“Temperatures in the Arctic Ocean, an area that has a significant influence on the world’s weather, were much warmer last month than the average for the past two decades. [not an expansive data-set in chronological terms but some of the temperature anomalies were huge]
“Northeastern Canada and Greenland were also much warmer-than-average for February, according to a report Monday by Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
“Scientists have linked this warming to extreme weather events elsewhere in the world, including the blast of cold air that swept out of Canada and deep into the US south in the middle of last month, causing an energy crisis in Texas.”
“Inspectors will check an underwater pipeline for pollution after it caught fire on a frozen river in Russia’s Siberia, federal monitoring service Rostekhnadzor said Sunday.
“First reports suggest around 700 tons of liquefied petroleum gas (a mixture of propane and butane) could be on site, Rostekhnadzor spokesperson Andrei Vil said on his Telegram account.”
“The Lower 48 states had their coldest February in more than 30 years, new data reveals, due largely to the winter storm that engulfed Texas, causing a deadly energy crisis.
“The cold, which was associated with a deep southward dip in the jet stream that sent polar air plunging to the U.S. border with Mexico, knocked out power to millions in Texas, Louisiana and other states…”
“Texas city-run and rural electric firms face bailout over storm crisis:
“Financial strains on Texas city-owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives and the grid operator has spurred calls for state aid and lured private equity firms into plans to fix multi-billion-dollar charges.”
“Millions of Americans live near Superfund sites, areas the federal government considers contaminated as a result of hazardous waste that was dumped, mismanaged or otherwise left out in the open.
“Many of those sites are still awaiting cleanup. And with climate change triggering sea-level rise, experts are ringing the alarm bell about the threat of flooding at Superfund sites…”
“Coastal populations are experiencing relative sea-level rise “up to four times faster than the global average”, which threatens many megacities located on deltas, according to research led by the University of East Anglia…
“…coastal inhabitants are living with an average sea level rise of 7.8mm to 9.9mm per year over the past 20 years, compared with a global average rise of 2.6mm a year.”
“Evacuations are ongoing in Haiku for everyone in the vicinity of Kaupakalua Dam and makai of Kaupakalua Road [Hawaii] as heavy rains flood homes and roadways…
““This is a real flooding situation we have not seen in a long time,” Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said in a press conference on Monday, March 8.”
“As health facilities battle the coronavirus pandemic, extreme weather presents another threat, with 70% of Latin America’s hospitals at risk from floods, hurricanes or earthquakes.
“70% of Latin America hospitals are in regions highly vulnerable to floods, earthquakes or hurricanes. 550 floods hit the region between 2000 and 2019, causing almost $26 billion in damage.”
“Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has called on residents to conserve water and prepare for shortages as the island faces a drought, following months of scant rainfall and a lack of typhoons making landfall last year.
“In a Facebook post over the weekend, Tsai said that Taiwan did not experience a typhoon in 2020 and faces its most severe water shortage in 56 years…”
“A weather event in the Indian Ocean, known for triggering catastrophic bushfires in Australia and breeding crop-gorging locust swarms in Africa, also played a pivotal role in ravaging floods in China last year, according to a study on Tuesday.
“The unusually strong Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and a weak El Niño in the Pacific Ocean contributed to unexpected heavy summer rainfall, [which] killed 128 people, flattened 28,000 homes, leading to a financial loss of more than $11 billion at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic…”
“A marine heatwave off the east and south coast of South Africa has caused a large fish and shellfish “walkout” – a natural phenomenon where sea species are beached as they try to escape ocean conditions.
“The department of environment, forestry and fisheries said large numbers of fish and shellfish appeared to have died over the past week as a result of the marine heatwave.”
“With no clear signal from the South African Weather Service on when the region can expect decent rains, the Kouga dam, Nelson Mandela Bay’s largest supply reservoir, has dropped to its lowest-yet level since it was built in 1969.
“With no significant rainfall expected in the next couple of months, and the Kouga dam sitting at a historic low of 6%, Nelson Mandela Bay metro has been hit by water outages.”
“Preliminary reports and incessant calls from pastoralist nomads, regional and districts officials of Eastern regions of Somaliland corroborate the onset of a severe, life-threatening drought…
“The council, chaired by the President, Musa Bihi Abdi, took note of the devastation another purging drought would have on both human and livestock populations emerging from a three-year-long acute drought that lasted from 2015 to early 2017.”
“Torn by conflict and suffering from severe droughts and flooding, South Sudan is stepping up its climate ambition…
““This country is really suffering from the impacts of climate change and we need to make sure that we are making our contribution to save our planet from this existential threat,” South Sudan’s lead climate negotiator Joseph Bartel told Climate Home News from sweltering Juba…”
“The climate crisis is pushing the planet’s tropical regions towards the limits of human livability, with rising heat and humidity threatening to plunge much of the world’s population into potentially lethal conditions, new research has found…
“Dangerous conditions in the tropics will unfold even before the 1.5C threshold…”
“At least seven people died and three were unaccounted for after floods caused by torrential rains in northwestern Algeria, the country’s civil protection agency said.
