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Tag: Global Warming

  • Sharknado 3: Does Global Warming Make It a Hit?

    Sharknado 3 is coming. The third installment of the ridiculous film series starring Tara Reid and Ian Ziering is bringing on more guest stars than ever.

    Bo Derek is joining Sharknado 3 as Tara Reid’s mother, whole David Hasselhoff will play Ian Ziering’s father. The jokeof casting two people who made their careers running along the beach was apparently too much to resist.

    The cast will also include Jerry Springer, NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, wrestler Chris Jericho, Mark Cuban, and Ann Coulter.

    But to the point: How has Sharknado lasted this long? They certainly didn’t expect to. Back in 2013, when the first film was coming to SyFy, Sharknado writer Thinder Levin was asked:

    “Has the shark disaster movie run its course, or are we just ramping up?”

    Levin replied:

    “It’s called Sharknado. I think the shark genre has reached its natural and logical conclusion.”

    But Levin described the plot of the film with a straight face, insinuating that such a thing just might be feasible.

    “In the movie an unprecedented hurricane sweeps up the Pacific coast from Mexico towards L.A. driving all the sharks in this part of the ocean before it. The hurricane floods the streets of L.A., which is woefully unprepared for a hurricane. (Up to this point, it’s all fairly accurate and something we should be thinking about, disaster preparedness-wise). Naturally these floodwaters are filled with sharks! And then, as often happens, the hurricane spins off tornadoes over the ocean. As anyone would expect, the tornadoes suck up thousands of sharks. This all just seems like common sense to me…”

    Levin also warned Glenn Beck not to be “one of those sharknado deniers,” saying, “it could happen anywhere, really.”

    Then MSNBC got a full dose of Levin’s tongue-in-cheek when they asked: “How does someone create something as original as this?”

    Levin’s reply might have some people doing a double take.

    “You know we just felt it was time that the world was alerted to the perils of global warming and bio-meteorology, so it was just a matter of doing our research and getting the facts out to everybody.”

    The fact is, people don’t understand the weather, and they don’t understand climate change. They hear the phrase “global warming,” but see the snow falling deeper and more frequently than ever. The idea of freak weather and climate events is just not that far out of the realm of possibility.

    Does that mean that people actually believe that a “sharknado” could happen? No. But it does mean that this idea came along at jsut the sort of time that it could possibly have made it three films deep.

  • Global Warming Caused Mass Extinction 55 Million Years Ago, Shows Study

    As politicians continue to debate climate change, researchers are hard at work trying to predict what humans can expect as the planet continues to warm. Even with plenty of research, the many variables involved in climate change make the future uncertain. What does seem certain, however, is that humans are ill-prepared.

    A recent study published in the journal Paleoceanography has shown just how extreme the effects of rapid global warming can be. The study used chemical analyses and research on very small fossilized organisms (micropaleontology) to determine what happened to the Earth’s marine life during a global warming event in the past.

    Researchers at Syracuse University found that a global warming event known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) lowered the amount of dissolved oxygen in the world’s oceans. This caused oxygen minimum zones (OMZs, ocean layers of low oxygen saturation) to grow, leading to a mass extinction of life in the Earth’s oceans. Climate scientists are studying the PETM, which occurred 55 million years ago and is similar to the warming seen today, to determine what the effects of modern climate change might be.

    “Global warming impacts marine life in complex ways, of which the loss of dissolved oxygen (a condition known as hypoxia) is a growing concern,” said Zunli Lu, a coauthor of the study and an assistant professor of Earth sciences at Syracuse University. “Moreover, it’s difficult to predict future deoxygenation that is induced by carbon emissions, without a good understanding of our geologic past.”

    Lu and his colleagues looked at microfossils of organisms known as foraminiferas to determine what Earth’s oceans were like during the PETM. They focused on a specific type of iodine that exists only in oxygenated water to estimate the ambient oxygen levels of the planet’s ocean water during that time, then compared that data to climate models of the PETM. The researchers found that OMZs likely expanded during the PETM, possibly foreshadowing the effects of modern climate change.

