Climate Change of the Arctic and Antarctica.
Items that do not
change daily: http://egpreston.com/climate_knowledge.htm
Track latest NASA
climate change data: http://climate.nasa.gov/
CO2 Latest Trend: http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/trends/
Answers to climate
skeptics http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php
IPCC: “We cannot explain the observed warming
without including human influences.”
Sea level rise
links:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/?src=features-recent
http://www.ccrc.unsw.edu.au/Copenhagen/Copenhagen_Diagnosis_FIGURES.pdf
http://sealevel.colorado.edu/ and http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1255
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208173647.htm
Ice age findings forecast problems: Data from end of last Ice Age confirm effects of climate change on oceans (January 18, 2012) -- The first comprehensive study of changes in the oxygenation of oceans at the end of the last Ice Age has implications for the future of our oceans under global warming. The study looked at marine sediment and found that that the dissolved oxygen concentrations in large parts of the oceans changed dramatically during the relatively slow natural climate changes at the end of the last Ice Age. ... > full story
Paleoclimate record points toward potential rapid climate changes (December 9, 2011) -- New research into the Earth's paleoclimate history suggests the potential for rapid climate changes this century, including multiple meters of sea level rise, if global warming is not abated. ... > full story
Drop in carbon dioxide levels led to polar ice sheet, study finds (December 2, 2011) -- A drop in carbon dioxide appears to be the driving force that led to the Antarctic ice sheet's formation, according to a recent study of molecules from ancient algae found in deep-sea core samples. ... > full story
Abrupt permafrost thaw increases climate threat, experts say (December 1, 2011) -- As the Arctic warms, greenhouse gases will be released from thawing permafrost faster and at significantly higher levels than previous estimates, according to a survey of international experts. Permafrost thaw will release approximately the same amount of carbon as deforestation. However, the effect of thawing permafrost on climate will be 2.5 times greater because emissions include methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Hot house earth happened about 50 million years ago. National Geographic has a nice article on this event and what it means to us today: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/10/hothouse-earth/kunzig-text
Erratic, extreme day-to-day weather puts climate change in new light (November 16, 2011) -- Researchers report the first climate study to focus on variations in daily weather conditions, which found that day-to-day weather has grown increasingly erratic and extreme, with significant fluctuations in sunshine and rainfall affecting more than a third of the planet. These swings could have consequences for ecosystem stability and the control of pests and diseases; industries such as agriculture and solar-energy production; and could affect what scientists can expect to see as the Earth's climate changes. ... > full story
Methane may be answer to 56-million-year question: Ocean could have contained enough methane to cause drastic climate change (November 9, 2011) -- The release of massive amounts of carbon from methane hydrate frozen under the seafloor 56 million years ago has been linked to the greatest change in global climate since a dinosaur-killing asteroid presumably hit Earth nine million years earlier. New calculations by researchers show that this long-controversial scenario is quite possible. ... > full story
Depressing climate change trend. Scientists are beginning to realize that the Arctic Ice melting is accelerating, shortening the time we have before ocean rises are very significant.
http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/11/06/depressing-climate-trends/
Scientists predict faster retreat for Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier; Underwater ridge critical to future flow (November 1, 2011) -- The retreat of Antarctica's fast-flowing Thwaites Glacier is expected to speed up within 20 years, once the glacier detaches from an underwater ridge that is currently holding it back, according to a new study. The study is the latest to confirm the importance of seafloor topography in predicting how these glaciers will behave in the near future. ... > full story
Prehistoric greenhouse data from ocean floor could predict Earth's future, study finds (October 30, 2011) -- New research indicates that Atlantic Ocean temperatures during the greenhouse climate of the Late Cretaceous Epoch were influenced by circulation in the deep ocean. These changes in circulation patterns 70 million years ago could help scientists understand the consequences of modern increases in greenhouse gases. ... > full story
Glaciers in southwest China feel the brunt of climate change (October 28, 2011) -- Significant increases in annual temperatures are having a devastating effect on glaciers in the mountainous regions of southwestern China, potentially affecting natural habitats, tourism and wider economic development. ... > full story
Extreme melting on greenland ice sheet, team reports; Glacial melt cycle could become self-amplifying (October 26, 2011) -- The Greenland ice sheet can experience extreme melting even when temperatures don't hit record highs, according to a new analysis by Dr. Marco Tedesco, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the City College of New York. His findings suggest that glaciers could undergo a self-amplifying cycle of melting and warming that would be difficult to halt. ... > full story
Also see http://greenland2011.cryocity.org/
And http://climate.rutgers.edu/measures/snowice/
And http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/
And http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/files/snowdata2010.doc
Cooling the warming debate: Major new analysis confirms that global warming is real (October 21, 2011) -- Global warming is real, according to a major new study. Despite issues raised by climate change skeptics, the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature study finds reliable evidence of a rise in the average world land temperature of approximately 1 degree Celsius since the mid-1950s. ... > full story
New study shows no simultaneous warming of northern and southern hemispheres as a result of climate change for 20,000 years (October 24, 2011) -- A common argument against global warming is that the climate has always varied. Temperatures rise sometimes and this is perfectly natural is the usual line. However, a climate researcher has now shown that global warming, i.e. simultaneous warming events in the northern and southern hemispheres, have not occurred in the past 20 000 years, which is as far back as it is possible to analyze with sufficient precision to compare with modern developments. ... > full story
Why climate models underestimated Arctic sea ice retreat: No Arctic sea ice in summer by end of century? (October 12, 2011) -- In recent decades, Arctic sea ice has suffered a dramatic decline that exceeds climate model predictions. The unexpected rate of ice shrinkage has now been explained. Researchers argue that climate models underestimate the rate of ice thinning, which is actually about four times faster than calculations. This model bias is due to the poor representation of the sea ice southward drift out of the Arctic basin through the Fram Strait. When this mechanism was taken into account to correct the discrepancy between simulations and observations, results from the new model suggested that there will be no Arctic sea ice in summer by the end of the century. ... > full story
Arctic sea ice continues decline, hits second-lowest level (October 6, 2011) -- Last month the extent of sea ice covering the Arctic Ocean declined to the second-lowest extent on record. Satellite data from NASA and the the National Snow and Ice Data Center showed that the summertime sea ice cover narrowly avoided a new record low. The near-record ice-melt followed higher-than-average summer temperatures, but without the unusual weather conditions that contributed to the extreme melt of 2007. ... > full story
NASA Leads Study of Unprecedented Arctic Ozone Loss
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-308
Steep increase in global CO<sub>2</sub> emissions despite reductions by industrialized countries with binding Kyoto targets (September 22, 2011) -- Global emissions of carbon dioxide -- the main cause of global warming -- increased by 45% between 1990 and 2010, and reached an all-time high of 33 billion tonnes in 2010. Increased energy efficiency, nuclear energy and the growing contribution of renewable energy are not compensating for the globally increasing demand for power and transport, which is strongest in developing countries, according to a new report. ... > full story
Deep oceans can mask global warming for decade-long periods (September 19, 2011) -- The planet's deep oceans at times may absorb enough heat to flatten the rate of global warming for periods of as long as a decade even in the midst of longer-term warming, according to a new analysis. ... > full story
Arctic sea
ice reaches minimum 2011 extent, making it second lowest in satellite record
(September 15, 2011) -- The blanket of sea ice that
floats on the Arctic Ocean appears to have reached its lowest extent for 2011,
the second lowest recorded since satellites began measuring it in 1979,
according to the University of Colorado Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data
Center. ... > full story
Sea levels much less stable than earlier believed, new coral dating method suggests (September 11, 2011) -- New evidence of sea-level oscillations during a warm period that started about 125,000 years ago raises the possibility of a similar scenario if the planet continues its more recent warming trend, says a research team. ... > full story
800,000 years of abrupt climate variability: Earth's climate is capable of very rapid transitions (September 8, 2011) -- An international team of scientists has produced a prediction of what climate records from Greenland might look like over the last 800,000 years. The team's reconstruction is based on the much longer ice core temperature record retrieved from Antarctica and uses a mathematical formulation to extend the Greenland record beyond its current limit. ... > full story
Permafrost could release vast amounts of carbon and accelerate climate change by end of century (August 24, 2011) -- Billions of tons of carbon trapped in permafrost may be released into the atmosphere by the end of this century as the Earth's climate changes, further accelerating global warming, a new computer modeling study. The study also found that soil in high-latitude regions could shift from being a sink to a source of carbon dioxide by the end of the 21st century as the soil warms in response to climate change. ... > full story
NASA Research Yields Full Map of Antarctic Ice Flow
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-256&cid=release_2011-256
NASA researchers have created the first complete map of the speed and direction of ice flow in Antarctica. The map, which shows glaciers flowing thousands of miles from the continent's deep interior to its coast, will be critical for tracking future sea-level increases from climate change.
Large
variations in Arctic sea ice: Polar ice much less stable than previously
thought, study finds (August 4, 2011) --
For the last 10,000 years, summer sea ice in the Arctic Ocean has been far from
constant. For several thousand years, there was much less sea ice in The Arctic
Ocean -- probably less than half of current amounts, according to a new study.
... > full story
Ancient glacial melting shows that small amount of subsurface warming can trigger rapid collapse of ice shelves (August 2, 2011) -- An analysis of prehistoric "Heinrich events" that happened many thousands of years ago, creating mass discharges of icebergs into the North Atlantic Ocean, make it clear that very small amounts of subsurface warming of water can trigger a rapid collapse of ice shelves. The results are important due to concerns that warmer water could cause a comparatively fast collapse of ice shelves in Antarctica or Greenland. ... > full story
The oceans are becoming more acidic and are warming irreversibly
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/16/opinion/16sat3.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha211
Fast-shrinking
Greenland glacier experienced rapid growth during cooler times (July 15, 2011) -- Large,
marine-calving glaciers have the ability not only to shrink rapidly in response
to global warming, but to grow at a remarkable pace during periods of global
cooling, according to geologists working in Greenland. ... > full story
Ocean
currents speed melting of Antarctic ice: A major glacier is undermined from
below (June 27,
2011) -- Stronger ocean currents beneath West Antarctica's Pine Island
Glacier Ice Shelf are eroding the ice from below, speeding the melting of the
glacier as a whole, according to a new study. ... > full story
One warming event in
the past was not related to the sun
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615120246.htm
NASA says Arctic Melt
Raises Sea Levels and Reinforces Global Warming
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/earthmatters/?src=features-recent
In a Changing Antarctica, Some Penguins Thrive as Others Suffer, Relentless warming is taking a toll on penguins. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/science/10penguins.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210
King crabs invade Antarctica (April 26, 2011) -- It's like a scene out of a sci-fi movie -- thousands, possibly millions, of king crabs are marching through icy, deep-sea waters and up the Antarctic slope. Shell-crushing crabs haven't been in Antarctica, Earth's southernmost continent, for hundreds or thousands, if not millions, of years. But something has changed, and these crustaceans are poised to move by the droves up the slope and onto the shelf that surrounds Antarctica. ... > full story
Ozone hole linked to climate change all the way to the equator (April 25, 2011) -- The ozone hole, which is located over the South Pole, has affected the entire circulation of the Southern Hemisphere all the way to the equator, according to new research. This is the first time that ozone depletion, an upper atmospheric phenomenon confined to the polar regions, has been linked to climate change from the Pole to the equator. ... > full story
Democrats and Republicans increasingly divided over global warming, study finds (April 23, 2011) -- Despite the growing scientific consensus that global warming is real, Americans have become increasingly polarized on the environmental problem, according to a first-of-its-kind study. ... > full story
Melting ice on Arctic islands a major player in sea level rise (April 21, 2011) -- Melting glaciers and ice caps on Canadian Arctic islands play a much greater role in sea level rise than scientists previously thought, according to a new study, ... > full story
Americans believe climate change is occurring, but disagree on why (April 19, 2011) -- Most Americans now agree that climate change is occurring, but still disagree on why, with opinions about the cause of climate change defined by political party, not scientific understanding, according to new research. http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/publications/IB-Hamilton-Climate-Change-2011.pdf ... > full story
West Antarctic warming triggered by warmer sea surface in tropical Pacific (April 11, 2011) -- New research shows that rising sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean drive atmospheric circulation that has caused some of the largest shifts in Antarctic climate in recent decades. ... > full story
Scientists concerned massive pool of fresh water in
Arctic Ocean could alter Atlantic currents
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-eu-climate-oceans,0,4896148.story
A warm Atlantic causes cold air to be drawn down from the Arctic making winters colder in the northern US: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110330131306.htm
Measurements
of winter Arctic sea ice shows continuing ice loss, study finds
(March 30, 2011) -- The 2011 Arctic sea ice extent
maximum that marks the beginning of the melt season appears to be tied for the
lowest ever measured by satellites, say scientists. ... > full story
Freshwater content of upper Arctic Ocean increased 20 percent since 1990s, large-scale assessment finds (March 27, 2011) -- The freshwater content of the upper Arctic Ocean has increased by about 20 percent since the 1990s, according to a new large-scale assessment. This corresponds to a rise of approximately 8,400 cubic kilometres and has the same magnitude as the volume of freshwater annually exported on average from this marine region in liquid or frozen form. ... > full story
Antarctic
icebergs play a previously unknown role in global carbon cycle, climate
(March 26, 2011) -- In a finding that has global
implications for climate research, scientists have discovered that when
icebergs cool and dilute the seas through which they pass for days, they also
raise chlorophyll levels in the water that may in turn increase carbon dioxide
absorption in the Southern Ocean. ... > full story
If you were thinking that massive amounts of algae
could absorb CO2 you may want to consider what the article below is saying:
Algae,
bacteria hogged oxygen after ancient mass extinction, slowed marine life
recovery (March 26, 2011) -- After the
biggest mass extinction in Earth's history -- 250 million years ago -- algae
and bacteria in the ocean rebounded so fast that they consumed virtually all
the oxygen in the sea, slowing the recovery of the rest of marine animals for
several million years. ... > full story
NASA says that ice loss is accelerating:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-070&cid=release_2011-070
Record ice melting in Greenland in 2010
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=49338
http://www.skepticalscience.com/Latest-GRACE-data-on-Greenland-ice-mass.html
http://geology.com/press-release/greenland-ice-sheet/
Satellite
to examine how sun's brightness impacts climate change (February 22, 2011) -- A new instrument developed to study
changes in the sun's brightness and its impact on Earth's climate is one of two
primary payloads on NASA's Glory mission set to launch on Feb. 23. ...
> full story
Frequent, severe fires turn Alaskan forests into a carbon production line (February 20, 2011) -- Alaskan forests used to be important players in Mother Nature's game plan for regulating carbon dioxide levels in the air. It's elementary earth science: Trees take up carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. But now, American and Canadian researchers report that climate change is causing wildfires to burn larger swaths of Alaskan trees and to char the groundcover more severely, turning the black spruce forests of Alaska from repositories of carbon to generators of it. And the more carbon dioxide they release, the greater impact that may have in turn on future climate change. ... > full story
Earth temperature would continue rising even if CO2 emissions were stopped - Feb 2011
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215150845.htm
Rising sea levels will affect US coastal cities by 2100 – Feb 2011
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110215081742.htm
Record Low Arctic Sea Ice Extent for January 2011
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=49132&src=eoa-iotd
Warming
North Atlantic water tied to heating Arctic (January
28, 2011) -- The temperatures of North Atlantic Ocean water flowing
north into the Arctic Ocean adjacent to Greenland -- the warmest water in at
least 2,000 years -- are likely related to the amplification of global warming
in the Arctic, says a new study. ... > full story
The latest from NASA's Earth Observatory (25 January 2011)
Arctic Oscillation Chills United States, Warms Arctic
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=48882&src=eoa-iotd
Cold Jumps Arctic 'Fence,' Stoking Winter's Fury
Europe and the United States have had two consecutive severe
winters, but it is freakishly warm 2,000 miles to the north.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha22
Humans has been provoking climate change for thousands of years, carbon history shows (January 24, 2011) -- The Roman Conquest, the Black Death and the discovery of America -- by modifying the nature of the forests -- have had a significant impact on the environment. These are the findings of scientists in Switzerland who have researched our long history of emitting carbon into the environment. ... > full story
New melt
record for Greenland ice sheet; 'Exceptional' season stretched up to 50 days
longer than average (January 21, 2011) --
New research shows that 2010 set new records for the melting of the Greenland
Ice Sheet, expected to be a major contributor to projected sea level rises in
coming decades. ... > full story
Dramatic ocean circulation changes caused a colder Europe in the past (January 15, 2011) -- The unusually cold weather in Europe this winter has been caused by a change in the winds. Instead of the typical westerly winds warmed by Atlantic surface ocean currents, cold northerly Arctic winds are influencing much of Europe. However, scientists have long suspected that far more severe and longer-lasting cold intervals have been caused by changes to the circulation of the warm Atlantic ocean currents themselves. ... > full story
Earth's Hot Past - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110113141607.htm
PBS Nova “Secrets Beneath the Ice”
Mountain
glacier melt to contribute 12 centimeters to world sea-level increases by 2100
(January 11, 2011) -- Melt off from small mountain
glaciers and ice caps will contribute about 12 centimeters to world sea-level
increases by 2100, according to new research. ... > full story
Time
running out to save climate record held in unique eastern European Alps glacier
(January 6, 2011) -- A preliminary look at an ice
field atop the highest mountain in the eastern European Alps suggests that the
glacier may hold records of ancient climate extending back as much as a
thousand years. Researchers warn, however, that the record may soon be lost as
global warming takes its toll on these high-altitude sites. ... > full story
Earthshaking
possibilities may limit underground storage of carbon dioxide (December 15, 2010) -- Combating global warming by pumping
carbon dioxide into the ground for long-term storage -- known as carbon
sequestration -- could trigger small earthquakes that might breach the storage
system, allowing the gas back into the atmosphere, according to a geophysicist.
That hazard, combined with a need for thousands of injection sites around the
globe, may keep sequestration from being feasible on a large scale. ...
> full story
Greenland ice sheet flow not directly related to
warming. Note that they are talking
about ice flow and not the rate of loss of ice – melting rate which is steadily
rising.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101208172318.htm
Wildfires create a possible runaway CO2 condition
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101205202514.htm
Turning atm CO2 into a petro fuel: Julia R. Khusnutdinova,
Nigam P. Rath, Liviu M. Mirica. Stable Mononuclear Organometallic
Pd(III) Complexes and Their C−C Bond Formation Reactivity. Journal
of the American Chemical Society, 2010; 132 (21): 7303 DOI: 10.1021/ja103001g http://www.wustl.edu/ Maybe we will see a new jet fuel soon
created from energy and CO2, i.e. a manufacture the jet fuel.
Ocean rise paper J.D. Stanford, R. Hemingway, E.J. Rohling,
P.G. Challenor, M. Medina-Elizalde, A.J. Lester. Sea-level probability
for the last deglaciation: A statistical analysis of far-field records.
Global and Planetary Change, 2010; DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.11.002
Here’s what happens when the ocean level slowly
rises: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/science/earth/26norfolk.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a3
Study confirms ancient volcanic event and release of
CO2 led to global temperature rise. http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/research/data/121676-study-confirms-co2-link-to-ancient-global-warming-event.html
_________________________________________________________________
As Arctic
temperatures rise, tundra fires increase (November
18, 2010) -- The Anaktuvuk River Fire in 2007 burned over 1,000 square
kilometers of tundra on Alaska's North Slope, doubling the area burned in that
region since record keeping began in 1950. A new analysis reveals that this was
the most destructive tundra fire at that site for at least 5,000 years. Models
built on 60 years of climate and fire data found that even moderate increases
in warm-season temperatures in the region dramatically increase the likelihood
of such fires. ... > full story
New ocean
acidification study shows added danger to already struggling coral reefs
(November 13, 2010) -- Over the next century
recruitment of new corals could drop by 73 percent, as rising carbon dioxide
levels turn the oceans more acidic. New research findings reveal a new danger
to the already threatened Caribbean and Florida reef Elkhorn corals. ...
> full story
Extreme
global warming in the ancient past (November 11,
2010) -- Variations in atmosphere carbon dioxide around 40 million years
ago were tightly coupled to changes in global temperature, according to new
findings. ... > full story
Arctic Ice is melting and moving in these NASA
satellite photos (Nov 10, 2010):
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=46883&src=eoa-iotd
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-379&cid=release_2010-379
Current
global warming may reverse circulation in Atlantic Ocean, as it did 20,000
years ago (November 4, 2010) -- Earth's
climate change 20,000 years ago reversed the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean.
