Scientists are partnering with Google's philanthropic arm to create a first of its kind, near-real-time way to monitor thawing permafrost across the Arctic.
Why it matters: The Arctic is warming about three to four times faster than the rest of the world, causing areas of permanently-frozen soil to thaw. This could release huge quantities of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Hot, dangerous conditions that parts of the West, Texas and Florida have endured for weeks will expand across the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. this week — starting in the north-central states and Plains, the National Weather Service warns.
The big picture: Nearly 78 million people were under heat alerts in the U.S. Monday morning, as health officials report a spike in callouts and emergency department visits due to the extreme weather.
The UN's World Meteorological Organization says it's examining potential new temperature records from "intense heatwaves" that are sweeping the southern U.S., parts of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.
Driving the news: "Climate change and temperature increase has spurred a surge in reports of record weather and climate extremes, especially for heat," per a WMO statement. The WMO warns the extreme heat is intensifying in some places and may last into August.
