on global climate change developed by the World Resources Institute. CAIT provides a comprehensive and comparable database of greenhouse gas emissions data (including all major sources and sinks) and other climate-relevant indicators." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Livermore scientists contribute to new measurements of stratospheric ozone.  Press release (dtd 8 Apr 2004) from the Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Global growth of carbon dioxide still rising.  "Measurements at Cape Grim in Tasmania, Cape Ferguson in Queensland, sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, Mawson in Antarctica, and the South Pole, show that carbon dioxide over the last two years has increased at near-record levels." Press release (dtd 29 March 2004) from Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).   (link posted 9 April 2004)

Ozone-destroying gas in atmosphere increased significantly during Industrial Age, Study Shows.  Press release (dtd 23 March 2004) from University of California,  Irvine.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate change set to poke holes in ozone.  "Arctic clouds could make ozone depletion three times worse than predicted."  Article (dtd 3 March 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Atmospheric water clusters provide evidence of global warming.  Press release (dtd 24 Feb 2004) from Hamilton College. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Scientists Find Ozone-Destroying Molecule.  Article (dtd 9 Feb 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory. See also Scientists find ozone-destroying molecule, press release (dtd 3 Feb 2004) from American Geophysical Union (AGU). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Clouds shield pollutants going out to sea.  Press release (dtd 3 Feb 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Pollution hits clouds on high: Car fumes tamper with cirrus cloud chemistry.  Article (dtd 23 Jan 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Loggerhead sea turtles nesting earlier due to warmer ocean temperatures.  Press release (dtd 6 April 2004) from University of Central Florida.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Global warming and the onward march of the pine.  Press release (dtd 8 Apr 2004) from Blackwell Publishing.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Amazon drought now measured from space.   Press release (dtd 5 Apr 2004) from Carnegie Institution.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Naturalists Seek Evidence of Early Spring.  Segment from National Public Radio's All Things Considered, originally broadcast on 20 March 2004.  "Spring is here, and scientists studying the effects of global warming are watching plants and animals with particular interest, wondering if the rites of spring are happening earlier. In Britain, climate researchers are enlisting the help of amateur nature watchers. Daniel Grossman reports." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Woodland Trust Phenology.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Isolated corals reefs are at risk from global climate change.  Press release (dtd 18 Mar 2004) from Blackwell Publishing, Ltd. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Challenging shrubland fire management.  Press release (dtd 16 March 2004) from Ecological Society of America. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Undisturbed Amazonian forests are changing, say scientists.  Press release (dtd 10 Mar 2004) from the Smithsonian Institution. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Global warming has gone to the bogs.   Article (dtd 11 March 2004) from Christian Science Monitor. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate findings let fishermen off the hook: Overfishing isn't the only reason fish have disappeared..  Article (dtd 4 March 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate change could release old carbon locked in Arctic soils, researchers say.  Press release (dtd 2 Mar 2004) from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Astonishing Discovery over the Amazonian Rain Forest.  Press release (dtd 25 Feb 2004) from Max Planck Society. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Thawing subarctic permafrost increases greenhouse gas emissions.  Press release (dtd 24 Feb 2004) from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate Change Science Program Hosts Ecosystems Workshop. Press release (dtd 23 Feb 2004) announcing workshop hosted by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) Ecosystems Interagency Working Group. The three day workshop starts on 23 February 2004 and is being held in Silver Spring, Maryland. During the three-day workshop, participants will provide input on specific areas of ecosystem science and work to develop approaches for conducting further research that will yield improved ecosystem management in the context of a changing climate. (posted 23 Feb 2004)

Global warming threatens coral reefs: Report reveals underwater menace from climate change.  Article (dtd 16 Feb 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided.   (link posted 9 April 2004)

• Black Guillemots.  "George Divoky has spent 30 summers on an island off the coast of Alaska. While he's been studying birds, he's also spent 30 years watching the climate warm." (originally broadcast 16 Feb 2004)  See also: George Divoky's Planet. Article (dtd 6 Jan 2002) in the New York Times Magazine about the work of George Divoky, a scientist studying Arctic sea birds on Cooper Island, Alaska.