    “By comparing our fossil data with oxygen levels simulated in climate models, we think OMZs were much more prevalent 55 million years ago than they are today,” said Lu. “Deoxygenation, along with warming and acidification, had a dramatic effect on marine life during the PETM, prompting mass extinction on the seafloor.”

  • Global Warming Made Worse by Human Eating Habits, Shows Study

    In recent years reports on global warming have shifted away from firmly establishing a human connection to the phenomenon and have instead begun warning of the dire consequences humanity might face as a result of climate change. An Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report released in April of this year warned that humans are “ill-prepared” for climate change and that more proactive steps will be needed to stop it. Now, a new study is showing that even the most ambitious plans to combat climate change might fail if humans don’t change the way they eat.

    The study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, suggests that current human food production trends on their own could hit or exceed global greenhouse gas emissions targets by the year 2050. By that time, global cropland is predicted to have expanded by 42 percent, fertilizer use is expected to have increased by 45 percent, and one-tenth of the world’s tropical forests might be gone.

    The study’s authors believe these changes will have to occur as a consequence of how humans are beginning to eat. As more people around the world begin to demand meat-heavy diets, agricultural production will have to ramp up to keep pace. This means more land will have to be cleared to feed a projected human population of 9.6 billion people in 2050. If changes aren’t made, the study suggests that a combination of deforestation, livestock methane emissions, and fertilizer use will raise global greenhouse gas emissions from food production by around 80 percent by that time.

    “There are basic laws of biophysics that we cannot evade,” said Bojana Bajzelj lead author of the study and an engineering researcher at the University of Cambridge. “The average efficiency of livestock converting plant feed to meat is less than 3%, and as we eat more meat, more arable cultivation is turned over to producing feedstock for animals that provide meat for humans. The losses at each stage are large, and as humans globally eat more and more meat, conversion from plants to food becomes less and less efficient, driving agricultural expansion and land cover conversion, and releasing more greenhouse gases. Agricultural practices are not necessarily at fault here – but our choice of food is,”

    Bajzelj and her colleagues suggest that food consumption habits will need to change drastically for this scenario to change. The researchers wrote that an “average balanced diet,” if adopted throughout the world, could significantly reduce the impact of food production on climate change. The diet they suggest includes two small portions of red meat and five eggs per week, as well as a small portion of chicken every day.

    “This is not a radical vegetarian argument; it is an argument about eating meat in sensible amounts as part of healthy, balanced diets,” said Keith Richards, a co-author of the study and a professor of geography at Cambridge. “Managing the demand better, for example by focusing on health education, would bring double benefits – maintaining healthy populations, and greatly reducing critical pressures on the environment.”

  • Climate Change: It Can Affect Travel Costs Too

    For years experts have been warning about the devastating effects of climate change. While these same experts warned that climate change was happening now, most people weren’t afraid of the consequences because they didn’t expect them to start happening so soon.

    A recent study shows that climate change could affect food production and raise food prices. The study said that by 2050, the prices of many vegetables, fruits and grains could be much higher than what they are now.

    Another recent report on climate change is showing that it could affect transportation and the cost of travel as well.

    According to the study, transportation could be both a cause and a casualty of climate change.

    “The transport sector relies overwhelmingly on oil,” Angie Farrag-Thibault, a BSR associate director and a lead author of the report, said in a statement Monday. “Without action, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation will continue to rise. Fortunately, this report points to a large number of options for reducing emissions.”

    The report says that climate change will affect all types of transportation, including planes, trains, ships and automobiles.

    If the transportation industry cannot reduce and control their emissions, the price of travel will go up significantly.

    Experts say that the best way to cut back on emissions is to cut back on travel in general. Walking, biking and public transportation are just a few ways people can help reduce travel emissions.

    “One key change in terms of the way people around the world live is in city design,” one expert said. “A shift in city design that causes more densely populated cities and hence more use of public transport is a really key way to create a better quality of life and lower carbon emissions per person.”

    “Dense cities have a much smaller carbon footprint than sprawling ones because of the modes of transport they require. Focusing on making transportation more energy efficient and encouraging people to use modes of transport that emit less carbon dioxide is nearly as important as addressing the carbon emissions of the electric power sector,” the expert added.

