Tag Archives: arctic

The Vital Long View in Tracking Diminishing Arctic Sea Ice

by Myrna Posted on September 18, 2013

Sea ice around the North Pole retreated less this year than last, but the trend toward an open-water Arctic Ocean in summers remains. Continue reading:  The Vital Long View in Tracking Diminishing Arctic Sea Ice ; ;Related ArticlesDot Earth Blog: The Vital Long View in Tracking Diminishing Arctic Sea IceFirst Hurricane Brews After Silent First Half to the Atlantic Storm SeasonFrom the Fire Hose: Warming Slowdown, Deep-Ocean Waves, Canadian Crude Inferno ;

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The Vital Long View in Tracking Diminishing Arctic Sea Ice

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The Texas Tribune: Harris County May Control Water Plans

by Myrna Posted on September 14, 2013

When Texans go to the polls in November to consider $1.1 billion for water projects, Houston, relatively unaffected by drought, could account for one-third of the votes. More:  The Texas Tribune: Harris County May Control Water Plans ; ;Related ArticlesDot Earth Blog: First Hurricane Brews After Silent First Half to the Atlantic Storm SeasonThe House Edge: Wall St. Exploits Ethanol Credits, and Prices SpikeRussia Preparing Patrols of Arctic Shipping Lanes ;

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The Texas Tribune: Harris County May Control Water Plans

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Can Drastic New Anti-Pollution Rules Help Clean Up Beijing’s Air?

by Zeniarwpzz Posted on September 5, 2013

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How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Sternguard Veterans – Games Workshop

Sternguard veterans deploy wherever the battleline is most vulnerable, facing down the most impossible odds with icy calm and precise bursts of bolter fire. They are the very image of what every Space Marine aspires to become, and the pinnacle of any Chapter’s fighting force. About this Guide: In this guide demonstrates how to paint Space Marine Sterngu […]

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Codex: Space Marines (Enhanced Edition) – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the chosen warriors of the Emperor, and the greatest fighting force of the Imperium. Each Space Marine is a genetically enhanced super soldier, easily a match for a dozen lesser men, armed with some of the deadliest weapons in the galaxy and encased in formidable power armour. This codex explores the formations and Chapters of the Space […]

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Cat Sense – John Bradshaw

Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. In Cat Sense , renowned anthrozoologist John Bradshaw takes us further into the mind of the domestic cat than ever before, using […]

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Dogtripping – David Rosenfelt

David Rosenfelt’s Dogtripping is moving and funny account of a cross-country move from California to Maine, and the beginnings of a dog rescue foundation When mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from Southern California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for everything. They had mapped the route, brought three […]

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Dog Sense – John Bradshaw

One of the foremost researchers of animal-human relations offers a pathbreaking analysis of dog behavior, explaining the essentials of canine psychology that all dog lovers need to know.

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How to Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer , the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people every year who consider bringing a puppy into their lives–as well as those who have already brought a dog home–Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, […]

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Warhammer 40,000: The Rules – Games Workshop

There is no time for peace. No respite. No forgiveness. There is only WAR. In the nightmare future of the 41st Millennium, Mankind teeters upon the brink of destruction. The galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is beset on all sides by ravening aliens and threatened from within by Warp-spawned entities and heretical plots. Only the strength of the immortal […]

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How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Centurions – Games Workshop

Designed as siege breakers and for the close quarters of boarding actions, Centurions are heavy exo-armour suits used by specialist Space Marine formations. Incorporating either close range weapons like siege drills and heavy flamers or heavy weapons like lascannons and heavy bolters making each Centurion a formidable adversary. About this Guide: In th […]

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Space Marines Digital Collection – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the superhuman warriors of humanity, fighting across the galaxy to hold back the Imperium’s endless tide of enemies. Few can stand against these peerless soldiers, and even a single company is often enough to change the fate of a world forever. This digital collection gathers together the brand new Codex: Space Marines, How to Paint Cit […]

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Puppy Training Tips for Busy People: Secrets That Most People Will Never Know About Dog Training – Leslie K. McDaniel

Are you excited having a new puppy, as part of your family? You bet! Puppy training is not difficult, if you love dogs and learn secrets of puppy training. This book will help you tremendously on how to train your puppy quickly and effectively. Nobody can resist those puppy dog eyes. However, no matter how adorable and playful that tail wagging, nose-licking […]

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Can Drastic New Anti-Pollution Rules Help Clean Up Beijing’s Air?

Posted in alo, Citadel, eco-friendly, FF, G & F, GE, LAI, Monterey, ONA, Oster, OXO, Pines, solar, solar power, The Atlantic, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Can Drastic New Anti-Pollution Rules Help Clean Up Beijing’s Air?

