Geography of Europe

The Arctic may become ice-free for the first time on a late August or early September day in the 2020s to 2030s, 10 years earlier than expected, a shocking new study finds.Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme EarthThe polar region has been losing sea ice at an accelerated rate, shrinking by 12.2% each decade due to warmer temperatures. Under all emission scenarios, an ice-free Arctic could arrive much sooner than previous models had predicted, an ominous sign of the ongoing climate crisis that would have major…

Russia is ramping up its efforts in the Ukraine war by doubling the number of its pens holding trained dolphins near the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, the UK defense intelligence agency said on Friday. The British bureau’s satellites captured images of expanding enclosures it saidcontain bottle-nosed dolphins. Rare Polar Bear Attack in Canada | Extreme Earth“The implication is that dolphin patrols have increased in frequency and/or cover more area,” according to Naval News. “The marine mammals have an inherent advantage…

This summer is expected to be one of the busiest travel seasons we’ve seen in a while. People are well into making plans to fly or drive their way to a well-deserved holiday. As many as 49% of people reported they plan to travel more in 2023 than they did last year, according to a Forbes survey, and nearly one-quarter…Read more... This summer is expected to be one of the busiest travel seasons we’ve seen in a while. People are well into making plans to fly or drive their way to a well-deserved holiday. As many as 49%…

Skiiers on a slope covered in artificial snow in Filzmoos, Austria.Photo: Daniel Kopatsch (Getty Images)Many of the areas that have been impacted are at lower altitudes; several ski areas at higher altitudes in the Alps and Pyrenees are still open for business. The French resort Val Thorens, which sits at more than 7,540 feet (2,500 meters) above sea level, for instance, is still open and covered with snow.But the toasty temperatures,combined with other impacts, like rain and wind, have even forced some of the…

Ötzi, a 5,300-year-old mummy discovered in 1991.Photo: Andrea Solero/AFP (Getty Images)In 1991, a pair of climbers encountered a human body sticking out of the ice high in the Italian alps. Though its skin was preserved—complete with tattoos—the body turned out to be 5,300-year-old remains, mummified by the frigid, dry conditions in which the man died. Now known as Ötzi, the famously well-preserved mummy has given researchers a remarkable look into the life of a Stone Age person.Watch an Exclusive Clip From the Finale of…

Cargo ships travel on the Rhine River on August 10, 2022 near Bonn, Germany. The ongoing hot weather and lack of rain have caused water levels on the Rhine to fall, which is complicating shipping.Photo: Andreas Rentz (Getty Images)A record-breaking hot, dry summer in Europe has lowered the Rhine River’s water levels so much that it has threatened shipping in the region. The Rhine is a critical commercial corridor. The river connects mega-ports in Germany’s industrial area, transporting goods to nearby landlocked…

A view of the glacier on Marmolada.Photo: Luca Bruno (AP)At least seven people are dead and five are still missing Tuesday after part of a glacier collapsed in the Italian Alps on Sunday during record-high temperatures.A portion of the Punta Rocca glacier on the mountain of Marmolada, the largest alpine glacier in the Italian Alps, abruptly collapsed on Sunday afternoon, causing an avalanche that caught more than two dozen hikers and mountaineers in a torrent of rocks, ice,and debris that reached a speed of 185 miles per…