Planethopia » global warming

Everest glacier is melting due to global warming

brynh — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:46:38 +0000

Glacial ice is formed from highly compressed snow. In areas of the world where more snow falls each year than can melt or evaporate, the snow builds up and its structure gradually changes. After that, the compressed snow, known as firn is transformed to glacial ice.

One of the key facts about gaciers is that around 80 percent of the world’s fresh water is locked up inside glaciers, mostly around the poles (ice sheets on Antarctica and Greenland). When summer temperatures bring about the rapid melting of a glacier, the meltwaters that flow downhill release the stored fresh water, replenishing the overall water supply.

The glaciers in the Himalaya are not just sliding downhill, they also appear to be melting faster than they can be replenished. The ice is critical for Nepal because it feeds many of the rivers which are Nepal’s primary source of drinking and irrigation water. If these ice fields and glaciers disappear, Nepal and India will have to depend on the unreliable monsoon rains for water.

Glaciers are also affected by seasonal changes in climat, melting in hot summers or refreezing in cold winters. In fact, this determines whether a glacier is in the process of advancing (moving downhill) or retreating (melting). Glaciers have an impact on weather, too. The sharp contrast between the frigid air around the poles and the warmer air around the equator sets up a temperature differential that results in the giant jet streams of wind that circle the planet, and also relalates to storm development.

One of Mount Everest’s most-visited glaciers is continuously melting into a growing lake which now threats villagers and trekking tourists, scientists have warned few days ago.

A study of glacial melting in the high Himalaya found that the Imja glacier has melted from solid ice in the mid-1950s to a almost two and a half kilometers long lake today.

Scientists from Nepal’s International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said the lake is growing by just under 50 meters per year. Such increasing growing rate poses a danger of bursting lake’s banks – a 31 meters high dam mostly of rocks and stones – and flooding nearby villages and trekking routes.

There are some scientists’ predictions that more than 7,500 people would be affected by the floods.

The study compared photographs taken from the 1956 Swiss Everest expedition, which showed no evidence of a lake on the glacier, to later pictures and revealed the creation of a large lake.

“Photographs taken in the 1950s demonstrate that, except for several small melt ponds, no lake existed at that time. By 1984 a lake of approximately 0.4 square kilometers had formed,” the report said.

A series of maps drawn from photographs “demonstrate the progressive evolution of 1956 melt ponds to a potentially threatening lake by 1984,” the authors added.

They urged the authorities in Nepal to install early warning systems to sound imminent flood alerts.

The three lakes in the study had all become tourist attractions, they said.

One of the authors, Pradeep Mool, a leading Himalayan glacier expert, said the study had been aimed at establishing which of the region’s “potentially dangerous” glacial lakes could burst in the future.

Global warming was the cause of the glacier’s rapid meltdown and transformation into a lake.

“Without the warming the ice will not melt. The rate of melt has increased because of exposure to atmospheric warming in the last few decades. It’s a very beautiful lake but it is one of the lakes in potential danger of an outburst [of water],” he said.

The research, including scientific photography and the use of remote sensors, was conducted in one of the most dangerous parts of the high Himalaya and one of the researchers was killed in an accident while collecting the data.

Year 2010 to be the warmest year ever

brynh — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:55:20 +0000

This year is on track to enter the almanac as one of the three warmest years on record globally, along with 1998 and 2005, according to a preliminary analysis by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Global average temperatures for the first 10 months of the year are running slightly ahead of those for the same period in ’98 and ’05.

Preliminary temperature data for November are comparable to temperatures seen in November 2005, indicating they have remained near record levels as the year winds down.

Even if 2010 fails to capture the top spot, the first decade of the 21st century already has gone into the books as the warmest since 1850, when the instrument record began.

A few studies have documented an increase in extreme heat events, a decrease in extreme cold events, and an increase in rainfall and snowfall intensity globally during the past 50 years.

In the US alone, past decade saw high temperature records being set twice as often as low-temperature records, whereas in a climate without the additional greenhouse gases humans have pumped into the atmosphere, the ratio would average over the long term about 1 to 1. So far in 2010, the ratio was closer to 3 to 1. Meanwhile, precipitation intensity has increased over the past 50 years, traced to the additional moisture the atmosphere can hold when it warms.