Global Warming and Coral Reefs.  Press release (dtd 13 Feb 2004) from Pew Center on Global Climate Change. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Goal of ocean 'iron fertilization' said still unproved.  Press release (dtd 13 Fed 2004) from Duke University.   See also: Climate test sets sail: Will throwing iron in the ocean help stop global warming?  Article (dtd 26 Jan 2004) from  Nature's "Science Update." (links posted 9 April 2004)

Report Details Growing Climate Change Threat to Coral Reefs.  Press release (dtd 13 Feb 2004) from University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Bighorn sheep threatened by climate change, finds new study.  Press release (dtd 10 Feb 2004) from University of California, Berkeley. (link posted 9 April 2004)

New evidence of impact of global changes on remote tropical rainforests.  Press release (circa Feb 2004), from The Royal Society (UK).  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Global warming may cause songbirds to avoid certain foods.  Press release (dtd 26 Jan 2004) from University of Rhode Island. (link posted 9 April 2004)

On Shakespeare's turf, 'darling buds of May' bloom early .  Article (dtd 20 Jan 2004) from Christian Science Monitor. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Sea Surface Slowdown .  "A lot of tiny plants in the ocean appear to be growing more slowly as the oceans get warmer."   Transcript (dtd  19 Jan 2004) from Earthwatch Radio. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Study pinpointing origins of Siberian peat bogs raises concerns.  Press release (dtd 15 Jan 2004) from the National Science Foundation. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Suffocating the Reefs .  "Wildfires in tropical forests can be dangerous to life on the bottom of the ocean."  Transcript (dtd  14 Jan 2004) from Earthwatch Radio. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Sediment samples suggest how plants would fare in hotter, drier future.  Press release (dtd 13 Jan 2003) from NASA's Earth Obervatory. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate change may threaten more than one million species with extinction.  Press release (dtd 7 Jan 2004) from Conservation International. See also: (links posted 9 April 2004)

• Climate Change Threatens a Million Species with Extinction.  Press release (dtd 7 Jan 2004) from University of Leeds. (link posted 9 April 2004)
• Study Connects Extinction and Climate.  Audio segment from National Public Radio's All Things Considered (originally broadcast on 7 Jan 2004).  "A study in the journal Nature suggests that climate change in the next 50 years could doom many species to extinction. Some experts who disagree with the new paper's estimates acknowledge that the role of climate change should be taken into account." (link posted 9 April 2004)
• By 2050 Warming to Doom Million Species, Study Says.  Article (dtd 7 Jan 2004) from National Geographic. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Knowing when to flower.   Press release (dtd 7 Jan 2004) from Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Worldwide fires during the 1997-98 El Niño resulted in high emissions of greenhouse gases.  Press Release (5 Jan 2004) from University of California, Irvine.  See also El Nino-related fires increase greenhouse gas emissions, press release (dtd 5 Jan 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (links posted 9 April 2004)

Scientists discover what plants do during long winter nights.   Press release (dtd 4 Jan 2004) from John Innes Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Green and Brown .  "As the Earth's climate warms up, green might turn into brown in a lot of places."  Transcript (dtd  2 Jan 2004) from Earthwatch Radio. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Antifreeze for snowball Earth  [PDF].  "Does complex life stop the planet freezing over?"  Article from the Winter 2003 Issue of Planet Earth, from the United Kingdom's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Ocean life depends on single circulation pattern in Southern Hemisphere.  Press release (dtd 31 Dec 2003) from Princeton University. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID).  Call for proposals from the National Science Foundation.  Full Proposal Deadline: 13 February 2004.  (posted 12 January 2004)

For the sake of land and climate, coaxing soil to soak up carbon.  Press release (dtd 1 Apr 2004) from the American Chemical Society.

Global growth of carbon dioxide still rising.  "Measurements at Cape Grim in Tasmania, Cape Ferguson in Queensland, sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, Mawson in Antarctica, and the South Pole, show that carbon dioxide over the last two years has increased at near-record levels." Press release (dtd 29 March 2004) from Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO). (link posted 9 April 2004)

North American Carbon Program Initial Intensive Campaign.  Posting (dtd 25 March 2004) from the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program.   (link posted 9 April 2004)

Oceans' acidity influences early carbon dioxide and temperature link estimates.   Press release (dtd 16 March 2004) from Penn State. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Job Announcement: Carbon Cycle Program Director.  Posting (dtd 12 March 2004) from the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program.   Closes 7 May 2004.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Ocean Carbon and Climate Change: An Implementation Strategy for U.S. Ocean Carbon Research [PDF]. Report (published 5 Jan 2004) prepared for the the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Scientific Steering Group and Interagency Working Group by the Carbon Cycle Science Ocean Interim Implementation Group. Scott C. Doney, Chair & Editor. Published 5 January 2004.  Available in hardcopy from GCRIO Online Catalog.

