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Are Nuisance Jellyfish Really Taking Over the World’s Oceans?

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:19:27 +0000

In recent years, media reports of jellyfish blooms and some scientific publications have fueled the idea that jellyfish and other gelatinous floating creatures are becoming more common and may dominate the seas in coming decades. The growing impacts of humans on the oceans, including overfishing and climate change, have been suggested as possible causes of this apparently alarming trend.

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Are Nuisance Jellyfish Really Taking Over the World’s Oceans?

Carbon Source or Carbon Sink: Greenhouse Gases in the Tropics

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:55:56 +0000

The lush vegetation wrapping the center of the globe is one of the most important features for regulating a stable climate in the world. Much excess CO2 emissions from industrialized regions find their way to the equator to be absorbed by abundant CO2-consuming plant life. However, as large tracts of tropical rainforest are cut down in the Amazon, Congo, and Southeast Asia, worries have grown that this vital region may turn from a carbon sink to a carbon source. Those worries can be put at ease somewhat thanks to a recent study from the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC). Their report suggests that carbon storage of forests, shrublands, and savannas in the tropics are 21 percent higher than previously believed.

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Carbon Source or Carbon Sink: Greenhouse Gases in the Tropics

Study Reveals Impacts of Environmental Changes on Southern Ocean Food Web

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:55:55 +0000

In January of this year, a comprehensive study of animals in the Southern Ocean was completed, showing that the region is under threat from climate change. The scientific journal Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography featured the findings of an international group of researchers who wrote over 20 papers about the effects on the Scotia Sea food web by above average water temperatures.

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Study Reveals Impacts of Environmental Changes on Southern Ocean Food Web

Early Ice Ages

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:35:18 +0000

New research led by scientists from Oxford University and Exeter University has shown that the invasion of the land by plants in the Ordovician Period (488-443 million years ago) cooled the climate and may have triggered a series of ice ages. During this period sea levels are very high and at the end of the period there was a mass extinction event. At the beginning of the period, around 480 million years ago, the climate was very hot due to high levels of CO2, which gave a strong greenhouse effect. The marine waters are assumed to have been around 45°C, which restricted the diversification of complex multi-cellular organisms. But over time, the climate become cooler, and around 460 million years ago, the ocean temperatures became comparable to those of present day equatorial waters. The dramatic cooling of the planet between 300 and 200 million years ago was also the result of the evolution of large plants with large rooting systems that caused huge changes in both of these processes. In the current results it was shown that the appearance of the first land plants had a similar effect and much earlier in time.

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Early Ice Ages

Why Biodiversity Loss Deserves as Much Attention as Climate Change

admin — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:41:21 +0000

Biodiversity loss is probably a challenge that is often ignored as climate change looms. Currently the world is losing species at a rate that is 100 to 1000 times faster than the natural extinction rate, further, it is currently seeing the sixth mass extinction. The previous mass extinction occured 65 million years ago, and was caused by ecosystem changes, changes in atmospheric chemistry, impacts of asteroids and volcanoes. For the first time in history, the current extinction is caused by the competition for resources between a single species Homo sapiens and all others. A recent conference arranged by the Danish Ministry of Environment in the University of Copenhagen, provided an opportunity to influence the process of organizing a UN Biodiversity Panel. More than 100 scientists and decision makers from the EU countries gathered and came to the conclusion that drastic measures should be taken to decelerate current loss of biodiversity.

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Why Biodiversity Loss Deserves as Much Attention as Climate Change

The Era Of Cheap Water Is Over: Deloitte

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:16:30 +0000

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) today launched the Water Tight 2012 report, which explores the future of the global water sector in the year ahead. The report examines how major global trends such as population growth, increasing economic development, and urbanization, coupled with the changes in climate patterns, underscore the importance of effective public policy and private sector water stewardship in managing this finite and shared resource. The growing demand for water is making conservation and efficient use central issues, particularly as governments, utilities, and the private sector come under increasing pressure to be stewards of this precious and shared resource. The report states that a clearer water pricing will play an important role in how customers better manage their water usage. “There is a compelling case for utilities either to increase water prices or create a better pricing system that addresses scarcity issues, allows them to invest in the replacement of ageing infrastructure, and provides them with a satisfactory financial return,” says James Leigh, Global Leader for Water, DTTL. “Increasing water prices, however, is a difficult political decision, as domestic water usage is considered a basic human right. As such, raising awareness of water related issues and educating the public about the necessity of more effective water pricing is crucial.”