“Three men, two women, a five-year-old boy and a girl of 12 died after vehicles they were travelling in were swept away in the Chlef region on Saturday, the agency said in a statement.”
“Fears grow for endangered turtles after oil spill hits Lebanon:
“The sandy shores of the Tyre nature reserve on the Mediterranean are a nesting ground for more than one species of endangered turtles. But since an oil spill off the Israeli coast early last month, beaches in south Lebanon, too, are washed up with deposits of tar.”
“Locals in the far northern Russian region believe between 60,000-80,000 animals might have died of starvation over the past few months. The tragedy follows the formation of a thick layer of ice across major parts of the Yamal tundra.
“Reindeer normally manage to dig through the snow to access its favorite food, the lichen, but this year the ground is covered by unbreakable ice…
“Temperatures in Yamal and surrounding Arctic areas have over the past years seen a dramatic increase. The year 2020 was the warmest on record, and parts of Yamal, Taymyr and other Russian Arctic territories had average temperatures up to 7 °С above normal.”
“Climate change is flooding the Arctic Ocean with light – what it means for the species that live there… a large amount of Arctic coastline, which is normally covered in ice and normally doesn’t get that much light is now suddenly sort of open to, to the sun…
“As Arctic temperatures warm due to climate change and sea shrinks, these underwater forests [of kelp] are expanding, and kelp is now growing in places where it didn’t used to.”
“Greenland ice loss may have begun as early as the mid-’80s:
“The amount of snow falling on Greenland’s glaciers may have been less than the water lost through icebergs calving and melting since at least the mid-1980s…
“…a study of almost 40 years of satellite images has revealed.”
“Great Lakes ice cover is becoming more precarious… Ice cover has been declining by about 5 per cent every decade across the Great Lakes…
““The winters of 30 years ago are gone, ice fishing continues but the season may start later and end earlier. Each year is a little different,” the Lake Huron Fishing Club in Southampton, Ontario toldThe Independent in an email.”
“Near-Record Temperatures for the Central U.S. Next Week… After a cold February for most of the United States, the start of March and meteorological spring has been much warmer!
“This warmth comes on the heels of warm air in place across the High Plains this week. Mobridge, South Dakota had back-to-back record highs already this week.”
“The collapse of Northern California kelp forests will be hard to reverse:
“Satellite imagery shows that the area covered by kelp forests off the coast of Northern California has dropped by more than 95 percent, with just a few small, isolated patches of bull kelp remaining.”
“La Niña could supercharge this year’s tornado season, just like it did to deadly effect in 2011.
“A massive cold air outbreak over the central US in early February set hundreds of cold temperature records, stretching the power grid in Texas and leaving millions without power. Sound familiar? The year was 2011.”
“For months as these conditions worsened, the community counted on the KOAT-7 weather team for weekly updates on these desperately dry conditions, and how they impacted not just the state, but New Mexicans living here.”
“Intense Drought Makes Life Harder in Mayari, Cuba… It was around January 20th the last time it rained here in Mayari, in Cuba’s eastern province of Holguin…
“Lots of harvests are being lost or yields are a lot less than they could be.”
“Weather models as of Thursday agreed that Argentina’s grain belt will stay mostly dry for at least another week… Last month was among the driest Februarys on record for key growing areas…
“According to the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange, just 10% of Argentina’s soybeans were in good or excellent condition as of Thursday, a shockingly low portion.”
“Soybean farmers in Brazil’s major growing regions are starting to worry about losing their crops as torrential rains threaten harvests of the world’s largest producer…
“Potential losses in Brazil could add fuel to surging soybean prices that have already been bolstered recently by weather concerns in South America. Soybean futures in Chicago have climbed 55% in the past year.”
“Pollution fears over mink buried after Covid culling in Denmark… Mink carcasses that were buried hastily after a mass culling sparked by fears over a mutated coronavirus strain are causing pollution, Denmark’s environmental protection agency has said…
“Water from underneath the burial sites would be pumped up and sanitised, the agency said.”
“Is this winter’s crazy weather in Spain a taste of things to come?
“The country is emerging from three months of extremes in line with climate change scenarios, including the snowfall of the century, back-to-back storms and wild temperature swings.”
“Tunisia urged citizens to pray for rain this weekend amid fears of a second consecutive drought in parts of North Africa that would further test economies reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
“Muslims can make “recourse to God Almighty with supplication” at times “when the descent of the beneficial rain is delayed,” Tunisia’s Religious Affairs Ministry said in a statement, calling for Sunday prayers.”
“Today 5 March is an exceptional warm day in the United Arab Emirates with some stations breaking the 40C mark, the highest temp being Al Tawi with 41.1C [106F], a record warmth in the country for this time of the year.“
“Retreating glaciers in the Himalayas are not only dangerously filling up glacial lakes but they are also causing other hazards that are not being monitored, scientists have warned…
“The Himalayas have the largest number of glaciers on Earth outside the poles and they have lost billions of tonnes of ice due to accelerated melting caused by global warming.”
