Both the uncertainty inherent in scientific data, and the background and ethics of the communicators who report such data to any given audience, can sow doubt about the science of climate change. The perception of this duality is engrained in how the human mind works, whereby we tolerate lies but are always ready to condemn hypocrisy. We illustrate this through a personal experience that is connec ...[Read More]
Simple is good: How we understand climate using idealised models

Do you gravitate to science because of the subject’s ability to explain complicated behaviour in nature through experimentation? When we see things or get our hands dirty by conducting experiments, it helps us comprehend scientific theories which are harder to explain. Introducing a complicated scientific theory is often carried out initially by presenting a simplified version. For example, stude ...[Read More]
A modern take on the 19th-century scientific expeditions: cruise MSM104/1
“Every ship that navigates the high seas, with these charts and blank abstract logs on board, may henceforth be regarded as a floating observatory, a temple of science.” – Matthew Fontaine Maury This is a joint post, published together with the climate sciences division blog and the ocean sciences division blog. The ocean has always been important for humanity, with trade and war being just ...[Read More]
How glaciers record the winds of change

Primary downlink station for the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE-Follow On satellite data in Ny-Ålesund, a town in Svalbard, operated as crucial part of the Ground Data System by the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam German Research Center for Geosciences for the joint mission with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Source: Carsten Falck from the German Research Center for Geosciences.
After decades of observation, one of the profound consequences of anthropogenic global warming is the rapid rise in temperature in the Arctic, refered to as Arctic Amplification. Compared to the mid-latitudes, warming in the Arctic is twice as fast. The reason is mainly due to the positive feedback of a melting cryosphere: Darker surfaces are revealed from melting cryosphere, reflecting less short ...[Read More]