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Articles on Climate science

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When it comes to arguing about climate science, it would be better to play the science, not the scientists. MaRS Discovery District/Flickr

Appeals to the climate consensus can give the wrong impression

You might have heard that 97% of climate scientists agree the world is warming and people are the cause. This level of agreement, known as “consensus”, is often put forward in the climate debate in support…
This isn’t summer: Sydney broke the previous autumn warmth record by 10 days. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

‘Abnormal autumn’ shows the climate system is in a foul mood

The climate system is in a foul mood. From “angry summer” to “abnormal autumn” – we’re running out of words to describe the relentless extreme weather that Australia is experiencing as global temperatures…
Flooding as a result of wetter winters is set to continue. Steve Parsons/PA Archive

IPCC report: adapt to cope with climate change

Climate change is a serious threat to human safety and security according to the latest report from the UN’s International Panel on Climate Change. But also coming through loud and clear is that adaptation…
Ice core samples storing mysteries from bygone eras. Genericprofilename

Explainer: what are ice cores?

Ice cores are cylinders of ice drilled from glaciers and ice sheets. When snow falls it takes with it a record of many aspects of the atmosphere. As long as no melting takes place, this information is…
Strengthening trade winds have been linked to the stalled warming. Wikimedia Commons

Global warming stalled by strong winds driving heat into oceans

The “pause” in global warming since 2001 can be explained by the discovery of unusually strong winds in the Pacific, climatologists have found. Global surface air temperatures have more or less flatlined…
Australia saw extreme heat and bushfires in 2013. Flickr/Rossco ( Image Focus Australia )

Australia’s hottest year was no freak event: humans caused it

The Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed that 2013 was the hottest year in Australia since records began in 1910. Unusual heat was a persistent feature throughout the year. For the continent as a whole…
Cooling oceans off the coast of Indonesia can create bushfire weather in Australia. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Indian Ocean linked to bushfires and drought in Australia

In a study released today in Nature Geoscience, we show that extreme weather events in Australia such as drought and bushfire are linked to temperature changes in the Indian Ocean. Much like El Niño in…
Research is hard, but it’s worth doing properly. ulisse albiati

On the Hunt for credible information [citation needed]

A valid argument about a scientific issue requires support using robust, objective, peer-reviewed scientific evidence. This notion is drilled into university students from the beginning of their tertiary…
Former Chief Climate Commissioner Tim Flannery with a solar array at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus in 2011. AAP/Dave Hunt

Loved by the crowd, but will the new Climate Council be truly independent?

The newly-formed Climate Council has been swamped with A$160,000 in donations and so many followers that its Twitter account has been repeatedly suspended. But experts warn that concerns about its independence…
So good, they gave it a Nobel Peace Prize (2007) IPCC

Explainer: what is the IPCC anyway, and how does it work?

The latest climate change assessment from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, is due to arrive this weekend. This will be the fifth comprehensive assessment report (AR5) prepared by…
Certainty about humanity’s influence on climate change has been steadily increasing. carnagenyc/Flickr

Lost in translation: confidence and certainty in climate science

In the lead up to the release next month of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Fifth Assessment Report we are exploring concepts of confidence and certainty in climate science. You…
We are used to thinking in probabilities: will it be stormy enough to need an umbrella? Luis Martins

In science, the only certainty is uncertainty

In the lead up to the release next month of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Fifth Assessment Report we are exploring concepts of confidence and certainty in climate science. You…
Sometimes a piece of the puzzle won’t fit, but overall the picture is coming together. Dave Ginsberg

150 years and counting: confidence in climate science

In the lead up to the release next month of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Fifth Assessment Report we are exploring concepts of confidence and certainty in climate science. The…
Maybe humans aren’t causing climate change, and maybe penguins choose not to fly. Antarctica Bound/Flickr

Penguins can’t fly and humans are causing climate change: how scientists build theories

In the lead up to the release next month of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) Fifth Assessment Report we are exploring concepts of confidence and certainty in climate science – beginning…
Heat levels in the world’s oceans keep rising. dustinphilliips/Flickr

Global climate report reveals 2012 to be record-breaking year

A review of research data from almost 400 scientists in 52 countries has concluded that policy makers need to adapt to “the new normal” of rising world temperatures and the changes they bring. The US National…
Tropical forests such as this in Borneo remove large quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide. H-D Viktor Boehm

As temperatures rise, tropical forests absorb less CO2

Rising temperatures are linked to a decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption by tropical forests, according to a 50-year study published today. Greenhouse gases, such as CO2, contribute to global warming…

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