A "New Ocean" Is Emerging at the Top of the World

As the planet warms, the Arctic is warming more than twice as fast. As ice cover is disappearing, average summer sea ice has declined by more than a third since 1979. That’s roughly equal to the entire area of the Western U.S.  https://www.kqed.org/science/1920922/arctic-sea-ice-ulmer
Article courtesy of KQED Science by Danielle Venton

Parts of San Francisco are sinking faster than the sea is rising

Rising seas aren’t the only problem facing low-lying coastal areas. Many of these areas are also sinking, vastly increasing the risk of flooding.

In the San Francisco Bay area, sea level rise alone could inundate an area of between 50 and 410 square kilometres by 2100, depending both on how much action is taken to limit further global warming and how fast the polar ice sheets melt. But when land subsidence is also taken into account, the area vulnerable to flooding during high tides and storm surges rises to between 130 and 430 square kilometres.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2163092-parts-of-san-francisco-are-sinking-faster-than-the-sea-is-rising/

Article courtesy of New  By Michael LePage

Exxon Thinks It Can Create Biofuel From Algae At Massive Scale

In the California desert near the Salton Sea and the tiny town of Calipatria, an acre-size rectangular pond is filled with saltwater and brightly colored algae. The pond is one of several at the site where Exxon Mobil and Synthetic Genomics are taking the next step toward a goal that has been elusive for other companies so far: the production of biofuel at scale.  https://www.fastcompany.com/40539606/exxon-thinks-it-can-create-biofuel-from-algae-at-massive-scale
Article courtesy of Fast Company by Adele Peters

Can we refreeze the Arctic? Scientists are beginning to ask

In a steadily warming world, using technology to protect the planet's glaciers may only prove useful for so long — curbing greenhouse gases and stopping the warming itself is the only true solution. But some scientists hope that stopgap measures could buy a little time for the world's ice.  https://www.eenews.net/stories/1060075503
Article courtesy of E&E News by Chelsea Harvey

FEMA has radically underestimated how vulnerable Americans are to flooding

New spatial analysis reveals that officials have wildly underestimated flooding risk

A team of researchers led by PhD student Oliver Wing of the University of Bristol in the UK set about to do the first high-resolution, national-level assessment of flood risk in the US.  https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/3/2/17070222/us-flood-risk

Article courtesy of VOX by David Roberts

Cities Emit 60% More Carbon Than Thought

The carbon footprint of some of the world’s biggest cities is 60 percent larger than previously estimated when all the products and services a city consumes is included, according to a new analysis.   https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/city-consumption-greenhouse-gases-carbon-c40-spd/
Article courtesy of National Geographic by Stephen Leahy

ELECTRIC VEHICLES BENEFIT MORE THAN JUST THEIR OWNERS

Recharging electric vehicles at off-peak hours could mean lower rates for all utility customers.  http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/18/03/01/electric-vehicles-benefit-more-than-just-their-owners/

Article courtesy of NJSpotlight by Tom Johnson