Today, the Earth got a little hotter.
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Daily Climate Change, Feb 13, 2014:
Global Map of Unusual Temperatures (left)
Global Map of the Jetstream (right)
How unusual has the weather been? No one event is "caused" by climate change, but global warming, which is predicted to increase unusual, extreme weather, is having a daily effect on weather, worldwide. Looking above at recent temperature anomalies and the jetstream, the polar aneurism over the US has changed but persists, while the North Pole and surroundings (that big orange spot) is experiencing much warmer than normal temperatures - not good news for our Arctic thermal shield of ice. Hotter than usual temperatures continue to dominate human habitats. (Add 0.3-0.4 C to have these anomaly values calibrate with those of NASA.) Daily updates of can be seen here for both the temperature anomalies map, and the jetstream map. For real time animated US surface wind patterns, click here, and here, for the planet.
Via Accuweather.com
Hot Alaska, Cold Georgia: The Shifted Polar Vortex Turned Winter Upside-Down reports Ryan Koronowski at Climate Progress. The jet stream morphed from a gently sinuous circulation of circumpolar winds to a dramatically loopy one. The western, "downhill" side of such a loop over North America brought polar cold deep into the southern US. Simultaneously, the dramatic "uphill" side preceding it (further west )brought air from an unusually warm Pacific up to Alaska, delivering dramatically warm weather. Both events disrupted life north and south. Such jet stream "mood swings" are predicted to occur more often under continuing global heating - so get ready for even more interesting times!
You mean me saying "Climate change is a hoax" doesn't make it so? Seriously?
Denying Climate Change Isn't Scepticism - It's 'Motivated Reasoning' reports David Grimes at the UK Guardian. True sceptics test a hypothesis against the evidence, but most "climate sceptics" will not do that: they simply refuse to accept anything that contradicts their beliefs, he notes. They are, essentially, denying climate change. I guess accuracy in reporting means everyone should be describing them as climate deniers, yes? I won't hold my breath.
OO Seize Your Power! Sign the WWF pledge: Show you care about a clean, healthy future for people and the planet by calling on nations and financial around the world to invest in clean energy, and transition away from dirty energy.
Then think about how you can invest in clean energy....
5 Different Ways to Invest in Renewable Energy, reports longterm investor Tam Hunt at GreenTechMedia, include crowdsourcing, as at joinmosaic.com, or buying renewable energy or green bonds, like those offered by Warren Buffett's companies. Riskier, but potentially higher yielding ones are exchange-traded funds for clean energy, such as TAN. Longer term, even riskier investments can be made in large US companies that are deeply involved in clean energy, such as GE and GM, or Siemans (German). Even riskier are individual stocks in companies that might offer strong future returns - Tesla Motors, for example. The highest risk (and greatest potential return) is, of course, investing in your own big project...
Illustrated by Victor Juhasz at Rolling Stone.
How The US Exports Global Warming Bigtime reports Tim Dickinson at Rolling Stone, is by flooding world markets with cheap, high carbon fuels, a dirty energy trade quietly championed by the same Whitehouse and President who want to put the US on a path to a clean, green future. Oh no, O, oh no!
A scientist drilled into Hawaiian magma in 2009, but didn't have the equipment to convert it into power. Wikimedia Commons.
Holy Hots, Batman! Iceland Gets Geothermal Power from Magma - A First! reports Ari Philipps at Climate Progress. Okay, the downside is that striking magma with a bore drill is extremely rare - but engineers were ready with a specially treated steel casing to keep the magma contained, reports Lucky Tran at PolicyMic. The bore hole could produce up to 2000% (no typo) of the power produced from a typical coal-fired plant in the coming months. The company plans to explore for more of these "supercritical wells" near volcanoes in New Zealand and Japan, Science Now reports.