    Do you think climate change will cause transportation costs to rise?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Climate Change Could Cause Food Shortage

    For years scientists have warned of the dangers of climate change.

    While most people assume that climate change is just something that happens naturally, studies have shown that the climate change that is currently taking place is actually human-induced.

    Pollution and overpopulation are literally destroying the earth and climate change is a result of these problems.

    The effects are obvious for scientists, but some people aren’t paying attention because they aren’t being impacted or directly affected by climate change, or so they think.

    A recent study shows that climate change could cause major problems with food production within the next 20 years. Corn and wheat productions are likely to drop drastically and many other crops will likely be affected also.

    “Climate change has substantially increased the prospect that crop production will fail to keep up with rising demand in the next 20 years,” said NCAR scientist Claudia Tebaldi, a co-author of the study.

    The study isn’t the first to find a link between climate change and food production. Earlier this year, the UN’s climate panel IPCC issued their own report with similar information and findings.

    “All aspects of food security are potentially affected by climate change,” the report said.

    Scientists believe that the study and report offer enough information to prove that climate change is affecting food production on land and sea.

    As food production slows, prices will go up. The UN’s report also said that food prices could rise between three percent and 84 percent by 2050.

    Do you think climate change will really affect food production and what other problems do you think it will cause?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Climate Change Presents Risk to US Business

    In a nonpartisan study released by the Risky Business Project, leading economic and environmental figures have assessed the monetary threat that climate change proposes to business in the United States. The findings are not optimistic.

    The study, led by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and former hedge fund manager Thomas F. Steyer, used analysis and calculations conducted by the Rhodium Group, an economic research firm, and Risk Management Solutions, a company which uses catastrophe-modeling to predict risks to insurance companies and other corporations.

    When one looks at the numbers published by the study, one can see why the report is being taken so seriously:

    — Rises in the sea level will put somewhere between $66 billion and $106 billion worth of property along the eastern coast below sea level by 2050, with that number increasing to $507 billion by 2100

    — Drastic increases in temperatures in the South will bring 27 to 50 extra days of 95+ degree temperatures, resulting in at least a three percent decrease in labor productivity of outside workers, along with a 19 percent decrease in crop yields from the Midwest

    — The extra energy needed to power air conditioning due to the rise in temperatures will cost the United States $12 billion per year and would necessitate the construction of 95 gigawatts of generation capacity, the equivalent of 200 coal or natural gas power plants.

    The sponsors of the report recently met with President Obama at the White House to discuss what can be done to incentivize US businesses to adopt greener environmental policies. Those backing the study believe that a carbon emissions tax is the way to force US businesses to invest in clean energy, something many Republicans have spoken out against in the past.

    “Every year that goes by without a comprehensive public and private sector response to climate change is a year that locks in future climate events that will have a far more devastating effect on our local, regional, and national economies,” states the report.

    Three weeks ago, President Obama and the EPA ordered power plants to reduce their carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030, putting the levels at pre-2005 numbers.

    Image via YouTube

  • El Niño 2014 Might Become a Repeat of 1997

    El Niño 2014 Might Become a Repeat of 1997

    NASA satellite imaging of the Pacific Ocean has revealed data that resembles the conditions which fostered the record-breaking El Niño year of 1997.

    El Niño, which is Spanish for “the boy,” with the capitalized version meaning “Christ Child,” is a system of abnormally high seawater temperatures that develops off the Pacific coast of South America, leading to extreme weather across the Pacific Ocean.

    The NASA/French Space Agency Jason-2 satellite scans the world’s oceans every ten days, measuring changes in sea surface height, along with heat levels in the upper layers of the water. Lately, Jason-2 has presented data from the Pacific that looks a lot like it did in 1997.

    Here is a documentary which describes how researchers attempt to predict El Niño patterns:

    Jason-2 has been detecting a series of Kelvin waves, which are large ripples at sea level that travel across the Pacific from Australia to South America. Kelvin waves are good indicators of El Niño, and both phenomena are linked by wind. Trade winds in the Pacific blow from east to west, which push sun-warmed surface waters toward Indonesia. As a result, the sea level around Indonesia is typically 45 centimeters higher than it is near Ecuador. This area is called the warm pool, and is the largest reservoir of warm water on earth.