Global warming today could have similar effects on ocean currents and could
accelerate climate change, suggests a new study by researchers in Spain and
colleagues. ... > full story
Water
flowing through ice sheets accelerates warming, could speed up ice flow
(November 3, 2010) -- Melt water flowing through ice
sheets via crevasses, fractures and large drains called moulins can carry
warmth into ice sheet interiors, greatly accelerating the thermal response of
an ice sheet to climate change, according to a new study. ... > full story
Every
person emits two tons of carbon dioxide a year through eating, Spanish study
finds (November 2, 2010) -- Every person
emits the equivalent of approximately two tons of carbon dioxide a year from
the time food is produced to when the human body excretes it, representing more
than 20 percent of total yearly emissions. That is what a study by researchers
in Spain says, confirming for the first time that human excrement contributes
to water pollution, primarily with nitrogen and phosphorus. ... > full story
Is South
Pole ice melting? Gravity field satellites observe Antarctic ice mass
fluctuations due to El Niño (October 29, 2010)
-- The change in the ice mass covering Antarctica is a critical factor in
global climate events. Scientists in Germany have now found that the year by
year mass variations in the western Antarctic are mainly attributable to
fluctuations in precipitation, which are controlled significantly by the
climate phenomenon El Niño. ... > full story
Tracking
evidence of 'The Great Dying' (October 29, 2010)
-- More than 251 million years ago, at the end of the Permian period, Earth
almost became a lifeless planet. Around 90 percent of all living species
disappeared then, in what scientists have called "The Great Dying." A
geologist who has spent much of the past decade investigating the chemical evidence
buried in rocks formed during this major extinction is presenting his latest
findings concerning the ancient catastrophe. ... > full story
As Arctic
warms, increased shipping likely to accelerate climate change (October 26, 2010) -- As the ice-capped Arctic Ocean warms,
ship traffic will increase at the top of the world. And if the sea ice continues
to decline, a new route connecting international trading partners may emerge --
but not without significant repercussions to climate, according to a US and
Canadian research team. ... > full story
Arctic
Report Card: Region continues to warm at unprecedented rate (October 22, 2010) -- The Arctic region, also called the
"planet's refrigerator," continues to heat up, affecting local
populations and ecosystems as well as weather patterns in the most populated
parts of the Northern Hemisphere, according to a team of 69 international
scientists. The findings were released in the Arctic Report Card, a yearly
assessment of Arctic conditions. ... > full story
Geoengineering won’t curb sea-level rise
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100823/full/news.2010.426.html
Studies of
radiative forcing components: Reducing uncertainty about climate change
(October 16, 2010) -- Much is known about factors that
have a warming effect on Earth's climate -- but only a limited amount is
understood about factors that have a cooling effect. Researchers in Norway are
working to fill the knowledge gap by studying as many radiative forcing
components as possible simultaneously. ... > full story
Carbon
dioxide controls Earth's temperature, new modeling study shows (October 15, 2010) -- Water vapor and clouds are the major
contributors to Earth's greenhouse effect, but a new atmosphere-ocean climate
modeling study shows that the planet's temperature ultimately depends on the
atmospheric level of carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Climate
change target 'not safe', researchers say (October
3, 2010) -- An analysis of geological records that preserve details of
the last known period of global warming has revealed "startling"
results which suggest current targets for limiting climate change are unsafe.
... > full story
How warm
was this summer? (October 1, 2010) -- An
unparalleled heat wave in eastern Europe, coupled with intense droughts and
fires around Moscow, put Earth's temperatures in the headlines this summer.
Likewise, a string of exceptionally warm days in July in the eastern United
States strained power grids, forced nursing home evacuations, and slowed
transit systems. Both high-profile events reinvigorated questions about
humanity's role in climate change. ... > full story
2010 tied
with 1998 as warmest global temperature on record (September 20, 2010) -- The first eight months of 2010 tied
the same period in 1998 for the warmest combined land and ocean surface
temperature on record worldwide. Meanwhile, the June-August summer was the
second warmest on record globally after 1998, and last month was the third
warmest August on record. Separately, last month's global average land surface
temperature was the second warmest on record for August, while the global ocean
surface temperature tied with 1997 as the sixth warmest for August. ...
> full story
2010 was
fourth warmest U.S. summer on record (September
14, 2010) -- The contiguous United States had its fourth-warmest summer
(June-August) on record, according to the latest NOAA State of the Climate
report. The report also showed the August average temperature was 75.0 degrees
F, which is 2.2 degrees F above the long-term (1901-2000) average. Last month's
average precipitation was 2.41 inches, 0.19 inch below the 1901-2000 average.
... > full story
Main
climate threat from carbon dioxide sources yet to be built (September 10, 2010) -- New energy-efficient or carbon-free
technologies can help cut carbon dioxide emissions, but what about the power
plants, cars, trucks, and other fossil-fuel-burning devices already in
operation? Unless forced into early retirement, they will emit carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere for decades to come. Scientists have calculated the amount
of carbon dioxide expected to be released from existing energy infrastructure
worldwide, and then used a global climate model to project its effect on the
Earth's atmosphere and climate. ... > full story
Melting
rate of icecaps in Greenland and Western Antarctica lower than expected
(September 7, 2010) -- The Greenland and West
Antarctic ice caps are melting at half the speed previously predicted,
according to analysis of recent satellite data. ... > full story
Sea level
to rise even with aggressive geo-engineering and greenhouse gas control, study
finds (August 24, 2010) -- Sea level will
likely be 30-70 centimeters higher by 2100 than at the start of the century,
even if all but the most aggressive geo-engineering schemes are undertaken to
mitigate the effects of global warming and greenhouse gas emissions are
stringently controlled, according to new findings by international research
group of scientists from England, China and Denmark. ... > full story
Warmest
year-to-date global temperature on record (August
17, 2010) -- The combined global land and ocean surface temperature made
this July the second warmest on record, behind 1998, and the warmest averaged
January-July on record. The global average land surface temperature for July
and January-July was warmest on record. The global ocean surface temperature
for July was the fifth warmest, and for January-July 2010 was the second
warmest on record, behind 1998. ... > full story
Signs of
reversal of Arctic cooling: Rapid temperature rise in the coldest region of
mainland Europe (July 29, 2010) -- Parts
of the Arctic have cooled over the past century, but temperatures have been
rising steeply since 1990, according to a summer temperature reconstruction for
the past 400 years produced on the base of tree rings from regions beyond the
Arctic Circle. ... > full story
Researchers
witness overnight breakup, retreat of Greenland glacier (July 13, 2010) -- NASA-funded researchers monitoring
Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier report that a 7 square kilometer (2.7
square mile) section of the glacier broke up on July 6 and 7, as shown in a new
image. ... > full story
Warmer
ecosystems could absorb less atmospheric carbon dioxide (July 1, 2010) -- A predicted rise in global temperature of
4 C by 2100 could lead to a 13 percent reduction in ecosystems' ability to
absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, new research suggests. ...
> full story
Arctic
climate may be more sensitive to warming than thought, says new study
(June 30, 2010) -- A new study shows the Arctic
climate system may be more sensitive to greenhouse warming than previously
thought, and that current levels of Earth's atmospheric carbon dioxide may be
high enough to bring about significant, irreversible shifts in Arctic
ecosystems. 400 ppm is all that is needed to reach this level with the current
level at 390 it is predicted to reach 400 ppm by 2015... > full story
Climate
change scientists turn up the heat in Alaska (June
30, 2010) -- Scientists are planning a large-scale, long-term ecosystem
experiment to test the effects of global warming on the icy layers of arctic
permafrost. ... > full story
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-212&cid=release_2010-212
“Recent
studies have shown carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion have
been increasing faster than predicted”
Sea ice in
the Arctic not recovering: Another critical minimum forecast (June 28, 2010) -- A critical minimum for Arctic sea ice can
again be expected for late summer 2010, according to new projections by
researchers in Germany. ... > full story
Carbon
dioxide is the missing link to past global climate changes (June 17, 2010) -- Carbon dioxide is the missing ingredient
in explaining the advent of Ice Ages in the Northern Hemisphere and why those
cold epochs have caused changes in the tropics for the past 2.7 million years.
Scientists analyzed ocean sediment cores and found a definitive link between
the Ice Ages and ocean surface temperatures in the tropics. They believe carbon
dioxide explains the link. ... > full story
NASA Earth Observatory (08 June 2010) Global warming is happening now, and scientists are confident that greenhouse gases are responsible. To understand what this means for humanity, it is necessary to understand what global warming is, how scientists know it's happening, and how they predict future climate.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/GlobalWarming/?src=eoa-features
Ocean
Acidification in the Arctic: What are the consequences of carbon dioxide
increase on marine ecosystems? (June 4, 2010)
-- Carbon dioxide emissions not only lead to global warming, but also cause
another, less well-known but equally disconcerting environmental change: ocean
acidification. Scientists have just started the first major CO2 perturbation
experiment in the Arctic Ocean. Their goal is to determine the response of
Arctic marine life to the rapid change in ocean chemistry. ... > full story
Arctic ice
at low point compared to recent geologic history (June 3, 2010) -- Less ice covers the Arctic today than at
any time in recent geologic history. That's the conclusion of an international
group of researchers, who have compiled the first comprehensive history of
Arctic ice. ... > full story
Ocean
stored significant warming over last 16 years, study finds (May 22, 2010) -- The upper layer of the world's ocean has
warmed since 1993, indicating a strong climate change signal, according to a
new study. The energy stored is enough to power nearly 500 100-watt light bulbs
per each of the roughly 6.7 billion people on the planet. ... > full story
Leading
scientists call for more effort in tackling rising ocean acidity (May 19, 2010) -- Ten years ago, ocean acidification was a
phenomenon only known to small group of ocean scientists. It's now recognized
as the hidden partner of climate change, prompting calls for an urgent,
substantial reduction in carbon emissions to reduce future impacts. Scientists
from the European Science Foundation at European Maritime Day 2010 give a comprehensive
view of current research and highlight the need for a integrated effort
internationally to research and monitor ocean acidification effects. ...
> full story
Greenland rapidly rising as ice melt continues (May 18, 2010) -- Scientists say Greenland's ice is melting so quickly that the land underneath is rising at an accelerated pace. The idea behind the study is that if Greenland is losing its ice cover, the resulting loss of weight causes the rocky surface beneath to rise. ... > full story
Climate change played major role in mass extinction of mammals 50,000 years ago, study finds (May 18, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that climate change played a major role in causing mass extinction of mammals in the late quaternary era, 50,000 years ago. Their study takes a new approach to this hotly debated topic by using global data modeling to build continental 'climate footprints.' ... > full story
Warmest
April Global Temperature on Record, NOAA says (May
18, 2010) -- The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was
the warmest on record for both April and for the period from January-April,
according to NOAA. Additionally, last month's average ocean surface temperature
was the warmest on record for any April, and the global land surface
temperature was the third warmest on record. ... > full story
Geologists
show unprecedented warming in Africa's Lake Tanganyika; Valuable fish stocks at
risk (May 17, 2010) -- Geologists have
documented that Lake Tanganyika in east Africa has experienced unprecedented
warming in the last century. Using core samples obtained from the lake bed, the
team determined the lake is currently the warmest it has been in the last 1,500
years. The warming likely is affecting the valuable fish stocks upon which
millions of people depend. ... > full story
255 members of the National Academy of Sciences defend climate science integrity (May 6, 2010) -- Two-hundred and fifty-five members of the National Academy of Sciences, including 11 Nobel laureates, joined together to defend the rigor and objectivity of climate science. Their statement, "Climate Change and the Integrity of Science," will be published in the journal Science on May 7, asserting "the compelling, comprehensive, and consistent objective evidence that humans are changing the climate in ways that threaten our societies and the ecosystems on which we depend." ... > full story
New NASA post in Climate Q&A
If Earth has warmed and cooled throughout history, what makes scientists think that humans are causing global warming now?
Through
the looking glass: Scientists peer into Antarctica's past to see our future
climate (May 1, 2010) -- In response to
growing concerns about our planet's changing climate, rising global
temperatures and sea levels, and increasing concentrations of atmospheric
carbon dioxide, scientists are looking to the planet's past to help predict its
future. New results from a research expedition in Antarctic waters may provide
critical clues to understanding one of the most dramatic periods of climatic
change in Earth's history -- and a glimpse into what might lie far ahead in our
climate's future. ... > full story
Melting
icebergs in polar oceans causing sea level rise globally, new assessment finds
(April 29, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered that
changes in the amount of ice floating in the polar oceans are causing sea
levels to rise -- by a mere hair's breadth today, but possibly much more if
melting trends continue. ... > full story
Melting sea ice major cause of warming in Arctic, new study reveals (April 28, 2010) -- Melting sea ice has been shown to be a major cause of warming in the Arctic, according to an Australian study. ... > full story
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/42499
new ocean conveyor belt discovered http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/42487
Winds
from Siberia reduce Arctic sea ice cover, Norwegian researchers find
(April 28, 2010) -- The ice cover in the Arctic has
decreased dramatically in recent years. Norwegian researchers have discovered
that changes in air circulation patterns create winds that push away the ice.
The changed wind direction pushes large ice masses away from the Arctic and
down along the eastern coast of Greenland. At the same time, less ice forms
when the winds over the Arctic are determined by the pressure systems in
northern Russia rather than those over the North Atlantic and the Pacific
Ocean, as is normally ! the case. ... > full story
Carbon
dioxide emissions causing ocean acidification to progress at unprecedented rate
(April 23, 2010) -- The changing chemistry of the
world's oceans is a growing global problem, says the summary of a
congressionally requested study. ... > full story
Study Says Carbon
Dioxide Making Oceans More Acidic.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100420152841.htm
The
AP (4/23) reports, "The chemistry of the
oceans is changing faster than it has in hundreds of thousands of years because
of the carbon dioxide being absorbed from the atmosphere," according to a study (pdf) from the National Research
Council. "The chemicals make the water more acidic, which can affect sea
life. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the
pH of ocean water has declined from 8.2 to 8.1 and a further decline of 0.2 to
0.3 units is expected by the end of this century," the study predicts.
The Los Angeles Times (4/22, Mohan)
"Greenspace" blog reported, "Oceans worldwide are turning
increasingly acidic as they absorb more carbon from the atmosphere, which could
have negative effects on many forms of marine life at the base of the oceanic
food chain, including plankton, coral and large mollusks such as oysters."
Greenspace noted, "Little is known about the long-term effects of a more
acidic ocean, but studies have shown acidification affects many biological
processes, including photosynthesis, nutrient uptake, growth and
reproduction."
NASA photos of a changing world
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/WorldOfChange/?src=eoa-ann
Massive
Arctic ice cap is shrinking, study shows; Rate accelerating since 1985
(April 13, 2010) -- Warmer summers are accelerating
the rate at which the Devon Island ice cap is losing mass, according to new
research. The study's authors say that although the extent and depth of the cap
have been declining since measurements began in 1961, the trend has increased
since 1985. ... > full story
Ocean
acidification: 'Evil twin' threatens world's oceans, scientists warn
(April 1, 2010) -- The rise in human emissions of
carbon dioxide is driving fundamental and dangerous changes in the chemistry
and ecosystems of the world's oceans, marine scientists warn. "Ocean
conditions are already more extreme than those experienced by marine organisms
and ecosystems for millions of years," the researchers say. ... > full story
NASA Plans Large Increase To Climate Research Budget.
The Washington Post (4/1, A5, Kaufman) reports,
"NASA officials laid out plans Wednesday to boost spending on climate
research substantially over the next five years, to make up for cutbacks during
the Bush administration." NASA Associate Administrator Ed Weiler announced
the Earth Science budget will increase over 60% by 2015. "The budget
increase reflects both a campaign promise by President Obama to focus far more
on the threat of climate change and what NASA officials called a 'philosophical
shift' on the issue. From now on, they said, the agency will place a higher
priority on collecting a broad range of interrelated climate data." The
additional money will be used for "improvements, innovations and
replacements" of older missions. According to the article, the rise in the
Earth Science budget "contrasts with the generally flat budgets projected
for other NASA missions."
Ecosystems
under threat from ocean acidification (March 31,
2010) -- Acidification of the oceans as a result of increasing levels of
atmospheric carbon dioxide could have significant effects on marine ecosystems,
according to new research. ... > full story
NASA Study
Finds Atlantic 'Conveyor Belt' Not Slowing
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-101&cid=release_2010-101
NASA’s Grace sees rapid spread in Greenland’s ice
loss
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/grace20100325.html
Greenland
ice sheet losing mass on northwest coast (March
24, 2010) -- Ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet, which has been
increasing during the past decade over its southern region, is now moving up
its northwest coast, according to a new international study. ... > full story
World
has underestimated climate-change effects, expert argues (March 23, 2010) -- The world's policymakers have
underestimated the potential dangerous impacts that man-made climate change
will have on society, say a professor of earth and atmospheric sciences. ...
> full story
Methane
releases from Arctic shelf may be much larger and faster than anticipated
(March 5, 2010) -- A section of the Arctic Ocean
seafloor that holds vast stores of frozen methane is showing signs of
instability and widespread venting of the powerful greenhouse gas, according to
new research. ... > full story
Scientists Taking Steps to Defend Work on Climate by John Broder
Grudgingly, many climate scientists are beginning to engage critics and open up their data.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/science/earth/03climate.html?th&emc=th
Large
Iceberg breaks off Antarctica's Mertz Glacier (February
26, 2010) -- Scientists have discovered the calving of a large iceberg
from Antarctica's Mertz Glacier. The iceberg -- 78 kilometres long with a
surface area of roughly 2,500 square kilometres, about the size of Luxembourg
-- broke off after being rammed by another iceberg, 97 kilometres long. The
future position of the two giant icebergs will likely affect local ocean
circulation, experts predict. ... > full story
A new web page is available on NASA's Global Climate Change
Web site at:
http://climate.nasa.gov/warmingworld
Ice
shelves disappearing on Antarctic peninsula: Glacier retreat and sea level rise
are possible consequences (February 22, 2010)
-- Ice shelves are retreating in the southern section of the Antarctic
Peninsula due to climate change, according to new research by the U.S.
Geological Survey. This could result in glacier retreat and sea-level rise if
warming continues, threatening coastal communities and low-lying islands
worldwide, experts say. ... > full story
Don Blankenship 90 second interview on which ice
sheets melt first
http://www.earthsky.org/interviewpost/earth/in-warming-climate-which-ice-sheets-melt-first
Weather anomaly for January 2010
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1434
Arctic
glacial dust may affect climate and health in North America and Europe
(February 20, 2010) -- New evidence shows that dust
storms may exist in the arctic, possibly caused by receding glaciers, which may
be making deposits similar to those transported from the deserts of Africa to
the southern US and Caribbean. ... > full story
Ocean
geoengineering scheme no easy fix for global warming (February 18, 2010) -- Pumping nutrient-rich water up from
the deep ocean to boost algal growth in sunlit surface waters and draw carbon
dioxide down from the atmosphere has been touted as a way of ameliorating
global warming. However, a new study points out the difficulties with such an
approach. ... > full story
Greenland's glaciers disappearing from the
bottom up
Team
finds subtropical waters flushing through Greenland fjord (February 17, 2010) -- Waters from warmer latitudes -- or
subtropical waters -- are reaching Greenland's glaciers, driving melting and
likely triggering an acceleration of ice loss, reports a team of researchers.
... > full story
Antarctic
ice shelf collapse possibly triggered by ocean waves (February 12, 2010) -- Extremely long waves could have initiated
2008 collapse events. Depicting a cause-and-effect scenario that spans
thousands of miles, scientists discovered that ocean waves originating along
the Pacific coasts of North and South America impact Antarctic ice shelves and
could play a role in their catastrophic collapse. ... > full story
Climate
'tipping points' may arrive without warning, says top forecaster (February 10, 2010) -- A new study by a top ecological
forecaster says it is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts
in Earth's natural systems will occur -- a worrisome finding for scientists
trying to identify the tipping points that could push climate change into an
irreparable global disaster. ... > full story!
Earlier
glacial melt rate revised downward, but recent melt is accelerating
dramatically (February 7, 2010) --
Glaciologists have shown that previous studies have largely overestimated mass
loss from Alaskan glaciers over the past 40 years. Recent data from the SPOT 5
and ASTER satellites have enabled researchers to extensively map mass loss in
these glaciers, which contributed 0.12 mm/year to sea-level rise between 1962
and 2006, rather than 0.17 mm/year as previously estimated. However, the
spectacular acceleration in mass loss since the mid-1990s, corresponding to a
contribution of 0.25 to 0.30 mm/year to sea-leve! l rise, is not in question
and proves to be a worrying indication of future sea-level rise. ... > full story
Oceans
reveal further impacts of climate change (February
5, 2010) -- The increasing acidity of the world's oceans -- and that
acidity's growing threat to marine species -- are definitive proof that the
atmospheric carbon dioxide that is causing climate change is also negatively
affecting the marine environment. ... > full story
Black
carbon a significant factor in melting of Himalayan glaciers (February 4, 2010) -- The fact that glaciers in the
Himalayan mountains are thinning is not disputed. However, few researchers have
attempted to rigorously examine and quantify the causes. Scientists have now
isolated the impacts of the most commonly blamed culprit -- greenhouse gases,
such as carbon dioxide -- from other particles in the air that may be causing
the melting. Their research finds that airborne black carbon aerosols, or soot,
from India is a major contributor to the decline in snow and ice cover on the
glaciers. ... > full story
Glacier-melting
debate highlights importance of satellites (February
2, 2010) -- The intense public debate on how rapidly the Himalayan
glaciers are retreating highlights the necessity for the constant monitoring of
glaciers worldwide by satellites. ... > full story
Last
decade was warmest on record, 2009 one of warmest years, NASA research finds
(January 22, 2010) -- A new analysis of global surface
temperatures by NASA scientists finds the past year was tied for the second
warmest since 1880. In the Southern Hemisphere, 2009 was the warmest year on
record. Although 2008 was the coolest year of the decade because of a strong La
Nina that cooled the tropical Pacific Ocean, 2009 saw a return to a near-record
global temperatures as the La Nina diminished. ... > full story
Measuring
carbon dioxide over the ocean (January 20, 2010)
-- Reliable measurements of the air-sea flux of carbon dioxide -- an important
greenhouse gas -- are needed for a better understanding of the impact of
ocean-atmosphere interactions on climate. A new method promises to make this
task considerably easier. ... > full story
Why
hasn't Earth warmed as much as expected? New report on climate change explores
the reasons (January 19, 2010) -- Planet
Earth has warmed much less than expected during the industrial era based on
current best estimates of Earth's "climate sensitivity" -- the amount
of global temperature increase expected in response to a given rise in
atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide. In a new study, researchers
examine the reasons for this discrepancy. ... > full story
Tipping
Point? West Antarctic Ice Sheet could become unstable as world warms
(January 18, 2010) -- A new study examines how ice
sheets, such as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, could become unstable as the
world warms. ... > full story
Higher
temperatures can worsen climate change, methane measurements from space reveal
(January 16, 2010) -- Higher temperatures on the
earth's surface at higher latitudes cause an increase in the emission of
methane, a greenhouse gas that plays an important role in global warming.