Via Google Earth via skepticalscience.com
Google Earth Now Shows Climate Change reports Victoria Woollaston at UK's Daily Mail, via climate researchers at the University of East Anglia, who have added the world's temperature records as a layer on the mapping service. It lets users zoom into 6,000 global weather stations and see monthly, seasonal and annual temperature changes dating back to 1850.
Climate Change Becomes A Rapid, Unplanned Survival Experiment for animals reports Elizabeth Harball at Climate Wire, one that may be too fast and strange for some species to survive it. Indeed, many species won't survive it, simply because climate change is just another stress on species undergoing a massive wave of extinctions on the planet as our exploding human populations deprive them of needed habitat. It will only get worse.... Happy yet?
Billion-Dollar Disasters Hit Global Record High in 2013 reports Brian Kahn at Climate Progress. In all, 41 weather events caused $1 billion or more in damage in 2013, says a new report by a reinsurance compnay. The report chronicled a total of 261 weather-related disasters in 2013. The climate change price tag continues to rise...
To find out how, check out Pear Energy and Ethical Electricity.
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Yet More Reason To Reject Keystone: Canada Vastly Underestimated Tar Sands' Cancer-Causing Toxins report Lindsay Abrams at Salon.com, and Katie Valentine at Climate Progress. A new study shows that the government greatly underestimated the emission of carcinogenic toxins - "some of the worst things out there" by 100 to 1000 times. Thus, the dangers of toxic contamination from spills or other mishaps for those along the proposed pipeline route are probably also underestimated in the latest assessments. This just adds to past evidence that fossil fuel companies cannot be trusted to be responsible for how much their operations harm, or can harm both natural and human communities. We must think and act for our own safety.
Check it out here, right now!
6 Things Obama Can Do on Climate Without Congress reports Tim McDonnell at the Climate Desk include continue a crackdown on coal, regulate fracking emissions on federal lands, green the giant consumption chain of the government, improve efficiency in government buildings, broaden the clean energy loan program, and finally: kill the Keystoe Pipeline. Game on, O!
Fracking Is Stressing Water Supplies In US Areas Already Wracked By Drought reports Tom Kenworthy at Climate Progress. A new study by Ceres, a non-profit that works to mobilize companies and investors to promote sustainability, found that more than 55 percent of the wells that were hydraulically fractured, or fracked, between 2011 and 2013 were in areas experiencing drought and that nearly half were in areas with high or extremely high water stress. This resource clash will worsen as climate change exacerbates droughts. No wonder there is a movement in California to ban fracking...
Credit Californians Against Fracking
Don't Frack California! Rally in Sacramento, California on Mar 15, 2014, organized by 350.org to let the governor know that there are thousands of Californians who want to stop fracking in the state. Care about California? You can sign up here to join and carpool.
What burning fossil fuels in Australia does: fuel the climate changes that exacerbate already bad droughts and increase the frequency of bush fires. Credit 80trading at Wikimedia Commons.
Australia: Carbon Tax Drives Down Carbon Emissions for their electricity, reports Peter Hannam at the Sydney Morning Herald, decreasing their emissions more than 7% since 2012, about 15 million tonnes. It's a good beginning... how about a carbon tax on their coal industry? Hey, how about one on our fossil fuel industry here in the US?
☼☼☼ On the Bright Side ☼☼☼
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(>(>(> PEOPLE SPEAK OUT
OO Youth Plan Mass Civil Disobedience to Protest Keystone Pipeline
OO Stopping The 'Black Snake': Native American Alliance To Resist Keystone XL
OO Global Warming "Undeniable' Says UN as data reveals 2013 sixth hottest on record
OO There's No Warming Standstill Says WMO
OO IMF Chief Lagarde Warns Of "Merciless" Climate Change
Hurricane Sandy's destruction is just a taste of what could be in further store for us as we continue to heat our planet and change our climate. Wikipedia.