Some of the events in 2010 the WMO found noteworthy:

Unusually heavy monsoons in Pakistan that brought the worst flooding in that country’s history. The floods forced 20 million people to leave their homes and covered a significant portion of the country’s farmland. At least 1,500 people were killed in the flooding, according to international relief groups.

A record-smashing heat wave in Russia last summer. Moscow posted its highest temperature on record, at just over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and recorded 33 consecutive days during which temperatures topped 86 degrees F. Both the heat wave and Pakistan floods resulted from the same large-scale weather pattern that stalled over that part of the globe.

An unusual northern-hemisphere winter in which Canada posted its warmest and driest winter on record – some 7 degrees F above the long-term average –while the US recorded its coldest winter in 25 years, with storms dumping heavy snows across much of the continent, including a season record snowfall for Washington, D.C. Central Russia also experienced a colder-than-normal winter, although not outside historical experience. Canada’s unusual warmth also extended east across Greenland and the Arctic above Scandinavia, offsetting the chill at lower latitudes. A large portion of Asia, as well as North Africa and northern Brazil, also experienced above-normal temperatures for the December-to-February period.

The winter weather in the US and Europe prompted some people in those areas to question whether global warming had taken a break.

Still, the WMO this year has used data from a fourth institute, the European Center for Medium-Range Forecasting, as a reality check on the other three, as well as for preliminary data for November.

The WMO plans to provide a final report on 2010′s weather patterns and how they compare with long-term climate “normals” next February.

Global warming impacts rice fields

brynh — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 22:29:17 +0000

Global warming affects growth on rice fields, new study suggests. Scientists have found that in last 25 years growth in yields has fallen by 10 to 20% in some regions. The main reason for that change is fact that night temperatures have risen in past few decades.

This study was conducted on 227 farms in six very important rice producing countries; among them is Thailand, India, China and Vietnam. It is obvious that in near future human population will face a serious problem in attempt to feed still growing world’s population.

This is not first research on this field so previous work (6 years before) showed that rice yields in the Philippines were dropping by 10% for every 1 Celsius increase in night temperature. Now is clear that as the daily minimum temperature increases or night temperature goes up, rice yields drop. Scientist are still considering the mechanism involved and some suggest that rice plants are having to respire more during warm nights, using more energy for that process.

Higher temperatures during the day were related to higher rice yields but this works till temperature cross its threshold and after that rising temperature will impact reducing yields. There have been some recent studies on US crops, in particular corn, that showed the drop-off after that threshold is substantial.

How fossil fuels are affecting global warming

brynh — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:17:41 +0000

Fossil fuels are formed due to the decomposition of organisms that are buried under the earth many years ago. These fossil fuels contain carbon in larger proportion. Coal, petroleum and natural gas come under the category of fossil fuels. There are two types of energy resources and the fossil fuels come under non renewable resources. This is considered as that resource because of the time taken for their formation. Another reason is that the depletion is at a larger rate than the formation. At some places the fossil fuels are burnt and this gives out carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide as known popularly is one of the green house gas which is the cause of global warming.

The formation of fossil fuels takes place through various processes. When the organisms are buried they mix with the mud and due to heat and pressure under the earth, the chemical properties of the organic matter alters and undergoes another process resulting as fossil fuel. Fossil fuel is used for many purposes. Fossil fuels like coal, petroleum, natural gas etc are used for commercial purpose. These fossil fuels also contain radio active materials. Uranium and thorium are released into the atmosphere which is radio active elements. Acid rain also results because of the combustion of fossil fuels. The combustion of these fuels results in the formation of sulphuric acid, nitric acid that comes back to the earth as acid rain. This acid rain has severe impact on sculptures that are made on marbles and limestone.

