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California officials and researchers across the country are sounding the alarm about the Trump administration’s plans to dismember a global hu…

Atmospheric rivers are long and relatively narrow bands of water vapor that form over an ocean and flow through the sky. They carry moisture from the tropics to northern and southern latitudes, and can dump heavy rains or snow over land. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they occur globally but are especially significant on the West Coast of the United States, where they create 30% to 50% of annual precipitation and are vital to water supplies but also can cause storms that produce flooding and mudslides.

In some of the most agriculturally rich regions in the U.S., researchers from San Diego State University are working to understand how climate change is impacting heat in rural areas and the farmworkers who toil in them. They're putting sensors on workers to measure their heart rates and core body temperatures while they work and evaluating environmental temperatures to assess occupational heat risk. Rising temperatures, decreased water supplies and shifting crop patterns are changing microclimates and increasing exposure to extreme heat for farmworkers, who are already among the most vulnerable to it. The project aims to map rural heat islands to better protect California farmworkers from scorching heat.

The United Nations weather agency said carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached record highs last year, intensifying climate change and extreme weather. The World Meteorological Organization said CO2 growth rates have tripled since the 1960s, reaching levels that existed 800,000 years ago. The report, released Wednesday, highlights emissions from coal, oil, and gas, along with wildfires, as major contributors. Despite flat fossil fuel emissions last year, CO2 levels continue to rise. The agency has urged policymakers to reduce emissions, warning that the world is heading into a dangerous state. Other greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide have also hit record levels.

A startup called Gigablue claims to have reached a milestone by selling 200,000 carbon credits for its ocean-based carbon capture technology. The company says its patented particles grow algae that trap carbon dioxide, which then sinks to the ocean floor. Outside scientists, however, question the effectiveness and environmental impact of this method, citing a lack of public data and concerns about marine ecosystems. Gigablue has conducted trials in New Zealand and plans to expand operations. While some buyers trust the company's promises, experts remain skeptical about its unproven technology and the broader implications of such ocean-based carbon removal efforts.

Weather forecasters are predicting wild temperature swings across the eastern U.S. Wednesday was expected to be another scorcher before temperatures plunge as much as 30 degrees. On Tuesday, at least 50 heat records were broken and 21 places hit triple-digit temperatures. About 127 million Americans are under some kind of National Weather Service heat advisory, down from more than 150 million Tuesday. The sizzling temperatures sent utilities scrambling to keep the air conditioning and lights on because of the massive power demand.

The temperature in New York City has reached 100 degrees as the eastern U.S. sweltered under an extreme heat wave. According to the National Weather Service, Kennedy International Airport recorded 100 degrees Fahrenheit at midday Tuesday. Large swaths of the country were broiling under a heat dome, worsened by a humid atmosphere that's circling the East. After nearly 40 US cities broke record high marks Monday, the weather service expected dozens of records Tuesday when the heat dome should hit its peak.