OO Cities Can Help UN Climate Talks, Bloomberg Tells C40 Summit
OO Michael Bloomberg Pledges To Help World Leaders Reach Climate Deal
OO Green Groups Tell Merkel To Get A Grip On EU Climate Policy
OO Latest Climate Science Reports "Chilling" Warns John Kerry - how about chillin' on the pipeline, Mr. Secretary?
OO Met Office: Evidence 'Suggests Climate Change Link To Storms.'
OO Severe UK Floods 'Threaten Food Security', Say Farmers, Environmental Groups
☼☼☼Acting Like You Care: The XL Keystone pipeline will make possible far more climate change, but President Obama might okay it anyway. Credo, 350 org and others are asking people to stand up and be counted as nonviolent resisters or help in other ways. I did. If you ever wanted to do something big for your future, now's your chance - here. 
OO Keystone Foes To Fight On After US Govt Downplays Climate Risk
@@ Bill McKibben to Obama: Say No To Big Oil in interview with Bill Moyers.
OO Natural Gas Isn't A Bridge Fuel, It's A Gateway Drug - it's a greenhouse gas, when used for electricity it competes for heating, as recent volatile prices show, making it economically unreliable, while renewables are cheaper than gas for electricity. Finally, building natural gas infrastructure chains us to a carbon-based energy future for 50 years. Time to kick this addiction in its infancy!
Safe Climate Caucus at Facebook via League of Conservation Voters
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/197635-house-dems-give-climate-strategy-a-refresher Waxman: Time To Change Tactics On Climate now with weekly op-eds in The Huffington Post and weekly videos posted to YouTube on the risks of climate change.
As Waxman notes,
"The Republicans are doing nothing, but we will not be silenced."
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OO Investors Warned Of Fracking's Hidden Financial Risks
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OO Environmental Groups Push For More Disclosure On Emissions From Oil, Gas Operations
Oil trains often block and delay for hours our passenger trains, and it will worsen as oil rail transport increases ; Amtrak is fighting back. Credit Nat Hamilton/WHYY News at NPR
OO Amtrak Fights Big Oil Trains
OO UK Fracking: Landowners Form Legal Block Against Drilling in South Downs National Park.
OO New York: Property Owners Threaten Second Lawsuit Over Delay On Fracking Study
OO Turning Up Heat on Banks Funding Fossil Fuels - as students push their schools to divest from fossil fuels, shareholders push banks to disclose their energy.
OO Canada: You Want Us to Cut Carbon? Go First, USA!
☼☼☼ BRIGHT IDEAS ☼☼☼
Via Project Civil Discourse
OO How To Convince Your Friends To Believe In Climate Change
OO How The Northeast Could Cut Carbon Pollution By 75 Percent In 5 Simple Steps
OO A New Way To Measure Energy Efficiency: Counting What The Energy Is For
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OO US Launches 'Climate Hubs' To Help Farmers Face Climate Change
OO Big Companies Step Up Efforts To Trim Environmental Risks In Supply Chains where government oversight can be weak.
OO Here's How The World's Biggest Cities Are Tackling Climate Change
Mayors from cities around the world are meeting to share ideas on reducing emissions, such as bicycling programs. Wikimedia Commons.
OO Building A Better Battery
OO White Roofs Best For Slowing Global Warming
OO Incentivize to Keep Primary Carbon Storing Forests Intact
OO Israel Is Creating A Water Surplus Using Desalination
Shake n bake in the sun: just add bacteria to sand and urine, and let it grow. Credit Dexigner.
OO Wild & Weird: Making Bacteria Into Bricks - using far less energy than the normal way.