    Bill Patzert, a climatologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, commented that “a pattern of sea surface heights and temperatures has formed that reminds me of the way the Pacific looked in the spring of 1997. That turned out to precursor to a big El Niño.”

    Mike McPhaden of NOAA’s Pacific Environmental Research Laboratories in Seattle added, “We can’t yet say for sure that an El Niño will develop in 2014, or how big it might be, but the Jason-2 data support the El Niño Watch issued last month by NOAA.”

    The NOAA and NASA are meticulously monitoring the Pacific trade winds. It will become much more clear in the coming few months whether these recent developments are the forerunner of a major El Niño, or any El Niño at all.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Pat Sajak Skeptical About Global Warming, Vents On Twitter

    Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak ignited a Twitter backlash on Tuesday after posting about global warming alarmists on Monday night. The tweet read, “I now believe global warming alarmists are unpatriotic racists knowingly misleading for their own ends. Good night.”

    The tweet got several responses, some from Sajak’s supporters, and other from bashers. One response was from Michael E. Mann, a climate scientist, who responded, “Hey @PatSajak, this ain’t the Wheel of Fortune. If we lose this game, it isn’t just one person’s misfortune. All humanity pays the price.”

    Another twitter user, Davho Pidal, responded, “Congrats on recognizing & announcing your mental illness. I hope you get the help you need.”

    Some are saying that Sajak tweeted just to poke fun at global warming advocates. His next tweet said, “Sometimes it’s fun to poke a stick in a hornet’s nest just to hear the buzzing.”

    Sajak’s tweet on Monday night was not the first time he wrote about the topic. Earlier this month, the former weatherman tweeted, “Very hot weather: “We’re all going to die!” Very cold weather: “There’s a difference between climate & weather, moron!”

    Sajak is a conservative. Another personality known for expressing his opinions is The Price is Right host, Drew Carey, who once said, “As far as your personal goals are and what you actually want to do with your life, it should never have to do with the government.”

    In addition to tweeting about global warming, Sajak has also caused controversy on Twitter for posting about other topics. In April, the 67-year-old host tweeted saying that he is coming out as a heterosexual. The tweet drew harsh comments from his critics. They said that Sajak is making light of the very difficult task of coming out to heterosexual people.

    Image via YouTube

  • Mount Everest: Climate Change Making It More Deadly?

    “In 1989 when I first climbed Everest there was a lot of snow and ice, but now most of it has just become bare rock.”

    Nepali climber Apa Sherpa had been quoted by Discovery News about his experiences with perhaps the most formidable mountain on Earth.

    It seems much has changed since Sherpa first tackled Mount Everest.

    “Climbing is becoming more difficult,” noted Sherpha. He said that a snowier mountain allows one to wear crampons, important traction-devices, more safely.

    “It’s very dangerous and very slippery to walk on bare rock with crampons.”

    The mountain’s increasingly bare rocks also raise the risk of climbers being struck and killed by falling rocks.

    One hundred years ago, no one would have ever expected a lack of snow to be an issue with Everest.

    Some fear that global warming is the leading factor in the loss of snow from the mountain tops.

    The lack of snow creates a host of problems that many experts fear may make the mountain even more unsafe for anyone trying to climb it.

    Not only that, but the warming temperatures could be blamed for dangerous avalanches similar to what recently killed over a dozen people.

    Researchers find that warmer weather can coincide with an increase in avalanches. If the snow on Everest is melting due to global warming, it could mean that the rising temperatures will make avalanches on the mountain more likely.

    It has already been determined that the glaciers surrounding Mount Everest have shrunk by an alarming 13 percent within the past 50 years.

    As scientists continue to monitor the changing situation with the famous mountain, persons desperate to put their name into the history books will continue to their attempts to reach Everest’s elusive summit.

