“Edge of Arctic sea-ice never seen this far north:
“… The National Snow & Ice Data Center’s latest satellite studies show the ice edge currently lying near 85 degrees north, about halfway between the northern tip of Svalbard and the North Pole. Similar ice free waters are found at the same latitude north of Franz Josef Land and Severnaya Zemlya.
“…temperatures in northernmost Siberia were about 8°C above normal for the season. The summer of 2020 was the warmest since measurements started in Arctic Russia in 1881.
“The Norwegian Meteorological Institute confirms the dramatic developments in September in the European Arctic waters.
“The mean sea-ice extent in July this year was record-low, followed by a second-lowest extent for August. September has also got very close to the all-time record-low sea-ice conditions from 2012.”
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/climate-crisis/2020/09/edge-arctic-sea-ice-never-seen-far-north
“As Arctic summers warm, Earth’s northern landscapes are changing.
“Using satellite images to track global tundra ecosystems over decades, a new study found the region has become greener, as warmer air and soil temperatures lead to increased plant growth.”
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/warming-temperatures-are-driving-arctic-greening
“A US WWII bomber has emerged from a melting glacier in Iceland 76 years after it crashed on it way to England.
“The B-17 Flying Fortress bomber flew into the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland on September 16, 1944.”
“Meteorologists at Weeronline have confirmed what many people may already have suspected – 2020 has so far been the hottest year the Netherlands has experienced since records began in 1901!
“…So far this year, meteorologists in De Bilt have counted 104 warm days (temperatures of 20 degrees and above), which is 19 more than normal.”
https://www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/2020-hottest-year-netherlands-records-began
“A low-pressure area forming over the North Atlantic sea will descend down throughout France this week, dramatically cooling temperatures as it goes…
“After record-breaking high temperatures for September were recorded in France earlier this month, Friday’s temperatures are expected to be 3-5°C below norms for the season.”
“Lightning strike injures 14 teens at soccer game in Switzerland:
“Over a dozen teenagers in Switzerland have been hospitalized after lightning struck a soccer field during a game. The bolt hit a lamp post before spreading over the field.”
https://www.dw.com/en/lightning-strike-injures-14-teens-at-soccer-game-in-switzerland/a-55021522
“‘It was like the Apocalypse’: Greece battles with aftermath of Medicane:
“Cyclone-like Medicane Ianos swept across Greece this weekend turning streets to fast-flowing rivers, burying villages under mud and rubble, and sinking ships with waves of up to seven meters.”
“Israeli Pine Trees are Dying of Thirst:
“In early September, Israel saw an extreme and unusual heatwave with some areas reporting record temperatures…
“Researchers believe that heatwaves and other extreme weather events will become more frequent in the wake of the climate crisis.”
https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/blogs/321963/israeli-pine-trees-are-dying-of-thirst/
“The authorities in Niger have postponed the reopening of schools across the country following heavy floods that have killed more than 70 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
“Most of the flood victims are sheltered in schools and the authorities say they need time to relocate them to other shelters.”
https://www.myjoyonline.com/news/international/niger-postpones-reopening-of-schools-after-floods/
“Since July, Sudan has been hit with record-breaking torrential rains and flooding, which have caused at least 100 deaths and damaged more than 140,000 homes across the country.
“While flash floods are nothing new in Sudan, where the rainy season typically stretches from June to October, this year’s flooding is “one of the worst natural disasters” the country has seen…”
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/sudan-record-breaking-rains-wreak-havoc-floods-coronavirus
“A good number of patients admitted at Kisiizi Hospital in the western district of Rukungiri [Uganda] are stranded after the wards got submerged in flood waters yet again.
“The Tuesday morning rains left the Church of Uganda owned hospital infrastructure and compound all covered in water…”
https://www.pmldaily.com/news/2020/09/floods-paralyse-work-at-kisiizi-hospital-again.html
“Scientists say climate change appears to be altering winds that drive South Asia’s monsoon, changing rainfall patterns…
“The winds that drive Pakistan’s annual monsoon, which arrives from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, appear to be altering as a result of climate change, which could push more rainfall to Karachi – and less to key agricultural regions…”
https://news.trust.org/item/20200922111419-3p1i8
“Displaced and destitute: Thousands left homeless by monsoon floods forced on to Pakistan’s streets.”
“Disaster Response Team Deployed Amid Heavy Rains In Karnataka [India]:
“The second wave of southwest monsoon fury hit the state which is yet to recover fully from the floods last month amid the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“Extreme rainfall events are rising in the Himalayas – and so is the likelihood of flash floods:
“New studies show the chance of sudden, catastrophic deluge in the western Himalayas has doubled.”
“China experiences 21 large-scale floods in 2020, setting historical record…
“A total of 833 rivers in China have gone above warning levels, 80 percent more than in the same period of that year, said China’s Ministry of Water Resources… Among them, 267 rivers were over the safety level and 77 reached historical record highs.”
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1201803.shtml
“Floods and landslides have struck Indonesia’s capital Jakarta and its surrounding areas, leaving two people dead, one missing and 20 others injured, officials said yesterday.