☼☼☼ BRIGHT SIDE, WORLDWIDE ☼☼☼
OO Beyond Keystone XL: 8 Reasons For Optimism On Climate Change
OO EU Parliament Backs Tougher Renewable Energy Target
OO Europe's 40% Emissions Cuts Target Sets Course For A Low-Carbon Future
OO World's Biggest 63 Cities Almost Doubled Climate Actions Since 2011
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OO Global Wind Capacity Up 12+ % In 2013
OO Goldman Sachs Sees 'Transformational Moment' In Renewables Investment
OO World's largest solar-powered bridge opens in London. Credit Network Rail via the UK Guardian
OO Solar Panels On An Estimated Half Million UK Buildings
OO Saudi Arabia Plans Solar Panel Factory
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OO Solar Water Pumps Wean Farmers From India's Archaic Grid
OO India Wants To Switch 26 Million Water Pumps To Solar Power Instead Of Diesel
OO Pakistan Parliament Turns To Solar Power
Madagascar's forests hold unique wonders, such as this tiny inch-long chameleon. Mary Ellen Harte
OO Madagascar's New President Pledges To Fight Illegal Logging
OO Caribbean Islands Agree To Swap Diesel Power For Renewable Sources
OO Richard Branson Hosts Renewable Energy Summit In Caribbean
Via forcechange.com
OO REGEN Raises $7M To Bring Swarm Logic To More Rooftops
OO Primus Power Adds $20M To Move Energy Storage To Utility Scale
OO Off-Grid Clean Energy Sees Its First Successful Exit
A successful off grid clean energy project. United Nations
OO Global Electric Vehicle Production Forecast To Surge Nearly 70% In 2014
OO World's Largest Tidal Lagoon Power Project Eyes 2018 Start
OO Australia: Company Launches Green Energy Supermarket
Powershop will provide Australian customers a clean energy supermarket to get the power package that suits them. Shutterstock.
OO Apple To Fuel Its Iwatch With Solar Power
OO Kia Bares Soul As Its New Electric Vehicle
☼☼☼ BRIGHT SIDE, STATE SIDE ☼☼☼
OO US Northeast Carbon Market Emissions Drop In 2013
OO US Wind Power Activity Shot Up In The Fourth Quarter
OO With Reliability A Concern, Universities Looking To Microgrids
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OO Is Distributed Storage Coming To Your Neighborhood 7-Eleven?
OO Commercial Energy Storage Market To Surpass 720MW By 2020
A sight that might soon be coming to Oregon. Credit Ashley Dace, UK, via Wikimedia Commons.
OO Floating Power Turbines Envisioned Off Oregon Coast
OO California Firm Seeks To Harness Wyoming's Wind Energy
OO Solar Financing Firm Sunrun Expands Reach In California Market
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OO Denton, TX: The State's Clean-Energy Leader
OO World's Largest Solar Thermal Plant Comes Online In California
OO Iowa Legislation Would Give Solar Power A Boost
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The flag flies, May 21, 2013.
At Moore, OK, the day after a huge tornado demolished it.
Credit Major Jon Quinlan/defenseimagery mil
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***** US Climate Change News *****
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OO Can Natural Gas Weather The Cold? The price volatility of natural gas when it gets cold bodes ill as America becomes a Natural Gas Nation.
OO US Taxpayers Pay, As Coal Companies Undercharged For Land, report says.
OO Big Oil Tries To Slam Door On Cleaner Fuels In Oregon
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OO Oil Spill Risks Would Rise From Three Major Projects - US study.
OO New Poll Finds Most Voters Want EPA To Limit Carbon Pollution From Power Plants
OO The 'Traveling Bombs' That Could Devastate A Major American City
An oil train exploded last year in Lac Megantic, Canada and obliterated much of its downtown. Credit Paul Chiasson Canadian Press/AP
OO Alaska Roasting: New NASA Map Shows January Heatwave
OO Alaska: Northern Lake Ice Shows 'Dramatic' Decline In 20 Years, study finds.
OO As Snowy Winter Drags On, US Northeast Struggles To Cope
Too much of this fluffy white stuff has been causing problems along the eastern US seaboard this winter. Wikimedia Commons.
OO Hundreds Of Thousands Lose Power After US Northeast Storm
OO Storm Slams Plains, Northeast Braces For More Snow
OO Snowstorm Sweeps Across Northeast, Trapping Super Bowl Fans
OO Sorry, Buying A Prius Won't Help With Climate Change Wikipedia.
