Anthropogenic Climate Change

Western Canada to lose 70 percent of glaciers by 2100: "Seventy per cent of glacier ice in British Columbia and Alberta could disappear by the end of the 21st century, creating major problems for local ecosystems, power supplies, and water quality, according to a new study by University of British Columbia researchers. The study is published online in Nature Geoscience."

Anesthetic gases raise Earth's temperature (a little) while you sleep: "The gases used to knock out surgery patients are accumulating in the Earth's atmosphere, where they make a small contribution to climate change, report scientists who have detected the compounds as far afield as Antarctica. Like the well-known climate warmer carbon dioxide, anesthesia gases allow the atmosphere to store more energy from the Sun. But unlike carbon dioxide, the medical gases are extra potent in their greenhouse-gas effects, scientists say."

That's vaguely disturbing, but are net emissions of those gases enough to be even trivially significant?

They said that the medical industry contributes 8% of emissions but I'm not actually sure that that's mostly these gases. I presume that there's a lot more in the way of supplies, disposal, transport, etc. that goes into that figure...

Every little bit does help, though, so it's probably useful to at least think about this source of GHG emissions.

edited 8th Apr '15 2:28:01 PM by GlennMagusHarvey

I guess we'll have to see.

Scientists predict gradual, prolonged permafrost greenhouse gas emissions, allowing us more time to adapt: "A new scientific synthesis suggests a gradual, prolonged release of greenhouse gases from permafrost soils in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, which may afford society more time to adapt to environmental changes, say scientists."

Global warming more moderate than worst-case models, empirical data suggest: "A study based on 1,000 years of temperature records suggests global warming is not progressing as fast as it would under the most severe emissions scenarios outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Natural decade-to-decade variability in surface temperatures can account for some much-discussed recent changes in the rate of warming. Empirical data, rather than climate models, were used to estimate this variability."

Gravity data show that Antarctic ice sheet is melting increasingly faster: "Researchers 'weighed' Antarctica's ice sheet using gravitational satellite data and found that during the past decade, Antarctica's massive ice sheet lost twice the amount of ice in its western portion compared with what it accumulated in the east. Their conclusion — the southern continent's ice cap is melting ever faster."

Record global carbon dioxide concentrations surpass 400 parts per million in March 2015: "For the first time since we began tracking carbon dioxide in the global atmosphere, the monthly global average concentration of this greenhouse gas surpassed 400 parts per million in March 2015, according to NOAA's latest results."

"Water Light", a three day art expo by Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde in the city of Amsterdam used LED lights and intelligent software to simulate the water level at which the city would lie if not for its hidraulic works.

Daan's target is to create more discussion and awareness on the facts of global warming. As you can see from the video or images, you will see the art simulates what Amsterdam would look like from the current point of view in the street. The lights above you would be the water.

I just wonder what sort of pollution those hydraulics might produce, and how much they contribute to the problem...

Not that it's not worth it, obviously.

As carbon emissions climb, so too has Earth's capacity to remove CO2 from atmosphere: "New research confirms that as carbon emissions continue to climb, so too has the Earth's capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere."

Climate change could cause cold-blooded animals' thermal tolerance to shrink: "Cold-blooded animals can tolerate body temperatures only a few degrees above their normal high temperatures before they overheat, which could be a problem as the planet itself warms, according to new research. As a result, the animals will see their 'thermal safety margins' shrink as global temperatures rise. Shifts in behavior or evolutionary changes might be the best hope for these animals to adapt to climate change, the researchers note."

Severe weather may be linked to Arctic warming: "New evidence has linked Arctic warming with severe weather in countries including the UK and US. The studies are adding to the growing weight of evidence linking increased Arctic temperatures with changes in mid-latitude weather patterns."

What would it take to limit climate change to 1.5°C by 2100?: "A new study analyzes the required climate policy actions and targets in order to limit future global temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100. This level is supported by more than 100 countries worldwide, including those most vulnerable to climate change, as a safer goal than the currently agreed international aim of 2 degrees Celsius — an aim which would already imply substantial greenhouse-gas reductions. Hence the interest for scrutinizing the very low end of greenhouse-gas stabilization scenarios."

Sudden onset of ice loss in Antarctica so large it affects Earth's gravity field: "Scientists have observed a sudden increase of ice loss in a previously stable region of Antarctica. The ice loss in the region is so large that it causes small changes in the gravity field of the Earth."

Savannahs slow climate change, experts say: "Tropical rainforests have long been considered the Earth's lungs, sequestering large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thereby slowing down the increasing greenhouse effect and associated human-made climate change. Scientists in a global research project now show that the vast extensions of semi-arid landscapes occupying the transition zone between rainforest and desert dominate the ongoing increase in carbon sequestration by ecosystems globally, as well as large fluctuations between wet and dry years. This is a major rearrangement of planetary functions."

I wonder how much of that is C4 plants taking advantage of increased ambient CO 2 concentration.

BP: Oil and Gas Majors Call for Carbon Pricing

10,000 years of rabbit bones hint how climate change may hit mammals: "At times during the past 10,000 years, cottontails and hares reproduced like rabbits and their numbers surged when the El Niño weather pattern drenched the Pacific Coast with rain, according to a University of Utah analysis of 3,463 bunny bones.

The study of ancient rabbit populations at a Baja California site may help scientists better understand how mammals that range from the coast to the interior will respond to climate change, says anthropology doctoral student Isaac Hart. He is first author of the study to be published in the July issue of the journal Quaternary Research."

Using new data, US finds no pause in global warming: "Using updated data on the Earth's surface temperatures worldwide, US government scientists have found no evidence of a pause in global warming in recent years, according to research published on Thursday.''"

Dramatic ice sheet collapse 135 thousand years ago triggered strong global climate change: "The climatic events that ended the ice age before last are surprisingly different to those of the last ice age, an international team of scientists has found. These findings will help scientists understand the processes that control Earth's dramatic climate changes at the end of an ice age."

Cutting carbon emissions could have indirect effects on hunger: "As many of the world's nations prepare and implement plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, researchers say another critical factor needs to be considered. A new study has found for the first time that efforts to keep global temperatures in check will likely lead to more people going hungry. That risk doesn't negate the need for mitigation but highlights the importance of comprehensive policies."

Pope Francis is throwing the weight of the Catholic Church to fight climate change and dismisses those who deny it.

Watch U.S. conservatives dismiss this out of hand... oh, wait, they already have.

It's a human survival issue, not a political issue. Of course, by the time they finally figure that out, it'll be too late.

Also, props to Pope Francis.

edited 18th Jun '15 12:30:29 PM by speedyboris

Human survival is a political issue. The US doesn't really have a strong consensus behind it.