    The threat of global warming means nothing to people who feel that possible death comes with the territory of trying to conquer Mount Everest.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Global Warming Report Warns the World is “Ill-Prepared”

    The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this week issued its Fifth Assessment Report on the impacts of climate change around the world. The new report states that the effects of climate change are already occurring throughout the world. The panel also warns that humans may be “ill-prepared” for the risks brought on by climate change.

    Last fall the IPCC issued a report stating unequivocally that humanity is at least partially responsible for the planet’s warming climate. That report was a review of recent climate change research and found that throughout the past decades oceans have warmed, ice levels have fallen, and sea levels have risen.

    “We live in an era of man-made climate change,” said Vicente Barros, co-chair of the IPCC’s Working Group II. “In many cases, we are not prepared for the climate-related risks that we already face. Investments in better preparation can pay dividends both for the present and for the future.”

    In its latest assessment the IPCC does find that humans are beginning to adapt to the changing global climate. However, the organization warns that preparations may be too reactionary and that more pro-active work may be needed.

    “Climate-change adaptation is not an exotic agenda that has never been tried,” said Chris Field, the other co-chair of Working Group II. “Governments, firms, and communities around the world are building experience with adaptation. This experience forms a starting point for bolder, more ambitious adaptations that will be important as climate and society continue to change.”

    The report did not offer specific predictions for the risks that future warming might bring. The IPCC did, however, point to already-seen climate effects on agriculture, oceans, water supplies, and human health as trends that could become more difficult or impossible to reverse as warming continues.

    “Understanding that climate change is a challenge in managing risk opens a wide range of opportunities for integrating adaptation with economic and social development and with initiatives to limit future warming,” said Field. We definitely face challenges, but understanding those challenges and tackling them creatively can make climate-change adaptation an important way to help build a more vibrant world in the near-term and beyond.”

  • Antarctica Storm Photographed by Satellite

    People here in the United States are simply tired of hearing about winter weather; The polar vortex and winter storm Titan have brought enough cold and precipitation to last the eastern US for quite some time. That being said, looking at nifty weather conditions and storms in other locations is still quite cool, as evidenced by the recent clamor surrounding pictures released of a current storm happening around Antarctica.

    The Meteosat satellite, operated by the crew at European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), captured the images of the raging storm whilst flying over the southern hemisphere on Wednesday. According to Simon Proud, a postdoctoral assistant at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) atmospheric, oceanic, and climate sciences program, the storm measures approximately 3,500 miles in breadth.

    The seas between the southern hemisphere and Antarctica have been known for quite some time due to the turbulent waters and violent weather conditions present in the area. Recently, climate scientists from Colorado State University have discovered the reason as to why that particular area of the world experiences such dynamic weather conditions: A 20 to 30 day oscillation period, or baroclinic annular mode (BAM) appears frequently in the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica due to uneven heating patterns and distributions between the warmer southern hemisphere continents and the much colder Antarctic waters.

    “[This] periodicity clearly has potentially profound implications for understanding and predicting Southern Hemisphere climate variability over broad spatial scales,” stated the scientists in their report.

    In looking at long-term implications of their study, the scientists from Colorado State hope that this discovery will assist scientists in combating the issues associated with global warming and climate variability in the southern hemisphere in years to come.

    Image via Twitter

  • Chipotle Guacamole at Risk Due to Climate Change

    According to Chipotle’s annual report released last month that was recently highlighted by the liberal blog ThinkProgress, guacamole could be removed from the menu as a result of global warming.

    The restaurant chain said it uses 97,000 pounds of avocado per day (which amounts to 18 tons per year), and almost 70 pounds in just one batch of guacamole.

    While scientists said the avocado industry is currently fine, negative climate change could dramatically affect the crop. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, for example, predict that warmer temperatures will cause a 40 percent drop in avocado production in California over the next 32 years.

    Chipotle warned investors that severe climate changes could eventually affect the availability and prices of some of the guacamole’s ingredients and the company may not be willing to pay the bill if that is the case.

    “Increasing weather volatility or other long-term changes in global weather patterns, including any changes associated with global climate change, could have a significant impact on the price or availability of some of our ingredients,” Chipotle said in its annual report.

    “In the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients,” read the report.

    Chipotle did recognize the menu change could have a negative impact on the restaurant chain.