OO Michigan Health Officials Struggle To Predict Disease Threats From Climate Change
KEYSTONE PIPELINE
OO Federal Keystone XL Report Shows It Is Not In The Nation's Interest
OO Keystone XL vs. Renewable Energy -a head-to-head comparison demonstrates the overwhelming superiority of renewable energy over the Keystone XL.
OO Environmentalists Say Strong Legal Case Could Derail Keystone XL Permit
Massive protests are planned by US voters to tell the government to reject the Keystone pipeline. Credit Steven Tuttle via 350.org
OO US Keystone Report Relied Heavily on Pro Pipeline-Funded Research
OO Keystone XL State Dept Report: "The best environmental report that money could buy." - climate coverup, collusion and conflict of interest are alleged.
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OO Keystone: the Pipeline to Disaster
OO EPA Scrutiny Could Be Linchpin To Keystone Review Process
OO Tar Sands Industry Greatly Underestimated Pollution Figures, Study Finds
A recent study found that 80% of oilspills are not detected by pipeline companies. The Arkansas oilspill last year was found by residents, who are still suffering the aftereffects.
OO As Keystone Decision Looms, Report Cites TransCanada's 'Inadequate' Pipeline Inspections
OO Keystone Foes Pinning Final Hopes On Obama
OO White House Vows To Keep Keystone Call Above 'Political Influence' Hahahahahahahahaha..... Ah, laughing is such a great way to relieve stress!!! So try it, even if you don't feel like it!
CALIFORNIA DRYIN'
OO California's Recent Droughts Have Grown Longer And Stronger
OO Time is Running Out for California Drought Relief
OO Drought Intensifies In Western US despite rains so far...
Folsom Lake Dam before (google maps) and after the drought (CA Dept Water Resources).
OO Drought Cuts Into California's Hydro Power Supplies
OO 'Atmospheric River' May Dent the California Drought but not enough to stop it.
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/atmospheric-river-may-help-put-a-dent-in-california-drought-17039
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OO California Drought Impact Seen Spreading From Fires To Food Cost
OO California: Wine Growers Choosing To Forego Some Or All Of 2014 Crops
Whither the California grape industry, as the drought continues? Credit John Harte.
OO California Drought A 'Train Wreck' For Central Valley Farms
OO California Halts Major Water Delivery Service, Yet No Call For Mandatory Rationing
OO Drought Thinning The Herd Of Ranchers In Nevada
As water supplies thin, so do the herds. Mary Ellen Harte
OO California Governor Pans Short Sighted GOP Water Deregulation Plan For Drought
OO As California Drought Persists, Federal Aid Begins To Flow
<><><><> GOPPING IT UP <><><><>
Even elephants can't survive on oil. Credit: Mary Ellen Harte
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OO GOP Want To Bar EPA From Passing New Rules Without First Disclosing Scientific Research How about we get full disclosure on who the GOP talk to behind closed doors before they're allowed to submit legislation?
OO GOP Gov. Corbett Wants To Frack Pennsylvania's State Forests, Parks
Wikipedia
THINK
OO Why There's No Democratic Version Of The Koch Brothers Organization Republicans are united behind, and motivated by, amassing profits, while Dems are concerned with an array of social issues not as viscerally motivating.
OO Winter Electricity Price Spikes Bankrupts Clean Energy Broker- as small clean energy companies are affected by fluctuations in the fossil fuel dominated market.
OO From Occupy To Climate Justice - to merge economic-justice and climate activism; think climate democracy.
LED lego mini mood lights, via geekalerts.com
OO LEDs Change Thinking About The Light Bulb - as a means of improving health, moods and even food.
OO Utilities Want Regulatory Rescue From 'Death Spiral' as rooftop solar leases rob them of customers, utilities want to be compensated for grid maintenance.... Hmmmm.... Just how much do utilities "maintain" the grid?
