Arctic ice melt is changing ocean currents

A major ocean current in the Arctic is faster and more turbulent as a result of rapid sea ice melt, a new study from NASA shows. The current is part of a delicate Arctic environment that is now flooded with fresh water, an effect of human-caused climate change.

Antarctica logs highest temperature on record of 18.3C

A record high temperature of 18.3C (64.9F) has been logged on the continent of Antarctica. The temperature was recorded in the Antarctic Peninsula, on the continent’s north-west tip – one of the fastest-warming regions on earth.

In the Afro-Caribbean heart of Puerto Rico, locals fight erosion

The waves crashed loudly on the collapsed ruins of the Paseo del Atlántico, a walkway that once partially protected residents here from the volatile ocean. Erosion along this northernmost coast of Puerto Rico, nearly 20 miles east of San Juan, precipitated the promenade’s destruction, it finally fell into the Atlantic, exposing the Parcelas Suárez neighborhood to the water’s edge.

Beach access is a line in the sand that needs revisiting by Florida lawmakers

The beach belongs, by law, to the people of Florida — the part that gets wet, that is. However, some 60 percent of Florida’s beaches front private lands, and even renourishment projects funded by taxpayers do not guarantee access to the beach. As more beaches wash away, individual landowners are unlikely to see this loss as theirs alone.