Dot Earth Blog: From the Fire Hose: Obama’s Bus Stop in Gas Country, Al Gore’s ‘Category 6,’ an Unplugging Climate Blogger

by Myrna Posted on August 23, 2013

A roundup of developments on the fracking fight, Arctic ice, and the perils of climate overstatement. Link to article –  Dot Earth Blog: From the Fire Hose: Obama’s Bus Stop in Gas Country, Al Gore’s ‘Category 6,’ an Unplugging Climate Blogger ; ;Related ArticlesFrom the Fire Hose: Obama’s Bus Stop in Gas Country, Al Gore’s ‘Category 6,’ an Unplugging Climate BloggerDot Earth Blog: Could Climate Campaigners’ Focus on Current Events be Counterproductive?Dot Earth Blog: Can Cities Adjust to a Retreating Coastline? ;

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Dot Earth Blog: From the Fire Hose: Obama’s Bus Stop in Gas Country, Al Gore’s ‘Category 6,’ an Unplugging Climate Blogger

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Dot Earth Blog: A Closer Look at That ‘North Pole Lake’

by Myrna Posted on July 27, 2013

A flurry of Web discussion of a “North Pole lake” misses some important points. See the original article here – Dot Earth Blog: A Closer Look at That ‘North Pole Lake’ Related Articles Dot Earth Blog: Arctic Methane Credibility Bomb A Closer Look at That ‘North Pole Lake’ On Rooftops, a Rival for Utilities

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Dot Earth Blog: A Closer Look at That ‘North Pole Lake’

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Antarctica’s permafrost is melting

by sepjod5 Posted on July 25, 2013

Antarctica’s permafrost is melting

By John Upton

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

Antarctica.

Things are getting ugly on Earth’s underside.

Antarctic permafrost, which had been weathering global warming far better than areas around the North Pole, is starting to give way. Scientists have recorded some of it melting at rates that are nearly comparable to those in the Arctic.

Scientists used time-lapse photography and LiDAR to track the retreat of an Antarctic ice cliff over a little more than a decade. They reported Wednesday in the journal Scientific Reports that the cliff was “backwasting rapidly.” The permafrost that made up the cliff was found to be disappearing nearly 10 times more quickly than was the case during recent geological history. And the rate of melting is picking up pace. From the Los Angeles Times:

Cliff-face measurements of the buried ice in the four-mile-long Garwood Valley revealed melt rates that shifted from a creeping annual rate of about 40,000 cubic feet per year over six milleniums, to more than 402,000 cubic feet last year alone. … (That’s a leap from the capacity of about eight standard railroad boxcars to 77.)

The scientists also monitored the weather at the cliff and found that rising air temperatures were not to blame for the melt. Rather, they think it was caused by growing amounts of dark debris on the surface of the ice and snow that absorbed the sun’s rays.

How did the debris get there? During sudden bursts of warmth brought to the area by strong winds from other regions, ice expanded and cracked and sometimes broke up, throwing the dark debris up to the surface.

Scientific Reports

Monitoring equipment placed in front of the cliff.

If temperatures in the valley eventually start to rise, as expected with global warming, then things could get really watery. From the L.A. Times again:

[The scientists] found that changing patterns of soil erosion altered the amount of solar radiation absorbed in the area, known as the albedo effect, adding about two watts of energy per square meter. (That’s about the power of a candle style lightbulb radiating on less than a third of a sheet of plywood.)

“It doesn’t sound like much to crank up two watts at a time but when you add this up over the last several decades, it’s enough to tip the balance in Garwood from having buried ice in equilibrium to having accelerated melting,” [said geologist Joseph Levy, lead author of the study]. “It’s serious because when you think about permafrost thaw in the Arctic and Antarctic peninsula, usually people think about air temperature. But the dry valley has been in a cooling trend that started about 20 years ago.”

Adding a small rise in temperature, as predicted by climate models, would cause a wide swath of the valley to melt, Levy warned. …

That type of accelerated melt could become typical at the fringes of much larger areas, such as Antarctica’s ice sheets and the land ice in Greenland. Unlike the dry valley thaw, those melts would contribute significantly to rising sea levels.

The scientists reported on the results of studies of just one Antarctic ice cliff, but their findings suggest that similar frozen features across swaths of the southern continent are also vulnerable. “Garwood Valley ice cliff recession may be a leading indicator of more widespread landscape change,” they wrote in the paper. Such changes could “transform low elevation and coastal Antarctic landscapes by the close of the century.”

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Antarctica’s permafrost is melting

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Arctic methane escape could cost $60 trillion

by Roger Frost Posted on July 25, 2013

Arctic methane escape could cost $60 trillion

By John Upton

Shutterstock

Beware of melting.

An almighty belch is building up deep in the belly of the Arctic, and it’s going to cost the world a pretty penny when it rips.