Global warming has gone to the bogs.   Article (dtd 11 March 2004) from Christian Science Monitor.

Climate change could release old carbon locked in Arctic soils, researchers say.  Press release (dtd 2 Mar 2004) from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). (link posted 9 April 2004) Thawing subarctic permafrost increases greenhouse gas emissions.  Press release (dtd 24 Feb 2004) from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). (link posted 9 April 2004)

One type of carbon so resilient it skews carbon cycle calculations.  Press release (dtd 22 Jan 2004) from University of Washington. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Study pinpointing origins of Siberian peat bogs raises concerns.  Press release (dtd 15 Jan 2004) from the National Science Foundation. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Research Announcement: Carbon Cycle Science.  Issued (on 7 January 2004) by NASA, Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture. Notices of intent to propose are due 11 February 2004.  Proposals are due 7 April 2004.  (link posted 12 January 2004). 

The Case of the MIssing Carbon.  Article from Feb 2004 issue of National Geographic magazine. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Worldwide fires during the 1997-98 El Ni�o resulted in high emissions of greenhouse gases.  Press Releases (5 Jan 2004) from University of California, Irvine. (link posted 9 April 2004)

El Nino-related fires increase greenhouse gas emissions.  Press release (dtd 5 Jan 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

NACP Intensives [intensive field research or campaigns] White Papers.  White papers from individuals and groups suggesting field-intensive research or campaigns under the North American Carbon Program (NACP).  Posted (23 December 2003) by the U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program. (link posted 9 April 2004)

IPCC Meeting on Current Scientific Understanding of the Processes Affecting Terrestrial Carbon Stocks and Human Influences upon them [PDF]  Report from expert meeting held 21-23 July 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Improved crop production and fewer greenhouse gases.  Press release (dtd 29 March 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Land cover changes affect US summer climate.  Press release (dtd 24 Mar 2004) from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided.   (link posted 9 April 2004)

• Amazon Update.  "The Amazon forest is being cleared for pastures and farmland. The current rate is about 20,000 square kilometers -- the size of the state of Massachusetts -- each year. Changes in the Amazon..."  (originally broadcast 18 Feb 2004)

From Neighborhoods to Globe, NASA Looks At Land.  Article (dtd 16 Jan 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Are Cities Changing Local and Global Climates?  Article (dtd 11 December 2003) from Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

11-13 May 2004.  Ireland. IPCC Workshop on Describing Scientific Uncertainties in Climate Change to Support Analysis of Risk and of Options. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Greenland Melt May Swamp LA, Other Cities, Study Says.  Article (dtd 8 April 2004) from National Geographic.  See also Global warming could lead to a greener Greenland, press release (dtd 8 April 2004) from the University of Reading (U.K.).  (links posted 9 April 2004)

Africa Braces for the Fallout of Global Warming.  Press release (dtd 22 March 2004) from the World Resources Institute.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate Change and Water Resources.  A Primer for Water Utilities.  [PDF] Report (draft dated 8 March 2004) by Kathleen A. Miller & David Yates.  Published by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate Change.  Hearing " on the recent scientific activities concerning climate change impacts."  Held before the U.S. Senate, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.  3 March 2004.  Among the written statements are those from: (link posted 9 April 2004)

• Dr. Robert Corell,   Chairman, Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, and Senior Fellow, American Meteorological Society
• Dr. Marvin Geller ,  Professor, Institute for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres, State University of New York, Stonybrook, Marine Science Research Center
• Dr. Lee Hannah ,  Research Fellow, Climate Change Biology, Center for Biodiversity Science, Conservation International
• Dr. Jerry Mahlman ,  National Center for Atmospheric Research
• Dr. Lara Hansen ,  Senior Scientist, Climate Change Program, World Wildlife Fund

Hearing on the Impacts of Climate Change on Minnesota. (video)  Wednesday, February 25, 2004.  Four University of Minnesota professors discuss the impact of the climate change in Minnesota, before the Minnesota State Senate's Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee. The speakers are Dr. G. David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology; Dr. Peter Wyckoff, Professor of Biology; Dr. Lucinda Johnson, Acting Director, Center for Water and Environment; and Dr. Steve Polasky, Professor of Ecological/Environmental Economics. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided.   (link posted 9 April 2004)

• Dams and Sea Level.  "In the past century, we humans have stored huge amounts of water in places such as Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. How millions of reservoirs might have changed sea level...."   (originally broadcast 27 Feb 2004)
• Snowy Warming.  "You might think that a warming climate means less snow. But for some New York State residents, it could mean it's time to get an even taller pair of snow boots. Snow and a warming climate..." (originally broadcast 12 Feb 2004)

