Radiocarbon dating is a cornerstone of climate and archaeological sciences. But the method is under threat as fossil fuel emissions negate a useful signal from atomic tests.
carbon emissions
Posted inFeatures
Simpler Presentations of Climate Change
The basics of climate change science have been known for a long time, and the predicted impact of a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide on global temperature hasn’t changed much in 100 years.
Posted inNews
Major Investment in Air-Conditioning Needed to Address Future Heat Waves
More than 80% of urban residents will need AC by the 2050s, but many of the world’s poorer countries may struggle to meet that demand.
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A New Approach to an Unresolved Mystery in Climate Economics
Do shifts in temperature have enduring economic impacts? A “clever” trick identifying climate trends gets us one step closer to addressing this long-standing question in climate economics.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Sleuthing for Culprits of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
A new approach to detect hot spots of methane emissions with eddy covariance flux towers proves to be a worthy contender.
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How an Unlikely Friendship Upended Permafrost Myths
“Beautifully long arguments” between an American scientist and a Russian researcher helped clarify several fundamental assumptions about permafrost thaw.
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Should Inhaled Anesthetics Be Swapped for IVs?
Using intravenous anesthetics instead of volatile ones could help curb greenhouse gas emissions, but there are challenges to making the switch.
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Stretching Crust Explains Earth’s 170,000-Year-Long Heat Wave
During a brief period in Earth’s past, a massive emission of carbon abruptly raised global temperatures, acidified oceans, and stamped out species. New data may help explain how it happened.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
It’s Cool to be Short When You’re in the Arctic Permafrost
Extensive ground temperature measurements complicate our understanding of how vegetation cover, snow duration, and microtopography influence the pace of permafrost thaw in a changing climate.
Posted inNews
Arctic Shipping Routes Are Feeling the Heat
Climate science and the global shipping industry collide in an ice-poor Arctic.