“A river, hit by torrential rain since Monday, overflowed its banks and submerged surrounding areas in the capital – which has recently come under partial Covid-19 lockdown again…”
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/2-dead-20-wounded-as-floods-and-landslides-hit-indonesia
“Stunning images show inland seas forming in the Australian outback due to torrential rains, as forecasters warn a very wet summer is on the way.
“Torrential rain swept across central and western Queensland over the weekend with more than 100mm falling in some areas.”
“Typhoon Dolphin, this year’s 12th typhoon, is on course to approach eastern and northeastern Japan, with heavy rain expected along the Pacific coast…
“…rainfall of up to 200 mm to 300 mm is forecast for Tokyo and neighboring prefectures.”
“Four forest fires broke out on Tuesday in the central Argentine province of Cordoba, where some 400 firefighters backed by planes and helicopters were working to put them out, the local government has said.
“The fires broke out in the cities of Villa Carlos Paz, Los Morteritos, Cuchi Corral and Unquillo.”
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-09/23/c_139390094.htm
“Smoke from fires set in the Amazon region is one of the key causes of respiratory hospitalisations of indigenous people, states a recent study conducted by Brazil’s Instituto Socioambiental (ISA).
“This year, the fires, along with the spread of COVID-19, might mean further distress to the indigenous population who live in the region.”
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30421-5/fulltext
“The Bobcat fire has become one of the largest in Los Angeles county history, scorching structures, homes and a nature center in a famed southern California wildlife sanctuary in foothill desert communities.
“The wind-driven wildfire in the mountains north-east of Los Angeles approached 165 sq miles (404 sq km) Monday and is 15% contained.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/21/bobcat-fire-los-angeles-county-california-wildfires
“Oregonians are grieving the loss of some of their most treasured natural places after wildfires wiped out campgrounds, hot springs and wooded retreats that have been touchstones for generations in a state known for its unspoiled beauty.
“The flames that destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least nine people also encroached on beloved state parks…”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/oregon-grieves-natural-places-wiped-wildfires-73168608
“Wildfires among ponderosa pines and Douglas firs of the U.S. West have long been part of nature’s cycle of renewal, as much as the changing of the seasons.
“But as climate change makes the region more arid, wildfires have grown more frequent and ferocious. Scientists worry the hottest blazes could end up obliterating swathes of some forests forever.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-wildfires-climatechange-idUSL2N2GI22T
“Over the summer of 2020, numerous heat records were broken in Death Valley, as the park experienced what may be some the hottest days ever recorded on Earth…
““Death Valley National Park is known for its extreme temperatures, and this year certainly didn’t disappoint when it comes to heat!” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds.”
https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/numerous-heat-records-set-in-death-valley-during-summer-2020/
“More Abnormal Weather In Colorado: Fall Starts Like Everything Else In 2020.
“The first day of fall will include unusually warm temperatures statewide. But it’s nothing compared to the heat coming to Colorado later this week.”
“Beta weakened to a tropical depression on Tuesday as it crawled along the Texas coast south of Houston, unleashing heavy rains, flooding streets, and forcing emergency workers to rescue dozens of people.
“Rain submerged roads in the nation’s fourth-most populous city, swamping cars, shutting school offices, courts and energy shipping ports.”
“Hurricane Teddy was more than a thousand miles from South Florida on Tuesday but the colossal storm still touched the Sunshine State, flooding streets at high tide and stealing away beaches.
“Teddy earned back a Category 2 title early Tuesday with 105-mph winds south of Halifax, Nova Scotia…”
“‘Zombie’ storm Paulette regains some strength, adding to weird 2020 weather:
“A week after Hurricane Paulette hit Bermuda and weakened as it spun north in the Atlantic Ocean, the system has come back to life as a “zombie” tropical storm…”
“Ocean acoustics confirm rising sea temperatures…
““The ocean regulates the pace of global warming,” Wenbo Wu, a geophysicist at Caltech, says. “More than 90% of the excess energy goes into the ocean.” An increase of 0.044°C in the ocean temperature over a decade, as this study reports, is troublesome.
““It’s a big problem,” Wu notes, because even the ocean — Earth’s vast thermal reservoir, covering 70% of the planet — is starting to feel the heat.”
https://temblor.net/earthquake-insights/ocean-acoustics-confirm-rising-sea-temperatures-11777/
“Humpback whales are steadily moving north, and warmer seas and melting ice may be the reason.
“The whales, which move between the Antarctic and the southern tips of three continents, will be the focus of a six-year, $5 million study into their migration routes…
““Their migratory behavior is changing, they are going further and further north,” said Alakendra Roychoudhury, an environmental geochemist at Stellenbosch University in South Africa.”
“About 380 pilot whales dead after mass stranding on Tasmania’s West Coast, 50 saved… Earlier, it was confirmed another group of pilot whales had been spotted during an aerial survey, bringing to over 450 the number of animals in distress.
“The event is now the largest of its kind in Australia’s recorded history.”
“Antarctic krill seek refuge from climate change:
It has long been thought that the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean formed the epicenter of the global krill population. This has raised alarm bells for conservation of their stocks, since this particular region has been one of the fastest warming ocean regions on the planet.
“This new research shows that… this region can support fewer krill than before due to habitat degradation.”
https://phys.org/news/2020-09-antarctic-krill-refuge-climate.html
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