In this year of extreme weather events — from devastating West Coast wildfires to tropical Atlantic storms that have exhausted the alphabet — scientists and members of the public are asking when these extreme events can be scientifically linked to climate change.

A new study coordinated by CU Boulder makes clear the extraordinary speed and scale of increases in energy use, economic productivity and global population that have pushed the Earth towards a new geological epoch, known as the Anthropocene. Distinct physical, chemical and biological changes to Earth’s rock layers began around the year 1950, the research found.

Led by Jaia Syvitski, CU Boulder professor emerita and former director of the Institute of Alpine Arctic Research (INSTAAR), the paper, published today in Nature Communications Earth and Environment, documents the natural drivers of environmental change throughout the past 11,700 years—known as the Holocene Epoch—and the dramatic human-caused shifts since 1950. Such planetary-wide changes have altered oceans, rivers, lakes, coastlines, vegetation, soils, chemistry and climate.

“This is the first time that scientists have documented humanity’s geological footprint on such a comprehensive scale in a single publication” said Syvitski, former executive director of the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System, a diverse community of international experts from who study the interactions between the Earth’s surface, water and atmosphere.

Read more at: University of Colorado at Boulder

In July heavy rains triggered landslides and floods in Nepal that ultimately killed more than 130 people. As soon as the rain started falling, BYU professor Jim Nelson knew things could get bad.

Catastrophic fires in the West are burning hotter than ever, leaving paths of destruction through both human development and native plant ecosystems.

It has been a harrowing equation out West over the past few months.

New study results show that ocean heat waves can provide enough fuel for hurricanes to gain momentum as they approach land.

Persistent drought dominates the Western landscape.

The study found that modern Asian biodiversity has been shaped by ancient climatic changes.

Tropical Storm Nangka made landfall south of Haiphong, Vietnam and began to weaken. 

An international team of climate experts, including Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine, today released an assessment of carbon dioxide emissions by industry, transportation and other sectors from January through June, showing that this year’s pandemic lockdowns resulted in a 9 percent decline from 2019 levels.