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Archive for November 1st, 2012
Sandy and the winds of change
Posted by LA Times: Eugene Linden on November 1st, 2012
LA Times: Even as Sandy underwent its bizarre metamorphosis from hurricane to winter storm, the question arose in many inquiring minds (at least those not beholden to a solemn oath of climate-change denial): Was this historic storm a symptom of global warming? Climate science has two ready answers: Absolutely! And, of course not!
On the one hand, a warming globe makes megastorms more probable, while on the other, it is impossible to pin a global warming sticker on Sandy because the circumstances that turned...
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Long-term sea level rise in Washington, D.C. could have significant impact
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2012
ScienceDaily: The U.S. capital is likely to face flooding and infrastructure damage in both the short- and long-term brought about by sea level rise (SLR), current trends and predicted increases suggest. The rise is linked to thermal expansion of the oceans and melting of global ice sheets as a result of global warming, researchers say in a new study focused on real-estate property and government infrastructure impacts in Washington, D.C.
Short-term predictions suggest that sea level will rise 0.1 meters by...
Rural Kenya tunes in community radio for weather alerts
Posted by AlertNet: Kagondu Njagi on November 1st, 2012
AlertNet: The tea and coffee bushes growing on the hillsides around Isaac Kinyua's home have long provided him and many of his kin with a livelihood, giving Central Kenya an economic edge over other parts of the country.
But the hillsides are also periodically hit by landslides -- one reason Kinyua is now taking the precaution of building a concrete wall on the eastern side of his house, where the land falls steeply to the valley below.
Why now? Because lately, when Kinyua tunes in his portable radio,...
China struggles for solution to growing NIMBY movement
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2012
Reuters: It looked like another victory for the people when the Chinese city of Ningbo announced the suspension on Sunday of a petrochemical project after days of street protests by citizens concerned it would pollute their community.
It may turn out to be more complicated.
As China's increasingly affluent urban population battles back against the breakneck growth-at-all-costs model that has fuelled the economy for three decades, environmental activists say the apparently straightforward narrative that...
Draining N.Y. Tunnels Flooded by Sandy to Take Many Days
Posted by Bloomberg: Jeff Plungis, Angela Greiling Keane and Alan Levin on November 1st, 2012
Bloomberg: Five underground walls of water containing hundreds of millions of gallons stand between New Yorkers and their lifeblood of full subway service.
It’s going to take hundreds of pumps, including ones powerful enough to drain an Olympic-sized swimming pool in less than 15 minutes; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ National Unwatering SWAT Team; and at least several more days to get the job done.
“We don’t dewater tunnels very often,” said Pete Snow, lead trainer for White Plains, New York-based...
Downpours From Sandy Fail to Ease Drought in U.S
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2012
Climate Central: Despite the torrential rains, and in some cases heavy snows, dumped on the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states by Hurricane Sandy, the drought that has gripped much of the nation since last spring continues to plague the Lower 48 States, according to the latest report of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
As of October 30, the entire continental U.S. west of the Mississippi, with the exception of the Pacific Northwest and a couple of patches in Texas, was at least abnormally dry, with large parts of Oklahoma,...
Artificial ‘misting system’ allows vanished toad to be released back into the wild
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2012
Mongabay: In 1996 scientists discovered a new species of dwarf toad: the Kihansi spray toad (Nectophrynoides asperginis). Although surviving on only two hectares near the Kihansi Gorge in Tanzania, the toads proved populous: around 17,000 individuals crowded the smallest known habitat of any vertebrate, living happily off the moist micro-habitat created by spray from adjacent waterfalls. Eight years later and the Kihansi spray toad was gone. Disease combined with the construction of a hydroelectric dam ended...
Climate Change: Was Sandy a warning?
Posted by NBC News: None Given on November 1st, 2012
NBC News: >>> of the impact of sandy in the new york metro area has many people bringing up two words, climate change . normally busy hubs like battery park , where under water, was not seen in decades. here was governor cuomo bringing up the topic of climate change during a recent news conference.
>> anyone who says there's not a dramatic change in weather patterns, i think is denying reality. and i would like to say this is probably the last occurrence we will have, i don't believe that. i said to the...
U.S. drought shrinking, but not fast enough
Posted by Reuters: Carey Gillam on November 1st, 2012
Reuters: Snow and rain and cooler temperatures helped ease suffering in drought-stricken areas of the United States over the last week, though some areas saw conditions grow worse, according to a climatology report issued Thursday.
Monster storm Sandy, which devastated the eastern United States with heavy rains and high winds, had little to no impact on the driest areas of the U.S. Heartland. Indeed, the worst level of drought - "exceptional" - expanded in the U.S. South, which includes Oklahoma, Texas,...
Flood risk will rise with climate change, experts say
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on November 1st, 2012
Washington Post: As the Northeast struggles with the aftermath of the massive storm Sandy, many experts say the government for years has underestimated how much of the nation is prone to flooding, given the increasing likelihood of extreme weather due to climate change and the prospect of future sea level rise.
These experts, who include not only environmentalists but also community planners, insurers and fiscal conservatives, have pressed agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency to rethink the...