Therefore, higher temperatures are not just a consequence of climate change but
can also worsen it, conclude climate researchers in a new study. During their
research, the researchers determined methane concentration measurements from
the Dutch-German space instrument SCIAMACHY, on board the European Space
Agency's environmental satellite E! nvisat. ... > full story
ESA’s
ice mission arrives safely at launch site (January
15, 2010) -- In what might seem rather appropriate weather conditions,
the CryoSat-2 Earth Explorer satellite has completed its journey to the
Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan, where it will be prepared for launch on 25
February. The CryoSat mission is dedicated to precise monitoring of the changes
in the thickness of marine ice floating in the polar oceans and variations in the
thickness of the vast ice sheets that overlay Greenland and Antarctica. ...
> full story
Melting
tundra creating vast river of waste into Arctic Ocean (January 12, 2010) -- The increase in temperature in the
Arctic has already caused the sea-ice there to melt. According to new research
from Sweden, if the Arctic tundra also melts, vast amounts of organic material
will be carried by the rivers straight into the Arctic Ocean, resulting in
additional emissions of carbon dioxide. ... > full story
New
method of measuring ocean carbon dioxide uptake could lead to climate change
'early warning system' (January 11, 2010)
-- Scientists have developed a new method of measuring the absorption of carbon
dioxide by the oceans and mapped for the first time carbon dioxide uptake for
the entire North Atlantic. ... > full story
Tipping
elements in the Earth System: How stable is the contemporary environment?
(January 6, 2010) -- New research presents the latest
scientific insights on so-called tipping elements in the planetary environment.
These elements have been identified as the most vulnerable large-scale
components of the Earth System that may be profoundly altered by human
interference. If one or more of those components is tipped -- especially in the
course of global warming -- then the age of remarkably stable environmental
conditions on Earth throughout the Holocene may end quickly and irreversibly.
... > full story
C.I.A. Is Sharing Data With Climate Scientists
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
The C.I.A. is releasing intelligence data to top scientists
for the study of environmental change.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/science/earth/05satellite.html?th&emc=th
Loss
of sea ice stirs up Arctic waters (January 4,
2010) -- The Arctic Ocean is generally considered a remarkably quiet
ocean, with very little mixing, because a cover of sea ice prevents wind from
driving the formation of internal waves. To study this effect and investigate
how melting sea ice might affect ocean mixing in the Arctic, researchers
analyzed data from moorings in the northern Chukchi Sea. ... > full story
No
rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide fraction in past 160 years, new research
finds (December 31, 2009) -- Most of the
carbon dioxide emitted by human activity does not remain in the atmosphere, but
is instead absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial ecosystems. However, some
studies have suggested that the ability of oceans and plants to absorb carbon
dioxide recently may have begun to decline and that the airborne fraction of
anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions is therefore beginning to increase. In
contradiction to those studies, new research finds that the airborne fraction
of carbon dioxide has not incr eased either during the past 150 years or during
the most recent five decades. ... > full story
Scientists
argue for a new type of climate target (December
28, 2009) -- In order to avoid dangerous consequences for the earth's
ecosystems, global emissions must peak around 2015, and they need to be cut by
half between the peak and 2030, according to new findings. ... > full story
Global
warming likely to be amplified by slow changes to Earth systems, geologists say
(December 21, 2009) -- The kinds of increases in
atmospheric carbon dioxide taking place today could have a significantly larger
effect on global temperatures than previously thought, according to a new study
led by geologists. The team demonstrated that only a relatively small rise in
atmospheric carbon dioxide was associated with a period of substantial warming
in the mid- and early-Pliocene era, between 3 to 5 million years ago. ...
> full story
Earth's
polar ice sheets vulnerable to even moderate global warming; New Orleans, much
of southern Florida, expected to be permanently submerged (December 17, 2009) -- A new analysis of the geological
record of the Earth's sea level employs a novel statistical approach that
reveals the planet's polar ice sheets are vulnerable to large-scale melting
even under moderate global warming scenarios. Such melting would lead to a
large and relatively rapid rise in global sea level. According to the analysis,
an additional 2 degrees of global warming could commit the planet to 6 to 9
meters (20 to 30 feet) of long-term sea level rise. ... > full story
Greenland
glaciers: Water flowing beneath ice plays more complex role (December 16, 2009) -- Scientists who study the melting of
Greenland's glaciers are discovering that water flowing beneath the ice plays a
much more complex role than they previously imagined. Researchers previously
thought that meltwater simply lubricated ice against the bedrock, speeding the
flow of glaciers out to sea. ... > full story
NASA
outlines recent breakthroughs in greenhouse gas research (December 16, 2009) -- Researchers studying carbon dioxide,
a leading greenhouse gas and a key driver of global climate change, now have a
new tool at their disposal: daily global measurements of carbon dioxide in a
key part of our atmosphere. The data are courtesy of the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder
(AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua spacecraft. ... > full story
Sea level
is rising along US Atlantic coast, say environmental scientists (December 11, 2009) -- An international team of
environmental scientists has shown that sea-level rise along the Atlantic Coast
of the United States was 2 millimeters faster in the 20th century than at any
time in the past 4,000 years. ... > full story
Measuring
impact of climate change from space: Gravity measurements shed light on key
questions (December 10, 2009) -- What is
the impact of climate change on the ice-covered regions of Earth? How does
deglaciation affect global sea level changes? These questions are being
addressed by scientists from Germany and Australia, who are investigating
space-borne gravity measurements provided by the GRACE satellite mission. As a
result, they found out that the Greenland glaciers shrunk continuously in the
last few years; above all, they estimated the changes not to be linear in time
but accelerating. On average, recent Greenland ice-mass decline caused an
annual sea-level rise of about 0.5 millimeters. ... > full story and this graph http://egpreston.com/temp.ppt
Sea level
could rise from 0.75 to 1.9 meters this century (December
8, 2009) -- A new scientific study warns that sea level could rise much
faster than previously expected. By the year 2100, global sea level could rise
between 0.75 to 1.9 meters, according to a new paper. ... > full story
Earth more
sensitive to carbon dioxide than previously thought (December 7, 2009) -- In the long term, the Earth's
temperature may be 30-50 percent more sensitive to atmospheric carbon dioxide
than has previously been estimated, reports a new study. The results show that
components of the Earth's climate system that vary over long timescales -- such
as land-ice and vegetation -- have an important effect on this temperature sensitivity,
but these factors are often neglected in current climate models. ... > full story
Rising Antarctic
snowmelt forcast (December 3, 2009) --
The 30-year record low in Antarctic snowmelt that occurred during the 2008-09
austral summer was likely due to concurrent strong positive phases for two main
climate drivers, ENSO (El Nino, Southern Oscillation) and SAM (Southern
Hemisphere Annular Mode), according to earth and atmospheric scientists. ...
> full story
First
comprehensive review of the state of Antarctica's climate (December 1, 2009) -- The first comprehensive review of the
state of Antarctica's climate and its relationship to the global climate system
has just been published. The review -- Antarctic Climate Change and the
Environment -- presents the latest research from the icy continent, identifies
areas for future scientific research, and addresses the urgent questions that
policy makers have about Antarctic melting, sea-level rise and biodiversity.
... > full story
Big freeze
plunged Europe into ice age in months (November
30, 2009) -- In the film "The Day After Tomorrow," the world
enters the icy grip of a new glacial period within the space of just a few
weeks. New research shows this scenario may not be so far from the truth after
all. ... > full story note that there is no mechanism for this to
happen unless Greenland’s ice were to suddenly collapse.
Oceans absorbing carbon dioxide more slowly, scientist finds (November 27, 2009) -- The world's oceans are absorbing less carbon dioxide, a geophysicist has found after pooling data taken over the past 50 years. With the oceans currently absorbing over 40 percent of the CO2 emitted by human activity, this could quicken the pace of climate change, according to the study. ... > full story
NASA
satellites detect unexpected ice loss in East Antarctica (November 26, 2009) -- Using gravity measurement data from
the NASA/German Aerospace Center's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment
(GRACE) mission, a team of scientists from the University of Texas at Austin
has found that the East Antarctic ice sheet-home to about 90 percent of Earth's
solid fresh water and previously considered stable-may have begun to lose ice.
... > full story
Carbon dioxide emissions continue significant climb (November 25, 2009) -- The annual rate of increase in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels has more than tripled in this decade, compared to the 1990s, reports an international consortium of scientists, who paint a bleak picture of the Earth's future unless "CO2 emissions [are] drastically reduced." ... > full story
Is global warming unstoppable? (November 24, 2009) -- In a provocative new study, a scientist argues that rising carbon dioxide emissions -- the major cause of global warming -- cannot be stabilized unless the world's economy collapses or society builds the equivalent of one new nuclear power plant each day. ... > full story and
http://www.unews.utah.edu/p/?r=112009-1
Mysteriously
warm times in Antarctica (November 22, 2009)
-- A new study of Antarctica's past climate reveals that temperatures during
the warm periods between ice ages (interglacials) may have been higher than
previously thought. The latest analysis of ice core records suggests that
Antarctic temperatures may have been up to 6°C warmer than the present day. ...
> full story
Fossil
fuel carbon dioxide emissions up by 29 percent since 2000 (November 17, 2009) -- The strongest evidence yet that the
rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions continues to outstrip the ability
of the world's natural "sinks" to absorb carbon has just been
published. ... > full story
Greenland Ice Cap Melting Faster Than Ever (November 13, 2009) -- Satellite observations and a state-of-the art regional atmospheric model have independently confirmed that the Greenland ice sheet is losing mass at an accelerating rate, according to a new study. This mass loss is equally distributed between increased iceberg production, driven by acceleration of Greenland's fast-flowing outlet glaciers, and increased meltwater production at the ice sheet surface. ... > full story
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2009/6659.html
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/326/5955/984 and the 273 Gt/yr in 2007 is in agreement with this
graph: http://egpreston.com/Gtpy2.jpg
Record
High Temperatures Far Outpace Record Lows Across US (November 13, 2009) -- Spurred by a warming climate, daily
record high temperatures occurred twice as often as record lows over the last
decade across the continental United States, new research shows. The ratio of
record highs to lows is likely to increase dramatically if emissions of
greenhouse gases continue to climb. ... > full story
Antarctica
Glacier Retreat Creates New Carbon Dioxide Store; Has Beneficial Impact On
Climate Change (November 10, 2009) --
Large blooms of tiny marine plants called phytoplankton are flourishing in
areas of open water left exposed by the recent and rapid melting of ice shelves
and glaciers around the Antarctic Peninsula. This remarkable colonization is
having a beneficial impact on climate change. As the blooms die back
phytoplankton sinks to the sea-bed where it can store carbon for thousands or
millions of years. ... > full story
Reducing
Greenhouse Gases May Not Be Enough To Slow Climate Change (November 11, 2009) -- Because land use changes are
responsible for 50 percent of warming in the US, policymakers need to address
the influence of global deforestation and urbanization on climate change, in
addition to greenhouse gas emissions, experts urge. ... > full story
Changing
Arctic Affecting Air, Ocean, And Everything In Between (November 9, 2009) -- Despite the fact that summer 2009 had
more sea ice than in 2007 or 2008, scientists are seeing drastic changes in the
region from just five years ago and at rates faster than anticipated. ...
> full story
North
Carolina Sea Levels Rising Three Times Faster Than In Previous 500 Years, Study
Finds (October 29, 2009) -- An
international team of environmental scientists has shown that sea-level rise in
North Carolina is accelerating, a jump that appears to have occurred during a
time of industrial change. ... > full story
Arctic
Lake Sediments Show Warming, Unique Ecological Changes In Recent Decades
(October 27, 2009) -- An analysis of sediment cores
indicates that biological and chemical changes occurring at a remote Arctic
lake are unprecedented over the past 200,000 years and likely are the result of
human-caused climate change, according to a new study. ... > full story
Arctic Sediments
Show That 20th Century Warming Is Unlike Natural Variation (October 25, 2009) -- The possibility that climate change
might simply be a natural variation like others that have occurred throughout
geologic time is dimming, according to new evidence. The research reveals that
sediments retrieved by geologists from a remote Arctic lake are unlike those
seen during previous warming episodes. ... > full story
West
Antarctic Ice Sheet May Not Be Losing Ice As Fast As Once Thought (October 20, 2009) -- New ground measurements suggest the
rate of ice loss of the West Antarctic ice sheet has been slightly
overestimated. For the first time, researchers have directly measured the
vertical motion of the bedrock at sites across West Antarctica using GPS. The
results will lead to more accurate estimates of ice mass loss. ... > full story
Global
Surface Temperature Was Second Warmest For September (October 18, 2009) -- The combined global land and ocean
surface temperature was the second warmest September on record, according to
NOAA. Scientists also reported that the average land surface temperature for
September was the second warmest on record, behind 2005. Additionally, the
global ocean surface temperature was tied for the fifth warmest on record for
September. ... > full story
Survey
Data Supports Rapid Ice Loss: Largely Open Arctic Seas In Summer Within 10
Years (October 15, 2009) -- The Arctic
Ocean sea ice is thinning, new data show, supporting the emerging thinking that
the Ocean will be largely ice-free during summer within a decade. ...
> full story
Arctic Has
Potential To Alter Earth's Climate: Arctic Land And Seas Account For Up To 25
Percent Of World's Carbon Sink (October 15,
2009) -- In a new study, ecologists estimate that Arctic lands and
oceans are responsible for up to 25 percent of the global net sink of
atmospheric carbon dioxide. Under current predictions of global warming, this
Arctic sink could be diminished or reversed, potentially accelerating predicted
rates of climate change. ... > full story
Rising Sea
Levels Are Increasing Risk Of Flooding Along South Coast Of England
(October 10, 2009) -- A new study has found that sea
levels have been rising across the south coast of England over the past
century, substantially increasing the risk of flooding during storms. ...
> full story
Arctic warming overtakes 2,000 years of natural
cooling
http://www.gizmag.com/arctic-warming-overtakes-2000-years-of-natural-cooling/12744/
Peering
Under The Ice Of Collapsing Polar Coast (October
8, 2009) -- Starting this month, a giant NASA DC-8 aircraft loaded with
geophysical instruments and scientists will buzz at low level over the coasts
of West Antarctica, where ice sheets are collapsing at a pace far beyond what
scientists expected a few years ago. The flights, dubbed Operation Ice Bridge,
are an effort to image what is happening on, and under, the ice, in order to
estimate future sea-level rises that might result. ... > full story
Arctic Sea
Ice Recovers Slightly In 2009, Remains On Downward Trend (October 6, 2009) -- Despite a slight recovery in summer
Arctic sea ice in 2009 from record-setting low years in 2007 and 2008, the sea
ice extent remains significantly below previous years and remains on a trend
leading toward ice-free Arctic summers, according to the University of Colorado
at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center. ... > full story
How Will
Future Sea-level Rise Linked To Climate Change Affect Coastal Areas?
(October 6, 2009) -- The anticipated sea-level rise
associated with climate change, including increased storminess, over the next
100 years and the impact on the nation's low-lying coastal infrastructure is
the focus of a new, interdisciplinary study led by geologists. ... > full story
Global
Increase In Atmospheric Methane Likely Caused By Unusual Arctic Warmth, Tropical
Wetness (September 28, 2009) -- Unusually
high temperatures in the Arctic and heavy rains in the tropics likely drove a
global increase in atmospheric methane in 2007 and 2008 after a decade of
near-zero growth, according to a new study. Methane is the second most abundant
greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide, albeit a distant second. ... > full story
Cassandras of Climate By PAUL KRUGMAN
As climate scientists have begun reaching consensus that Earth's outlook is getting worse at greater speed, the need for government action is thrown into sharper relief.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/28/opinion/28krugman.html?th&emc=th
China is beginning to rethink climate change because
of their own rapidly melting glacier, which is a popular tourist attraction,
but is rapidly melting away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/26/opinion/26Schell.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Lasers
From Space Show Thinning Of Greenland And Antarctic Ice Sheets (September 24, 2009) -- The most comprehensive picture of
the rapidly thinning glaciers along the coastline of both the Antarctic and
Greenland ice sheets has been created using satellite lasers. The findings are
an important step forward in the quest to make more accurate predictions for
future sea level rise. ... > full story
Arctic Sea
Ice Reaches Minimum Extent For 2009, Third Lowest Ever Recorded (September 18, 2009) -- The Arctic sea ice cover appears to
have reached its minimum extent for the year, the third-lowest recorded since
satellites began measuring sea ice extent in 1979. ... > full story
Ocean
Acidification: Impact On Key Organisms Of Oceanic Fauna May Be Worse Than
Predicted (September 17, 2009) -- In
addition to global warming, carbon dioxide emissions cause another, less
well-known but equally serious and worrying phenomenon: ocean acidification.
Researchers have just demonstrated that key marine organisms, such as
deep-water corals and pteropods (shelled pelagic mollusks) will be profoundly
affected by this phenomenon during the years to come. ... > full story
Melting Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Mapped (September 17, 2009) -- Will all of the ice on Greenland melt and flow out into the sea, bringing about a colossal rise in ocean levels on Earth, as the global temperature rises? ... > full story
The new results show the ice sheet is very sensitive to
the temperature.
New Carbon
Dioxide Data Helps Unlock The Secrets Of Antarctic Formation (September 14, 2009) -- The link between declining carbon
dioxide levels in the earth's atmosphere and the formation of the Antarctic ice
caps some 34 million years ago has been confirmed for the first time in a major
research study. ... > full story
Early
Warning Signals Of Change: 'Tipping Points' Identified Where Sudden Shifts To
New Conditions Occur (September 5, 2009)
-- What do abrupt changes in ocean circulation and Earth's climate, shifts in
wildlife populations and ecosystems, the global finance market and its
system-wide crashes, and asthma attacks and epileptic seizures have in common?
According to new research, all share generic early-warning signals that
indicate a critical threshold of change dead ahead. ... > full story
Long-term
Cooling Trend In Arctic Abruptly Reverses, Signaling Potential For Sea Rise
(September 4, 2009) -- Warming from greenhouse gases
has trumped the Arctic's millennia-long natural cooling cycle, suggests new
research. Although the Arctic has been receiving less energy from the summer
sun for the past 8,000 years, summer temperatures began climbing in 1900. The
decade from 1999 to 2008 was the warmest in the Arctic in two millennia, report
scientists who tracked Arctic temperatures 2,000 years into the past using
natural archives including lake sediments, tree rings and ice cores. ...
