global warming

UCI, NASA JPL researchers discover a cause of rapid ice melting in Greenland

Written on May 8, 2023.

While conducting a study of Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland, researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory uncovered a previously unseen way in which the ice and ocean interact. The glaciologists said their findings could mean that the climate community has been vastly underestimating the magnitude of future sea level rise caused by polar ice deterioration. Using satellite radar data from three European missions, the UCI/NASA team learned...

Earth system scientists uncover ice-age shift in Pacific Ocean circulation

Written on March 29, 2023.

The overturning circulation of the Pacific Ocean “flipped” during the last ice age, altering the placement of ancient waters rich in carbon dioxide, according to Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine. In a paper published in Science Advances, the researchers suggest that this shift in the 3D churning of such a large ocean basin must have enhanced the sequestration of CO2 in the deep sea, thereby lowering the amount of the greenhouse gas in ice-age Earth’s...

East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier has retreated almost 3 miles over last 22 years

Written on March 23, 2020.

UCI, NASA scientists assess ice sheet with potential to raise global sea levels nearly 5 feet Irvine, Calif., March 23, 2020 – East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier has retreated 5 kilometers, nearly 3 miles, in the past 22 years, and researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory are concerned that the shape of the ground surface beneath the ice sheet could make it even more susceptible to climate-driven collapse. If fully thawed, the ice in Denman...

Study examines a million corals one by one in urgent call to save reefs

Written on August 12, 2019.

UCI biologist among data contributors to large, unprecedented project Irvine, Calif., Aug. 12, 2019 — When Joleah Lamb strapped on a scuba tank and plunged into the ocean over a decade ago, it was the first of many expeditions to examine the effects of climate change and other human-produced factors on coral. Now, 13 years after that foray, she has contributed one of the largest amounts of data to a landmark study on how to save coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Lamb, an assistant...

Shipping in ice-free Arctic Ocean could have cooling effect on climate, simulations show

Written on September 25, 2018.

Sea ice is melting due to global warming, enabling greater maritime access to the Arctic Ocean. Emissions from transoceanic cargo ships taking advantage of this could either warm the climate further by darkening snow and ice surfaces or cool it by enhancing cloud reflectance. In a study published recently in the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers from UCI, the University of Connecticut and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory describe using a fully...

Climate Change-driven Droughts are Getting Hotter, UCI Study Finds

Written on August 1, 2018.

Temperature increases during dry periods outpace average climate warming August 1, 2018 – Dry months are getting hotter in large parts of the United States, another sign that human-caused climate change is forcing people to encounter new extremes. In a study published today in Science Advances, researchers at the University of California, Irvine report that temperatures during droughts have been rising faster than in average climates in recent decades, and they point to...

Bleaching of Coral Reefs Reduced Where Daily Temperature Changes are Large

Written on April 26, 2018.

By taking a closer look, UCI scientists find resilience in face of heat stress Apr. 26, 2018 – Coral reef bleaching is stark evidence of the damage being inflicted by global climate change on marine ecosystems, but a research team led by scientists at the University of California, Irvine has found some cause for hope. While many corals are dying, others are showing resilience to increased sea surface temperatures, pointing to possible clues to the survival and recovery of these...

Rise in Severity of Hottest Days Outpaces Global Average Temperature Increase

Written on January 24, 2018.

UCI study also finds megacities affected most by uptick in extreme-heat events Jan. 24, 2018 – While our planet’s average annual temperature has increased at a steady pace in recent decades, there has been an alarming jump in the severity of the hottest days of the year during that same period, with the most lethal effects in the world’s largest cities. Engineers at the University of California, Irvine have learned that urban centers with more than 5 million inhabitants and parts...

Less predictable precipitation

Written on January 16, 2018.

Waning influence of once-telling weather patterns altered by global warming skews projections Brian Bell / UCI For Californians from Crescent City to Chula Vista, the second week of 2018 brought rain showers. Was it merely a fluke in the middle of an ongoing dry spell, or does it mean we’re on the verge of another wet winter, similar to last year’s? The answer, according to a UCI climatologist, is up in the air – literally and figuratively. The two factors that have, historically, affected...

UCI: Earth is losing its fire power

Written on June 29, 2017.

Industrial farming disrupts burn-regrowth cycle in grasslands, study finds Irvine, Calif., June 29, 2017 – The world’s open grasslands and the beneficial fires that sustain them have shrunk rapidly over the past two decades, thanks to a massive increase in agriculture, according to a new study led by University of California, Irvine and NASA researchers published today in Science. Analyzing 1998 to 2015 data from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, the international team found that the total...

Tag: global warming