Coal, which is one of the fossil fuel, can be used to produce large amount of electricity and the biggest disadvantage of the fossil fuel is that it creates pollution and has a severe impact on environment. Coal mining is also dangerous and more landscape also wasted. Fossil fuels once burnt cannot be used for the second time and it’s termed as non renewable resource. An oil refinery which also processes the fossil fuels has the negative impact on the environment and thus pollutes the same. At present ages there is need of energy resource and thus the use of fossil fuel is also at a higher range. But additive use of fossil fuel may ruin many lives in the environment and thus countries in the world researching on alternate energy sources and also renewable energy resources. In finding the alternate energy source the bad impact of fossil fuel can be reduced to considerable level.

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Eco friendly vehicles

brynh — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:21:44 +0000

Global warming is the average increase in the earth’s temperature that leads to many adverse effects in environment. There are many causes for global warming. One such cause is the emission of green house gases like nitrous oxide, methane and carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. The emission of carbon-dioxide is from automobiles and other gases are emitted from the industries. The research has revealed that about twenty percent of emitted carbon-dioxide is from the vehicles. As this is the main problem in every developed country and they come forward to use vehicles that are environmental friendly that is eco friendly vehicles.

As the world population increases, the people using vehicles also increase. Because of this air pollution is caused which further leads to global warming. In order to reduce the pollution and also global warming eco friendly vehicles are fled into the world market which is a boon to the environment. These eco friendly vehicles consume less fuel and thus prevent the environment being polluted. These eco friendly vehicles run with the stored battery power. There are also scooters that are introduced which runs with a battery that is electrically charged. Solar panels can also be used so that energy can be conserved. Incase of cars, the eco friendly cars known as hybrid cars consumes less amount of fuel and hence supports in the prevention of global warming.

The eco friendly vehicles make use of the alternate energy sources. Making use of these eco friendly vehicles the emission of carbon-dioxide is drastically reduced which then reduces the air pollution. Of all the causes the emission of carbon-dioxide from automobile engines is considered as the primary and vital cause. Thus this is an alternative to prevent global warming. Now eco friendly vehicles are available in all modes of transport like bikes, cars etc. All countries create awareness among public regarding the eco friendly products.

Apart from the vehicle emission there are many other factors that lead to global warming. Each cause has a perfect alternative that can be considered so that the global warming can be prevented. People must be aware of the harmful effects of global warming and should stand along to stop polluting the environment. As the density of traffic in roads increases day by day the pollution also increase. Being aware of this people must adopt themselves to use eco friendly vehicles and save the environment from pollution. Thus eco friendly vehicles are the one that can save the earth from global warming.

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Fossil fuels and global warming – the letter

brynh — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:38:28 +0000

Here is a complete letter from Bernard Miller, retired professor of chemistry at University of Massachusetts regarding the use of fossil fuels and global warming.

A recent letter stated that the global climate has varied markedly over the past few billion years, and considers that a reason to reject the idea that the current warming is due to human actions.

Yes, in the past continental drift, relocation of the Earth’s magnetic poles, massive meteor strikes, changes in ocean currents, intense volcanic eruptions and changes in solar radiation might all conceivably have affected climate over the Earth’s history. But continents, magnetic poles and ocean currents have not significantly changed location over the past 150 years, and we have not experienced massive meteor strikes or exceptional series of volcanic eruptions.

What has happened is that the burning of fossil fuels has markedly increased the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere. An infrared (heat) radiation meter in any physics or chemistry laboratory can quickly demonstrate how strongly carbon dioxide soaks up the sun’s heat radiation.

Let’s face facts. The human use of fossil fuels is melting the polar ice caps, raising ocean levels and killing off coral reefs. The use of fossil fuels is very likely increasing storm severity and will probably lead to massive changes in our local plant and insect populations.

Climate change researches

brynh — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:21:59 +0000

Climate change skeptics often argue that the science is still open to question and that researchers need to carry out further study. However, a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that experts in the field share a “striking agreement” with the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The study finds that the expertise and prominence of climate researchers convinced by the evidence of climate change “vastly overshadows that of the climate change skeptics and contrarians.”