> full story
Methane
Gas Likely Spewing Into The Oceans Through Vents In Sea Floor (September 3, 2009) -- Scientists worry that rising global
temperatures accompanied by melting permafrost in arctic regions will initiate
the release of underground methane into the atmosphere. A new paper elucidates
how this underground methane in frozen regions would escape and concludes that
methane trapped under the ocean may already be escaping through vents in the
sea floor a million times faster than previously believed. ... > full story
Time To Lift The Geoengineering Taboo, Experts Urge (September 2, 2009) -- Hot on the heels of the Royal Society's Geoengineering the Climate report, September's Physics World contains feature comment from UK experts stressing the need to start taking geoengineering -- deliberate interventions in the climate system to counteract man-made global warming -- more seriously. ... > full story
Stop Emitting Carbon Dioxide, Or Geoengineering Could Be Only Hope For Earth's Climate, Experts Warn (September 1, 2009) -- The future of the Earth could rest on potentially dangerous and unproven geoengineering technologies unless emissions of carbon dioxide can be greatly reduced, the latest Royal Society report has found. ... > full story
International
Greenland Ice Coring Effort Sets New Drilling Record In 2009 (August 31, 2009) -- A new international research effort on
the Greenland ice sheet has set a record for single-season deep ice-core
drilling this summer, recovering more than a mile of ice core that is expected
to help scientists better assess the risks of abrupt climate change in the
future. ... > full story “saying good by to coastal cities”
Ocean Warming,
Ocean Warning: Global ocean surface temperature in July warmest on record Posted on
Friday, August 21, 2009
http://www.climatesciencewatch.org/index.php/csw/details/ocean-warming-ocean-warning/
Warming Of
Arctic Current Over 30 Years Triggers Release Of Methane Gas (August 16, 2009) -- The warming of an Arctic current over
the last 30 years has triggered the release of methane, a potent greenhouse
gas, from methane hydrate stored in the sediment beneath the seabed. Scientists
have found that more than 250 plumes of bubbles of methane gas are rising from the
seabed of the West Spitsbergen continental margin in the Arctic. ... > full story
Antarctic
Glacier Thinning At Alarming Rate (August 15,
2009) -- The thinning of a gigantic glacier in Antarctica is
accelerating, scientists report. The Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica,
which is around twice the size of Scotland, is losing ice four times as fast as
it was a decade years ago. The research also reveals that ice thinning is now
occurring much further inland. ... > full story
Connect the dots … climate change is a threat to the
US security.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/science/earth/09climate.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
Long
Debate Ended Over Cause, Demise Of Ice Ages? Research Into Earth's Wobble
(August 7, 2009) -- Researchers have largely put to
rest a long debate on the underlying mechanism that has caused periodic ice
ages on Earth for the past 2.5 million years -- they are ultimately linked to
slight shifts in solar radiation caused by predictable changes in Earth's
rotation and axis. ... > full story
Researchers
Reveal Ocean Acidification At Station ALOHA In Hawaii (August 7, 2009) -- Despite the global environmental
importance of ocean acidification, there are few studies of sufficient
duration, accuracy and sampling intensity to document the rate of change of
ocean pH and shed light on the factors controlling its variability. Researchers
in Hawaii have recently addressed this issue. ... > full story
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/science/earth/04clima.html?_r=1&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=all
Arctic
Climate Under Greenhouse Conditions In The Late Cretaceous (July 17, 2009) -- New evidence for ice-free summers with
intermittent winter sea ice in the Arctic Ocean during the Late Cretaceous -- a
period of greenhouse conditions -- gives a glimpse of how the Arctic is likely
to respond to future global warming.
Ice free summers and only small amounts of thin ice in the winters...
> full story
Climate models predict only half the temperature
change that actually occurred.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090714124956.htm
Arctic glacier to lose Manhattan-sized 'tongue'
Trapping
Carbon Dioxide Or Switching To Nuclear Power Not Enough To Solve Global Warming
Problem, Experts Say (July 13, 2009) --
Attempting to tackle climate change by trapping carbon dioxide or switching to
nuclear power will not solve the problem of global warming, according to new
energy calculations. Scientists have calculated the total energy emissions from
the start of the industrial revolution in the 1880s to the modern day. They
have worked out that using the increase in average global air temperature as a
measure of global warming is an inadequate measure of climate change. They
suggest that scientists must also take into account the total energy of the
ground, ice masses and the seas if they are to model climate change accurately.
... > full story
New NASA
Satellite Survey Reveals Dramatic Arctic Sea Ice Thinning (July 8, 2009) -- Arctic sea ice thinned dramatically
between the winters of 2004 and 2008, with thin seasonal ice replacing thick
older ice as the dominant type for the first time on record. The new results,
based on data from a NASA Earth-orbiting spacecraft, provide further evidence
for the rapid, ongoing transformation of the Arctic's ice cover. ... > full story
Ancient
Supervolcano's Eruption Caused Decade Of Severe Winters (July 6, 2009) -- Previous studies have suggested that
Indonesia's Toba supervolcano, when it erupted about 74,000 years ago,
triggered a 1,000-year episode of ice sheet advance, and also may have produced
a short-lived "volcanic winter," which drastically reduced the human
population at the time. Researchers have now found that none of the models to
simulate the supervolcanic eruption initiate glaciation. ... > full story
Super-size
Deposits Of Frozen Carbon In Arctic Could Worsen Climate Change (July 6, 2009) -- The vast amount of carbon stored in the
Arctic and boreal regions of the world is more than double that previously
estimated, according to a new study. The new estimate is over 1.5 trillion tons
of frozen carbon, about twice as much carbon as contained in the atmosphere.
... > full story
The Arctic Thaw Could
Make Global Warming Worse
Sea Ice At
Lowest Level In 800 Years Near Greenland (July
2, 2009) -- New research, which reconstructs the extent of ice in the
sea between Greenland and Svalbard from the 13th century to the present
indicates that there has never been so little sea ice as there is now. ...
> full story
Plants
Save The Earth From An Icy Doom (July 2, 2009)
-- When glaciers advanced over much of the Earth's surface during the last ice
age, what kept the planet from freezing over entirely? This has been a puzzle
to climate scientists because leading models have indicated that over the past
24 million years geological conditions should have caused carbon dioxide levels
in the atmosphere to plummet, possibly leading to runaway "icehouse"
conditions. Now researchers report on the missing piece of the puzzle --
plants. ... > full story
Sea Level Rise: It’s Worse Than We Thought
Global
Sunscreen Won't Save Corals (June 26, 2009)
-- Emergency plans to counteract global warming by artificially shading the
Earth from incoming sunlight might lower the planet's temperature a few degrees,
but such "geoengineering" solutions would do little to stop the
acidification of the world oceans that threatens coral reefs and other marine
life, report the authors of a new study. The culprit is atmospheric carbon
dioxide, which even in a cooler globe will continue to be absorbed by seawater,
creating acidic conditions. ... > full story
Ice Sheets
Can Retreat 'In A Geologic Instant,' Study Of Prehistoric Glacier Shows
(June 22, 2009) -- Modern glaciers, such as those
making up the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, are capable of undergoing
periods of rapid shrinkage or retreat, according to new findings by
paleoclimatologists, resulting
in sharply rising global sea levels, which would threaten coastal populations. Briner said the findings are especially relevant to the Jakobshavn
Isbrae, Greenland's largest and fastest moving tidewater glacier, which is
retreating under conditions similar to those he studied in the Canadian Arctic....
> full story
2 Degree C rise forecasted to occur somewhere
between 20 to 40 years from now
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/humans-halfway-to-causing-dangerous-climate-change/ and
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/06/a-warning-from-copenhagen/
see how these points appear on my 2006 forecast
report posted here:
http://egpreston.com/oceanriseprediction.pdf
Carbon
Dioxide Higher Today Than Last 2.1 Million Years (June 21, 2009) -- Researchers have reconstructed atmospheric
carbon dioxide levels over the past 2.1 million years in the sharpest detail
yet, shedding new light on its role in the Earth's cycles of cooling and
warming. ... > full story
Greenland
Ice Sheet Melting Faster Than Expected; Larger Contributor To Sea-level Rise
Than Thought (June 13, 2009) -- The
Greenland ice sheet is melting faster than expected, according to a new study.
Study results indicate that the ice sheet may be responsible for nearly 25
percent of global sea rise in the past 13 years. ... > full story
Carbon
Emissions Linked To Global Warming In Simple Linear Relationship (June 11, 2009) -- Scientists have found a direct
relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and global warming. Researchers
used a combination of global climate models and historical climate data to show
that there is a simple linear relationship between total cumulative emissions
and global temperature change. ... > full story
As Alaska Glaciers Melt, It's Land That's Rising. Relieved of billions of tons of glacial weight, the land in Juneau is rising much as a cushion regains its shape after someone gets up from a couch.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/18/science/earth/18juneau.html?th&emc=th
Warming
Climate Is Affecting Cascades Snowpack In Pacific Northwest (May 15, 2009) -- There has been recent disagreement about
the snowpack decline in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest, but new
research leaves little doubt that a warmer climate has a significant effect on
the snowpack, even if other factors keep year-to-year measurements close to
normal for a period of years. ... > full story
Melting
Threat From West Antarctic Ice Sheet May Be Less Than Expected; But U.S.
Coastal Cities At Risk (May 15, 2009) --
While a total or partial collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet as a result
of warming would not raise global sea levels as high as some predict, levels on
the US seaboards would rise 25 percent more than the global average and
threaten cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, according
to a new study. ... > full story
Cold Water
Ocean Circulation Doesn't Work As Expected (May
14, 2009) -- The familiar model of Atlantic ocean currents that shows a
discrete "conveyor belt" of deep, cold water flowing southward from
the Labrador Sea is probably all wet. ... > full story
Climate
Change Could Displace Millions In Asia's Coral Triangle (May 14, 2009) -- Coral reefs could disappear entirely from
the Coral Triangle region of the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century,
threatening the food supply and livelihoods for about 100 million people,
according to a new study. Averting catastrophe will depend on quick and
effective global action on climate change coupled with the implementation of
regional solutions to problems of over-fishing and pollution. ... > full story Comment from Gene Preston. As an energy system expert I can tell you
that there will not be any quick global actions on climate change. I would recommend you plan for the less
optimistic scenario.
Global
Warming Inadvertently Curbed In Past By Lead Pollution, Scientists Find
(May 13, 2009) -- Lead pollution in the air may have considerably
curbed the greenhouse effect in the past. Lead pollution in the air stimulates
the formation of ice particles in clouds. Scientist have found that particles
containing lead are excellent seeds for the formation of ice crystals in
clouds. This not only has a bearing on the formation of rain and other forms of
precipitation but may also have an influence on the global climate. ...
> full story
Changes In
The Sun Are Not Causing Global Warming, New Study Shows (May 12, 2009) -- With the US Congress beginning to consider
regulations on greenhouse gases, a troubling hypothesis about how the sun may
impact global warming is finally laid to rest. ... > full story
Climate
Experts Warn That Short-Term Snapshots Of Temperature Data Can Be Misleading:
Focus Instead On The Bigger Picture (May 5,
2009) -- In the hotly debated arena of global climate change, using
short-term trends that show little temperature change or even slight cooling to
refute global warming is misleading, write two climate experts in a paper
recently published by the American Geophysical Union -- especially as the
long-term pattern clearly shows human activities are causing the earth's
climate to heat up. ... > full story
Climate
Change: Halving Carbon Dioxide Emissions By 2050 Could Stabilize Global Warming
(May 4, 2009) -- If carbon dioxide emissions are
halved by 2050 compared to 1990, global warming can be stabilized below two
degrees, according to a new study by German, Swiss and British researchers. ...
> full story
Arctic
Trek To 'Break The Ice' On New NASA Airborne Radars (May 4, 2009) -- NASA will 'break the ice' on a pair of new
airborne radars that can help monitor climate change as a team of scientists
embarks on a two-month expedition to the vast, frigid terrain of Greenland and
Iceland. ... > full story
Satellite
Imagery Shows Fragile Wilkins Ice Shelf Destabilized (April 29, 2009) -- Satellite images show that icebergs have
begun to calve from the northern front of the Wilkins Ice Shelf – indicating
that the huge shelf has become unstable. This follows the collapse three weeks
ago of the ice bridge that had previously linked the Antarctic mainland to
Charcot Island. ... > full story
Industry Ignored Its Scientists on Climate
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
A fossil fuels industry group campaigned against an idea
its own scientists called irrefutable: a link between
heat-trapping gases and climate change.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/science/earth/24deny.html?th&emc=th
Increasing
Antarctic Sea Ice Extent Linked To Ozone Hole (April
22, 2009) -- Increased growth in Antarctic sea ice during the past 30
years is a result of changing weather patterns caused by the ozone hole,
according to new research. ... > full story
Antarctica Ice is growing and shrinking at the same
time – an update.
Cuts In
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Would Save Arctic Ice, Reduce Sea Level Rise
(April 15, 2009) -- The impact of global warming can
be greatly diminished if nations cut emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse
gases by 70 percent this century, according to a new study. The most dangerous
potential aspects of climate change, including massive losses of Arctic ice and
significant sea-level rise, could be partially avoided. ... > full story
When
Oceans Get Warmer, Carbon Dioxide Uptake By Marine Plankton May Be Reduced
(April 14, 2009) -- Melting ice at the poles, rising
sea-level, extreme weather conditions: the signs of climate change are
ubiquitous. Biologists have now shown that the uptake of carbon dioxide by
marine plankton organisms will be reduced in response to ocean warming, thereby
potentially feeding back to climate change. ... > full story
When
Oceans Get Warmer, Carbon Dioxide Uptake By Marine Plankton May Be Reduced
(April 14, 2009) -- Melting ice at the poles, rising
sea-level, extreme weather conditions: the signs of climate change are
ubiquitous. Biologists have now shown that the uptake of carbon dioxide by
marine plankton organisms will be reduced in response to ocean warming, thereby
potentially feeding back to climate change. ... > full story
Climate
Change Leads To Major Decrease In Carbon Dioxide Storage (April 10, 2009) -- The North Atlantic Ocean is one of the
Earth's tools to offset natural carbon dioxide emissions. In fact, the 'carbon
sink' in the North Atlantic is the primary gate for carbon dioxide entering the
global ocean and stores it for about 1500 years. The oceans have removed nearly
30 per cent of anthropogenic (man-made) emissions over the last 250 years.
However, several recent studies show a dramatic decline in the North Atlantic
Ocean's carbon sink. ... > full story
Giant mass of Antarctic ice 'set for collapse'
Arctic
Literally On Thin Ice, According To New Satellite Data (April 6, 2009) -- The latest data from NASA and the
University of Colorado at Boulder's National Snow and Ice Data Center show the
continuation of a decade-long trend of shrinking sea ice extent in the Arctic,
including new evidence for thinning ice as well. ... > full story
Collapse
Of The Ice Bridge Supporting Wilkins Ice Shelf Appears Imminent (April 4, 2009) -- The Wilkins Ice Shelf is at risk of
partly breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula as the ice bridge that
connects it to Charcot and Latady Islands looks set to collapse. The beginning
of what appears to be the demise of the ice bridge began this week when new
rifts forming along its center axis resulted in a large block of ice breaking
away. ... > full story
Rising Sea
Levels Will Lead To 'Relocation, Relocation, Relocation': Math Could Address
Climate Change Population Concerns (April 3,
2009) -- As sea levels rise in the wake of climate change and semi-arid
regions turn to desert, people living in those parts of the world are likely to
be displaced. Mathematicians have worked out a new approach to planned
relocation. ... > full story
Carbonated
Oceans (March 27, 2009) -- The loading of
carbon dioxide into oceans is a consequence of fossil fuel use that has only
begun to be widely recognized as problematic in the past decade. Its subsequent
effects on seawater chemistry have the potential to spread ecological disaster
to a variety of industries dependent on the seas. ... > full story
EPA: Carbon Dioxide A Danger To Public Health.
The Wall Street Journal (3/24, Talley) reports the
Environmental Protection Agency has submitted a proposed finding to the White
House indicating that "carbon dioxide is a danger to public health, a step
that could trigger a clampdown on emissions of greenhouse gases across a wide
swath of the economy." Were the White House to approve the finding, the
EPA could "use the Clean Air Act to control emissions of carbon dioxide
and other greenhouse gases believed to contribute to climate change," and
"raise pressure on Congress to enact a system that caps greenhouse
gases."
The AP (3/24, Hebert) reports the White House has
indicated it will "move cautiously when it comes to actually regulating
greenhouse gases, preferring to have Congress act on the matter." White
House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said, "I think this is just the step in
[the] process" of determining whether emissions should be regulated under
the Clean Air Act. Another White House official suggested it would be "'a
long process' before any rules would be expected to be issued on heat-trapping
emissions."
The Washington Post (3/24, A1, Eilperin) reports
on the front page that White House spokesman Ben LaBolt stressed, "The
president has made clear that to combat climate change, his strong preference
is for Congress to pass energy security legislation that includes a cap on
greenhouse gas emissions. The Supreme Court ruled that the EPA must review
whether greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to public health or welfare, and
this is simply the next step in what will be a long process that engages
stakeholders and the public." The Detroit News (3/23, Shepardson), the Los Angeles Times (3/24, Eilperin), Bloomberg News (3/23, Dodge), Time (3/24, Walsh), and the New York Times (3/24, A16, Galbraith,
Barringer) also report the story.
Climate
Warming Affects Antarctic Ice Sheet Stability (March
22, 2009) -- A five-nation scientific team has published new evidence
that even a slight rise in atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, one of
the gases that drives global warming, affects the stability of the West
Antarctic Ice Sheet. The massive WAIS covers the continent on the Pacific side
of the Transantarctic Mountains. Any substantial melting of the ice sheet would
cause a rise in global sea levels. ... > full story
Carbon
Sinks Losing The Battle With Rising Emissions (March
21, 2009) -- The stabilizing influence that land and ocean carbon sinks
have on rising carbon emissions is gradually weakening, scientists who attended
the international Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. ... > full story
Climate-related Changes Affect Life On The Antarctic Peninsula (March 17, 2009) -- Scientists have long established that the Antarctic Peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming spots on Earth. Now, new research using detailed satellite data indicates that the changing climate is affecting not just the penguins at the apex of the food chain, but simultaneously the microscopic life that is the base of the ecosystem. ... > full story
Sea Level Rise Due To Global Warming Poses Threat To New York City (March 16, 2009) -- Global warming is expected to cause the sea level along the northeastern US coast to rise almost twice as fast as global sea levels during this century, putting New York City at greater risk for damage from hurricanes and winter storm surge, according to a new study. ... > full story
Ninth
Warmest February For Globe, NOAA (March 16,
2009) -- The combined global land and ocean surface average temperature
for February 2009 was the ninth warmest since records began in 1880, according
to an analysis by NOAA. ... > full story
Environmental Researchers Drill Arctic Lake For Climate Change Clues.
The Boston Globe (3/16, Venkataraman) reports,
"A hardy band of scientists led by a UMass professor - undeterred by
white-out blizzards or 40-below-zero cold - today sent a drill through the
floor of a Siberian crater lake and deep into the earth. From there, they hope
to extract an unparalleled record of climate change." The article
describes how the researchers prepared the drill site and equipment, as well as
the conditions they endure working in the Arctic. The Globe notes that,
"unlike many other lakes in northern latitudes," Lake El'gygytgyn
"was never plowed by glaciers, which scrape away layers of soil. As a
result, scientists believe, it could hold the only detailed record of sediment
deposits on a polar land mass that dates back millions of years."
Analyzing the samples "could tell researchers how the Arctic landscape has
changed over time," among other things. (article from ASEE Mar 16, 2009)
Wind
Shifts May Stir Carbon Dioxide From Antarctic Depths, Amplifying Global Warming
(March 13, 2009) -- Natural releases of carbon dioxide
from the Southern Ocean due to shifting wind patterns could have amplified
global warming at the end of the last ice age -- and could be repeated as
man-made warming proceeds, a new article in the journal Science suggests. ...
> full story
Rising Sea
Levels Set To Have Major Impacts Around The World (March 11, 2009) -- New research shows that the upper range
of sea level rise by 2100 could be in the range of about one meter, or possibly
more. This means that if emissions of greenhouse gases is not reduced quickly
and substantially, even the best case scenario will hit low lying coastal areas
housing one in ten humans on the planet hard. ... > full story
Sea
level rise could bust IPCC estimate
- 14:38 10
March 2009 by Catherine
Brahic, Copenhagen
- For similar stories, visit the Climate Change
Topic Guide
- Sea level rise could bust IPCC
estimate
Rising Sea
Levels Set To Have Major Impacts Around The World (March 11, 2009) -- New research shows that the upper range
of sea level rise by 2100 could be in the range of about one meter, or possibly
more. This means that if emissions of greenhouse gases is not reduced quickly
and substantially, even the best case scenario will hit low lying coastal areas
housing one in ten humans on the planet hard. ... > full story
Coral
Reefs May Start Dissolving When Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Doubles
(March 10, 2009) -- Rising carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and the resulting effects on ocean water are making it increasingly
difficult for coral reefs to grow, say scientists. A new study warns that if
carbon dioxide reaches double pre-industrial levels, coral reefs can be
expected to not just stop growing, but also to begin dissolving all over the
world. ... > full story
Sea Level
Rises Offer New Explanation For Puzzling Biological Divide Along Malay
Peninsula (March 9, 2009) -- More than 58
rapid sea level rises in the last five million years could account for an
apparently abrupt switch in the kinds in of mammals found along the Malay
Peninsula in southeast Asia -- from mainland species to island species -- in
the absence of any geographical barrier, ecologists say. ... > full story
Birds Move
North With Climate Change (March 5, 2009)
-- For the first time, researchers have documented a shift in breeding ranges
for northerly species in North America. The study parallels findings in Europe.