“NASA satellites show fires still raging over Similipal, rest of Odisha [India]:
“NASA images dispute the claim made by forest officers in the state that the fires at Similipal biosphere reserve were more or less under control… The Similipal biosphere, having the largest zone of Sal trees in the country, is known for its distinctive biodiversity…”
“Study uncovers how big droughts in the Greater Mekong trigger carbon dioxide emission bursts…
“The researchers found that during prolonged droughts hydropower production reduces drastically, forcing power systems to compensate with fossil fuels—gas and coal—thus increasing power production costs and carbon footprint.”
“Around 1.34 million households in central and northern Taiwan are expected to encounter reduced pressure tap water supply round the clock starting from Wednesday as a measure against lingering drought, according to a statement from the island’s emergency operation center.”
“13 more endemic species in Australia are confirmed extinct:
“An updated list released by the Australian government has confirmed the extinction of 13 endemic species. Among the species are 12 mammals and one reptile. The news now makes Australia the leading country globally in terms of mammal extinctions.”
“Antarctic seals reveal worrying threats to disappearing glaciers:
“More Antarctic meltwater is surfacing than was previously known, modifying the climate, preventing sea ice from forming and boosting marine productivity- according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).”
“Study Finds Wildfire Smoke More Harmful To Humans Than Pollution From Cars:
“Researchers with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego say that the tiny particles released in wildfire smoke are up to 10 times more harmful to humans than particles released from other sources, such as car exhaust.”
“An international team of researchers has found evidence implicating a deep underground reservoir as the source of high levels of methane in the waters of the East Siberian Arctic Ocean…
“Prior research has suggested that there are very large deposits of methane located in many places beneath the world’s ocean floors. Prior research has also suggested that if the ocean water is warmed, some or all of the methane can be released.”
[Nothing in the article about the stability of this particular reservoir of methane in a warming world, except the implication that it is already leaking if it is the source of high methane levels in the Laptev. The paper itself may be more illuminating!]
“According to the Russian Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematic, climate gas emissions are leading to a continued rapid temperature increase in the northernmost part of the planet.
“By the end of the century, average temperatures in the central parts of the Arctic could be 20 °С [36F] higher than what is considered normal for the region.”
“Mining magnets: Greenland finds green power can be a curse.
“As Greenland’s ice sheet and glaciers recede, two Australia-based mining companies — one seeking funding in the United States, the other part-owned by a Chinese state-backed firm — are racing for approval to dig into what the U.S. Geological Survey calls the world’s biggest undeveloped deposits of rare earth metals.
“The contest underscores the polluting side of clean energy.”
“While some of the coldest weather in a century was gripping millions of Americans for over a week in February, large areas of the globe were basking in the warmest weather ever observed during winter…
“…outside of the US, record warm temperatures for February outpaced the cold records by more than 4 to 1, according to data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information.”
“The Arctic air that whipped into Texas last month put this season’s Rio Grande Valley harvest on ice, and it has left many farmworkers with no or very little work.
“Paulina, 74, usually harvests crops in the fields of the Rio Grande Valley from 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. But she said her work hours have been drastically cut.”
“‘Pure Devastation’: Eastern Kentucky Communities Survey Widespread Flooding: Communities in eastern Kentucky assessed widespread damage caused by devastating flooding on Tuesday, March 2, after a weekend of heavy rain caused the Kentucky River to burst its banks, leaving roads impassable.
“The South Fork of the Kentucky River at Booneville crested more than 17 feet above “Flood Stage” on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.”
“Historic drought deepens in the West as window for rain, snow closes… Almost 80 percent of the Western U.S. is in drought, with nearly 42 percent of the region in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought.
“Water supply and wildfire concerns grow for the dry season.”
“Drier-than-average conditions are fueling wildfire concerns in parts of the nation’s southern tier as we head deeper into spring.
“The Southern Plains, Southwest and Florida have a higher than usual chance for significant wildland fires over the next few months, according to an outlook from the National Interagency Fire Center.”
“New climate ‘normal’ for Atlantic hurricanes shows more frequent and intense storms: During the most recent 30-year period, which spans 1991 to 2020, there has been an uptick in the number of named storms and an increase in the frequency of major hurricanes of category 3 intensity or greater in the Atlantic.
“That comes as no surprise amid a spate of extreme hurricane activity that has featured seven Category 5 storms swirling across Atlantic waters in just the past five years.”
“Met Éireann’s weather station at Dublin Airport recorded the highest level of daily sunshine – for a February day – last month. Just over ten hours of sunshine were recorded on Sunday last, February 28th, the highest since records began there some 78 years ago.
“The detail was one of a number of extreme values recorded as part of Met Éireann’s February statement.”
“Record winter temperatures have had a devastating effect on snow conditions in many alpine ski resorts.
“Chamonix recently recorded its highest February temperature ever… Records were also broken in Bourg St Maurice, the valley town in the Savoie down the mountain from Tignes and Val d’Isere.”