The report also alludes to the media presentation of both sides in the climate change debate, which it says has helped foster public misunderstanding. The reason: Not all climate researchers “are equal in scientific credibility and expertise in the climate system.”

When it comes to judging “he mainstream versus skeptical/contrarian researchers,” the study argues for a stronger consideration of “expert credibility in the relative weight of and attention to these groups of researchers in future discussions in media, policy, and public forums regarding anthropogenic climate change.”

Among its findings:

97-98% of the climate researchers who most actively publish in the field support the thesis outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Greenhouse gases are responsible for “most” of the “unequivocal” warming of the Earth’s average global temperature during the second half of the 20th century.

The report comes even as public opinion remains split. A recent Gallup survey carried out for Yale University found that 40% of Americans believe scientists remain of two minds about global warming. (At the same time 68% favored the idea of an international treaty binding the United States to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 90% by the year 2050.)

The study only considered researchers who had demonstrated climate expertise, setting a minimum a 20 climate-publications to be considered.

source: cbsnews.com

Volcanoes and global warming

brynh — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:30:17 +0000

It’s impossible to pin isolated natural phenomena—like an individual volcanic eruption—on global warming, but some researchers insist that there is a correlation between the two in some instances.

“Global warming melts ice and this can influence magmatic systems,” reports Freysteinn Sigmundsson of the Nordic Volcanological Centre at the University of Iceland. Her research with Carolina Pagli of the University of Leeds in England suggests that rocks cannot expand to turn into magma—the primary “feedstock” for volcanic eruptions—when they are under the pressure of a big ice cap pushing down on them. As the theory goes, melting ice caps relieve that pressure and allow the rocks to become magma. This in turn increases the chances of larger and/or more frequent eruptions in affected regions, from Iceland to Alaska to Patagonia to Antarctica.

As for Iceland specifically, the eruption of Mt. Ejyafjallajökull that shut down some air travel for weeks this past spring cannot be blamed on changing climate: That volcano lies under a relatively small icecap which would not exert enough pressure to affect the creation of magma. But Sigmundsson and Pagli found that the melting of about a tenth of Iceland’s biggest icecap, Vatnajokull, over the last century caused the land to rise an inch or so per year and led to the growth of an underground mass of magma measuring a third of a cubic mile. Similar processes, they say, led to a surge in volcanic eruptions in Iceland at the end of the last ice age, and similarly increased volcanic activity is expected to occur there in the future.

On the flip side, volcanic eruptions can exacerbate the ongoing effects of climate change: Already retreating glaciers can lose all their ice when something below them blows. Of course, many volcanoes around the world are not subject to pressure from ice caps, and scientists stress that there is little if any evidence linking global warming to eruptions in such situations.

Some have theorized that large volcanic eruptions contribute to global warming by spewing large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the stratosphere. But the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by even a large and ongoing volcanic eruption is but a drop in the bucket in comparison to our annual output of industrial and automotive carbon emissions.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, greenhouse gas emissions from volcanoes make up less than one percent of those generated by human endeavors. Also, ash clouds and sulfur dioxide released from volcanoes shield some sunlight from reaching the Earth and as such can have a cooling effect on the planet. The 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines—a much larger eruption than what occurred recently in Iceland—caused an average cooling of half a degree centigrade worldwide during the following year. Regardless, single volcanic eruptions, even if they last for weeks or months, are unlikely to send enough gas or ash up into the skies to have any long term effect on the planet’s climate.

Recent study reveals facts and myths about global warming

brynh — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 14:55:52 +0000

According to a latest study conducted busts a myth that coal burning for electricity is better for Earth than wood. The results reveal that wood burning power plants produce much more amount of green gasses that are pumped into the atmosphere than the amount produced by coal burning plant.

The study was conducted on the orders of Massachusetts state environmental officials and conducted rigorously for about six months to finally reach the result. This rubbished the idea of burning biomass for power needs as they were believed to be less carbon producing. The study has ended the path for the use of biomass as a renewable energy source in the wake of depleting natural resources and global warming. The Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences on Thursday published the findings of the study.