... > full story
Mediterranean
Sea Level Could Rise By Over Two Feet, Global Models Predict (March 4, 2009) -- A Spanish-British research project has
come up with three future scenarios for the effects of climate change on the
Mediterranean over the next 90 years, using global models from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The conclusions show that ocean
temperatures in this area will increase, along with sea levels. ... > full story
Oceanic
Seesaw Links Northern And Southern Hemisphere During Abrupt Climate Change During
Last Ice Age (March 3, 2009) -- Very
large and abrupt changes in temperature recorded over Greenland and across the
North Atlantic during the last Ice Age were actually global in extent,
according to new research. The research supports the idea that changes in ocean
circulation within the Atlantic played a central role in abrupt climate change
on a global scale. ... > full story
Erosion
Rates Double Along Portion Of Alaska's Coast (March
1, 2009) -- Skyrocketing coastal erosion occurred in Alaska between 2002
and 2007 along a 40-mile stretch of the Beaufort Sea, a new study finds. The
surge of erosion in recent years, averaging more than double historical rates,
is threatening coastal towns and destroying Alaskan cultural relics. ...
> full story
Lower
Increases In Global Temperatures Could Lead To Greater Impacts Than Previously
Thought, Study Finds (March 1, 2009) -- A
new study by scientists updating the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change 2001 Third Assessment Report finds that even a lower level of
increase in average global temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions could
cause significant problems in five key areas of global concern. ... > full story
Carbon
Dioxide Drop And Global Cooling Caused Antarctic Glacier To Form (February 27, 2009) -- Global climate rapidly shifted from a
relatively ice-free world to one with massive ice sheets on Antarctica about 34
million years ago. What happened? What changed? Scientists offer a new
perspective on the nature of changing climatic conditions across this
greenhouse-to-icehouse transition -- one that refutes earlier theories and has
important implications for predicting future climate changes. ... > full story
Study: Antarctic
glaciers slipping swiftly seaward
UT geophysicist's related work shows that in the
"worst case," sea levels could rise 20 feet because of changes in
west Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Arctic's methane bubbles seen as climate threat
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/02/26/0226methane.html
Carbon
Dioxide Drop And Global Cooling Caused Antarctic Glacier To Form (February 27, 2009) -- Global climate rapidly shifted from a
relatively ice-free world to one with massive ice sheets on Antarctica about 34
million years ago. What happened? What changed? Scientists offer a new
perspective on the nature of changing climatic conditions across this
greenhouse-to-icehouse transition -- one that refutes earlier theories and has
important implications for predicting future climate changes. ... > full story
Ice
Declining Faster Than Expected In Both Arctic And Antarctic Glaciers
(February 26, 2009) -- New evidence of the widespread
effects of global warming in the polar regions is emerging. Snow and ice are
declining in both polar regions, affecting human livelihoods as well as local
plant and animal life in the Arctic, as well as global ocean and atmospheric
circulation and sea level. The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are losing
mass contributing to sea level rise. Warming in the Antarctic is much more
widespread than previously thought, and it now appears that the rate of ice
loss from Greenland is increasing. ... > full story
Greenland
And Antarctic Ice Sheet Melting, Rate Unknown (February
25, 2009) -- The Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets are melting, but
the amounts that will melt and the time it will take are still unknown,
according to researchers. ... > full story
Melting on the Greenland Ice Cap, 2008
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=37215
Vital
Climate Change Warnings Are Being Ignored, Says Expert (February 23, 2009) -- Canada's inland waters, the countless
lakes and reservoirs across the country, are important "sentinels"
for climate change and yet the warnings are being ignored. ... > full story
Ocean Less
Effective At Absorbing Carbon Dioxide Emitted By Human Activity (February 23, 2009) -- In the Southern Indian Ocean, climate
change is leading to stronger winds, which mix waters, bringing carbon dioxide
up from the ocean depths to the surface. As a result, the Southern Ocean can no
longer absorb as much atmospheric CO2 as before. Its role as a 'carbon sink'
has been weakened, and it may now be ten times less efficient than previously
estimated. The same trend can be observed at high latitudes in the North
Atlantic. ... > full story
NASA-Funded
Carbon Dioxide Map Of U.S. Released On Google Earth (February 23, 2009) -- Interactive maps that detail carbon
dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion are now available on the popular
Google Earth platform. The maps, funded by NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy
through the joint North American Carbon Program, can display fossil fuel
emissions by the hour, geographic region, and fuel type. ... > full story
Tracking
Warming Trend In Northwestern North America (February
22, 2009) -- A new study says that weather, especially in late winter
and early spring, is getting warmer in northwestern North America. ...
> full story
Glaciers
In China And Tibet Fading Fast (February 22,
2009) -- Glaciers that serve as water sources to one of the most
ecologically diverse alpine communities on earth are melting at an alarming
rate, according to a recent report. ... > full story
Planet
Earth: Avoiding The Hothouse And The Icehouse Of The Future (February 19, 2009) -- By controlling emissions of fossil
fuels we may be able to greatly delay the start of the next ice age, new
research concludes. From an Earth history perspective, we are living in cold
times. The greatest climate challenge mankind has faced has been surviving ice
ages that have dominated climate during the past million years. ... > full story
Permafrost
Is Thawing In Northern Sweden (February 19,
2009) -- Areas with lowland permafrost are likely to shrink in northern
Sweden. Warmer summers and more winter precipitation are two of the reasons.
... > full story
Climate
'Flickering' Ended Last Ice Age In North Atlantic Region (February 17, 2009) -- The period towards the end of the ice
age was engraved by extreme and short-lived variations, which finally
terminated the ice age. ... > full story
Climate
Change Likely To Be More Devastating Than Experts Predicted, Warns Top IPCC
Scientist (February 15, 2009) -- Without
decisive action, global warming is likely to accelerate at a much faster pace
and cause more environmental damage than predicted, says Stanford scientist
Chris Field, a leading member of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change. Field warns that higher temperatures could ignite
tropical forests and melt the Arctic tundra, releasing billions of tons of
greenhouse gas that could raise temperatures even more -- a vicious cycle that
could spiral out of control. ... > full story!
Related to climate change:
Climate
Change Increasingly Impacting Investment Decisions (February 16, 2009) -- Three-quarters of 80 global
institutional investors factor climate change information into investment
decisions and asset allocations. Some investor institutions are now willing to
ask companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. ... > full story
Dramatic
Rise In Sea Level And Its Broad Ramifications Uncovered (February 10, 2009) -- Scientists have found proof in
Bermuda that the planet's sea level was once more than 70 feet higher about
400,000 years ago than it is now. This had grave ramifications for the
biodiversity on the planets coastlines and small islands. ... > full story
Global
Warming Threatens Antarctic Sea Life (February
9, 2009) -- Climate change is about to cause a major upheaval in the
shallow marine waters of Antarctica. Predatory crabs are poised to return to
warming Antarctic waters and disrupt the primeval marine communities. ...
> full story
Collapse
Of Antarctic Ice Sheet Would Likely Put Washington, D.C. Largely Underwater
(February 6, 2009) -- Geophysicists have shown that
should the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse and melt in a warming world -- as
many scientists are concerned it will -- it is the coastlines of North America
and of nations in the southern Indian Ocean that will face the greatest threats
from rising sea levels. ... > full story
Sea-level
Rise Around North America Upon Collapse Of Antarctic Ice Sheet To Be Higher
Than Expected (February 6, 2009) --
Geophysicists have shown that should the West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse and
melt in a warming world -- as many scientists are concerned it will -- it is
the coastlines of North America and of nations in the southern Indian Ocean that
will face the greatest threats from rising sea levels. ... > full story
More
Extreme Weather In The Arctic Regions (February
5, 2009) -- A study suggests that extreme weather events in the Arctic
will become more common as the winter ice cover retreats, with potentially
severe consequences for human activity. ... > full story
EnergyWise: PNAS Paper Details Irreversible Climate
Change
A paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences spells out
human-induced climate changes that will be irreversible for as much as 1000
years after greenhouse gas emissions stop. The findings carry extra weight
because of the scientific prestige of the lead author, the atmospheric chemist
Susan Solomon.
Read more and comment.
Global
Scientists Draw Attention To Threat Of Ocean Acidification (February 5, 2009) -- More than 150 leading marine
scientists from 26 countries are calling for immediate action by policy-makers
to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions so as to avoid widespread and severe
damage to marine ecosystems from ocean acidification. ... > full story
Glaciers
Around The Globe Continue To Melt At High Rates (February
4, 2009) -- Glaciers around the globe continue to melt at high rates.
Tentative figures for the year 2007, of the World Glacier Monitoring Service
indicate a further loss of average ice thickness of roughly 0.67 meter water
equivalent (m w.e.). Some glaciers in the European Alps lost up to 2.5 m w.e.
... > full story
Climate Change Largely Irreversible For Next 1,000 Years, NOAA Reports (January 28, 2009) -- A new scientific study led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reaches a powerful conclusion about the climate change caused by future increases of carbon dioxide: to a large extent, there's no going back. ... > full story
Global Warming From Carbon Dioxide Will Increase Five-fold Over The Next Millennium, Scientists Predict (January 29, 2009) -- Scientists have found that heating from carbon dioxide will increase five-fold over the next millennium. ... > full story
Orbiting Carbon Observatory Investigates Mystery Of The Missing Sinks (January 27, 2009) -- Trees "inhale" carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, transforming that greenhouse gas into the building materials and energy it needs to grow its branches and leaves. Though scientists agree the remaining carbon dioxide is also "inhaled" by Earth, they have been unable to precisely determine where it is going, what processes are involved, and whether Earth will continue to absorb it in the future. A new NASA satellite scheduled to launch in February 2009 is poised to shed a very bright light on these "missing" sinks: the Orbiting Carbon Observatory. ... > full story
Much Of Antarctica Is Warming More Than Previously Thought (January 22, 2009) -- Scientists have long believed that while the world was getting warmer, most of Antarctica was getting colder. New research shows that for the last 50 years much of Antarctica has actually been warming at a rate comparable to the rest of the world. ... > full story
Also see http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36736
Scientists Agree Human-induced Global Warming Is Real, Survey Says (January 21, 2009) -- A broad poll of experts taken by earth scientists finds that the vast majority of climatologists and other earth scientists believe in global warming and think human activity is a factor for the temperature rise. This survey dispels lingering doubts by some of a consensus among the scientists. ... > full story
Global Impact Of Climate Change On Biodiversity (January 22, 2009) -- When three undergraduates set off on an expedition in 1965 to trap moths on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo, little did they realize that they were establishing the groundwork for a study of the impacts of climate change. ... > full story
Japan To Launch Satellite To Measure Greenhouse Gases. (ASEE
report)
Bloomberg News (1/20, Sato, White) reported,
"The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to launch a satellite in two
days to measure greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere as nations seek better
data on the evolution of global warming." According to an agency
spokesperson, the "project will measure the density of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere at 56,000 points around the
globe." The spokesperson added that "development costs for the
satellite, dubbed 'Ibuki,' the Japanese word for 'breath,' totaled 18.3 billion
yen ($202 million)." Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., Japan's largest
heavy-machinery maker, stated "that it will help the agency launch
Ibuki." Bloomberg notes, "Scientists are increasingly called upon by
governments to predict the effects of global warming."
New Tool
Improves Reliability Of Climate Models (January
21, 2009) -- Scientists have created a new quantitative tool which
reconstructs the sea surface temperature during the Last Glacial Maximum.
Project MARGO offers more exhaustive data than that available at present and
will serve to represent more exact models of the past and predict the climate's
evolution in the future. ... > full story
2008
Global Temperature Ties As Eighth Warmest On Record (January 19, 2009) -- The year 2008 tied with 2001 as the
eighth warmest year on record for the Earth, based on the combined average of
worldwide land and ocean surface temperatures through December, according to a
preliminary analysis by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center. For
December alone, the month also ranked as the eighth warmest globally, for the
combined land and ocean surface temperature. The assessment is based on records
dating back to 1880. ... > full story
Arctic
Heats Up More Than Other Places: High Sea Level Rise Predicted (January 16, 2009) -- Temperature change in the Arctic is
happening at a greater rate than other places in the Northern Hemisphere, and
this is expected to continue. As a result, glacier and ice-sheet melting,
sea-ice retreat, coastal erosion and sea level rise can be expected. A new
comprehensive scientific synthesis of past Arctic climates demonstrates for the
first time the pervasive nature of Arctic climate amplification. ... > full story
Could
Ice-like Cages Be Used To Trap Carbon Dioxide Underground? (January 15, 2009) -- Ice-like "cages" of gas
trapped underground may offer a safe and efficient way to reduce global warming.
Researchers are investigating the potential for permanently storing carbon
dioxide in geological reservoirs, by locking the global-warming gas within
solid, cage-like structures called hydrates. ... > full story note by Gene Preston. This project will fail because the triple
point for CO2 requires that the CO2 ice be kept at about –60 C to remain a
solid – see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_(data_page)#Phase_diagram
There is no
location on Earth that can maintain the 10 atms pressure at this low
temperature. Therefore the project is
not feasible. This R&D is a waste
of money.
Orbiting
Carbon Observatory Will Help Track Sources Of Rising Carbon Dioxide
(January 15, 2009) -- Scientists still do not know
precisely where all the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere comes from and where
it goes. Now, they soon expect to get some answers to these and other
compelling carbon questions, thanks to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, a new
Earth-orbiting NASA satellite set to launch in early 2009. ... > full story
a Level
Rise Of One Meter Within 100 Years (January 11,
2009) -- New research indicates that the ocean could rise in the next
100 years to a meter higher than the current sea level -- which is three times
higher than predictions from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, IPCC. ... > full story
Scientists
Refute Argument Of Climate Skeptics (January 10,
2009) -- Scientists have investigated the frequency of warmer than
average years between 1880 and 2006 for the first time. The result: the
observed increase of warm years after 1990 is not a statistical accident. ...
> full story
Cause Of
Glacial Earthquakes In Greenland Clarified (January
8, 2009) -- Satellite observations during the past decade have shown
dramatic changes in flow speed on year-to-year timescales at Greenland's outlet
glaciers. Seismic events traced back to glaciers during the same time period
have been interpreted to have resulted from calving events at the glacier
terminus or surging events lubricated by subglacial meltwater. ... > full story
USGS Report on climate change December 2008
http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2091&from=rss_home
http://www.climatescience.gov/default.php
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/01/01/05/0105climate_edit.html
Solar
Activity Between 1250-1850 Linked To Temperature Changes In Siberia
(December 22, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered a
strong link between regional temperatures and the solar activity in the period
1250-1850, concluding that the sun was an important driver of preindustrial
temperature changes in the Siberian Altai. Interestingly, the regional
temperatures followed the solar forcing with a time lag of 10 to 30 years. ...
> full story
Arctic
Greening Linked To Retreating Sea Ice (December
22, 2008) -- An interdisciplinary group of scientists has strongly
linked sea ice changes to changes in Arctic land-surface temperatures and
increased tundra greenness. ... > full story
NASA Study
Links Severe Storm Increases, Global Warming
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-242
Did Early
Global Warming Divert A New Glacial Age? (December
18, 2008) -- The common wisdom is that the invention of the steam engine
and the advent of the coal-fueled industrial age marked the beginning of human
influence on global climate. Humans may have influenced the climate for
thousands of years and prevented an ice age... > full story
Global
Warming Impacts On U.S. Coming Sooner Than Expected, Report Predicts
(December 18, 2008) -- A new report provides insights
on the potential for abrupt climate change and the effects it could have on the
United States, identifying key concerns that include faster-than-expected loss
of sea ice, rising sea levels and a possibly permanent state of drought in the
American West. ... > full story
Scientists
Find Increased Methane Levels In Arctic Ocean (December
18, 2008) -- Researchers have found new data to suggest that the carbon
pool beneath the Arctic Ocean is leaking. ... > full story
Cosmic
Rays Do Not Explain Global Warming, Study Finds (December
17, 2008) -- A new study supports earlier findings by stating that
changes in cosmic rays most likely do not contribute to climate change. ...
> full story
Greenland's
Glaciers Losing Ice Faster This Year Than Last Year, Which Was Record-setting
Itself (December 16, 2008) -- Researchers
watching the loss of ice flowing out from the giant island of Greenland say
that the amount of ice lost this summer is nearly three times what was lost one
year ago. The loss of floating ice in 2008 pouring from Greenland's glaciers
would cover an area twice the size of Manhattan Island in the US, they said.
... > full story
As Ice
Melts, Antarctic Bedrock Is On The Move (December
15, 2008) -- As ice melts away from Antarctica, parts of the continental
bedrock are rising in response -- and other parts are sinking, scientists have
discovered. The finding will give much needed perspective to satellite
instruments that measure ice loss on the continent, and help improve estimates
of future sea level rise. ... > full story
Methane,
Potent Greenhouse Gas, Flowing Into The Atmosphere From Tundra Much Faster Than
Expected (December 11, 2008) -- Much more
methane gas is being emitted into the atmosphere from the tundra in northeast
Greenland than previous studies have shown. New figures reveal that large
amounts of greenhouse gases are being emitted into the atmosphere, not just
during the warm summer months, but also during the colder autumn months. ...
> full story
Carbon
Dioxide Helped Ancient Earth Escape Deathly Deep Freeze (December 8, 2008) -- The planet's present day greenhouse
scourge, carbon dioxide, may have played a vital role in helping ancient Earth
to escape from complete glaciation, say scientists. ... > full story
Shrinking
Glaciers Reveal Hidden Forests And A Warmer Climate (December 5, 2008) -- Uniquely old tree remains have
recently been uncovered by the thawing of the rapidly shrinking Kårsa Glacier
west of Abisko in Lapland, in northernmost Sweden. The finds show that in the
last 7,000 years it has probably never been so warm as during the last century.
... > full story
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Still Increasing (December 5, 2008) -- Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 7,282 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO 2e) in 2007, an increase of 1.4 percent from the 2006 level according to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2007. Since 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have grown at an average annual rate of 0.9 percent. ... > full story
Young
People Choose Cars Above Greener Transport Options (December 5, 2008) -- Young people find the prospect of
driving cars more attractive than other modes of travel that are kinder to the
environment, according to new research. ... > full story
Climate
Clues In Southern Ocean: Ocean Currents Surprisingly Resistant To Intensifying
Winds (December 2, 2008) -- The Antarctic
Circumpolar Current is the current system with the largest volume transport in
the world ocean. Between 40° and 60°S strong westerlies move about 140 million
cubic meters of water per second around the Antarctic continent (this is about
five times the transport of the Gulf Stream). Vertical motions associated with
this current have been responsible for transporting a substantial fraction of
the anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere to the deep
ocean, thereby effectively damping the rate of global warming. ... > full story
Antarctica:
Wilkins Ice Shelf Under Threat (December 1,
2008) -- New rifts have developed on the Wilkins Ice Shelf that could
lead to the opening of the ice bridge that has been preventing the ice shelf
from disintegrating and breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula. ...
> full story
UT scientist drops research that he says pollutes
Robot Gliders Take The Oceans’s Pulse
Sea Level
Rise Alters Chesapeake Bay's Salinity (November
25, 2008) -- While global-warming-induced coastal flooding moves
populations inland, the changes in sea level will affect the salinity of
estuaries, which influences aquatic life, fishing and recreation. ...
> full story
Ocean
Growing More Acidic Faster Than Once Thought; Increasing Acidity Threatens Sea
Life (November 26, 2008) -- Scientists
have documented that the ocean is growing more acidic faster than previously
thought. In addition, they have found that the increasing acidity correlates
with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The increasingly acidic
water harms certain sea animals and could reduce the ocean's ability to absorb
carbon dioxide. ... > full story
Arctic Sea Ice Decline Shakes Up Ecosystems
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/view.php?id=35950
Second
Warmest October For Global Temperatures, NOAA Says (November 24, 2008) -- The combined global land and ocean
surface average temperature for October 2008 was the second warmest since
records began in 1880, according to a preliminary analysis by NOAA. ...
> full story
One Democrat takes
chance in ousting another fellow Democrat:
Doggett helped dethrone energy panel chief
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/11/22/1122texasenergy.html
How Global
Warming May Affect U.S. Beaches, Coastline (November
24, 2008) -- Scientists are finding that sea level rise will have
different consequences in different places but that they will be profound on
virtually all coastlines. Land in some areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of
the United States will simply be underwater. On the West Coast, with its
different topography and different climate regimes, problems will likely play out
differently. The scientists' most recent conclusions, even when conservative
scenarios are involved, suggest that coastal development, popular beaches,
vital estuaries, and even California's supply of fresh water could be severely
impacted by a combination of natural and human-made forces.
Snow In
The Arctic: An Ingredient In A Surprising Chemical Cocktail (November 22, 2008) -- In the Arctic in spring, the snow
cover gives off nitrogen oxides. This phenomenon, the extent of which had not
been previously realized, is the source of one third of the nitrates present in
the Arctic atmosphere, according to researchers. Scientists made a quantitative
study of the origin and evolution of nitrogen compounds in the Arctic
atmosphere, in order to understand their environmental impact on this region.