    “Any such changes to our available menu may negatively impact our restaurant traffic and comparable restaurant sales, and could also have an adverse impact on our brand,” noted the company.

    Chipotle’s commitment to local, organic, and sustainable farming practices is another reason it may be more vulnerable in the event of an increasing climate shift. Chipotle’s food producers are generally smaller operations and may not be as able to survive poor farming conditions without raising prices, which has already been practiced over the past two years, the company said.

    “For instance, two years of drought conditions in parts of the U.S. have resulted in significant increases in beef prices during late 2013 and early 2014,” the company said, noting that further  increases in the price of beef could affect its decision to remove guacamole from its menu.

    Severe drought has put a strain on farming practices in California, the state in which the most Chipotle restaurants are located, at 288. The company is committed to working with local and sustainable farmers within 350 miles of the restaurant locations, so the drought in California has had quite an impact on costs because local producers are not always equipped to operate under poor weather conditions without increasing prices.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Bill Nye In Heated Debate Over Climate Change

    Obama and Republicans in Congress are currently battling over environmental issues and carbon pollution imprints. While the Environmental Protection Agency has been urging Congress to pay more attention to climate change, many of the Republicans in Congress just don’t agree that it is a big issue and are hoping to ease up on pollution regulations related to climate control.

    Bill Nye is one of the many scientists who are trying to educate Congress on climate change issues. Billy Nye has been in several heated debates with Congress members, including Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn. According to Nye, over 97% of all scientists believe that the planet is warming up as a result of green house gas emissions, deforestation and other pollution problems brought on by humans. Global warming is leading to climate change, which can lead to severe problems for all inhabitants of earth.

    Bill Nye and Marsha Blackburn argued back and forth on Sunday about the issue.

    “There is no debate in the scientific community. And I encourage the congresswoman to look at the facts,” Nye said during the debate. “We need you to change things, not to deny what’s happening.”

    “Neither [Bill Nye] nor I are a climate scientist,” Blackburn said. “He is an engineer and actor, I am a member of Congress. And what we have to do is look at the information that we get from climate scientists.”

    “There is not agreement around the fact of exactly what is causing this,” Blackburn added, referring to recent weather conditions.

    Nye countered her comments by saying, “We have overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing. That you cannot tie any one event to that is not the same as doubt about the whole thing.”

    Both parties brought up good points during the debate, and it will ultimately be up to the president and Congress to decide on pollution regulations and environmental issues. Although Nye may not have been able to bring Blackburn over to his side, he may have changed the opinions of other Congress members enough to make a difference in what they decide.

    Which side to do you think is right in the debate?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Bill Nye Argues Global Warming With Congresswoman

    Bill Nye (The Science Guy) has been stirring up all kinds of trouble lately. Not only did he defend the theory of evolution against Ken Ham, in early February, now he is in a battle with Republican Representative and vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Marsha Blackburn over the concept of global warming.

    The two argued over the most appropriate response to the increasing climate changes during NBC’s Meet the Press. Blackburn’s argument surrounded the views of Richard Lindzen of MIT and Judith Curry of Georgia Tech, who believe that humans are not the reason for the climate changing.

    “Neither Bill Nye nor I are a climate scientist,” Blackburn stated. “He is an engineer and actor, I am a member of Congress. And what we have to do is look at the information that we get from climate scientists. There is not agreement around the fact of exactly what is causing this.”

    According to NASA, 97 percent of climate scientists believe that there is a link between humans and the climate changes. Although human activity may not be the cause of extreme weather disturbances, most scientists believe that humans do contribute to the effects on global warming.

    Nye debated Blackburn’s statement by saying: “We have overwhelming evidence that the climate is changing. That you cannot tie any one event to that is not the same as doubt about the whole thing. There is no debate in the scientific community. I encourage the Congresswoman to really look at the facts. You are our leader. We need you to change things, not deny what’s happening.”

    Blackburn then commented on the costs of implementing new laws and regulations, regarding climate change. “One of the things that we have to remember is cost-benefit analysis has to take place,” said Blackburn. “And it is unfortunate that some of the federal agencies are not conducting that cost-benefit analysis.”