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The Era Of Cheap Water Is Over: Deloitte

The Era Of Cheap Water Is Over: Deloitte

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:16:30 +0000

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The Era Of Cheap Water Is Over: Deloitte

New Study Predicts Declining Rangeland in California

admin — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:02:26 +0000

Duke University researchers have predicted that climate change in California will result in a declining percentage of rangeland. Such a change will have widespread impact on the state’s large cattle industry of California’s Central Valley. No matter if climate change will cause wetter or drier weather, available pasture will decline. Forage areas, known as one of nature’s free services, may no longer be so free. The grasses will either wither as arid conditions creep north, or be pushed out as inedible shrubs and brush take over.

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New Study Predicts Declining Rangeland in California

Singapore Panel Makes Recommendations for Mitigating Flash-Flooding

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:42:53 +0000

Storm water run-off, a major problem which has affected Singapore for two consecutive years, is thought to be partially due to urbanization of the country, and recommendations have been made for mitigation of this serious issue. An expert panel consisting of 12 members was created after last year’s flash flooding across eastern and central Singapore to research potential solutions, and the panel explains that urbanization – that is, more concrete, buildings and roads due to a growing population – is one of the reasons behind the recent increase in storm water run-off which causes the flooding. Today Online mentions that the panel performed additional analysis as a joint effort with the Meteorological Services, and observed that there are clear trends in recent decades towards higher rainfall in terms of intensity and frequency. These findings are consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) findings.

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Singapore Panel Makes Recommendations for Mitigating Flash-Flooding

Singapore Panel Makes Recommendations for Mitigating Flash-Flooding

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:42:53 +0000

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Singapore Panel Makes Recommendations for Mitigating Flash-Flooding

Trees near homes boost incomes, sequester carbon

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:52:24 +0000

A form of small-holder agroforestry in which trees are planted around the home, maximizing the land left available for cash crops, may prove the best balance between sequestering carbon and making money by farming other crops, a study has found. There has been a proliferation of projects that encourage small-scale farmers to adopt tree planting as part of efforts to sequester carbon from the atmosphere to help mitigate climate change. But there is a conflict of policy interests because trees can take up land used for growing cash crops, thereby reducing farmer’s profits. In many cases there are no payments for planting trees and, even where there are, the money does not match the lost profits from crops.

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Trees near homes boost incomes, sequester carbon

Building a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:52:23 +0000

The concept of the hydrogen economy (HE), in which hydrogen would replace the carbon-based fossil fuels of the twentieth century was first mooted in the 1970s. Today, HE is seen as a potential solution to the dual global crises of climate change and dwindling oil reserves. A research paper to be published in the International Journal of Sustainable Design suggests that HE is wrong and SHE has the answer in the sustainable hydrogen economy. John Andrews of the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, at RMIT University, in Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, explains how rather than there being a straight choice between hydrogen fuel cells and battery electric vehicles, it is time to accept that horsepower is a matter of “horses for courses.” He adds that hydrogen can be produced using renewables — water as the material source and wind power or solar as the energy supply for conversion. It thus offers a zero-emissions approach to fuel production for power generation using fuel cells to convert the hydrogen into electricity for all modes of transport as an alternative to petroleum fuels. Hydrogen generated by via wind power can also act as an energy-storage medium for times when wind and sun are unable to fulfill power requirements.

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Building a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy

South Florida Alliance Gears Up for Climate Change

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:52:20 +0000

Global action against climate change is often difficult and excruciatingly slow. For the United States, policies to combat a warming Earth are at a virtual standstill. That is why it comes down to local and regional alliances to work together to make a difference. In the US, there are few areas more vulnerable to climate change than southern Florida. It is an area that will be easily inundated with flooding should seas continue to rise and hurricanes continue to batter them. Now, four south Florida counties have teamed together to prepare their communities for the menace that is to come.

Include trees in climate modelling, say scientists

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:24:27 +0000

Current climate models and projections may be inaccurate because measurements are based on guidelines that do not include the effects of trees on the local climate, according to agroforestry experts. This in turn may be hindering effective adaptation by local farming communities, as the true effect of climate change on their crops is not accurately captured.