... > full story
Quicker,
Easier Way To Make Coal Cleaner (November 19,
2008) -- Construction of new coal-fired power plants in the United
States is in danger of coming to a standstill, partly due to the high cost of
the requirement -- whether existing or anticipated -- to capture all emissions
of carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas. But an MIT analysis suggests an
intermediate step that could get construction moving again, allowing the nation
to fend off growing electricity shortages using our most-abundant,
least-expensive fuel while reducing emissions. ... > full story
Speeding Antarctic
Glacier: Scientists Discover Another Reason For Glacial Acceleration
(November 19, 2008) -- New satellite data have helped
scientists crack the case of a speeding Antarctic glacier -- a finding that
promises to help improve sea level forecasts. ... > full story
Water
Vapor Confirmed As Major Player In Climate Change (November 18, 2008) -- Water vapor is known to be Earth's
most abundant greenhouse gas, but the extent of its contribution to global
warming has been debated. Using recent NASA satellite data, researchers have
estimated more precisely than ever the heat-trapping effect of water in the
air, validating the role of the gas as a critical component of climate change.
... > full story
*
Correcting Ocean Cooling
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/
Scientists revise their conclusion that the ocean has cooled since 2003.
A second opinion http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/page2.php
Two kinds of bad
data http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/page3.php
Smoothing the bumps
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/page4.php
Balancing the sea
level budget http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/page3.php
The entire article:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/OceanCooling/printall.php
Carbon
Dioxide Levels Already In Danger Zone, Revised Theory Shows (November 9, 2008) -- If climate disasters are to be
averted, atmospheric carbon dioxide must be reduced below the levels that
already exist today, according to a new study in Open Atmospheric Science
Journal. ... > full story
World
Needs Climate Emergency Backup Plan, Says Expert (November 10, 2008) -- In submitted testimony to the British
Parliament, climate scientist said that while steep cuts in carbon emissions
are essential to stabilizing global climate, there also needs to be a backup
plan. Geoengineering solutions such as injecting dust into the atmosphere are
risky, but may become necessary if emissions cuts are insufficient to stave off
catastrophic warming. He urged that research into the pros and cons of geoengineering
be made a high priority. ... > full story
Global
Warming Predicted To Hasten Carbon Release From Peat Bogs (November 10, 2008) -- Billions of tons of carbon
sequestered in the world's peat bogs could be released into the atmosphere in
the coming decades as a result of global warming, according to a new analysis
of the interplay between peat bogs, water tables, and climate change. ...
> full story
When It
Comes To Sea Level Changing Glaciers, New NASA Technique Measures Up
(November 10, 2008) -- Scientists have used satellite
data to make the most precise measurements to date of changes in the mass of
mountain glaciers in the Gulf of Alaska, a region expected to be a significant
contributor to global sea level rise over the next 50-100 years. ... > full story
Emerging
Carbon Finance Market Will Play Critical Role In Addressing Climate Change,
Experts Say (November 10, 2008) --
Climate change is an unprecedented global problem and an emerging carbon
finance market will play a critical role in addressing it, asserts a newly
published Yale report. ... > full story
Sunlight
Has More Powerful Influence On Ocean Circulation And Climate Than North American
Ice Sheets (November 7, 2008) -- A study
reported in Nature disputes a longstanding picture of how ice sheets influence
ocean circulation during glacial periods. ... > full story
'Unprecedented'
Warming Drives Dramatic Ecosystem Shifts In North Atlantic, Study Finds
(November 7, 2008) -- While Earth has experienced
numerous changes in climate over the past 65 million years, recent decades have
experienced the most significant climate change since the beginning of human
civilized societies about 5,000 years ago, says a new Cornell University study.
... > full story
Maldives
Considers Buying Dry Land if Seas Rise
The nation of 1,200
low islands in the Indian Ocean is planning to establish a fund so that it can
buy a haven for its citizens should global warming raise sea levels at a
dangerous pace.
SCIENTISTS
PROBE ANTARCTIC GLACIERS
Scientists from the Jackson School of Geosciences, the University of Edinburgh
and the Australian Antarctic Division have teamed up to explore two of the last
uncharted regions of Earth, the Aurora and Wilkes Subglacial Basins, immense
ice-buried lowlands in Antarctica with a combined area the size of Mexico. The
research could show how Earth’s climate changed in the past and how future
climate change will affect global sea level.
more
about Antarctic glacier research...
NASA - Melt Ponds, Northeastern Greenland
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=18196
NASA – News, http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/2008/200810.html
- 2008 Ozone Hole Maximum Announced
- NASA Measurements Show Greenhouse Gas Methane on the Rise Again
- Potent Greenhouse Gas More Common in Atmosphere Than Estimated
- Climate Change Seeps Into the Sea
NASA – Headlines,
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Headlines/2008/200810.html
Long-term
Stabilization Of Carbon Dioxide In Atmosphere Will Require Major Cuts In
Emissions (November 3, 2008) -- Carbon
dioxide, the greenhouse gas that has had the largest impact on our climate,
will continue to rise even if current national and international targets for
reducing emissions are met, scientists warn. But, they say, strong action taken
now – such as the 80% target recently announced by the UK government – will
continue to have benefits a long time into the future. ... > full story
Arctic Sea
Ice Is Suddenly Getting Thinner As Well As Receding (November 3, 2008) -- Last winter, the thickness of sea ice
in large parts of the Arctic fell by nearly half a meter (19 per cent) compared
with the average thickness of the previous five winters. This followed the
dramatic 2007 summer low when Arctic ice extent dropped to its lowest level
since records began. ... > full story
New Model
Predicts A Glacier's Life (October 31, 2008)
-- Researchers have developed a numerical model that can re-create the state of
Switzerland's Rhône Glacier as it was in 1874 and predict its evolution until
the year 2100. This is the longest period of time ever modeled in the life of a
glacier, involving complex data analysis and mathematical techniques. The work
will serve as a benchmark study for those interested in the state of glaciers
and their relation to climate change. ... > full story
Methane
Gas Levels Begin To Increase Again (October 30,
2008) -- The amount of methane in Earth's atmosphere shot up in 2007,
bringing to an end a period of about a decade in which atmospheric levels of
the potent greenhouse gas were essentially stable, according new research. ...
> full story
Climate
Change Seeps Into The Sea (October 30, 2008)
-- Good news has turned out to be bad. The ocean has helped slow global warming
by absorbing much of the excess heat and heat-trapping carbon dioxide that has
been going into the atmosphere since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
All that extra carbon dioxide, however, has been a bitter pill for the ocean to
swallow. It's changing the chemistry of seawater, making it more acidic and
otherwise inhospitable, threatening many important marine organisms. ...
> full story
Global
Warming Is Killing Frogs And Salamanders In Yellowstone Park, Researchers Say
(October 29, 2008) -- Frogs and salamanders, those
amphibious bellwethers of environmental danger, are being killed in Yellowstone
National Park. The predator, Stanford researchers say, is global warming. One
biology graduate student spent three summers in a remote area of the park
searching for frogs and salamanders in ponds that had been surveyed 15 years
ago. Almost everywhere she looked, she found a catastrophic decrease in the
population. ... > full story
Austin American Statesman Commentary
Burnett: Is Palin using Cheney's climate change
playbook?
Jason Burnett, Former EPA Administrator
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/10/28/1028burnett
North Pole
Exploration: Large Sliding Masses Close Beneath The Seafloor Of East-Siberian
Continental Shelf Discovered (October 28, 2008)
-- RV Polarstern has returned to Bremerhaven from the Arctic Sea. It has
cruised both the Northeast and the Northwest Passages and thereby circled the
North Pole. The third part of the research vessel's 23rd Arctic expedition
started its journey on Aug. 12 in Reykjavik and ended it on Oct. 17 in
Bremerhaven. The ship traveled a distance of 20,000 km. ... > full story
Earth In
Midst Of Sixth Mass Extinction: 50% Of All Species Disappearing (October 21, 2008) -- The Earth is in the midst of the sixth
mass extinction of both plants and animals, with nearly 50 percent of all
species disappearing, scientists say. Which plants should be a top priority to
conserve? Researchers say the most genetically unique species are the ones that
have the greatest importance in an ecosystem. ... > full story
Less Ice
In Arctic Ocean 6000-7000 Years Ago (October 20,
2008) -- Recent mapping of a number of raised beach ridges on the north
coast of Greenland suggests that the ice cover in the Arctic Ocean was greatly
reduced some 6000-7000 years ago. The Arctic Ocean may have been periodically
ice free. ... > full story
Rising
Arctic Storm Activity Sways Sea Ice, Climate (October
14, 2008) -- A new NASA study shows that the rising frequency and
intensity of arctic storms over the last half century, attributed to
progressively warmer waters, directly provoked acceleration of the rate of
arctic sea ice drift, long considered by scientists as a bellwether of climate
change. ... > full story
Challenge
To Discover Antarctica’s Hidden World (October
15, 2008) -- Later this month teams of scientists, engineers, pilots and
support staff from British Antarctic Survey (BAS), USA, Germany, Australia,
China and Japan will join forces for one of the most scientifically,
technically ambitious and physically demanding Antarctic projects yet to be
undertaken. ... > full story
Claim That
Simulated Temperature Trends For Tropics Inconsistent With Observations Is
Flawed, Experts Argue (October 13, 2008)
-- Scientists have helped reconcile the differences between simulated and
observed temperature trends in the tropics. They have refuted a recent claim that
simulated temperature trends in the tropics are fundamentally inconsistent with
observations. This claim was based on the application of a flawed statistical
test and the use of older observational datasets. ... > full story
Species
Extinction By Asteroid A Rarity (October 10,
2008) -- New research argues in favor of a "sick earth"
mechanism for most extinctions, rather than external event like an asteroid
strike. ... > full story
Satellite
Data Reveals Extreme Summer Snowmelt In Northern Greenland (October 10, 2008) -- The northern part of the Greenland ice
sheet experienced extreme snowmelt during the summer of 2008, with large
portions of the area subject to record melting days. This conclusion is based
on an analysis of microwave brightness temperature recorded by the Special
Sensor Microwave Imager onboard the F13 satellite. ... > full story
Thinning
Of Greenland Glacier Attributed To Ocean Warming Preceded By Atmospheric
Changes (October 10, 2008) -- The sudden
thinning in 1997 of Jakobshavn Isbræ, one of Greenland's largest glaciers, was
caused by subsurface ocean warming, according to research in the journal Nature
Geoscience. The research team traces these oceanic shifts back to changes in
the atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic region. ... > full story
Arctic
Soil May Contain Nearly Twice Greenhouse-Gas Producing Material Than Previously
Estimated (October 8, 2008) -- Frozen
arctic soil contains nearly twice the greenhouse-gas-producing organic material
as was previously estimated, according to new research. The research team
discovered a previously undocumented layer of organic matter on top of and in
the upper part of permafrost, ranging from 60 to 120 centimeters deep. ...
> full story
Most
Alaskan Glaciers Retreating, Thinning, Or Stagnating (October 6, 2008) -- Most glaciers in every mountain range
and island group in Alaska are experiencing significant retreat, thinning or
stagnation, especially glaciers at lower elevations, according to U.S.
Geological Survey research. ... > full story
Arctic Sea
Ice Hits Second-lowest Recorded Extent, Likely Lowest Volume (October 3, 2008) -- Arctic sea ice extent during the 2008
melt season dropped to the second-lowest level Sept. 14 since satellite
measurements began in 1979 and may represent the lowest volume of sea ice on
record, according to researchers. ... > full story
Global
Warming Will Have Significant Economic Impacts On Florida Coasts, Reports State
(October 1, 2008) -- Scientists have released two new
studies, including a report finding that climate change will cause significant
impacts on Florida's coastlines and economy due to increased sea level rise and
hurricane storm surge. Property damage is expected to increase. A second study
recommends that the state of Florida adopt a series of policy programs aimed at
adapting to these large coastal and other impacts as a result of climate
change. ... > full story
Canada's
Shores Saved Animals From Devastating Climate Change 252 Million Years Ago
(October 2, 2008) -- Scientists have solved part of
the mystery of where marine organisms that recovered from the biggest
extinction on earth were housed. The researchers discovered that the shorelines
of ancient Canada provided a refuge for marine organisms that escaped
annihilation during the Permian-Triassic extinction event. ... > full story
Mass
Extinctions And The Evolution Of Dinosaurs (September
30, 2008) -- Dinosaurs did not proliferate immediately after they
originated, but that their rise was a slow and complicated event, and driven by
two mass extinctions, according to new research. ... > full story
Sounds
Travel Farther Underwater As World's Oceans Become More Acidic (September 30, 2008) -- It is common knowledge that the
world's oceans and atmosphere are warming as humans release more and more
carbon dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere. However, fewer people realize that
the chemistry of the oceans is also changing -- seawater is becoming more
acidic as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves in the oceans. These
changes in ocean temperature and chemistry will have an unexpected side effect
-- sounds will travel farther underwater. ... > full story
Ancient
Arctic Ice Could Tell Us About Future Of Permafrost (September 29, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered the
oldest known ice in North America, and that permafrost may be a significant
touchstone when looking at global warming. ... > full story
Carbon
Dioxide Emissions Booming, Shifting East, Researchers Report (September 29, 2008) -- Despite widespread concern about
climate change, annual carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels and
manufacturing cement have grown 38 percent since 1992, from 6.1 billion tons of
carbon to 8.5 billion tons in 2007. ... > full story
Global Carbon Emissions Speed Up, Beyond IPCC Projections (September 28, 2008) -- The Global Carbon Project posted the most recent figures for the worlds' carbon budget, a key to understanding the balance of carbon added to the atmosphere, the underpinning of human induced climate change. Despite the increasing international sense of urgency, the growth rate of emissions continued to speed up, bringing the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration to 383 parts per million in 2007. Emissions growth for 2000-2007 was above even the most fossil fuel intensive scenario of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. ... > full story
Arctic Saw Fastest August Sea Ice Retreat On Record, NASA Data Show (September 28, 2008) -- Following a record-breaking season of arctic sea ice decline in 2007, NASA scientists have kept a close watch on the 2008 melt season. Although the melt season did not break the record for ice loss, NASA data are showing that for a four-week period in August 2008, sea ice melted faster during that period than ever before. ... > full story
Study
Merges Decade Of Arctic Data As Ice Collapses Into The Sea (September 25, 2008) -- The Markham Ice Shelf, a massive
19-square-mile platform of ice, broke away from Ellesmere Island in early
August and is adrift in the Arctic Ocean. More than half of the nearby Serson
Ice Shelf -- about 47 square miles -- also recently broke away into the sea.
... > full story
Abrupt
Climate Change Focus Of U.S. National Laboratories (September 23, 2008) -- Abrupt climate change is the focus
of IMPACTS, a major new program bringing together six US Department of Energy
national laboratories to investigate the instability of marine ice sheets,
warming of the boreal forests and Arctic, megadroughts in the Southwestern
United States, and methane release from frozen hydrates. ... > full story
10 Eastern US states enact CO2 reduction programs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/opinion/25thu2.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Arctic Sea Ice At Lowest Recorded Level Ever (September 16, 2008) -- Arctic sea ice may well have reached its lowest volumes ever, as summer ice coverage of the Arctic Sea looks set to be close to last year's record lows, with thinner ice overall. Final figures on minimum ice coverage for 2008 are expected in a matter of days, but they are already flirting with last year's record low of 1.59 million square miles, or 4.13 million square kilometers. ... > full story
Ice Core Studies Confirm Accuracy Of Climate Models (September 15, 2008) -- An analysis has been completed of the global carbon cycle and climate for a 70,000 year period in the most recent Ice Age, showing a remarkable correlation between carbon dioxide levels and surprisingly abrupt changes in climate. ... > full story
Curbing Coal Emissions Alone Might Avert Climate Danger, Say Researchers (September 13, 2008) -- An ongoing rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide from burning of fossil fuels might be kept below harmful levels if emissions from coal are phased out within the next few decades, say researchers. They say that less plentiful oil and gas should be used sparingly as well, but that far greater supplies of coal mean that it must be the main target of reductions. ... > full story
Rapid Retreat: Ice Shelf Loss along Canada's Ellesmere Coast
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Ellesmere/
Beginning in late July 2008, the remaining ice shelves along the northern coast of Canada's Ellesmere Island underwent rapid retreat, losing a total of 214 square kilometers (83 square miles).
Climate:
New Spin On Ocean's Role (September 10, 2008)
-- New studies of the Southern Ocean are revealing previously unknown features
of giant spinning eddies that are profoundly influencing marine life and the
world's climate. These massive swirling structures -- the largest are known as
gyres -- can be thousands of kilometers across and can extend down as deep as
500 meters or more, new research shows. ... > full story
Bad Sign
For Global Warming: Thawing Permafrost Holds Vast Carbon Pool (September 7, 2008) -- Permafrost blanketing the northern
hemisphere contains more than twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere,
making it a potentially mammoth contributor to global climate change depending
on how quickly it thaws ... > full story
"Climate Change
and the Greenland Ice Sheet"
The UT ESI
presents "Giant Ice Sheets Threaten Globe !?: Climate Change and the
Greenland Ice Sheet" with Ginny Catania, a research associate at the
Institute for Geophysics. http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Catania/
Global
Sea-rise Levels By 2100 May Be Lower Than Some Predict, Says New Study
(September 5, 2008) -- Despite projections by some
scientists of global seas rising by 20 feet or more by the end of this century
as a result of warming, a new study concludes that global sea rise of much more
than 6 feet is a near physical impossibility. ... > full story
Global
Warming Greatest In Past Decade (September 2,
2008) -- Researchers confirm that surface temperatures in the Northern
Hemisphere were warmer over the last 10 years than any time during the last
1300 years, and, if the climate scientists include the somewhat controversial
data derived from tree-ring records, the warming is anomalous for at least 1700
years. ... > full story
Earth Has Had Sharp Climatic Shifts In Past: Is Earth Nearing Another Tipping Point? (September 2, 2008) -- In the Earth’s history, periods of relatively stable climate have often been interrupted by sharp transitions to a contrasting state. For instance, glaciation periods typically ended suddenly. About 34 million years ago the Earth’s long lasting tropical state in which most recent life forms evolved, shifted abruptly and irreversibly to a cooler state with ice caps. This shift is known as the "Greenhouse-Icehouse-Transition". ... > full story
Faster Rise In Sea Level Predicted From Melting Greenland Ice Sheet, Based On Lessons From Ice Age (September 1, 2008) -- If the lessons being learned by scientists about the demise of the last great North American ice sheet are correct, estimates of global sea level rise from a melting Greenland ice sheet may be seriously underestimated. Scientists report that sea level rise from greenhouse-induced warming of the Greenland ice sheet could be double or triple current estimates over the next century. ... > full story
Arctic Ice On Verge Of Another All-time Low (August 28, 2008) -- Following last summer's record minimum ice cover in the Arctic, current observations from ESA's Envisat satellite suggest that the extent of polar sea-ice may again shrink to a level very close to that of last year. ... > full story
Arctic sea ice drops to 2nd lowest level http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/08/28/0828nation.html
Thursday, August 28, 2008
SCIENCE
Report:
Arctic sea ice at second-lowest level
More
ominous signs have some scientists saying that a global warming "tipping
point" in the Arctic could be happening before their eyes: Sea ice in the
Arctic Ocean is at its second-lowest level in about 30 years. The National Snow
and Ice Data Center reported that sea ice in the Arctic now covers about 2.03
million square miles. The lowest point since satellite measurements began in
1979 was 1.65 million square miles set last September. With about three weeks
left in the Arctic summer, this year could wind up breaking that previous
record, scientists said.
