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Archive for October 10th, 2013
The Tundra’s Greenhouse Gas Contribution
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 10th, 2013
RedOrbit: Arctic tundra is often thought of as a barren wasteland that has no direct bearing on global events. However, a team of Scandinavian scientists is warning that the tundra could be a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions if temperatures in the Arctic continue to rise.
"The soil below the tundra contains very large quantities of carbon – more than twice as much as is present in the planet`s entire atmosphere,” explained Magnus Lund, an Arctic researcher from Aarhus University in Denmark....
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Scientists: U.S. Climate Credibility Getting Fracked
Posted by Climate Central: Bobby Magill on October 10th, 2013
Climate Central: As fracking catapults the United States to the top of the list of the world's largest crude oil and natural gas producers, climate scientists worry that the nation's booming fossil fuels production is growing too quickly with too little concern about its impact on climate change, possibly endangering America's efforts to curb global greenhouse gas emissions.
The U.S. is likely to become the world's top producer of crude oil and natural gas by the end of 2013, producing more hydrocarbons than either...
United Kingdom: Fracking firm was barred from using chemical, Balcombe meeting told
Posted by Guardian: Fiona Harvey and Adam Vaughan on October 10th, 2013
Guardian: The UK's fracking pioneer Cuadrilla was prevented by the Environment Agency from using a hazardous chemical at its drilling site in Sussex, local residents have been told. But permission was granted for another chemical despite concerns over its safety. Chris Wick, of the Environment Agency, told a packed meeting of residents in Balcombe's church on Wednesday night that "we stopped Cuadrilla using one or two things". The chemical that was banned was antimony trioxide. The Environment Agency told...
Cyclone Phailin intensifies as it approaches India
Posted by Reuters: Jatindra Dash and Mayank Bhardwaj on October 10th, 2013
Reuters: A cyclone heading towards India's southeast coast intensified on Thursday, disaster management and weather officials said, warning tens of thousands of farmers to save their crops before the storm reaches land in the next 72 hours.
Packing wind speeds of up to 185 kph (115 mph), cyclone Phailin is moving in from the Bay of Bengal and is forecast to hit between Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state and Paradip in Odisha state on the evening of October 12.
The neighboring state of West Bengal,...
Climate change threatens Northern American turtle habitat
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 10th, 2013
ScienceDaily: Although a turtle's home may be on its back, some North American turtles face an uncertain future as a warming climate threatens to reduce their suitable habitat.
A new study that reconstructs the effects of past climatic changes on 59 species of North American turtles finds that the centers of the turtles' ranges shifted an average of 45 miles for each degree of warming or cooling. While some species were able to find widespread suitable climate, other species, many of which today are endangered,...
El Nino outlook neutral into Northern Hemisphere spring: NOAA
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 10th, 2013
Reuters: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Thursday the El Nino phenomenon is unlikely to cause extreme weather in the Northern Hemisphere into spring 2014.
In its monthly report, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) said that atmospheric and oceanic conditions over the last month indicated a neutral El Nino forecast heading into the spring, with warmer conditions gradually increasing.
The weather pattern can cause flooding and heavy rains in the United States and South America...
By 2047, coldest years may be warmer than hottest in past, scientists say
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 10th, 2013
New York Times: If greenhouse emissions continue their steady escalation, temperatures across most of the earth will rise to levels with no recorded precedent by the middle of this century, researchers said Wednesday. Scientists from the University of Hawaii at Manoa calculated that by 2047, plus or minus five years, the average temperatures in each year will be hotter across most parts of the planet than they had been at those locations in any year between 1860 and 2005. To put it another way, for a given geographic...
Unprecedented shift in temperature will begin to hit tropics in less than decade
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 10th, 2013
Independent: Tropical regions will experience the greatest shifts in climate this century with some equatorial areas experiencing unprecedented changes as early as the next few decades, a study has found.
Scientists discovered that the tropics, which are home to the highest densities of wildlife as well as some of the most vulnerable human populations on the planet, will be hit hardest and earliest by climate extremes.
A “meta-analysis” of future climate predictions culled from 39 global computer models...
Study: More mosquitoes, pollution due to climate change
Posted by KGW: Evan Sernoffsky on October 10th, 2013
KGW: Portland needs to get ready for more heat waves, declining air quality and more mosquitoes, according to a new report by Multnomah County released Wednesday.
The report looks into how climate change will likely cause temperatures to rise and change precipitation throughout the county.
Dr. Justin Denny, Heath Officer with the county, said there is reason to be concerned.
Scientists note that temperatures have gone up 1.5 degrees in the region over the past century and September was one of...
Temperatures go off the charts around 2047
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on October 10th, 2013
Associated Press: Starting in about a decade, Kingston, Jamaica, will probably be off-the-charts hot - permanently. Other places will soon follow. Singapore in 2028. Mexico City in 2031. Cairo in 2036. Phoenix and Honolulu in 2043.
And eventually the whole world in 2047.
A new study on global warming pinpoints the probable dates for when cities and ecosystems around the world will regularly experience hotter environments the likes of which they have never seen before.
And for dozens of cities, mostly in the...