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Archive for September 24th, 2011
Melting ice is Earth’s warning signal – and we cannot ignore it
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2011
Guardian: Ice is the white flag being waved by our planet, under fire from the atmospheric attack being mounted by humanity. From the frosted plains of the Arctic ice pack to the cool blue caverns of the mountain glaciers, the dripping away of frozen water is the most crystal clear of all the Earth's warning signals.
It relies on neither the painstaking compiling of temperature records back through history nor the devilish complexity of predicting the future with supercomputers. Ice on Earth is simply and...
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Everest’s ice is retreating as climate change grips the Himalayas
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2011
Guardian: The climb to Everest base camp is a journey into a monochrome world, a landscape reduced to rock, ice and grey sky. The only spots of colour are the bright, domed tents of the few climbing teams willing to attempt the summit in the off-season.
There are no birds, no trees, just the occasional chunks of glacier splashing into pools of pale green meltwater like ice cubes in some giant exotic drink. The stillness suggests nothing has changed for decades, but Tshering Tenzing Sherpa, who has been...
Temperatures to hit 26C this week
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2011
Independent: After weeks of rain and cold winds, Britain may be on course for an Indian summer this week as temperatures are forecast to exceed 26C (79F).
Meteorologists predict an unseasonably warm and dry couple of weeks, with temperatures likely to reach the mid to high 20s in central and eastern parts of the country. This follows a dreary September so far, with an average mean temperature of 14C (57F).
A Met Office forecaster, Tom Morgan, said: "We are certainly going to see some dry and unseasonably...
Island nations warn of climate disaster at UN
Posted by Associated Press: Gregory Katz on September 24th, 2011
Associated Press: The Palestinians want the United Nations to recognize a state. And the island nation of Tuvalu wants the United Nations to act -- now -- to keep their state above water.
The high drama surrounding the historic Palestinian bid for statehood has to a degree overshadowed other issues facing the U.N. General Assembly, which Saturday heard from the leaders of island nations where the impact of climate change is already having a profound effect.
They argue that the U.N. is moving too slowly despite...
Geo-engineering has built up momentum
Posted by Cyprus Mail: Gwynne Dyer on September 24th, 2011
Cyprus Mail: Scientists who are working on various concepts for “geo-engineering” the climate are almost comically eager to stress that they are not trying to come up with a substitute for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, the main cause of man-made global warming. They are just researching back-up systems that we might need if the reductions don’t happen fast enough.
“It’s hard to imagine a situation except a dire emergency where this will be used, but in order to have that conversation sensibly we need...
Why the warming climate makes animals smaller
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2011
New Scientist: Honey, we shrank the copepods. These tiny marine animals offer a clue to why a warming climate makes animals smaller.
It is well established that cold-blooded species get smaller as the climate heats up, says Andrew Hirst of Queen Mary, University of London. Experiments show that, on average, 1 °C of warming reduces their adult body mass by 2.5 per cent. The mystery is why.
To find out, Hirst pulled together data on 15 species of copepod that swim in the open sea, focusing on how they grew...
Managing forests to manage wildfires
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on September 24th, 2011
National Public Radio: Record breaking fires in the Southwest have burned thousands of acres, disrupting people and animals, and leaving muddy, flood-prone landscapes in their wake. Ira Flatow and guests discuss fire ecology, and how new forest management strategies may help stifle the blazes.