Why Is Greenland Covered In Ice? Changes In Carbon Dioxide Levels Explain Transition (August 28, 2008) -- A fall in levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, close to that of pre-industrial times, explains the transition from a mostly ice-free Greenland of three million years ago to the ice-covered region we see today. ... > full story
Ice Cracks at
Greenland's Tip Worry Scientists
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/08/22/greenland-ice-crack.html
Continued Breakup Of Two Of Greenland's Largest Glaciers Shown In Satellite Images (August 22, 2008) -- Researchers monitoring daily satellite images of Greenland's glaciers have discovered break-ups at two of the largest glaciers in the last month. They expect that part of the Northern hemisphere's longest floating glacier will continue to disintegrate within the next year. ... > full story
Melting Arctic Ocean opens new shipping frontier
Greenland Ice Core Reveals History Of Pollution In The Arctic (August 20, 2008) -- New research, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds that coal burning, primarily in North America and Europe, contaminated the Arctic and potentially affected human health and ecosystems in and around Earth's polar regions. ... > full story
Antarctic Climate: Short-term Spikes, Long-term Warming Linked To Tropical Pacific (August 15, 2008) -- Dramatic year-to-year temperature swings and a century-long warming trend across West Antarctica are linked to conditions in the tropical Pacific, according to an analysis of ice cores. The findings show the connection of the world's coldest continent to global warming, as well as to events such as El Niño. ... > full story
Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason 2 Begins Mapping Oceans
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807074916.htm
The
Iceman Cometh
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/03/opinion/03Friedman.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/opinion/06friedman.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Cold And
Ice, Not Heat, Episodically Gripped Tropical Regions 300 Million Years Ago
(August 1, 2008) -- Geoscientists have long presumed
that, like today, the tropics remained warm throughout Earth's last major
glaciation 300 million years ago. New evidence, however, indicates that cold
temperatures in fact episodically gripped these equatorial latitudes at that
time. ... > full story
NOAA:
Eighth Warmest June On Record For Globe (July 21,
2008) -- The combined average global land and ocean surface temperatures
for June 2008 ranked eighth warmest for June since worldwide records began in
1880, according to an analysis by NOAA. Also, globally it was the ninth warmest
January to June period on record. ... > full story
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080716_globe.html
Sun Could
Cause 15% To 20% Of Effects Of Climate Change, Researcher Says (July 18,
2008) -- Global warming is mainly caused by greenhouse gas emissions
resulting from human activities; however, current climatic variations may be
affected "around 15% or 20%" by solar activity," according to
one researcher. In the past, the sun was the main external agent affecting
climate change on Earth, together with the effects of volcanic explosions and
internal factors such as ocean currents. The role of the sun in the Earth's
climatic variations "is not inconsiderable," but the researcher
pointed out that over the last 40 years solar activity has not increased, and
has in fact remained constant or even diminished, which is why it is diff!
icult to attribute a significant global warming effect to it. ... > full story
Future Snowmelt In West Twice As Early As Expected; Threatens Ecosystems And Water Reserves (July 16, 2008) -- Global warming could lead to larger changes in snowmelt in the western United States than was previously thought, possibly increasing wildfire risk and creating new water management challenges for agriculture, ecosystems and urban populations. Researchers discovered that a critical surface temperature feedback is twice as strong as what had been projected by earlier studies. ... > full story
Wilkins Ice Shelf, Near Antarctica, Hanging By Its
Last Thread (July 10, 2008) -- The
Wilkins Ice Shelf is experiencing further disintegration that is threatening
the collapse of the ice bridge connecting the shelf to Charcot Island. Since
the connection to the island in the image center helps to stabilize the ice
shelf, it is likely the break-up of the bridge will put the remainder of the
ice shelf at risk. ... > full story
Senate Minority reports discount global warming as being man made:
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.SenateReport
and http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=175B568A-802A-23AD-4C69-9BDD978FB3CD
and
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=f1f2f75f-802a-23ad-4701-a92b4ebbccbf
or http://tinyurl.com/2hftxf and http://tinyurl.com/55ooz4 and
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59329
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=26771
Summer Arctic Sea Ice Expected To Be Among Lowest On Record (July 9, 2008) -- The ice cover in the Arctic Ocean at the end of summer 2008 will lie, with almost 100 per cent probability, below that of the year 2005 -- the year with the second lowest sea ice extent ever measured. Chances of an equally low value as in 2007 lie around eight per cent. Climate scientists come to this conclusion in a recent model calculation. ... > full story
Acidifying Oceans Add Urgency To Carbon Dioxide Cuts (July 6, 2008) -- It's not just about climate change
anymore. Besides loading the atmosphere with heat-trapping greenhouse gases,
human emissions of carbon dioxide have also begun to alter the chemistry of the
ocean. The ecological and economic consequences are difficult to predict but
possibly calamitous, warn a team of chemical oceanographers, and halting the
changes already underway will likely require even steeper cuts in carbon
emissions than those currently proposed to curb climate change. ... > full story
Cleaned
up skies explains surprise rate of warming
Unravelling
The 'Inconvenient Truth' Of Glacier Movement (June
30, 2008) -- Predicting climate change depends on many factors not
properly included in current forecasting models, such as how the major polar
ice caps will move in the event of melting around their edges. This in turn
requires greater understanding of the processes at work when ice is under
stress, influencing how it flows and moves. ... > full story
Exclusive: No ice at the North
Pole
Polar scientists reveal dramatic
new evidence of climate change
Climate
Change May Challenge National Security, Classified Report Warns (June 26, 2008) -- The National Intelligence Council has
completed a new classified assessment that explores how climate change could
threaten US security in the next 20 years by causing political instability,
mass movements of refugees, terrorism, or conflicts over water and other
resources in specific countries. ... > full story
Ocean
Temperatures And Sea Level Increases 50 Percent Higher Than Previously
Estimated (June 19, 2008) -- New research
suggests that ocean temperature and associated sea level increases between 1961
and 2003 were 50 percent larger than estimated in the 2007 Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change report. ... > full story
Greenland Ice Core Analysis Shows Drastic Climate Change Near End Of Last Ice Age (June 19, 2008) -- Information gleaned from a Greenland ice core by an international science team shows that two huge Northern Hemisphere temperature spikes prior to the close of the last ice age some 11,500 years ago were tied to fundamental shifts in atmospheric circulation. ... > full story
NASA Mission Poised to Help Us
Gauge Our Rising Seas
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ostm/main/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ostm/news/ostm-20080520.html
Even The Antarctic Winter Cannot Protect Wilkins Ice Shelf (June 14, 2008) -- Wilkins Ice Shelf has experienced further break-up with an area of about 160 square kilometers breaking off from May 30-31, 2008. ESA's Envisat satellite captured the event -- the first ever-documented episode to occur in winter. ... > full story
Freshwater Runoff From Greenland Ice Sheet Will More Than Double By End Of Century (June 12, 2008) -- The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting faster than previously calculated according to a recently released scientific paper. The study is based on the results of state-of-the-art modeling using data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as well as satellite images and observations from on the ground in Greenland. ... > full story
Global Warming Could Release Trillions Of Pounds Of Carbon Annually From East Siberia's Vast Frozen Soils (June 12, 2008) -- East Siberia's permafrost contains about 500 Gigatons (1100 trillion pounds) of frozen carbon deposits that are highly susceptible to disturbances as the climate warms. Once started, irreversible thawing could release 4.4-6.2 trillion pounds of carbon per year into the atmosphere between the years 2300 and 2400, transforming 74 percent of the initial carbon stock into carbon dioxide and methane. ... > full story
NASA Office Is Criticized on Climate Reports
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/science/earth/03nasa.html?th&emc=th
Apparent Problem
With Global Warming Climate Models Resolved
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080530144943.htm
Large
Methane Release Could Cause Abrupt Climate Change As Happened 635 Million Years
Ago (May 29, 2008) -- An abrupt release
of methane about 635 million years ago from ice sheets caused a dramatic shift
in climate, triggering a series of events that effectively ended the last
"snowball" ice age. Methane clathrate destabilization acted as a
runaway feedback to increased warming, and was the tipping point that ended the
last snowball Earth. ... > full story
Study
says inaction on climate change could cost trillions
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/05/23/0523warming.html
Ice Cores Reveal Fluctuations In Earth's Greenhouse Gases (May 17, 2008) -- The newest analysis of trace gases trapped in Antarctic ice cores now provide a reasonable view of greenhouse gas concentrations as much as 800,000 years into the past, and are further confirming the link between greenhouse gas levels and global warming, scientists have reported in Nature. ... > full story
Put The Trees In The Ground: A Fix For The Global Carbon Dioxide Problem? (May 15, 2008) -- One possible approach to carbon dioxide reduction would be to deliberately plant forests, bind the carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and then removed the trees from the global cycle by burial. ... > full story
Warming Climate Is Changing Life On Global Scale, Says New Study (May 15, 2008) -- A vast array of physical and biological systems across the earth are being affected by warming temperatures caused by humans, says a new analysis of information not previously assembled all in one spot. The effects on living things include earlier leafing of trees and plants over many regions; movements of species to higher latitudes and altitudes in the northern hemisphere; changes in bird migrations in Europe, North America and Australia; and shifting of the oceans' plankton and fish from cold- to warm-adapted communities. ... > full story
McCain Differs With Bush on Climate Change
By ELISABETH BUMILLER and JOHN M. BRODER
Senator John McCain called for a limit on greenhouse gas
emissions in the U.S.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/us/politics/13mccain.html?th&emc=th
Carbon Dioxide Capture And Storage: Grasping At Straws
In The Climate Debate?
ScienceDaily (May 9, 2008) — Great hopes are being placed on undeveloped technology. Capturing and storing carbon dioxide is predicted to be one of the most important measures to counter the threats to our climate. But the technology still hasn’t been tested in full scale, and the complications and risks it entails may have been grossly underestimated.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508142552.htm
Ocean Carbon
Cycle Research Gets Boost From Satellite Data
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505094125.htm
Global Warming
Affects World's Largest Freshwater Lake
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501091349.htm
Greenland’s Ice is melting faster and faster
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/33967
Greenhouse Gases, Carbon Dioxide And Methane, Rise Sharply In 2007 (April 24, 2008) -- Last year alone global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of global climate change, increased by 0.6 percent, or 19 billion tons. Additionally methane rose by 27 million tons after nearly a decade with little or no increase. NOAA scientists released these and other preliminary findings April 23 as part of an annual update to the agency's greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world. ... > full story - Gene’s comment – it appears we are close to a thermal runway condition in which the release of tundra methane causes a rapid rise in greenhouse gases well beyond the effects of CO2.
Europe Turns to Coal Again, Raising Alarms on Climate
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
European countries plan to use coal, generally the dirtiest
fuel on earth, in new power plants.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/europe/23coal.html?th&emc=th
Europe
Turns to Coal Again, Raising Alarms on Climate
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/europe/23coal.html?_r=1&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=all
European power
companies building more coal plants.
In
a front-page story, the New York Times (4/23, A1, Rosenthal) reports
that "European countries are expected to put into operation about 50
coal-fired plants over the next five years," despite the fact that
"the world's top climate experts agree that carbon emissions must be
rapidly reduced to hold down global warming." Europe has revisited coal
powered plants because of "rising demand, record high oil and natural gas
prices, concerns over energy security, and an aversion to nuclear energy."
But while the move alarms environmentalists, "electric companies say they
have little choice but to build coal plants to replace aging infrastructure,
particularly in countries like Italy and Germany that have banned the building
of nuclear power plants." They also tout coal's advantages, such as large
reserves and low prices. While many European power companies "emphasize
that they are making the new coal plants as clean as possible,"
environmentalists are skeptical, and call clean coal "a pipe dream"
and "building spurt shortsighted."
Arctic Ice More Vulnerable To Sunny Weather, New Study Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421124230.htm
Greenland
Ice May Not Be Headed Down Too Slippery A Slope, But Stability Still Far From
Assured (April 20, 2008)
-- Lubricating meltwater that makes its way from the surface down to where a
glacier meets bedrock turns out to be only a minor reason why Greenland's
outlet glaciers accelerated their race to the sea 50 to 100 percent in the
1990s and early 2000s, scientists say. Their work also shows that surface
meltwater is reaching bedrock farther inland under the Greenland Ice Sheet,
something scientists had speculated was happening but had little evidence. ...
> full story
ASEE - U.S. must
conserve gasoline, support ethanol R and D.
Wisconsin's
Sheboygan Press (4/22) editorialized that the
U.S. must "commit to doing two things: immediately begin to conserve gasoline
by driving less and continue the research and development of alternative fuels,
including ethanol." The Press pointed out that ethanol does not solely
come from corn. "We're keenly aware of the rise in the price of food,
blamed in part on the rush by farmers to plant corn that goes into gas and not
to market or into feed." Cellulosic ethanol, "which can be produced
from agricultural wastes," as well as "wood chips, sawdust,...paper
pulp" and switch grass, also has potential. "The good thing about
this method of producing ethanol is that none of the sources are food
products," explained the Press. However, "turn[ing] cellulose into
ethanol" and "doing it in a cost-efficient way is another
matter." The Press concluded that the "government must do its part in
providing research dollars," and should "also encourage private
investment through tax breaks from capital invested in renewable energy."
Climate Change Likely To Intensify Storms, New Study Confirms
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417170213.htm
Global Land Temperature Warmest On Record In March 2008
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080418112341.htm
Ted Turner’s Predictions:
http://newsbusters.org/people/television/ted-turner
Scientists Debate The Accuracy Of Al Gore's Documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth' (April 15, 2008) -- There is no question that Al Gore's 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth is a powerful example of how scientific knowledge can be communicated to a lay audience. What is up for debate is whether it accurately presents the scientific argument that global warming is caused by human activities. Climate change experts express their opinions on the scientific validity of the film's claims in several recent articles. ... > full story
Absence Of Clouds (may have) Caused Pre-human Supergreenhouse Periods (April 11, 2008) -- In a world without human-produced pollution, biological productivity controls cloud formation and may be the lever that caused supergreenhouse episodes during the Cetaceous and Eocene, according to paleoclimatologists. ... > full story
Why Is
Arctic Sea Ice Melting Faster Than Predicted? NOAA Probing Arctic Pollution (April 9, 2008) -- Scientists are now flying
through springtime Arctic pollution to find out why the region is warming --
and summertime sea ice is melting -- faster than predicted. Some 35 NOAA
researchers are gathering with government and university colleagues in Fairbanks,
Alaska, to conduct the study. ... > full story
Climate
Models Look Good When Predicting Climate Change (April 6, 2008) -- The accuracy of computer
models that predict climate change over the coming decades has been the subject
of debate. A new study by meteorologists shows that current climate models are
quite accurate and can be valuable tools for those seeking solutions on
reversing global warming trends. Most of these models project a global warming
trend that amounts to about 7 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 100 years. ...
> full story
Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction Assumptions Overly Optimistic, Study Says (April 4, 2008) -- Reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide over the coming century will be more challenging than society has been led to believe, according recent research. ... > full story
Climate Change Is Not Caused By Cosmic Rays, According To New Research (April 4, 2008) -- New research has dealt a blow to the skeptics who argue that climate change is all due to cosmic rays rather than to man-made greenhouse gases. The new evidence shows no reliable connection between the cosmic ray intensity and cloud cover. ... > full story
Earth could
have thermal runaway condition if methane release increases sharply. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423181652.htm
Antarctic warming
claims another ice shelf
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/WilkinsIceSheet/
Virginia Tech research
team to head carbon sequestration project.
Virginia Business (4/1, Foster) reports that
Dr. Michael Karmis of Virginia Tech "says that while it's an admirable
goal to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming,
the problem won't be fixed until those emissions are prevented from entering
the atmosphere." Karmis, director of Virginia Tech's Virginia Center for
Coal and Energy Research, is "heading up an $11 million-plus research
project to develop technologies for carbon sequestration -- the storing of
captured carbon dioxide emissions." According to Virginia Business,
Karmis' "team is studying methods of injecting captured pressurized carbon
dioxide gases into 'unmineable' coal seams that are too deep or thin to be
commercially viable." Tests will be performed "this summer in Russell
County," Va. However, "Opponents, such as the Southern Environmental
Law Center, have questioned whether such technologies will ever be
practical." Virginia Business notes, "Both the capture and storage
technologies will likely not be available for another 10 years."
Increased
Knowledge About Global Warming Leads To Apathy, Study Shows
I think this is because no valid solutions have been presented and the
public knows this and gets turned off.
The best solution to global warming is to get the fusion power process
to work so we can tap into the 50 trillion year supply. Gene Preston
Huge
Iceberg Breaks Away, Antarctic Ice Shelf 'Hangs By A Thread' (March 25, 2008) -- British Antarctic Survey has captured
dramatic images of an Antarctic ice shelf that looks set to be the latest to
break out from the Antarctic Peninsula. A large part of the Wilkins Ice Shelf
on the Antarctic Peninsula is now supported only by a thin strip of ice hanging
between two islands. Scientists monitoring satellite images of the Wilkins Ice
Shelf spotted that a huge iceberg appears to have broken away in recent days --
it is still on the move. ... > full story
Arctic Sea Ice Still At Risk Despite Cold Winter, NASA Says
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318151743.htm
Glaciers Are Melting Faster Than Expected, UN Reports
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317154235.htm
From the
ASEE – American Society for Engineering Education
Government reports warn
infrastructure planners of global warming dangers.
The
New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/12/science/12coast.html?em&ex=1205467200&en=f4fd1d869d29e1ee&ei=5087%0A
(3/12, A21, Dean) reports, "A rise in sea levels and other
changes fueled by global warming threaten roads, rail lines, ports, airports
and other important infrastructure," according to a report by the National
Research Council (NRC), "the research arm of the National Academy of
Sciences." As a result, NRC researchers say "policy makers and
planners should be acting now to avoid or mitigate their effects." The
report found that "increased heat and 'intense precipitation events'
threaten these structures," but that the greatest "potential impact
is coastal flooding." Another study, this one a "multiagency effort
led by the Environmental Protection Agency," added that "natural
features like beaches, wetlands and fresh-water supplies are also threatened by
encroaching saltwater." Henry G. Schwartz Jr., the chairman of the NRC
panel and "a member of the National Academy of Engineering," said,
"We need to think about it now."
The AP (3/12, Schmid) adds that the NRC report
"cites five major areas of growing threat." The first area cited in
the report is "[m]ore heat waves, requiring load limits at hot-weather or
high-altitude airports and causing thermal expansion of bridge joints and rail
track deformities." Next, "[r]ising sea levels and storm surges flood
coastal roadways," while the third area, "[m]ore rainstorms, delay[s]
air and ground traffic, flooding tunnels and railways, and eroding road, bridge
and pipeline supports." The fourth area of concern, "[m]ore frequent
strong hurricanes," would disrupt "air and shipping service" and
blow "debris onto roads [while] damaging buildings." Last, rising
temperatures in the arctic would thaw "permafrost, resulting in road,
railway and airport runway subsidence and potential pipeline failures."
The committee noted that "proper preparation will be expensive," and
it "called on federal, state and local governments to increase
consideration of climate change in transportation planning and
construction."
The Carnegie Institute says CO2 must end to
stabilizing the climate.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215103252.htm
West
Antarctic Glaciers Melting At 20 Times Former Rate, Rock Analysis Shows
(March 2, 2008)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080229075228.htm
Skeptics on Human Climate Impact
Seize on Cold Spell
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/science/02cold.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
“Climate skeptics typically take a few small pieces of the
puzzle to debunk global warming, and ignore the whole picture that the larger
science community sees by looking at all the pieces,” said Ignatius G. Rigor, a
climate scientist at the Polar Science Center of the University of Washington
in Seattle.
Greenland's Rising Air Temperatures Drive Ice Loss At
Surface And Beyond
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220175223.htm
Stabilizing Climate Requires Near-zero Carbon
Emissions
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215103252.htm
Studies Deem Biofuels a
Greenhouse Threat
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/science/earth/08wbiofuels.html?th&emc=th
Record
Warm Summers Cause Extreme Ice Melt In Greenland (January 16, 2008) -- Recent warm summers have caused the
most extreme Greenland ice melting in 50 years. New research provides further
evidence of a key impact of global warming and helps scientists place recent
satellite observations of Greenland's shrinking ice mass in a longer-term
climatic context. ... > full story
Warming Climate Can Support Glacial Ice: It Did In Much Warmer Times
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080110144824.htm
A scientific scramble is under way to clarify whether the erosion of the world's most vulnerable ice sheets can continue to accelerate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/science/earth/08gree.html?th&emc=th
New Ship
Breaks New Grounds, And Old Ice (December 31,
2007) -- It can crush ice sideways and stay precisely on station to an
accuracy of a meter. It can drill a hole 1,000 meters deep into the seabed
while floating above 5,000 meters of ocean and it can generate 55 megawatts of
power. So far, Aurora Borealis is the most unusual ship that has never been
built, and it represents a floating laboratory for European science, a
breakthrough for polar research.
Americans
are not serious about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/01/opinion/01tue1.html?th&emc=th
Climatic
Chain Reaction Caused Runaway Greenhouse Effect 55 Million Years Ago
(December 27, 2007) -- Analogous to the Earth's
current situation, greenhouse warming 55 million years ago was caused by a
relatively rapid increase of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere.
The study shows that a large proportion of the greenhouse gases was released as
a result of a chain-reaction of events. ... > full story
Heat From
Earth's Magma Contributing To Melting Of Greenland Ice (December 18, 2007) -- Scientists have discovered what they
think may be another reason why Greenland's ice is melting: a thin spot in
Earth's crust is enabling underground magma to heat the ice. They have found at
least one "hotspot" in the northeast corner of Greenland -- just
below a site where an ice stream was recently discovered. ... > full story
Without
Its Insulating Ice Cap, Arctic Surface Waters Warm To As Much As 5 C Above
Average (December 17, 2007) --
Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of
its natural "sunscreen" than ever in recent summers. The effect is so
pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C above average in one place
this year, a high never before observed, say oceanographers who have compiled
the first-ever look at average sea surface temperatures for the region. ...
> full story
UN Climate
Change Convention In Bali: Forum Approves Climate Roadmap (December 17, 2007) -- The outcome of the United Nations
Climate Change Convention in Bali, Indonesia was that 187 countries agreed to
launch a two-year process of formal negotiations on strengthening international
efforts to fight, mitigate and adapt to the problem of global warming. After
almost two weeks of marathon discussions, delegates have agreed on both the
agenda for the negotiations and a 2009 deadline for completing them so that a
successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions can enter into
effect in 2013. ... > full story
Climate
change deal is reached U.S. is booed,
told to 'get out of the way' before finally agreeing to compromise at climate
conference.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/12/16/1216climate.html
Ancient
Flood Disrupted Ocean Circulation And Triggered Climate Cooling (December 17, 2007) -- As the giant North American ice
sheets melted an enormous pool of freshwater, many times larger than all of the
Great Lakes, formed behind them. About 8400 years ago this pool of freshwater
burst free and flooded the North Atlantic. About the same time, a sharp century
long cold spell is observed around the North Atlantic and other areas.