“Last week, Russian officials in Moscow and Crimea attempted to assure the Crimean public that this season’s snowfall would ease the water crisis. However, Ukrainian water experts have said the snow is “too temporary and too small” to significantly impact the shortage in any way.
“This comes after 2020 set a record for Crimea’s driest year in a century and a half… the reservoirs had reached a historic low at less than 10% of capacity.“
“On Monday, between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m Tetouan [Morocco] recorded heavy rainfall reaching 100 millimeters [3.94 inches]. The flooding submerged 275 houses around the city and swept away 11 vehicles.
“The Tetouan floods followed similar natural disasters in Casablanca and Tangier… flooding in Casablanca from January 6 to 11, recorded a record rainfall of 250 mm [9.8 inches] accounting for 69% of annual rainfall.”
“An Israeli minister accused Iran of being behind one of the worst oil spills ever in Israeli waters, calling it an act of “environmental terrorism.”
“…A Libyan ship that sailed from Iran dumped oil into the sea in early February, Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel told reporters on Wednesday.
“The ship turned off its tracking system to avoid detection…”
“The severe droughts caused by frequent lack of rainfalls and snowfalls are worrying people in Afghanistan especially in the rural areas where people are mostly engaged in agriculture and livestock breeding…
“‘There is no rainfall, we had only two snowfalls this winter. The wheat is drying up and people are worried and some of them are moving to Herat province,’ said farmer Baz Mohammad who lives in the Moqor district.”
“Uttarakhand glacier collapse: ‘Mass movements still occurring in Himalayan state [India]’, scientists claim.
“High resolution satellite imagery indicates that mass movement activities are still occurring where the rock and ice collapsed that led to a disaster in Uttarakhand last month, as per latest observations of national and international scientists.”
“India Witness Third Warmest Winter Despite La Niña; Northwest Records Nearly 3°C Warmer February Days.
“Only during the winters of 2016 and 2009, India has recorded warmer mean temperatures than this, and both these years were El Niño years. The peculiarity of winter 2021 being among the warmest despite the Pacific being in the La Niña phase has raised concerns.”
“A prolonged dry spell coupled with an ominous rise in February temperature has triggered unprecedented forest fires in central and eastern Indian states, including Odisha.
“Similipal Tiger Reserve, one of the first tiger habitats to come up in India, has been caught in the inferno.”
“Some banana crops have been wiped out as Cyclone Niran intensifies off the far-north Queensland coast.
“Niran was expected to become a category three storm within 24 hours and while it was not expected to cross the coast, gale-force winds stripped banana trees, leaving farmers in despair.”
“Bolivia registers 36,839 hectares of crops affected by the overflowing of rivers and floods, the Vice Minister of Civil Defense, Juan Carlos Calvimontes, reported on Tuesday.
“”At this moment we have quantified 36,839 hectares in the country,” he said in an interview with the Abya Yala television channel.”
“Panama’s consul to Bogota Telma Deleise Barria Pinzon, her husband and another family member died when their car was swept away by a river in rural Colombia which was battered by heavy rains…
“Torrential rains have caused flooding and increased water levels in different parts of Colombia on Monday and Tuesday.”
“In the Atlantic Ocean, Subtle Shifts Hint at Dramatic Dangers: The warming atmosphere is causing an arm of the powerful Gulf Stream to weaken, some scientists fear…
“”The consequences could include faster sea level rise along parts of the Eastern United States and parts of Europe, stronger hurricanes barreling into the Southeastern United States, and perhaps most ominously, reduced rainfall across the Sahel, a semi-arid swath of land running the width of Africa that is already a geopolitical tinderbox.””
“Global CO2 emissions have returned to pre-pandemic levels and then some, threatening to put climate treaty targets for capping global warming out of reach, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.
“Energy-related emissions were two percent higher in December 2020 than in the same month a year earlier…
“”The rebound in global carbon emissions toward the end of last year is a stark warning that not enough is being done to accelerate clean energy transitions worldwide,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said in a statement.”
“Pollution is so bad in this Chicago neighborhood, people are on hunger strike to stop it…
“Oscar Sanchez’s fight against a scrapyard set to be relocated to his Southeast Chicago neighborhood has taken quite the physical toll. He’s lost about 20 pounds in the past month. He is increasingly unable to sleep, speak, or think clearly.”
“Images show flooded Kentucky communities as storms trigger state of emergency:
“Heavy thunderstorms pounded Appalachia, sending rivers out of their banks and leading to multiple water rescues, mudslides, road closures and power outages.”
“About 390,000 Texas residents were still under boil water advisories as of midday Monday, almost two weeks after a winter storm slammed large swaths of the South.
“The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) website shows there are 399 active boil water notices in effect on Monday, while 1,780 notices have already been lifted.”
“Texas’s largest co-operative power generator filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday as the financial fallout from a winter storm that plunged millions into darkness and sent wholesale electricity prices skyrocketing continued to mount.
“Brazos Electric Power Cooperative — a generation and transmission company that serves co-operatives across the state, many of which serve poorer rural areas — said it faced more than $2.1bn in bills for power it bought at surging prices during the storm.”