Enhancing Decision-Making through Integrated Climate Research: Alaska Region.  Presentations from meeting held on 18-19 Feb 2004 in Anchorage, Alaska.   Sponsored by Sponsored by Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) Program, NOAA/Office of Global Programs (OGP).  Co-Sponsored by: National Weather Service-Alaska Region, USGS-Alaska Science Center, & National Park Service-Alaska Region.  (links posted 6 April 2004)

• Introductory Movie (48.4 Megabytes MPG; 4.44 minutes).
• MS Powerpoint and Adobe PDF files.

Climate change could boost cash crops: Carbon dioxide makes for bumper yields of soy.  Article (dtd 17 Feb 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Goal of ocean 'iron fertilization' said still unproved.  Press release (dtd 13 Fed 2004) from Duke University. See also: Climate test sets sail: Will throwing iron in the ocean help stop global warming?  Article (dtd 26 Jan 2004) from  Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

NASA Satellites Improve Response to Global Agricultural Change.   Article (dtd 20 Jan 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory. (link posted 9 April 2004)

NOAA's Office of Global Programs Convenes a Pivotal Workshop on Insights and Tools for Adaptation: Learning from Climate Variability.  Article (dtd  12 January 2004) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Ancient DNA mutations permitted humans to adapt to colder climates, UCI researchers find.  Press release (dtd 12 Jan 2004) from University of California, Irvine (UCI). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Did "Little Ice Age" Create Stradivarius Violins' Famous Tone?  Article (dtd 7 Jan 2004) from National Geographic. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Potential Impact of Global Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 6 Jan 2004) from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health. Summarizes article in 7 January 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Human Impacts on Climate. Position statement (dated December 2004) from the American Geophysical Union.  See also Science Group Issues Climate Change Warning, audio segment from National Public Radio's Morning Edition (originally broadcast on 17 January 2003).  "The American Geophysical Union, the world's largest organization of earth scientists, issues a consensus statement linking human activity to unprecedented climate changes that present cause for concern. " (link posted 9 April 2004)

Joint Announcement on Climate Variability and Human Health for FY 2004 - This joint announcement is intended to support the formation of multidisciplinary teams working in close collaboration on integrated projects to illuminate the human, biological, and physical pathways by which climate may affect human health, and which explore the potential for applying climate and environmental information toward the goal of improved public health.  Pre-proposals: 27 Feb 2004.  Full Proposals: 23 March 2004.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Ecology of Infectious Diseases (EID).  Call for proposals from the National Science Foundation.  Full Proposal Deadline: 13 February 2004.  (posted 12 January 2004)

Sun set food prices in the Middle Ages: Changes in solar activity sent wheat prices soaring in medieval England.  Article (dtd 22 Dec 2003) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

ESIG Annual Scientific Report 2003.  Report from Environmental and Societal Impacts Group (ESIG) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Many Ski Resorts Heading Downhill as a Result of Global Warming.  Press Release (dtd December 2003) from - United Nations Environment Programme. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Perfect day  [PDF].  "Sick of the cloudy weather at the weekend? It's probably our own fault."  Piers Forster and Susan Solomon discuss research into the effects weekly cycles of pollution have on daily temperature ranges.  Article from the Winter 2003 Issue of Planet Earth, from the United Kingdom's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). (link posted 9 April 2004)

An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for United States National Security.  [PDF].  Report (dtd Oct 2003) by Peter Schwartz and Doug Randall, commissioned by the U.S. Defense Department.  Executive Summary [PDF] also available.  See also:  Global warming: Bigger threat than terrorism?  Article (dtd 27 Feb 2004) from Christian Science Monitor. (links posted 9 April 2004)

Professor explores evolution of climate.  "Geoscientist Daniel Sigman gleans new data from the ocean floor."  Article (dtd 6 April 2004) from The Daily Princetonian.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

National Science Foundation Supports Antarctic Research on Larsen Ice Shelf.  Press release (dtd 29 March 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory.  (link posted 9 April 2004)  

Did cracking continent trigger a deep freeze?: The break-up of a supercontinent may have caused a 'Snowball Earth'.  Article (dtd 18 March 2004) from Nature  "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Glacial records depict ice age climate in synch worldwide.  Press release (dtd 18 Mar 2004) from University of Wisconsin. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Oceans' acidity influences early carbon dioxide and temperature link estimates.   Press release (dtd 16 March 2004) from Penn State. (link posted 9 April 2004)