Researchers have often speculated that the cooling was the result of changes in
ocean circulation triggered by this freshwater flood. The sudden addition of so
much freshwater would have curtailed (suppressed) the sinking of deep water in
the North Atlantic and as a consequence less warm water would be pulled north
in the Gulf stream. ... > full story
Bitter truth: The Arctic is melting
Death of Biofuels? http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg19626343.800?DCMP=NLC-nletterbanner&nsref=mg19626343.800
Rising
Carbon Dioxide Signals Wetter Storms For Northern Hemisphere, Study Says
(December 13, 2007) -- While two new studies by
researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Cooperative Institute
for Research in Environmental Sciences predict wetter storms for the Arctic and
for the Northern Hemisphere because of global warming, whether or not this
means more net precipitation depends on the latitude. ... > full story
Current
Melting Of Greenland's Ice Mimicks 1920s-1940s Event (December 13, 2007) -- Two researchers here spent months
scouring through old expedition logs and reports, and reviewing 70-year-old
maps and photos before making a surprising discovery: They found that the
effects of the current warming and melting of Greenland 's glaciers that has
alarmed the world's climate scientists occurred in the decades following an
abrupt warming in the 1920s. ... > full story
Changing
View Of Earth's Gravitational Forces Recognized With Award (December 12, 2007) -- A mission that has changed the way we
study Earth's gravitational forces has been recognized with a prestigious award
for helping scientists better understand our home planet. NASA and the U.S.
Department of the Interior presented the coveted William T. Pecora Award to the
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) mission team. ... > full story
NASA
Satellites Help Lift Cloud of Uncertainty on Climate Change
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cloudsat/news/secret_clouds.html
Scientists
Issue Bali Climate Change Warning (December 7,
2007) -- More than 200 leading climate scientists have warned the United
Nations Climate Conference of the need to act immediately to cut greenhouse gas
emissions, with a window of only 10-15 years for global emissions to peak and
decline, and a goal of at least a 50 percent reduction by 2050. ... > full story
Toll Of Climate Change On World Food Supply Could Be Worse Than Thought (December 4, 2007) -- Global agriculture, already predicted to be stressed by climate change in coming decades, could go into steep, unanticipated declines in some regions due to complications that scientists have so far inadequately considered, say three new scientific reports. The authors say that progressive changes predicted to stem from 1- to 5-degree C temperature rises in coming decades fail to account for seasonal extremes of heat, drought or rain, multiplier effects of spreading diseases or weeds, and other ecological upsets. ... > full story
IPCC on "Synthesis Report" of "Climate Change 2007"
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/syr/ar4_syr_spm.pdf
Power Plant
CO2 Emissions Data Base - http://carma.org/
Climate
Change Triggers Wars And Population Decline, Study Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121112917.htm
Kyoto
Not Enough To Curb Climate Change
ScienceDaily (Nov. 24, 2007) — Kyoto was a valiant first attempt to tackle
global carbon emissions, and support for the Kyoto Protocol is still needed in
the international community, but it will not be enough to make a breakthrough
with climate change.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071123211035.htm
Dire IPCC Report Released http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071118081601.htm
IPCC Synthesis Report: Risks And Rewards Of
Combating Climate Change (November 20, 2007) -- The fourth IPCC report
raises serious concerns of species extinction as well as arguing strongly in
favor of stepping up support and action on adaptation to the effects of global
warming. The report says that around 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the plant
and animal species assessed are likely to be at increased risk of extinction if
global average temperatures exceed 1.5 degree C to 2.5 degree C over late 20th
century levels. The report also points to the likelihood of
"irreversible" impacts. For example if temperature increases exceed
about 3.5 degrees C, between 40 per cent and 70 per cent of the species
assessed might be at increas! ed risk of extinction. ... > full story
Delay In Autumn Color Caused By
Increased Carbon Dioxide Not Global Warming http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071117104404.htm
Climate
Change Risk Assessment – Action Vs No Action
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDsIFspVzfI
and an article on the same topic
U.N. Report Describes
Risks of Inaction on Climate Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/17/science/earth/17climate.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Growth In US Greenhouse Gas
Emissions Predicted To Accelerate
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114200148.htm
Carbon Dioxide Emissions From
Power Plants Rated Worldwide
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114163448.htm
Scientists Enhance Mother
Nature's Carbon Handling Mechanism
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107074316.htm
October 28 2007 - These
reports show coal may not be viable for powering new US plants:
Fight
Against Coal Plants Draws Diverse Partners - unlikely groups join together
Plans
for Coal Power Plants Scrapped - coal plant cancellations over the past
year
Teco
Cancels Advanced IGCC Coal Plant - ads on TV are still touting this
project
Coal-Friendly
Climate Changes in Kansas - this sent a shock wave through the industry
Here are some of the reports posted this week giving some of the scientific
evidence:
Greenland
Ice Study: Could Higher Sea Level Come Sooner Than Expected?
Could
Warmer Oceans Make Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Rise Faster Than Expected?
Unexpected
Growth In Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
Fossil
Record Supports Evidence Of Impending Mass Extinction
Volcanic
Eruptions And Global Warming Likely Cause Of Great Dying 250 Million Years Ago
Unprecedented Global Measurement
Network Achieves Full Coverage Of Oceans http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071029172833.htm
Methane
Bubbling From Arctic Lakes, Now And At End Of Last Ice Age
Climate Change and Trace Gases by James
Hansen and others http://sallan.org/pdf-docs/2007_Hansen.pdf and summary by EV World http://egpreston.com/ClimateCatastropheConcern.htm
2007 Record Sea Ice Minimum
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17800
Arctic
Melt Unnerves the Experts http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/science/earth/02arct.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
National Snow and Ice
Data Center: http://nsidc.org/research/
James Hansen predicts 5
meters ocean rise per century http://climatechangecdn.blogspot.com/
Greenland's Ice Island Alarm http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Greenland/
and http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17758 is melting at a faster rate.
New
York Times Science Articles on Climate Change
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier#
The 11th Hour Film http://11thhouraction.com/seethefilm
NASA
Predicts Global Warming Will Bring Violent Storms And Tornadoes
Glacial Meltdown http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ET/popup/200709062200.html
Greenland Snow Melting Hit Record High In High Places, NASA Finds
Melting Ice in Antarctica http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17780
* NASA News http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NasaNews/
* Media Alerts http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/MediaAlerts/
* Headlines from the press, radio, and television: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/Headlines/
Greenland Ice
Study: Could Higher Sea Level Come Sooner Than Expected?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071020101205.htm
Fossil
Record Supports Evidence Of Impending Mass Extinction (October 24, 2007) -- Global temperatures predicted for the coming
centuries may trigger a new 'mass extinction event' where over 50 percent of
animal and plant species would be wiped out, warn scientists. Scientists have
discovered a close association between Earth climate and extinctions in a study
that has examined the relationship over the past 520 million years -- almost
the entire fossil record available. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071024083644.htm
and newer paper
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025091047.htm
Feedback
Mechanisms Could Magnify Temperature Rise
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025143339.htm
Methane Bubbling
From Arctic Lakes, Now And At End Of Last Ice Age
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071025174618.htm
Warmer Oceans Could Make Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Rise
Faster Than Expected
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071023163953.htm
Carbon dioxide in atmosphere increasing faster than expected
Researchers say emissions were 35 percent higher in 2006 than in 1990.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/10/23/1023carbon.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071022171932.htm
Energy
Consumption Fueling Catastrophic Climate Change, Report Warns
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071021114258.htm
Fight Against
Coal Plants Is Creating Diverse Partnerships
An increasingly vocal, potent and widespread anti-coal movement, including environmentalists, ranchers, farmers and others, is developing in the West.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/20/business/20coal.html?th&emc=th
Ancient Fossil Evidence Supports Carbon Dioxide As Driver Of Global Warming (October 17, 2007) -- A new way to study Earth's past climate by analyzing the chemical composition of ancient marine fossils has been devised. The first published tests with the method further support the view that atmospheric carbon dioxide has contributed to dramatic climate variations in the past, and strengthen projections that human carbon dioxide emissions could cause global warming. ... > full story
Global Warming Starts to Divide G.O.P. Contenders
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/us/politics/17climate.html?th&emc=th
Scientific
consensus on global warming solidifies
Most of the remaining doubts that some scientists harbored about the impact of human activity on global temperatures have disappeared in the last decade.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/10/13/1013nobelsider.html
Arctic Sea Ice Extent May
Have Fallen By 50 Percent Since 1950s
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001160655.htm
Snowmelt
In Antarctica Creeping Inland, Based On 20 Year Of NASA Data (Sep. 24, 2007) — In a new NASA study,
researchers using 20 years of data from space-based sensors have confirmed that
Antarctic snow is melting farther inland from the coast over time, melting at
higher altitudes ... > read
more
Carbon Dioxide Did Not End
The Last Ice Age, Study Says
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070927154905.htm
'Remarkable' Drop In Arctic
Sea Ice Raises Questions
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070927090341.htm
Fossil-fuel hangover may block ice ages
Quarter-Degree Fix Fuels Climate Fight
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/26/us/26climate.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin
Scientists Call For 80
Percent Drop In U.S. Emissions By 2050 To Avoid Dangerous Warming
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070928220337.htm
Bush
climate talks face skepticism
China, developing nations dubious on U.S. climate talks, say poverty needs come first.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/09/27/0927warming.html
U.N.
leaders say climate change efforts must begin now
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/09/25/0925climate.html
Global Corporate Climate
Change Report Released
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070924072431.htm
Snowmelt In Antarctica
Creeping Inland, Based On 20 Year Of NASA Data
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070920122154.htm
Arctic Sea Ice Minimum
Shatters All-time Record Low, Report Scientists
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070920160226.htm
http://www.colorado.edu/
http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2007/362.html
http://nsidc.org/news/press/2007_seaiceminimum/20070810_index.html
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Could Violate EPA Ocean-quality
Standards Within Decades
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070919175542.htm
US Climate Change Science
Program Making Good Progress, National Academies Report
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070913153045.htm
Northwest Passage Opens:
Arctic Sea Ice Reaches New Low
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070914095358.htm
Sea Ice Is Getting Thinner
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070913133001.htm
Studying Evidence From Ice
Age Lakes
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070909222111.htm
Mathematics Of Ice To Aid
Global Warming Forecasts
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070910140549.htm
Religious Leaders Join Scientists in
Environmental Concerns on Greenland's Melting Glaciers
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/GlobalWarming/story?id=3572327&page=1
Polar Bear Population
Predicted To Dwindle WIth Retreating Ice
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070907224237.htm
Faster Climate Change Means
Bigger Problems
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831211647.htm
Scientists, Evangelicals
Team Up For Alaska Expedition
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070829120500.htm
Greenhouse Gases Likely
Drove Near-record U.S. Warmth In 2006
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070828132449.htm
As China Roars, Pollution
Reaches Deadly Extremes
Expansion of irrigation has masked greenhouse
warming in California’s Central Valley
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070814093826.htm
Arctic Sea Ice News Fall 2007
http://nsidc.org/news/press/2007_seaiceminimum/20070810_index.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070816133926.htm - related articles -
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/08/18/0818ice.html
Incredible
Shrinking of Floating Ice in the Arctic This Summer (2007)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/10/science/earth/10arctic.html?th&emc=th
http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/
Locked In Glaciers, Ancient Ice May Return To Life As
Glaciers Melt
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070807084214.htm
This paper
presents evidence that DNA damage due to radiation makes it unlikely that DNA
came from space. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070814093819.htm presents the opposite argument, that
Earth’s early DNA is likely to have come from comets and this paper http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070814150630.htm
also suggests that DNA like strands might form in space.
Climate Change And
Permafrost Thaw Alter Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Northern Wetlands
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070808213844.htm
Polluters finance
research to cast doubt on global warming theories
http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/other/08/08/0808climatechange.html
Global Warming: Carbon
Dioxide 'Tree Banking' May Help, Provided Trees Have Optimal Water And Nutrient
Levels
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070807084202.htm
European Heat
Waves Double In Length Since 1880
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803110815.htm
Climate Change
Threatens Siberian Forests
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070731191203.htm
Stronger Evidence
For Human Origin Of Global Warming
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070730141145.htm
Global Warming Threatens Pacific Northwest Coast
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070727211602.htm
Rising Surface Ozone Reduces
Plant Growth And Adds To Global Warming
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725143612.htm
and related article
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726104756.htm
Melting Glaciers On The Tibetan Plateau
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070720163907.htm
Glaciers And Ice
Caps To Dominate Sea Level Rise This Century
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070719143502.htm
Shrinking Ice - Himalayan
Glaciers in Retreat
http://video.on.nytimes.com/index.jsp?fr_story=ed0790a933ae17ba3d2cfb0818ececd251bf08a6
Mount Everest is Being Ravaged by Warming
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/07/06/everest_pla.html
Invisible Gases Form Most
Organic Haze In Urban, Rural Areas
(this is related to global cooling, an effect that has
masked the global warming mechanism)
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070709131259.htm
Fossilized
Midges Provide Clues To Future Climate Change
Fossilized
midges have helped scientists at the University of Liverpool identify two
episodes of abrupt climate change that suggest the UK climate is not as stable
as previously thought.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070709111430.htm
World's First Carbon
Management MBA Launched
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070709100803.htm
Counting on Failure,
Energy Chairman Floats Carbon Tax - A
tax bill is introduced to show that we’re not ready to deal with global
warming. As expected, the bill fails.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/07/washington/07carbon.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Global Warming Is
Evaporating Arctic Ponds, New Study Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070703173140.htm
NASA hosts Q&A on Global Warming
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/GlobalWarmingQandA/
NASA Satellite Captures
First View Of 'Night-shining' Clouds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070629100914.htm
Moving Beyond Kyoto by Al Gore
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/opinion/01gore.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Study Sees Climate Change
Impact on Alaska
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/us/28climate.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Rising
sea level forecasts understated, say scientists
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/20/1957115.htm
Freak winter is Europe's
warmest for 700 years
Exclusive global warming poll: The buck stops here
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg19426091.500?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=mg19426091.500
Climate Models Consistent
With Ocean Warming Observations
http://www.skype.com/download/skype/windows/downloading.html
Exxon Now Says It Never Doubted Global Warming Threat
http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=15443
http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL1441452220070614
Global Warming Threatens Antarctic
Base - The WMF identified
climate change as the biggest threat to the hut, built in 1911 at Cape Evans by
Captain Scott's British Antarctic expedition. The hut is wooden but for decades
was permanently frozen. With the ice melting, the timbers have become waterlogged
and are rotting.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/06/08/international/i062450D79.DTL
Arctic Spring Comes Weeks
Earlier Than A Decade Ago
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070618110013.htm
Latest
predictions for life in North America's changing climate
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070616/bob9.asp
Human Activities Increasing
Carbon Sequestration In Forests
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070613131909.htm
North American Birds Moving
North As A Result Of Climate Change
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070611112536.htm
Who Needs Environmental
Monitoring?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070607171025.htm
Study Of Underground Lakes
In Antarctica Could Be Critical
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070605185640.htm
Dirty Snow May Warm Arctic
As Much As Greenhouse Gases
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070606113327.htm
Geoengineering: A Quick Fix
With Big Risks
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070604170712.htm
Hundreds Of Antarctic
Peninsula Glaciers Accelerating As Climate Warms
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070605121037.htm
Everybody Talks About the
Weather; All of a Sudden, It’s Controversial
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/04/business/media/04weather.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Greenland Has Experienced A
Significant Loss Of Ice, NASA Research Shows
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070530132357.htm
Climate change debate shares stage at Exxon meeting
http://www.statesman.com/business/content/business/stories/other/05/31/31exxon.html
The Coal Trap - The many "energy independence" bills circulating in Congress will likely be disastrous from a global warming perspective.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/opinion/30wed1.html?th&emc=th
Will Warming Lead to a
Rise in Hurricanes?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/science/earth/29hurr.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
WARMING TRENDS - Engulfed by Climate Change, Town Seeks
Lifeline
The
permanently frozen subsoil, known as permafrost, upon which many Native Alaskan
villages rest is melting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/us/27newtok.html?th&emc=th
Study: Worldwide Carbon Dioxide Emissions Soar
May 23 — Warnings about global warming may not be dire enough, according
to a climate study that describes a runaway-train acceleration of industrial
carbon dioxide emissions. (USA Today)
Warming Blamed for Costa Rica Frog Die-Offs
May 22 — Global warming is the top suspect for the disappearance of 17
amphibian species from Costa Rican jungles, scientists said, warning monkey and
reptile populations were also plummeting. (Reuters)
World Carbon Dioxide Output to Increase 59 Percent by 2030: U.S.
May 21 — Global emissions of the main gas scientists link to global
warming will rise 59 percent from 2004 to 2030, with much of the growth coming
from coal burning in developing countries like China, the U.S. government
forecast. (Reuters)
Report: Warming Imperils State Flowers
May 19 — Global warming threatens the state flowers and trees in at
least 18 states, scientists with the National Wildlife Federation report. (Associated
Press)
Study: Southern Ocean Saturated with Carbon Dioxide
May 17 — The Southern Ocean around Antarctica is so loaded with carbon
dioxide that it can barely absorb any more, so more of the gas will stay in the
atmosphere to warm up the planet, scientists report. (Reuters)
Big Areas of Antarctica Melted in 2005
May 16 — Vast areas of snow in Antarctica melted in 2005 when
temperatures warmed up for a week in the summer in a process that may
accelerate invisible melting deep beneath the surface, NASA said. (Reuters)
Ocean Around Japan Warming Up Fast: Report
May 15 — The ocean around Japan has warmed up faster than elsewhere in
the world over the last hundred years partly because of global warming, the
Japan Meteorological Agency said. (Reuters)
Scientists Urge Half of Canada Forest Be Protected
May 14 — Canada's vast forests should be protected much more than they
are now to preserve wildlife and water and to fight global warming, a group of
1,500 scientists from around the world said. (Reuters)
China Warns Over Climate Change
May 10 — The Chinese authorities have announced that the country is
likely to be hit by more adverse weather this year than at any time in the past
decade. (BBC)
Study Ties Coral Disease to Warmer Oceans
May 8 — Warmer sea temperatures are linked to the severity of a coral
disease, according to a study on Australia's Great Barrier Reef that offers a
dire warning about global warming's potential impact on the world's troubled
reefs. (Reuters)
Plants Don't Produce Greenhouse Gas, New Study Finds
May 8 — Plants are not a significant source of methane, a potent
greenhouse gas, according to new research that casts doubt on the results of an
earlier study. (LiveScience.com)
Famous Caymans Coral Reefs Dying, Scientists Say
May 6 — The reef system of the western Caribbean territory has lost 50
percent of its hard corals in the last 10 years and climate change may to be
blame, scientists say. (Reuters)
Snowball Fight Erupts Over Frozen Earth Theory
May 6 — The theory that the Earth long ago froze completely over is
challenged by new data from desert outcroppings in Oman that indicate even as
glaciers spread across all the continents 700 million years ago, warm spells
with liquid water were still common. (LiveScience.com)
Creating More Accurate Climate Models Based On New Ice Cores (May 7, 2007) — Frequent climate fluctuations on the world's southernmost continent have been so extreme over the past 5 million years that Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf, a floating slab of ice the size of France.
Alarming Acceleration In Carbon Dioxide
Emissions Worldwide
The research shows that the actual global emissions since
2000 grew faster than in the highest of the scenarios developed by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070516152106.htm
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/05/22/22co2.html
Investigating Coral Reefs To
Help Understand Past And Future Climate Change
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070516095219.htm
Southern Ocean Carbon Sink
Weakened
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070517142558.htm
Can Cities Save the Earth?
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/opinion/19sat4.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
The small ice caps of Mont Blanc and the Dôme du
Goûter are not melting, or at least, not yet.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070516101548.htm
Papers Describe How Global
Warming Could Affect The World's Fisheries
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070516132955.htm
Antarctic surface thaw 'most significant' in 30 years
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn11865?DCMP=NLC-nletter&nsref=dn11865
Glacial
Retreats are Accelerating
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17644
NASA
Finds Vast Regions of West Antarctica Melted in Recent Past
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-058
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070515152520.htm
NASA
Finds Arctic Replenished Very Little Thick Sea Ice in 2005
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-037
Scientists Back Off Theory of a Colder Europe in a Warming
World
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/15/science/earth/15cold.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
Global
warming bill gets unexpected support
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/05/12/12warming.html
Water
project to take climate change into account
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/05/14/14climate.html
Confirmed: Deforestation Plays Critical Climate Change Role
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070511100918.htm
Forested Developing Nations Seek To Combat Climate Change By
Reducing Deforestation
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070510160906.htm
Massive Carbon Dioxide Burps
Came From Ocean At End Of Last Ice Age