“The National Meteorological Service (SMN) reported on the weather in Mexico this Monday, in which a high pressure system will bring a heat wave over western, central and southern Mexico and will maintain a hot to very hot environment during the afternoon.
“Maximum temperatures of 40 to 45 ° C [113F] are forecast in Jalisco, Michoacán, Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla (southwest), Oaxaca and Chiapas…”
“Extreme weather patterns and flooding worsened by climate change are adversely affecting the health of babies born in the Amazon rainforest.
“…babies in riverside communities were more likely to be born premature (before 37 weeks) and underweight following extreme weather like floods and droughts.”
“High temps and little rain for much of Argentina until June: The National Meteorological Service (SMN, Argentina) released its quarterly Climate Forecast that begins today, March 1, until May inclusive, where the “drought” conditions that a large part of Buenos Aires currently suffers will extend.
“In detail, and speaking of rainfall, Entre Ríos , south of Santa Fe and the center and east of Buenos Aires will receive lower than normal rains.. a large part of Patagonia will show temperatures above normal…”
“After 4:00 p.m. This Sunday, there was a forest fire in the commune of Curacaví [Chile], which – until now – has consumed around 200 hectares… without being controlled yet.
“According to Conaf, the affected area corresponds to a sector known as Fundo Monterrey. In addition, due to weather conditions, the flames would be spreading rapidly…”
“27 February was a historic day in the Tierra del Fuego region.
“The Zañartu airport of the chilean town of Puerto Williams which claims to be southernmost town in the world recorded 26.1C [79F],its highest temperature on record, 0.1C above the previous record set in December 1984.”
“The Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) confirmed that four whales beached in Puerto Williams [Chile]…
“The event occurs days after a massive sardine shoal was discovered at the mouth of the Carampangue River, in the Biobío Region. On that occasion, thousands of fish turned up dead.”
“The number of endangered North Atlantic right whales remains dangerously low. There are fewer than 366 surviving specimens, according to a new assessment.
“Vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing nets remain the biggest threat to the massive marine mammals, but climate change is leading to rising ocean temperatures that endanger the krill the whales eat to survive.”
“With one in six homes across the UK now at risk of regular flooding – a number the Environment Agency says will double by 2050 – more and more people are thinking up innovative ways to make their properties resilient to submersion.
“…the effects of climate change are becoming ever more pronounced. That UK rainfall is set to increase by 59 per cent by 2050. And that, for the time being at least, it is simply not possible to build, engineer or even plant our way out of the predicament.”
“The Swiss winter brought wild fluctuations in temperature, unseasonal rainfalls, abundant snow brought on cold fronts from Siberia and even a helping of Saharan sand.
“In general, temperatures were two degrees Celsius higher than the average… In some parts of Switzerland, temperatures fluctuated by more than 30 degrees C [54F] in the space of a week…”
“Extreme weather events (EWEs) claimed the lives of more than 140,000 people in the last 50 years [in India], with deaths due to occurrences like heat waves and lightning witnessing a rise…”
“The paper also stated that the period from 1970-2019 recorded 7,063 extreme weather events – heat waves, cold waves, floods, lightning and tropical cyclones.”
“Cyclone Niran has been upgraded to a category two system and is expected to be upgraded to a category three on Wednesday, the [Australian] weather bureau says.
“The cyclone was about 280 kilometres northeast of Cairns on Tuesday afternoon, and was packing 95km/h [59mph] winds and 130km/h [81mph] gusts as it slowly tracked north-northwest.”
“It is now official: Port Macquarie [NSW, Australia] has just completed its wettest summer on record.
“More than one metre [3.28 feet] of rain fell over the region from December 1 last year, easily eclipsing the previous best mark of 845 millimetres that was set back in the summer of 2012-2013.”
“It took just 24 hours for Perth to smash its average rainfall total for March as thunderstorms battered the city yesterday and locals can expect more of the same over the next few days.
“Monday’s 26.2mm [1.03 inches] drenching blasted through the 19.7mm March average and, with showers and possible storms forecast through until Thursday…”
“The Arctic has a cloud problem:Tiny iodine particles are clumping together to trap sunlight and melt polar sea ice…
“…this process could be a major new mechanism for accelerating the loss of sea ice at the poles—one that no global climate model currently incorporates.”
“Phenomenal temperature swing brings taste of spring to central us: Last week began with a historic Arctic outbreak that brought the most frigid air in decades, overwhelming Texas’s power grid and plastering the South with snow and ice. As this week ends, most of the Lower 48 has seen a surge of warmth and, suddenly, spring is in the air.
““A phenomenal weather shift,” is how Tom Skilling, chief meteorologist for Chicago’s WGN television affiliate, described it, detailing “stunning” temperature swings of up to 90 degrees and snow melting “at an incredibly fast rate.””
“Winter storm could cost Texas more money than any disaster in state history:
“The winter storm that left dozens of Texans dead, millions without power and nearly 15 million with water issues could be the costliest disaster in state history, potentially exceeding the $125 billion in damage from Hurricane Harvey.”
