Life-threatening heat domes confounding forecasters

a map of a 2011 heat wave in the northeast US, with dark red colors indicating high temperatures in the New York region

Record-breaking temperatures seared the eastern US last month, leading to power emergencies across the region. The cause: an enormous ridge of high pressure that settled on the region, known as a heat dome.

This phenomenon has also already struck Europe and China this summer, leading to the temporary closure of the Eiffel Tower and worries about wilting rice crops, respectively. But while heat domes are easy to identify once they strike, they remain difficult to forecast — a problematic prospect in a warming world.

NASA Earth Science Division provides key data

a satellite with a large panel wing orbits above Earth's atmosphere

In May, the US Administration proposed budget cuts to NASA, including a more than 50% decrease in funding for the agency’s Earth Science Division (ESD) (1), the mission of which is to gather knowledge about Earth through space-based observation and other tools (2). The budget cuts proposed for ESD would cancel crucial satellites that observe Earth and its atmosphere, gut US science and engineering expertise, and potentially lead to the closure of NASA research centers. As former members of the recently dissolved (3) NASA Earth Science Advisory Committee, and all-volunteer, independent body chartered to advise ESD (4), we warn that these actions would come at a profound cost to US society and scientific leadership.

The science behind Texas’ catastrophic floods

At least 95 people died in the flash floods. The disaster has the fingerprints of climate change all over it.

a bridge road in Texas damaged by flooding

Rescue crews are scrambling to find survivors of catastrophic flooding that tore through Central Texas on the Fourth of July. It’s already one of the deadliest flood events in modern American history, leaving at least 95 people dead, 27 of whom were girls and counselors at a Christian summer camp in Kerr County, which was inundated when the nearby Guadalupe River surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes.

Continue reading on Grist.

Brazil wants to scale up regenerative tropical agriculture model (Portuguese)

Model developed by Brazilian entities was presented at a conference in Germany preceding COP30

dry soy fields at the edge of a tropical forest

Brazilian researchers presented this Saturday (21/6), in a parallel event to the Bonn Conference in Germany , a new sustainable model for the development of regenerative tropical agriculture. The initiative is led by the Dom Cabral Foundation, but brings together private companies and civil society entities as partners.

The business model designed to accelerate the transition from traditional systems to regenerative agriculture in the planet’s tropical belt includes pillars such as production diversification, soil health, use of biological inputs and a focus on the socioeconomic development of producers.

Between land and water: Tribal relocation and resistance

a man sits on the tundra next to a scientific instrument inserted into the ground, taking notes. He is wearing a plaid shirt and a baseball cap

Climate change is altering the land we live on, and Indigenous communities are on the frontline. In this episode, we bring you to Alaska, where rapid permafrost thaw is threatening the Native village of Nunapitchuk. Then, we head to Louisiana, where the Pointe-Au-Chien Indian Tribe is watching their land disappear underwater due to sea level rise. These threats are forcing these tribes to make the difficult decision: to stay and adapt, or to leave their ancestral home.

Woodwell Climate Conversations: Enduring Impact

Max Holmes, President and CEO of Woodwell Climate, and Dr. John Holdren, Former Chief Science and Technology Advisor to President Obama, on adapting with purpose and the lessons learned from political turbulence.

Learn more about our Climate Conversations series.

Climate futures: What’s ahead for our world beyond 1.5°C of warming?

iceberg

Humanity stands at a critical juncture in the climate emergency: As countries worldwide prepare to submit their climate commitments for the next decade, scientists report mounting evidence that we are very close to breaching the 1.5° Celsius limit set by the Paris Agreement 10 years ago.

Beyond 1.5°C (2.7° Fahrenheit), we increasingly risk crossing climate tipping points, with dire consequences.

Continue reading on Mongabay.

June 2025 collaborator highlight: Permafrost Discovery Gateway

a screenshot of the PDG showing colorful data layers overlaid on Alaska's north slope

The Permafrost Discovery Gateway (PDG) is an online data visualization platform hosted by the Arctic Data Center that provides openly accessible permafrost conditions across the Arctic region for researchers, educators, and the public. The PDG leverages satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to create maps of lake change, retrogressive thaw slumps, wildfire areas, ice-wedge polygons, coastal erosion, infrastructure, and surface water. To help communities, researchers, and policymakers navigate the changing landscape, the team aims to provide automated monthly monitoring of permafrost thaw during the snow-free season.