climate change

Seasonal king tides, the annual spate of highest tides of the year, brought coastal flooding across much of the region — much of it relatively minor and brief, thanks in large part to mostly clear and dry skies.

The Miami blue butterfly alone has dropped by a minimum of 99% in area of occupancy and population size since 1992. To find out what’s happening, the Herald spoke to a conservation and research specialist at Zoo Miami, Tiffany Moore, to answer readers’ questions about the link to climate change.

Daylight, rainfall, and temperatures have a significant impact on the plants shutting down (or not) and eventually having their leaves change colors, and the weather factors are shifting.

After a hurricane passes, scientists routinely analyze the assorted computer models used to predict its path and power and crown a victor. This year, a surprising new contender has emerged — a forecast model generated by artificial intelligence.

Over the summer, crabbers in Chesapeake Bay pulled up four funny looking creatures. They were not the bay’s normal, skinny blue crabs, but instead, chunky stone crabs, the delectable crustaceans whose claws sell for between $40 and $70 — or more — per pound.

Florida boasts at least 1,000 freshwater springs, more than any other U.S. state. They are all under threats from agricultural pollution, stress from rapid development and from climate change that is altering rainfall patterns and causing sea level rise. Some places, such as the town of Zephyrhills in west-central Florida, have imposed moratoriums on specific kinds of new construction just to slow things down.

The project — funded through the C40 Cool Cities Network’s Heat, Health, and Equity Challenge Fund — began recruiting residents in June, installed sensors in July, and will continue recording temperatures through October. Led by the city’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability (ORS), along with The Miami Foundation and other community-based organizations (CBOs), the effort seeks to close a long-standing “data gap.”

A sharp rise in ocean temperatures this month has scientists keeping a close watch on coral reefs suffering from water persistently warmed by climate change.

Hurricane forecasting has improved dramatically over recent decades, but there’s one major phenomenon that can still throw a wrench into even the most accurate forecasts — rapid intensification.

For the past three years, the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) has collaborated with the federal government to produce a national youth climate statement outlining recommendations for the how the U.S. should deal with spiraling concerns, from rising temperatures to more extreme weather events.

Decades of NASA satellite data reveal how quickly the planet’s underground stores of fresh water have been depleted and how their use is contributing to rising sea levels.

This extreme heat comes as the federal government proposes to rollback vehicle pollution standards, and rescind a key scientific finding on greenhouse gases being a threat to public health.