“Texas’ record cold may have long-term effects for coastal wildlife and fisheries:
“As we restore power and water, as food and fuel deliveries normalize and temperatures warm the full extent of damage — especially long-term damage — will become evident. We will also become aware of the environmental impacts of this record-breaking cold.”
“Parts of Brazil’s Amazon rainforest are being illegally sold on Facebook, the BBC has discovered. The protected areas include national forests and land reserved for indigenous peoples.
“Some of the plots listed via Facebook’s classified ads service are as large as 1,000 football pitches.”
“Scientists studying Australia and Antarctica have sounded the alarm on collapsing ecosystems, saying urgent action is needed to avert “catastrophic biodiversity losses” in places like the Great Barrier Reef and Victorian ash forests.
“The 38 eminent scientists… say they have observed signs of Australian ecosystem decline and collapse all over the country…”
“At 31.8 degrees Celsius [89.2F], Dehradun, India records hottest day in February ever:
“The maximum temperature in Dehradun was 31.8 degrees Celsius on Friday, almost eight notches above normal and the highest ever on a day in February in recorded history.”
“At least 300 households in Tanzania’s northwestern municipality of Bukoba in Kagera region have been made homeless after their houses were submerged by flash floods caused by ongoing rains, an official said on Friday…
““The floods have not only submerged the houses, but they have also damaged infrastructure, including roads and bridges within the Bukoba municipality,” said Richard Gasper, a ward councilor for Miembeni ward.””
“Huge swarms of desert locusts have invaded Tanzania’s northern Kilimanjaro region from Kenya, darkening horizons and causing panic among farmers, who fear destruction of their crops, officials confirmed Wednesday…
“Huge swarms of desert locusts, believed to be triggered by the changing weather patterns, have been destroying crops across swathes of eastern and northern Africa in the past year. Last year, Kenya saw the worst outbreak of desert locusts in history.”
“Fishers and farmers struggle as climate change in Kenya’s Tana Delta. GEF and UN Environment act to protect key nature site that faces catastrophe from even limited sea level rises…
“Activities such as charcoal burning, overgrazing, and developments that do not factor in the conservation agenda coupled with climate change… are part of the challenges facing the delta.”
“Throughout the past year, Turkey has suffered an intense drought. In 2020, important agricultural regions of the country received just 30 millimeters of precipitation, as opposed to 80 millimeters in 2019.
“Joe Willey of SAT-7 USA says, “Recent rain and snow have caused a slight rise in Istanbul’s reservoirs, but it’s still a dangerous situation. Experts in the region say if there isn’t adequate rainfall in the next two to two and a half months, there will be water shortages in the summer.””
“The Louvre moves its treasures as climate change brings more floods to Paris:
““The current floods show once again how necessary it is to protect our art works from flooding,” said Jean-Luc Martinez, Director of the Louvre, which owns about 620,000 artworks, only 35,000 of which are on display in the Parisian former palace.”
“Wednesday marked the fourth consecutive day-heat record broken at the national weather station in De Bilt, Netherlands when temperatures climbed to 16.9 degrees [62.4F] at 12:30 p.m. And with that, two more records were broken.
“This is the first ever winter with five days of maximums above 15 degrees [59F] in the Netherlands.”
“Sweden’s national weather service, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute Thursday reported a new national high temperature for February — 16.8 degrees Celsius [62.2F]…
“Record temperatures were also reported Thursday in Poland and Slovakia.”
“Four people were killed when they fell through the ice on a lake in southern Sweden on Thursday, police said, as the country experiences a spell of unseasonably mild weather.
“Four men aged between 65 and 75 were found in a hole in the ice on Savsjo lake, south of the town of Jonkoping, and could not be resuscitated…”
“Record Snowfall Blankets Russia: A ‘snowpocalypse’ has engulfed Russia in recent days, with various regions and cities struggling to deal with the freak weather.
“In Chelyabinsk, a record-breaking blizzard left 30,000 people without electricity and over 10 districts declared a state of emergency.”
“State developers plan flotilla of floating nuclear reactors on Russian East Arctic coast: According to Aleksandr Bengert, the small-scale nuclear power stations will serve the Baimskaya mining area.”
“An iceberg the size of Bedfordshire has broken off from Antarctica, near to a British Antarctic Survey (BAS) station.
“The 1,270km2, 150 metre-thick chunk of frozen water separated from the Brunt Ice Shelf this morning.” [not directly climate change related, apparently]
“The Gulf Stream that helps warm the UK and northwest Europe is at its weakest in over 1,000 years and could lead to more “extreme and intense” winters, according to researchers.
“They say the slowdown observed in the 20th century is “unprecedented” and likely connected to climate change.”
“Coastal Flooding Enhances Methane Buildup in Forests… Increased seawater exposure from flooding and storms is altering how coastal forests cycle methane, leading to more greenhouse gas accumulation in tree stems and soil…
“…as a changing climate modifies forested ecosystems, there is no guarantee that forests will function as sinks in the future.”
“More fierce and frequent fires are reducing forest density and tree size and may damage forests’ ability to capture carbon in the future, according to a global study.