Till now biomass was said to be carbon neutral as the trees absorb carbon dioxide for during their lifetime for producing food. Now when this biomass is burned the carbon is released into the atmosphere which can be again taken up by other growing plants in its place. But this idea has been left on shaky grounds after the study. The study points out that the time frames considered in this idea are wrong. It takes a very small time for a tree to burn out and release a large amount of carbon into the atmosphere whereas it would take decades to absorb and fix the same amount of carbon. This questions the role that biomass can play in the reduction of atmospheric carbon which is the primary reason of global warming.

John Hagan, Manomet’s president elaborates “There’s a greenhouse gas debt before there’s a dividend. And so the question becomes, how long does it take to pay off the debt before you start to appreciate the climate benefits of using wood?” Hagan says. “So if it’s a large electricity plant, like a 50-megawatt electricity plant, the debt period could be 20 or 30 years before you start to appreciate a carbon benefit.”

Biomass can on the contrary be used more efficiently for heating and not for power generation. In its use for heating the biomass can pay off the carbon debt within 10 to 20 years. The carbon debt payoff for using biomass instead of coal to make electricity is 21 years and more than 90 years compared to making electricity from natural gas.

The study will be and enlightening literature for policy makers of the future to address power needs and at the same time account for sustainable development and reduce global warming. And also help regions manage their forests better.

source: Abh-news.com

Can whiter clouds reduce global warming?

brynh — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:19:01 +0000

Can whiter clouds slow global warming?

A grant from Bill Gates is helping researchers explore the possibility that making clouds whiter and more reflective by spraying them with a fine seawater mist could help block the sun’s rays and send them back into space.

Cloud whitening builds on the natural cloud-forming process, says Silicon Valley inventor Armand Neukermans, who received the funding to test if the concept is doable.

When water vapor in cloud-forming regions encounters sea salt crystals it condenses around them, forming tiny droplets, he explains. Together, many droplets diffuse sunlight and make a cloud whiter.

Proponents say the research is needed because of society’s failure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which are thought to be causing global warming, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The 2000-09 decade was the warmest since record keeping began in 1880, NOAA reports.

Critics call the research dangerous.

“The assumption is we can play God with the Earth’s ecosystem,” says Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth.

The solution to global warming is to reduce fossil fuel use and carbon dioxide production, Pica says. “Everything else is just a distraction.”

Gates has been studying technologies for reducing carbon dioxide emissions and geo-engineering techniques such as cloud whitening for several years, says Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Department of Global Ecology.

Caldeira and a colleague at the University of Calgary administer $4.5 million that Gates provided for such research. Caldeira awarded $300,000 of that money for laboratory research by a team of engineers led by Neukermans. Other researchers are looking for additional ways to whiten clouds, and at designs for unmanned boats to carry the spray mechanisms, says cloud physicist John Latham of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. Latham first suggested cloud whitening as a way to counter global warming in 1990, according to Rasch.

Latham envisions hundreds of wind-powered boats generating the sea spray and a combination of planes and satellites to measure and control the clouds’ moisture content, reflected solar energy and surface temperature.

He estimates the project, which he says would require international approval before it were launched, would cost about $4.5 billion and buy the planet 30 to 60 years to develop a more permanent solution.

There are risks to spraying seawater into the air, says Dan Murphy, a research scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder. Reducing the sunlight entering the ocean will reduce the evaporation of water and make less rainfall, which could lead to droughts, he says.

Such worries prompted the Montreal-based environmental group ETC Group to launch a campaign called “Hands off Mother Earth!” that counts dozens of member organizations around the world and urges governments to ban real-world geo-engineering trials.

Global warming was caused by “the scientific, corporate and political establishment of developed countries,” ETC Group’s Diana Bronson says.

“To now think those same people will correct the climate crisis and the biosphere is a little bit naïve,” Bronson says.

Kert Davies, research director for the environmental group Greenpeace, worries about unintended consequences but he can imagine a reasonable use for cloud whitening.

“In an emergency situation during summer when the ice cap is melting you might want to think about putting up a cloud,” Davies says. “But as a global strategy it’s just a Band-Aid.”

source: USAtoday.com