OO Handshakes And Body English Vex Corporate Carbon-Cutting Goals
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Via the University of East Anglia Climate Change webpage
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<<<< Climate Change Round the World >>>>
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OO Carbon Output Will Rise Too High By 2035 Without Enough Cuts
OO Heat-Related Deaths Will Rise 250+% By 2050 Because Of Climate Change
OO Why Global Water Shortages Pose Threat Of Terror And War
OO Winter Olympics: Downhill Forecast as a heating world challenges winter events. Mary Ellen Harte
OO Rising Seas Could Swamp 5% Of World's Population
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OO Sea Level Rise Could Reduce The World Economy By 10% By 2100
OO Melting Sea Ice Makes Arctic Drilling a Risky Business
OO Carbon-Storing Forests Could Burn, Unless Govts Ramp Up REDD+ Funding
Tea plantations are being threatened by increasingly erratic rains and droughts. Wiki Commons.
OO Climate Change Is ClaimingYour Cup Of Tea as a changing climate threatens tea plantations.
OO Drought, Fire Reducing Ability Of Amazon Rainforest To Store Carbon
OO Gas Company To Drill In Manu National Park, Imperiling Indigenous People
Sao Paulo, Brazil, one of the largest cities on the planet, is running out of water amid an epic drought. Jurema Oliveira at Wikimedia Commons.
OO Amid Epic Drought, Sao Paulo Is Running Out Of Water
OO Bolivia Floods Kill 38, More Heavy Rains Forecast
OO 20 Million People Face Hunger In Africa's Sahel Region - where climate change has made it difficult to grow basic crops.
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OO Pakistan Has A Month's Worth Of Water Left -- And 5 % Of Its Tree Cover
OO Indonesia: Peatland Plantations Drive Steep GHG Emissions
OO As Shale Gale Blows Worldwide, India Can't Kick Coal Habit
The largest reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef, is threatened by a nearby coal plant development. Credit Tim McClanahan/Wildlife Conservation Society
OO Australia: Could Bankers Save The Great Barrier Reef?
OO Australia: Coalition's Direct Action Climate Plan 'Could Undermine Global Efforts'
OO Australia: Govt 'Launching A Full-Frontal Attack' On Renewable Energy
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OO Philippines: Land Development Worsens Climate Change Effects on Poor
OO Canada: Record Bitumen Seepage In Alberta Continues Unabated
This could be what Europe will increasingly look like as coal use rises. Reuters via the huffington Post
OO Rising Coal Use Clouds Europe's Future.
OO EU Jobs At Risk Without Tough Climate Targets - report
OO Bizarre Blizzards Freeze, Paralyze Slovenia
OO German Utilities Adapt To Renewable Revolution - and it's a struggle; but then, what worthy fight isn't?
England just finished the wettest January ever recorded with flooding rampant across the land. Screencapture via Wales News wn.com.
UK: WANNABE ATLANTIS
OO Evidence 'Suggests Climate Change Is Worsening UK Winter'
OO UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions Rose 3+% In 2012
OO More UK Storms Prompt New Flooding Fears
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OO Coastal Communities In UK Flooded
OO Used To Floods, But Nothing Like This, In Southern England
OO Flooded British Villages Ignite Climate Debate
A sample of what the UK is experiencing. Credit Owen Humphreys/PA via UK Telegraph
OO UK: Atlantic Storm Ruth To Batter Britain With 80mph Winds, 35ft Waves
OO Hundreds Wade Murky Water To Salvage Few Remains As 80mph Gales Blow
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Ten Global Warming Indicators. Credit NOAA
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(((((((( Seeking the Science ))))))))
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OO Greenland's Fastest-Moving Glacier Sets New Speed Record Of 150 Feet A Day - scientists were stunned to see how fast the ground ice is melting.
OO Disappearance Of Wildflowers May Have Doomed Ice Age Giants