    Nye stood firm in his belief that the United States needs to invest in new technologies to counteract the changes to our current climate. “For me, as a guy who grew up in the U.S., I want the U.S. to lead the world in this,” Nye said. “These are huge opportunities, and the more we mess around with this denial, the less we’re going to get done.”

    Watch the full debate below:

    Who do you think is right? Leave your comments below.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Extreme Weather – Is Arctic Warming To Blame?

    The winter of 2013-14 will go down in the history books as one of the most frigid cold and snowy winters in decades. Records have been broken all over the country, record cold and snowfall levels.

    But what is really strange is that one of the coldest places on earth, Alaska, has seen record warmth, while in the south, states like Alabama have seen snowfall and ice so extreme they were just completely unprepared to deal with that kind of weather. Cars piled up on freeways for hours and some for days with people stranded in them. Schools that could not release children to parents because it was too dangerous to drive, forcing the schools to keep the children overnight.

    California is in a drought, and a state of emergency due to their lack of normal rainfall and snow.

    There is no doubt this winter has seen its fill of the polar vortex and below freezing temps, but what is causing all of this strange and dangerous weather?

    Climate scientists expect weather patterns such as drought, and extreme colds to occur, brought on by global warming. But what does this extreme cold have to do with the planet warming trends?

    Climate Central explains: as sea ice melts, it exposes darker ocean water, which absorbs more of the sun’s heat, causing the water temperatures to increase.

    The process of the arctic melt is not yet proven since it is a fairly new event, but the event that is the suspect to all of this crazy weather is known as “Arctic Amplification” in which the heat of the oceans in the arctic is changing weather patterns.

    The question that has yet to be answered in long scientific studies, has global warming’s effect on the Arctic set the stage for persistent weather patterns that lead to extremes?

    One study by Francis and Vavrus proposed that the added heat is altering jet stream patterns, but other mechanisms are certainly possible, as both researchers said via email.

    “It’s implausible that such a redistribution of heat in the Arctic system wouldn’t change weather patterns somehow, somewhere,” Vavrus said. But he cautioned that people should view their study as a “launching point” for more research, and not interpret it as having any predictive value for the upcoming winter, as some media outlets have portrayed it.

    We do know for certain that changes in weather have been happening over the past decade that cannot be ignored, and not just record colds, record heats have been record breaking as well.

    Image via YouTube

  • 2013 Temperatures Tie For Seventh Warmest

    2013 Temperatures Tie For Seventh Warmest

    Though much of the U.S. is currently experiencing cold temperatures and snow, it turns out that the previous year has easily made it into the top 10 warmest years since 1880.

    NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) today released a report showing that average global surface temperatures in 2013 were 58.3 degrees Fahrenheit. That temperature ties 2009 and 2006 for the seventh-warmest year on record since 1880.

    According to NASA last year’s temperatures are 1.1 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the mid-20th century baseline that climate scientists use as a comparison to current temperatures. GISS researchers believe that future decades will each be warmer than the last, and pointed out that nine of the warmest years on record since 1880 have occurred since the year 2000.

    “Long-term trends in surface temperatures are unusual and 2013 adds to the evidence for ongoing climate change,” said Gavin Schmidt, a climatologist at GISS. “While one year or one season can be affected by random weather events, this analysis shows the necessity for continued, long-term monitoring.”

    Though individual years and weather patterns may cause temperatures to fluctuate from year-to-year and across the globe, NASA emphasized that 2013 fits well within the currently observed pattern of a long-term rise in global temperatures. According to GISS, the U.S. experienced relatively mild temperatures during 2013, with average temperatures only the 42nd warmest for the country since 1880. In contrast, Australia suffered its hottest year ever since that time during 2013.

  • More El Niño Heat Waves Expected in the Future

    As high temperatures continue to scorch much of Australia this week, researchers are warning that particularly harsh summers could become more normal in the future.

    A new study published this week in Nature Climate Change predicts that hot El Niño- related weather will happen more frequently as the Earth continues to warm. The study’s authors predict that these types of weather events could happen up to twice as often as they currently do.

