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California Droughts Could Have Dangerous Ripple Effects
Posted by LiveScience: Laura Poppick on December 31st, 2014
LiveScience: Epic droughts like the one gripping California for three years now may become more frequent in the future due to climate change, according to new research. This will not only strain the drinking-water supplies for California's 38 million people, but will also induce a cascade of other hazards — including fires, floods and poor water quality — as populations continue to grow statewide, scientists say. Despite heavy rains this month, 78 percent of California is still experiencing either exceptional...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on California Droughts Could Have Dangerous Ripple EffectsWarming from Arctic Sea Ice Melting More Dramatic than Thought
Posted by LiveScience: Laura Poppick on February 17th, 2014
LiveScience: Melting Arctic sea ice has contributed considerably more to warming at the top of the world than previously predicted by climate models, according to a new analysis of 30 years of satellite observations.
Sea ice helps cool the Arctic by reflecting incoming solar radiation back into space. Because of its light color, sea ice has what is known as high albedo, which is the percentage of solar radiation a surface reflects back to space. Dark ocean water left behind by melting sea ice, on the other...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Warming from Arctic Sea Ice Melting More Dramatic than ThoughtWest Antarctic Ice Sheet’s Age Gains 20 Million Years
Posted by LiveScience: Laura Poppick on September 6th, 2013
LiveScience: The West Antarctic Ice Sheet could have formed 20 million years earlier than previously thought, researchers propose, after updating a detail in global climate models, placing more confidence in those models' ability to predict future changes in global climate.
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet accounts for only about 10 percent of the ice on the continent today. It sits below sea level and is subject to melting from warm air and seawater infiltration, more so than the larger East Antarctic Ice Sheet,...