New evidence suggests early oceans bereft of oxygen for eons.  Press release (dtd 4 Mar 2004) from National Science Foundation (NSF). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Paleofire database puts fire-scar and charcoal data online.  Press release (dtd 3 March 2040) from University of Arizona. (link posted 9 April 2004)

A Lost World: Two Previously Unknown Dinosaurs Discovered in Antarctica.  Press release (dtd 23 Feb 2004) from the National Science Foundation. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided.   (link posted 9 April 2004)

• Vanishing Records.  "Ice cores can tell a precise story about millions of years of Earth's climate. But if we want to see this record, we need to hurry up and collect it. Our vanishing climate records..."  (originally broadcast 13 Feb 2004)

Volcanic impact not so chilling: Super-eruptions might not be as environmentally devastating as we thought.  Article (dtd 19 Jan 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Scientists "Reconstruct" Earth's Climate Over Past Millennia.  Press release (dtd 10 December 2003) from Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

A multi-millennia perspective on drought and implications for the future [PDF].  Report from workshop (Tuscon, Arizona, 18-21 Nov 2003) sponsored by CLIVAR [International Research Program on Climate Variability and Predictability],  PAGES [Past Global Changes paleoscience element of the IGBP]  and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Study finds evidence for global methane release about 600 million years ago.  Press release (dtd 17 Dec 2003) from Nature's "Science Update." See also:

• Stable isotope data provide evidence for huge global methane release about 600 million years ago.  Press release (dtd 17 Dec 2003) from the National Science Foundation. (link posted 9 April 2004)

For lots of other links especially useful to students and teachers, see our general page on Educational Resources

Up-to-Date Weather, Climate & Wildfire Summaries

Antarctic Peninsula Climate Variability: Historical and Paleoenvironmental Perspectives.  Information on Antarctic Research Series, Volume 79, 2004, edited by E. Domack et al.

Ice age to warming - and back?  Article (dtd 18 March 2004) from Christian Science Monitor. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Satellite Finds Warming "Relative" to Humidity.  Press release (dtd 15 March 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.  See also Will Runaway Water Warm the World?, press release (dtd 16 March 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory. (links posted 6 April 2004)

UC [University of California] study sheds new light on climate-change processes.  Press release (dtd 10 Mar 2004) from UC Davis. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Scientists find more keys to the North Pacific Ocean's climate.  Press release (dtd 9 Mar 2004) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Research links long droughts in U.S. to ocean temperature variations.  Press release (dtd 9 March 2004) from U.S. Geological Survey. (link posted 9 April 2004) (USGS)

ORNL[Oak Ridge National Laboratory], NCAR [National Center for Atmospheric Research] are official partners in climate studies.  Press release (dtd 8 Mar 2004) from ORNL. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Are greenhouse gases drying Africa's dust bowl?: US citizens choking on African dust may have themselves to blame.   Article (dtd 17 Feb 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

NZ scientists embark on major ocean-climate study to Chile .  Press release (13 Feb 2004) from New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Century May Bring Unprecedented Climate Change to Southern Hemisphere .  Press release (dtd 11 Feb 2004) from Florida Institute of Technology. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Tango in the Atmosphere: Ozone and Climate Change.  Article (dtd 10 Feb 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory. (link posted 9 April 2004)  

Forward Into the Past. "The Arctic might be going back in time - more than 100,000 years back."  Transcript (dtd 28 January 2004) from Earthwatch Radio. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate model predicts even hotter summers.  Press release (dtd 26 Jan 2004) from Institute of Physics. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Hotter summers, fewer frosts for Australia.  Press release (dtd 15 Jan 2004) from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO, Australia). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Cosmic rays are not the cause of climate change, scientists say.  Press release (dtd 22 Jan 2004) from American Geophysical Union (AGU). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Extreme heat on the rise: Climate model predicts more stifling summers.  Article (dtd 12 Jan 2004) from  Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Studies show global warming is likely to drive big changes in California's coastal waters.  Press release (dtd 27 Dec 2003) from University of California, Santa Cruz. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Study Says Saltier Tropical Oceans a Sign of Global Climate Change.  Press release (dtd 19 Dec 2003) from US Dept of State.  See also Tropical Oceans Becoming Saltier, press release (17 Dec 2003) from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Sun Gives Way to Greenhouse Gases as Major Influence on Earth�s Changing Climate.  Press release (dtd 11 Dec 2003) from the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. (link posted 9 April 2004)