“Although forest fires are naturally occurring phenomena and natural forests regenerate, global heating and human activity have caused the frequency and intensity of fires to rise…”
“Plastic waste in our oceans is now a well-known issue but new data shows that plastic is adding to air pollution in Indian cities too.
“For several years scientists were puzzled why Delhi was more susceptible to thick smogs than other polluted cities such as Beijing. New research links this to tiny chloride particles in the air that help water droplets to form.”
“Satellite observations have revealed an unprecedented ‘space hurricane’ in Earth’s upper atmosphere, hinting that such events could occur on other planetary bodies.
“Scientists have previously documented hurricanes in the lower atmospheres of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.”
“Record warmth engulfs Western Europe, while Russia plunges into deep freeze… Western Europe sits on the rising end of a meteorological seesaw that’s simultaneously sending temperatures across a broad swath of Russia plummeting below zero…
“Hamburg [Germany] hit 70 degrees, not only the warmest on record in February but for any winter month. It beat out the previous record, set a day earlier, by 4.3 degrees…
“Much like what has happened during the extreme warm wave that also swallowed China this weekend, it’s very rare for records to fall by so many degrees, a testament to the anomalous nature of this event.”
“A new heat record [Brussels, Belgium] was broken on Wednesday, for the fourth day in a row, according to meteorologist David Dehenauw.
“The royal meteorological institute of Belgium recorded a temperature of 18.4° C [65.1F], just beating the previous record (18.3° C) on a 24 February, recorded back in 1990.”
“Germany sees a record weekly jump in temps: since records began, the temperature has never risen as sharply within seven days, as the now-confirmed readings from the Göttingen, Lower Saxony weather station in central Germany show.
“While a low of -23.8C was measured there on February 14th, the high on February 21th was 18.1C — marking an increase of 41.9C [75.4F] .”
“The condition of German forests has deteriorated to record levels due to fire, drought and a bark beetle infestation, the agriculture minister said on Wednesday…
“More trees died in 2020 than ever before and only 21% of trees under observation had an intact canopy, an indication of how healthy a tree is…”
“The climate emergency is already hitting “worst case scenario” levels that if left unchecked will lead to the collapse of ecosystems, with dire consequences for humanity, according to the chief executive of the Environment Agency.
“Warning that this is not “science fiction”, Sir James Bevan said on Tuesday that in recent years several of the “reasonable worst case scenarios” had happened in the UK, with more extreme weather and flooding…”
“Hot houses: the race to save bats from overheating as temperatures rise:
“Chimneys for bat boxes and a flying fox heat stress forecaster are among efforts to prevent deaths from effects of climate crisis… scientists are now discovering that in a rapidly warming climate, overheating bat boxes can be a death trap.”
“Hundreds of Houston’s famous bats are believed to be the latest animal casualties of recent back-to-back winter storms and historically cold temperatures in Texas.
“Some 2,000 Mexican free-tailed bats that live year-round in a colony under the city’s Waugh Bridge are estimated to have died in the freezing weather following Valentine’s Day…”
“On Monday, Feb. 22, the temperatures in Rapid City, South Dakota, soared to 57 degrees F in the afternoon after bottoming out at 24 degrees below zero last week, making for an 82-degree [Fahrenheit] / 45.5C temperature swing…
“”It’s not just the fact that we have a huge warmup from last week to this week, it’s the fact that temperatures are also above normal as well,” AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer pointed out.”
“California’s iconic coastal redwoods, some standing since before Julius Caesar ruled Rome, are in a fight for their lives. They are increasingly threatened by wildfires that are larger and more intense due to the impact of human-caused climate change.
“And it’s not just the redwoods — giant sequoias and Joshua trees are also in trouble.”
“Alaska thunderstorms could triple if climate trends continue, scientists warn:
“Alaska may need to brace for more thunderstorms — along with the landslides, floods and wildfires they can bring — if current climate trends continue, a team of scientists warns.”
“Argentine media today reported a strange occurrence in the province of Buenos Aires – a tornado of mosquitoes… a cloud of mosquitoes would be an unusual fact, but having taken on the appearance of a tornado is even more curious.
“The strange event was filmed by drivers traveling on Route 74 that links General Madariaga to Pinamar, in the province of Buenos Aires.”
“A forest fire that has been raging for the past three days on a mountain some 85 kilometers north of Tokyo has now scorched at least 50 hectares and shows no signs of dying out, the local government said Wednesday.”
[Parts of Japan had record high temps for Feb last week.]
“Taiwan’s tech manufacturers fear their output is under threat from the island’s worst drought in decades, risking more turmoil for global supply chains already strained by shortages of semiconductors and other key components.
“Taiwan’s government will on Thursday further tighten water use in several cities that are home to a cluster of important manufacturers.”
[You may recall that cold weather shut down semiconductor factories in Texas last week. The manufacturing process is so complex and sensitive to disruption that shut downs are enormously inconvenient and expensive].
“The bodies of about 100 dead dolphins have been found on an island off the coast of Mozambique.
