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Showing posts from January, 2017

Reaching global warming targets under ice-free Arctic summers requires zero emissions by 2045

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Ice-albedo feedback as a result of sea-ice melting, notably in the Arctic, is known to reinforce global warming. What is less known, however, is the impact of a no-summer ice scenario on the world's ambition to maintain global warming below 2°C by 2100. A study conducted under the TRANSRISK project paints a rather dark picture, highlighting the need to better understand the impact of rapid climate change in the region. 'More stringent mitigation efforts globally.' This is what researchers of the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) have come to recommend after studying the potential consequences of an Arctic ice-free month of September 2050 - something doomed to happen according to the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report. Whilst in line with the growing number of pessimistic studies on the pace and impact of climate change, the new study takes a new approach, highlighting the remaining gap in our understanding of the Arctic's role in the regulation of Earth...

Scientists Have Figured Out Why Big Hurricanes Keep Missing the U.S.

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Palm trees bend in the winds of Hurricane Wilma as the storm makes landfall in Plantation, Florida on Oct. 24, 2005. Wilma was the last major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S.   Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images WEATHER Scientists Have Figured Out Why Big Hurricanes Keep Missing the U.S. Justin Worland Jan 04, 2017 Scientists have scratched their heads in recent years as a series of  major hurricanes  have steered clear of the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts, defying probability. Now, new  research  published in the journal  Nature  explains the unlikely phenomenon as at least in part the result of an occurrence called "protective barriers," which help keep major hurricanes from making landfall. Cool ocean temperatures combine with strong vertical wind shear, a measure of how quickly wind changes speed or direction, off the Atlantic coast. Faced with those conditions, ...

Limited sign of soil adaptation to climate warming

Date: January 30, 2017 Source: University of New Hampshire Summary: While scientists and policy experts debate the impacts of global warming, Earth’s soil is releasing roughly nine times more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than all human activities combined. This huge carbon flux from soil, which is due to the natural respiration of soil microbes and plant roots, begs one of the central questions in climate change science. As the global climate warms, will soil respiration rates increase, adding even more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and accelerating climate change? Share: FULL STORY While scientists and policy experts debate the impacts of global warming, Earth's soil is releasing roughly nine times more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than all human activities combined. This huge carbon flux from soil, which is due to the natural respiration of soil microbes and plant roots, begs one of the central questions in climate change science. As the glo...

Global warming never 'paused' and could soon accelerate, warns Nasa scientist

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Dr Gavin Schmidt, director of Nasa’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies, describes suggestions that climate change had slowed down or stopped as ‘delusional’ and ‘bunk’ Ian Johnston  Environment Correspondent  Friday 20 January 2017 86 comments 271 Click to follow The Independent Online A woman searches for dry land after a flood in Bangladesh, a country already affected by cyclones, floods and drought  Probal Rashid The idea that  global warming  “paused” has been comprehensively refuted by the  record warm temperatures over the last three years  – and the rate of increase could soon start to accelerate, a leading Nasa scientist has warned. Dr Gavin Schmidt, director of Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said some people had been “confused” by temperatures that were below the average rate of increase, mistaking what was simply a blip as the sign of a long-term trend. ...