The Whitehouse Effect  [PDF].   Discussion of efforts to model the effect of aerosols on climate.  Article from the Winter 2003 Issue of Planet Earth, from the United Kingdom's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Recent Atmospheric Conditions & Impacts:

• Up-to-Date Weather, Climate & Wildfire Summaries
• Record-breaking temperatures.  Press release (dtd 6 Feb 2004) from the U.K. Met Office. (link posted 9 April 2004)
• Climate of 2003 - Annual Report.  Report (updated 15 January 2004) from the National Climatic Data Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)
• Record-Breaking 2003.  Press release (dtd 8 Jan 2004) from U.K. Met Office. (link posted 9 April 2004)
• The New Year 2004 heatwave .  Press release (3 Jan 2004) from New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). (link posted 9 April 2004)
• Environment Canada's Top Ten Weather Stories for 2003.  Press release (dtd 29 Dec 2003) from Environment Canada. (link posted 9 April 2004)
• NOAA Reports 2003 was Marked by Contrasting Conditions Across the U.S. While Global Temperatures Remain High.  Press release (dtd 16 Dec 2003) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 9 April 2004)
• 2003: Fifth warmest year in Britain.  Press release (dtd 16 Dec 2003) from U.K. Met Office. (link posted 9 April 2004)
• WMO Statement on the Status of the Global Climate in 2003: Global Temperature in 2003 Third Warmest [MS Word file].  See also fig 1 and fig 2.  Press release (dtd 16 Dec 2003) from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Extended Range Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and U.S. Landfall Strike Probability for 2004.    Report (dtd 2 April 2004) by William M. Gray and Philip Klotzbach.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Global warming could lead to a greener Greenland.  Press Release (dtd 8 April 2004) from the University of Reading (U.K.).  See also Greenland Melt May Swamp LA, Other Cities, Study Says, article (dtd 8 April 2004) from National Geographic.  (links posted 9 April 2004)

ASIRAS, a new ESA airborne instrument sees ice for the first time.  Press release (dtd 8 April 2004) from the European Space Agency.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Less rain in a warmer world: Global warming and pollution could give us drier days.  Article (dtd 1 April 2004) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 9 April 2004)

Melting glaciers: unexpected boost to rising oceans.  Article (dtd 25 March 2004) from Christian Science Monitor. (link posted 9 April 2004)

USGS report: America's thirst remains stable.  Press release (dtd 11 March 2004) from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Climate Change and Water Resources.  A Primer for Water Utilities.  [PDF] Report (draft dated 8 March 2004) by Kathleen A. Miller & David Yates.  Published by the National Center for Atmospheric Research.  (link posted 9 April 2004)

Atmospheric water clusters provide evidence of global warming.  Press release (dtd 24 Feb 2004) from Hamilton College. (link posted 9 April 2004)

As the West Goes Dry [PDF]. "In a region already prone to water shortages, researchers now forecast that rising temperatures threaten the
American West’s hidden reservoir: mountain snow." Article (dtd 20 Feb 2004) from Science magazine.

Global warming to squeeze Western mountains dry by 2050.  Press release (dtd 16 Feb 2004) from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Pacific Dictates Droughts and Drenchings - January 28, 2004.  Article (dtd 28 Jan 2004) from NASA's Earth Observatory. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Studies show global warming is likely to drive big changes in California's coastal waters.  Press release (dtd 27 Dec 2003) from University of California, Santa Cruz. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Puzzling height of polar clouds revealed.  Press release (dtdt 26 Jan 2004) from British Antarctic Survey. (link posted 9 April 2004)

Antarctic Glaciers Speed Up.  Press release (dtd 9 Dec 2003) from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. (link posted 9 April 2004)

New Study Reports Large-Scale Salinity Changes in the Oceans. Press release (dtd 17 Dec 2003) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). (link posted 9 April 2004)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided.   (links posted 6 April 2004)

• Dams and Sea Level.  "In the past century, we humans have stored huge amounts of water in places such as Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. How millions of reservoirs might have changed sea level...."   (originally broadcast 27 Feb 2004)

• Snowy Warming.  "You might think that a warming climate means less snow. But for some New York State residents, it could mean it's time to get an even taller pair of snow boots. Snow and a warming climate..." (originally broadcast 12 Feb 2004)

Documenting a paradox: Smoke decreases rainfall but ultimately increases its intensity.  Press release (dtd 26 Feb 2004) from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. (link posted 9 April 2004)