How do you take the planet's temperature?

08/11/16 • 24 min

For this week’s show, we’re going to continue what we started last week: A brief interlude into the science of climate change. We’re right in the middle of what’s very likely to be the hottest year on record, and we’ve just passed what is historically the planet’s warmest week of the year. This week’s show will examine how we know what we know about our current climate. And to do that, we’ll rely on the reporting expertise of veteran environmental journalist, Andy Revkin.

Previous Episode

Climate forensics: How scientists reconstruct the past to understand change today

For the next three weeks, we’ll bring you bite-sized chunks of science that’ll hone in on how we got to where we are right now -- in the middle of the warmest year that humanity has likely ever experienced -- and where science says we’re headed if we don’t get our act together. This week’s show will focus on the past. And our all-star expert on paleoclimate, Jacquelyn Gill, will help us navigate backwards to place today’s planetary-scale changes in context.

Next Episode

Flood watch: putting Louisiana's epic floods in a climate context

This week, we’re talking about the ongoing flooding in Louisiana, which the Red Cross now says is likely America’s worst disaster since Hurricane Sandy. Early last week, the National Hurricane Center began tracking a slow moving low pressure system over the Gulf of Mexico, and projected a foot or two of rain to hit the Gulf Coast over the following week or so. Gradually, that storm creeped westward and tapped into a moisture source that was among the most saturated that’s ever been measured, according to NWS weather balloon data—boosted by record warm, 90-degree water temperatures in the Gulf. We’ll talk about the impact of the flood, the (lack of) media coverage, and how to think about flooding events like this in a climate change context. Find out how to help flooding victims through the Red Cross: http://rdcrss.org/2b04d0E