“Eighty-six more carcasses were found on Bazaruto Island, north of the capital Maputo, on Tuesday… The cause of the deaths is still unknown… One possibility experts are investigating is if a cyclone may have contributed.”
“Wherever you look in West Antarctica right now, the message is the same: Its marine-terminating glaciers are being melted by warm seawater.
“Scientists have just taken a detailed look at the ice streams flowing into the ocean along a 1,000km-stretch of coastline known as the Getz region. It incorporates 14 glaciers – and they’ve all speeded up.”
“Polar bears and narwhals are using up to four times as much energy to survive because of major ice loss in the Arctic, according to scientists.
“Once perfectly evolved for polar life, apex predators are struggling as their habitats shrink and unique adaptations become less suited to an increasingly ice-free Arctic, researchers say.”
“Record-high Arctic freshwater will flow to Labrador Sea, affecting local and global oceans.
“Freshwater is accumulating in the Arctic Ocean. The Beaufort Sea, which is the largest Arctic Ocean freshwater reservoir, has increased its freshwater content by 40% over the past two decades. How and where this water will flow into the Atlantic Ocean is important for local and global ocean conditions.”
“… there are growing concerns that today’s bond yields are not fully reflecting the looming impact of climate change, and associated regulation, on both countries and companies.”
[In other words, climate change and our attempts to adapt to it are an additional and rapidly worsening stressor, helping push the global financial system towards its inevitable collapse].
“As far as I know, your work is unique in pulling together stories from all over the world. Very sobering but a better and more complete view. Terrific and necessary work. Thank you!” – Simon
“With the inundation of so much depressing news, Justin Panopticon presents it in a succinct format that one can quickly go thru and see the big picture of climate and economics/politics to stay current and if a particle topic is of interest one can delve into the details… I try never to miss any of his posts…I am a Patreon of his work.”
– Karina S.
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“Temperatures in the Arctic Ocean, an area that has a significant influence on the world’s weather, were much warmer last month than the average for the past two decades. [not an expansive data-set in chronological terms but some of the temperature anomalies were huge]
“Inspectors will check an underwater pipeline for pollution after it caught fire on a frozen river in Russia’s Siberia, federal monitoring service Rostekhnadzor said Sunday.
“Record spring temperatures build this week: It is feeling more like mid-May than mid-March across the Midwest as record warmth builds.” 
“The Lower 48 states had their coldest February in more than 30 years, new data reveals, due largely to the winter storm that engulfed Texas, causing a deadly energy crisis.
“Texas city-run and rural electric firms face bailout over storm crisis: 
“Millions of Americans live near Superfund sites, areas the federal government considers contaminated as a result of hazardous waste that was dumped, mismanaged or otherwise left out in the open. 
“Coastal populations are experiencing relative sea-level rise “up to four times faster than the global average”, which threatens many megacities located on deltas, according to research led by the University of East Anglia…
“Evacuations are ongoing in Haiku for everyone in the vicinity of Kaupakalua Dam and makai of Kaupakalua Road [Hawaii] as heavy rains flood homes and roadways…
“As health facilities battle the coronavirus pandemic, extreme weather presents another threat, with 70% of Latin America’s hospitals at risk from floods, hurricanes or earthquakes.
“Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has called on residents to conserve water and prepare for shortages as the island faces a drought, following months of scant rainfall and a lack of typhoons making landfall last year.
“A weather event in the Indian Ocean, known for triggering catastrophic bushfires in Australia and breeding crop-gorging locust swarms in Africa, also played a pivotal role in ravaging floods in China last year, according to a study on Tuesday. 
“A marine heatwave off the east and south coast of South Africa has caused a large fish and shellfish “walkout” – a natural phenomenon where sea species are beached as they try to escape ocean conditions.
“With no clear signal from the South African Weather Service on when the region can expect decent rains, the Kouga dam, Nelson Mandela Bay’s largest supply reservoir, has dropped to its lowest-yet level since it was built in 1969.
“Preliminary reports and incessant calls from pastoralist nomads, regional and districts officials of Eastern regions of Somaliland corroborate the onset of a severe, life-threatening drought…
“Torn by conflict and suffering from severe droughts and flooding, South Sudan is stepping up its climate ambition…
“The climate crisis is pushing the planet’s tropical regions towards the limits of human livability, with rising heat and humidity threatening to plunge much of the world’s population into potentially lethal conditions, new research has found…
“At least seven people died and three were unaccounted for after floods caused by torrential rains in northwestern Algeria, the country’s civil protection agency said. 
“Fears grow for endangered turtles after oil spill hits Lebanon:
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“According to the Russian Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematic, climate gas emissions are leading to a continued rapid temperature increase in the northernmost part of the planet.
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“‘Pure Devastation’: Eastern Kentucky Communities Survey Widespread Flooding
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“Drier-than-average conditions are fueling wildfire concerns in parts of the nation’s southern tier as we head deeper into spring.
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“In the Atlantic Ocean, Subtle Shifts Hint at Dramatic Dangers: 
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