skepticalscience.com

Open access notables Abrupt Gulf Stream path changes are a precursor to a collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, van Westen & Dijkstra, Communications Earth & Environment The Gulf Stream is part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The AMOC is a tipping element and may collapse under changing forcing. However, the role of the Gulf Stream in such a tipping event is unknown. Here, we investigate the link between the AMOC and Gulf Stream using a high-resolution (0. 1°) stand-alone ocean simulation, in which the AMOC collapses under a slowly-increasing freshwater forcing. AMOC weakening gradually

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Jeff Masters In brief The strongest hurricanes are likely to grow stronger as a result of climate change.  So far, there has been no significant increase or decrease in the number of major hurricanes making landfall in the United States.  However, it’s likely that there has been an increase in the number of major hurricanes in the Atlantic as a whole since 1946. Also, the intensity of landfalling continental U.S. hurricanes has increased, so even if the total number of landfalls has not increased, their potential to do damage has. When major hurricanes do hit, they will do more damage than they did in the past: They will be stronger, wet

This video includes personal musings and conclusions of the creator Dave Borlace. It is presented to our readers as an informed perspective. Please see video description for references (if any). Video description Why does the global energy transition look so slow in the headline statistics — even as solar, wind, EVs and heat pumps surge ahead? New analysis from EMBER argues the problem isn’t the transition — it’s the way we’ve been counting it. By shifting the focus from “primary energy” to “useful energy” the paper reveals how electrification dramatically reduces wasted energy and why renewables are far more competitive than traditional charts suggest. Support Dave Borlace and his "Just have a Think" channel on patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/justhav

This is a re-post from The Climate Brink I was reminded of Arthur C. Clark’s famous third law the other day, that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I’d recently gotten Claude Code set up on my computer, and was using it to help write the code for some reduced-complexity climate model runs. Suddenly projects that would have taken hours or even days were running in minutes. It was not perfect – I needed to carefully help it create project plans, develop tests, and review the results – but it represented a remarkable step up from the capabilities I was familiar with in past web-based LLM interfaces. I’m somethi

A listing of 30 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 22, 2026 thru Sat, February 28, 2026. Stories we promoted this week, by category: Climate Policy and Politics (13 articles) States push climate superfund bills despite Trump’s opposition "The legislation would make oil and gas firms pay for climate damages from burning their products. Trump has referred to such laws as 'extortion'.” Canary Media, Sarah Shemkus, Feb 17, 2026. Data Centers Are

Open access notables Relative Vulnerability of US National Parks to Cumulative and Transformational Climate Impacts, Michalak et al., Conservation Letters National Parks are under threat from multiple interacting climatic changes, which have already triggered transformations in these protected landscapes. We conducted a multidimensional analysis of climate-change vulnerability for National Parks to identify which parks are most at risk of climate-change impacts and therefore in the greatest need of targeted climate-change vulnerability assessment and planning. We identified 174 (67%) parks as most exposed to one or more potentially transformative climate impact

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections Florida’s barrier reef is in trouble – and it’s costing us.  The reef has been experiencing a severe outbreak of stony coral tissue loss disease over the past decade. The likely cause: stress from the warming climate and acidifying waters, both the result of burning fossil fuels.  The financial stake of losing the reef is high. Florida’s coral reefs are estimated to draw in over $1 billion in tourism revenue each year, provide $650 million in flood protection benefits, and support over 70,000 jobs. What’s more, coral reefs protect people and proper

Skeptical Science is partnering with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. You can submit claims you think need checking via the tipline. Do solar panels work in cold or cloudy climates? Solar panels still generate electricity on cloudy days and in cold weather, albeit less. Clouds cut output as less sunlight reaches the panels, but they continue producing power from indirect light. Snow cover can temporarily block light, though it is typically not obstructed by thin layers of snow. Additionall

This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections. Watch the video accompanying this transcript here That’s the report in which the agency concluded that climate pollution endangers public health and welfare and thus must be regulated under the Clean Air Act. It’s the basis of all federal climate regulations. As I&nb

A listing of 28 news and opinion articles we found interesting and shared on social media during the past week: Sun, February 15, 2026 thru Sat, February 21, 2026. Stories we promoted this week, by category: Climate Policy and Politics (17 articles) Democratic senators launch inquiry into EPA’s repeal of key air pollution enforcement measure "Senators said repeal was ‘particularly troubling’ and was counter to EPA’s mandate to protect human health" The Guardian, Marina Dunbar, Feb 10, 2026.