As the Arctic continues to melt, a 50-gigatonne reservoir of methane trapped in permafrost beneath the East Siberian Sea will be released — perhaps steadily over five decades or perhaps during one sudden grandfatherly burp — and that will cause an estimated $37 trillion to $60 trillion worth of damage. So say researchers in a commentary published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas. “Higher methane concentrations in the atmosphere will accelerate global warming and hasten local changes in the Arctic, speeding up sea-ice retreat, reducing the reflection of solar energy and accelerating the melting of the Greenland ice sheet,” the researchers write. “The ramifications will be felt far from the poles.”

It’s not easy to conceptualize such large dollar values, but look at it this way: The world’s gross domestic product in 2012 was estimated at about $70 trillion.

Researchers from Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Cambridge estimated the financial impacts of the methane release by running thousands of simulations on a modeling tool that estimates social costs of climatic change. From the Nature article:

The economic consequences will be distributed around the globe, but the modelling shows that about 80% of them will occur in the poorer economies of Africa, Asia and South America. The extra methane magnifies flooding of low-lying areas, extreme heat stress, droughts and storms.

The full impacts of a warming Arctic, including, for example, ocean acidification and altered ocean and atmospheric circulation, will be much greater than our cost estimate for methane release alone.

To find out the actual cost, better models are needed to incorporate feedbacks that are not included in [our model], such as linking the extent of Arctic ice to increases in Arctic mean temperature, global sea-level rise and ocean acidification, as well as including estimates of the economic costs and benefits of shipping. Oil-and-gas development in the Arctic should also, for example, take into account the impacts of black carbon, which absorbs solar radiation and speeds up ice melt, from shipping and gas flaring.

Antacid, anybody?

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Arctic methane escape could cost $60 trillion

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Arctic Forests Are On Fire Now More Than at Any Point in the Past 10,000 Years

by anjunonstennyao Posted on July 24, 2013

Wildfires burning in Alaska. Photo: Alaska Fire Service

The temperature in the Arctic is rising, the snow is melting, and the landscape is getting greener—that is, when it’s not on fire. In the 10,000 years since the end of the last ice age, says a new study lead by Ryan Kelly, the severity of Arctic fires—the damage they do to the areas, particularly the soil, that they burn—is the highest it’s ever been. The closest match, the researchers say, was a 500-year stretch known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly, a period that ended around 750 years ago and was defined by warm, dry conditions in the Northern Hemisphere.

The modern boreal forest of Alaska, where the scientists did their study, took shape around 3,000 years ago. Along with the sharp increase in fire severity, the frequency of Arctic wild fires has been increasingly recently, too. Kelly and the others write that the frequency of fires is the highest it has been in this 3,000 year stretch.

Predictions of future Arctic wildfires, say the scientists, “almost ubiquitously suggest increased frequency, size, and/or severity of burns in coming decades as a result of future warming.” But Kelly and colleagues point out that making these sorts of predictions might not be quite so simple. They say that some trees are more flammable than others, and just like during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, an increase in strong fires may be increasing the prevalence of less flammable species. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly, this type of shift capped the extent of the fires, and, the scientists write, a similar change that seems to be going on now “may stabilize the fire regime, despite additional warming.”

So, Arctic greening and changes in the types of plants might put a damper on the recent increases in Arctic fire frequency. Or, it might not. “The present fire regime seems to have surpassed the vegetation-induced limit that constrained burning during the [Medieval Climate Anomaly],” Kelly and his colleagues say. Modern climate change seems to be more dramatic than even that five-hundred-year warm period centuries ago, so we’re really not entirely sure what’s going to happen to the Arctic. Maybe something will dampen the blaze, like it has in the past, or maybe it won’t. We might, as the scientists say, be headed for a “novel regime of unprecedented fire activity” in the Alaskan Arctic.

More from Smithsonian.com:

A Warming Climate Is Turning the Arctic Green

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Arctic Forests Are On Fire Now More Than at Any Point in the Past 10,000 Years

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‘A Girl With a Book’ – Malala’s Day at the United Nations

by Myrna Posted on July 12, 2013

Malala, unfazed by an assassination attempt, brings her campaign for the right to learn to the United Nations. Link – ‘A Girl With a Book’ – Malala’s Day at the United Nations Related Articles Dot Earth Blog: As G.O.P. Guts Energy Research Spending, Where’s George Will, Science Defender? As G.O.P. Guts Energy Research Spending, Where’s George Will, Science Defender? Illinois Town Bans Stripping Because of Fracking

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‘A Girl With a Book’ – Malala’s Day at the United Nations

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Global Warming and Our Inconvenient Minds

by Myrna Posted on June 17, 2013

A fun chat on humans’ inconvenient minds and why they make finding consensus on climate hard, but consensus on some smart energy steps easy. View this article: Global Warming and Our Inconvenient Minds ; ;Related ArticlesWhy Colorado’s Fire Losses, Even with Global Warming, Need Not Be the ‘New Normal’Dot Earth Blog: Talking Climate Online With David Roberts of GristDot Earth Blog: A Film Presses the Climate, Health and Security Case for Nuclear Energy ;

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Global Warming and Our Inconvenient Minds

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