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Include trees in climate modelling, say scientists

Atmospheric Particles causing more rain

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:24:24 +0000

A rise in the atmosphere of aerosols – miniscule particles which include soot, dust and sulphates – has led to more rainfall in certain parts of the world and could provide vital clues for future climate predictions, a scientific study shows. A deeper understanding of rainfall patterns would aid scientists’ ability to predict changing trends in the climate. Aerosols can be produced from burning coal or gas, industrial and agricultural processes or by the burning of forests. As well as being harmful for human health, they are blamed for causing air pollution such as smog and smoke. “For a range of conditions, increases in aerosol abundance are associated with the local intensification of rain rates,” said the study published in Nature Geoscience by scientists from Israel’s Weizmann Institute, NASA, and other institutions.

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Atmospheric Particles causing more rain

What environmental policy could we expect from President Colbert?

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:40:35 +0000

by Jess Zimmerman. Stephen Colbert has officially thrown his hat in the ring for definitely possibly considering a run for president. He's already out-polling Jon Huntsman ! So what kind of environmental policy platform could we expect from a President Colbert? Well, for starters, no more EPA! Everyone knows pollution is a job-creator . Reverse the incandescent light bulb ban !

Don’t believe the hype about the ‘molecule that could solve climate change’

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:06:15 +0000

by Christopher Mims. Some chemists came up with a really clever way to observe the intermediate stage of an atmospheric chemical reaction, and then some PR flack got a hold of it and suddenly science has invented a brand-new molecule that will solve all our climate change woes ! As usual, things that seem too good to be true probably are. The supposed miracle molecules, Criegee biradicals, are a short-lived intermediate step in the reaction of ozone (the major component of smog) with alkenes (organic molecules produced by plants and a few industrial sources). Scientists used bursts of light 100 times more powerful than the sun to detect the Criegee biradicals, confirming for the first time that these formerly-theoretical intermediates actually exist. What's interesting about them is that Criegee biradicals react with pollutants in the atmosphere to form aerosols, which is a generic term for tiny particles in the atmosphere that (generally) reflect sunlight back into space. Here's how one of the researchers put it in an interview with LiveScience, which is apparently the only news outlet that bothered to call up the authors of the paper instead of just regurgitating the press release: Given that 90 percent of the alkenes in the atmosphere that produce these intermediates come from Earth's ecosystems, the results suggest that “the ecosystem is negating climate change more efficiently than we thought it was,” said study co-author Carl Percival, an atmospheric chemist at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. “The most important message here is that we need to protect the ecosystems we have left.” So! It turns out plants are shielding the planet from even more global warming by a previously not-so-well-understood mechanism. And that if we kill the plants, it's another way we'll accelerate climate change. But making the leap from that conclusion to some kind of hypothetical, never-outlined geoengineering scheme is more than a little premature. Percival noted that scientists aren't close to being ready to use the intermediates in geoengineering to generate more aerosols and proactively cool Earth's climate. The main point, he said, is that we need to preserve the ecosystem so that it can naturally produce more Criegee intermediates.

Congressional staffers will stop betting on wildfire destruction

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:48:49 +0000

by Jess Zimmerman. We here at Grist mock a lot of people. But we don't always manage to mock some sense into them. Which is why we're pretty psyched about the response to Sarah Laskow's feature story revealing that congressional staffers were making deadly wildfires into a fun office pool:

Critical List: Shale gas could squash renewables; scientists fiddle with photosynthesis

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:43:07 +0000

by Sarah Laskow. New York City promises to double the percentage of waste diverted from landfills within the next five years. Increasing shale gas production could squas h renewable energy development. The Obama administration released a draft plan for protecting the country's oceans. Scientists are fiddling with photosynthesis in order to make biofuel. The Navy is trying to prevent the release of a report detailing toxic exposures at a Marine camp. To ameliorate climate change, cut methane and soot , not just carbon, a new study says.

Warmer summers causing colder winters

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:53:26 +0000

Warmer summers in the far Northern Hemisphere are disrupting weather patterns and triggering more severe winter weather in the United States and Europe, a team of scientists say, in a finding that could improve long-range weather forecasts. Blizzards and extreme cold temperatures in the winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11 caused widespread travel chaos in parts of Europe and the United States, leading some to question whether global warming was real. Judah Cohen, lead author of a study published on Friday in the journal Environmental Research Letters, and his team found there was a clear trend of strong warming in the Arctic from July to September. Existing predictions would also expect a warming trend during winter as well. But Cohen and his team found this was not the case for some regions, in a counter-intuitive finding that reveals more about the complexity of the world’s climate system than any flaws in the science of global warming. “For the last two decades, large-scale cooling trends have existed instead across large stretches of eastern North America and northern Eurasia. We argue that this unforeseen trend is probably not due to internal variability alone,” the scientists say in the study.

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Warmer summers causing colder winters