How cold is Europe? Cold enough for the Danube River to freeze
Just how extraordinary has this winter been in Europe? The Danube River has frozen, for one. Europeans have been shivering under a blanket of cold air that has sent temperatures plummeting and snows drifting. Across the continent, hundreds have died from exposure to the cold. The Danube's freezing is just one of many severe winter events in the continent this year. At least four Balkan nations suspended shipping on the Danube on Feb. 14 because of heavy ice on the river, according to news reports. Keeping Europe frozen is a climate pattern called a "Russian Winter." The Danube flows through 10 countries, so precise records of its last freezing are not easy to come by. "I looked back over 20 years and found a few significant cold snaps, but I didn't find anything quite as strong as this one," Andrews told OurAmazingPlanet. On Jan. 13, 2003, the weather in Belgrade dropped to a low of minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 24 degrees Celsius). "We're talking pretty darn cold here," Andrews said.
Global Climate Change: Research Explorer- The Exploratorium
The earth’s climate has warmed and cooled for millions of years, since long before we appeared on the scene. There’s no doubt that the climate is growing warmer currently; indications of that change are all around us. Though climate change isn’t new, the study of how human activity affects the earth’s climate is. The exploration of climate change encompasses many fields, including physics, chemistry, biology, geology, meteorology, oceanography, and even sociology. At this Web site, you can explore scientific data relating to the atmosphere, the oceans, the areas covered by ice and snow, and the living organisms in all these domains.
Stop climate change
Deeply complex, the climate system drives wind, water, and warmth around our beautiful blue planet, nurturing all life. But now our climate is changing fast. The cause is an old, broken energy system that pollutes our air and water, drives inequality and destroys priceless landscapes. We really have to change; we have only a limited time to act. Join us as we fight to end polluting coal, oil, gas and nuclear projects. Climate affects all life on Earth Our climate is the engine for life support systems that sustain and nurture us all. The climate is changing fast Sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting, and coral reefs are bleaching. Climate change threatens to unravel Earth's complex web of life, and puts livelihoods, coastal cities and food production at risk. The cause of climate change is certain A dirty energy system, fuelled by coal, oil, gas and nuclear power, has failed us. The polluters profit, while the rest of us pay the price. 100% renewable energy is the key
Climate change - Wikipedia
Human-caused changes to climate on Earth In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to Earth's climate. The current rise in global average temperature is primarily caused by humans burning fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution.[3][4] Fossil fuel use, deforestation, and some agricultural and industrial practices add to greenhouse gases.[5] These gases absorb some of the heat that the Earth radiates after it warms from sunlight, warming the lower atmosphere. Carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas driving global warming, has grown by about 50% and is at levels unseen for millions of years.[6] Climate change has an increasingly large impact on the environment. Climate change threatens people with increased flooding, extreme heat, increased food and water scarcity, more disease, and economic loss.
Lake Michigan mostly frozen with ‘shelf’ ice
BY HANNAH LUTZ February 14, 2014 1:42PM In this Dec. 26, 2013 photo provided by the U.S. Coast Guard the icebreaker Mackinaw maintains a shipping lane on the St. storyidforme: 62095103 tmspicid: 22412113 fileheaderid: 10712332 Updated: March 17, 2014 11:28AM Lake Michigan looked a bit like a giant ice skating rink this week. As of Thursday, more than 80 percent of the water was frozen. But those who want to practice their triple axel on the lake should think twice. It is still unsafe to walk on, National Weather Service Meteorologist Kevin Birk said. “There have even been cases when the winds will shift, and the ice itself will move,” Birk said. Ice coverage for the five great lakes combined reached about 88 percent Thursday, according to according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. The “shelf” ice on Lake Michigan is much weaker than the sheet ice on inland lakes, officials said. “It’s not stable and cave-ins have occurred recently. But Gill said the ice isn’t all bad.
Weather Centre - Climate Change - Evidence
Cool Antarctica, pictures of Antarctica, information and travel guide
Lake Superior nearing rare ice-over
By John MyersForum News Service Posted: 02/06/2014 12:01:00 AM CST | Updated: 3 months ago DULUTH, Minn. -- A frigid winter is pushing Lake Superior toward a complete ice-over for the first time since 1996, though there's still a ways to go before you can skate from Duluth to the Soo Locks. Lake Superior had at least some ice across an estimated 91 percent of its surface as of Thursday, according to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. That compares with the 40-year average annual Lake Superior ice coverage for February of just 30 percent. George Leshkevich has been tracking Great Lakes ice for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory since 1973. So far, this winter has had among the most rapid ice buildups of his tenure. The widespread ice in January and early February this year "wouldn't have been anomalous back in the '70s or with some of the winters in the mid-'90s.
Weather Centre - Climate Change - Evidence