    “We currently experience an unusually strong El Niño event every 20 years,” said Agus Santoso, a co-author of the paper and a researcher with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate system Science. “Our research shows this will double to one event every 10 years.”

    According to the study, these “extreme” EL Niño weather events stem from higher temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This in turn creates drastic shifts in global rainfall, affecting weather patterns throughout the world.

    The study’s authors looked at 20 separate climate models that simulate El Niño-related rainfall patterns. When taking a continued warming trend into account they found that related extreme weather events could increase for at least the next 100 years.

    “The question of how global warming will change the frequency of extreme El Niño events has challenged scientists for more than 20 years,” said Mike McPhaden, a co-author on the paper and a researcher at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “This research is the first comprehensive examination of the issue to produce robust and convincing results,”

  • Predictions for 2014 – What Will Our Weather Bring?

    As the end of 2013 quickly approaches and New Years Resolutions fill early 2014 – predictions are also high on the list for the future of Americans. Most of us love predictions and getting a peek into the future. No doubt the reason for the enormous amount of psychics and fortune tellers all over the world.

    Since weather has been a major focus for 2013 – and without looking too much in the ‘rear view mirror’ recall the hurricanes, tornados, torrential rain and the frigid cold that could all gladly be left in the past. But, many Americans are still in a deep freeze, without power, with not an end in sight in the near future.

    With all of these bizarre and extreme weather patterns – attributed to global warming – here’s hoping it doesn’t get much worse.

    The Farmers Almanac has been the go-to weather predictor since 1792… as their website states: Since 1792, The Old Farmer’s Almanac has spoken to all walks of life: tide tables for those who live near the ocean; sunrise and planting charts for those who live on the farm; recipes for those who live in the kitchen; and forecasts for those who don’t like the question of weather left up in the air.

    This weather authority (Farmers Almanac) has predicted some more extreme weather for 2014. Their words, “The ‘Days of Shivery’ are back!

    For 2013–2014, we are forecasting a winter that will experience below average temperatures for about two-thirds of the nation.”

    Only the far West and Southeast will have a some semblance of winter temperatures near normal, but it will still be colder than usual.

    NASA predicts extremes – While the continental U.S. shivered through an abnormally cold spell in December 2013, Alaska experienced record-breaking heat. Both extremes were caused by an unusual kink in the northern hemisphere’s polar jet stream, which caused frigid Arctic air to move south and warm air to head north.

    The 2014 storm predictions from Global Weather Oscillations (GWO) are calling for severe hurricanes and forecasts hurricanes at 17 named storms for 2014.

    Further details on weather predictions for your part of the world can be seen at the Farmers Almanac website.

    The biggest recommendation from experts when talking about weather extremes due to climate change is preparation. Get those generators and candles – have an emergency kit in your home and vehicle, and talk with your family about escape routes and meeting places. And by all means, include your animal family in your plans.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Arctic Sea Ice Volume Up 50% This Year

    Arctic Sea Ice Volume Up 50% This Year

    The European Space Agency (ESA) today announced that the volume of Arctic sea ice measured this year is up 50% from the volume measured in 2012. The ESA’s CryoSat satellite measured 9,000 cubic km or sea ice back in October, up from the 6,000 cubic km measured in 2012.

    This new measurement bucks the declining ice measurements measured in the past few consecutive years. According to the ESA most of this year’s increase can be attributed to the growth of “multiyear ice,” or ice that makes it through the summer months without melting. Multiyear ice in 2013 was measured to be around 20% thicker than was measured in 2012.

    “One of the things we’d noticed in our data was that the volume of ice year-to-year was not varying anything like as much as the ice extent – at least in 2010, 2011 and 2012,” said Rachel Tilling, lead author of a new report on the findings and a researcher at the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling.

    These multiyear ice measurements, according to the ESA, could be a sign that the Arctic sea ice is “healthy.” However, the report’s authors are also warning that this year’s ice increase does not mean the long-term declining trend in Arctic ice volume has reversed.

    “It’s estimated that there was around 20 000 cubic kilometres of Arctic sea ice each October in the early 1980s, and so today’s minimum still ranks among the lowest of the past 30 years,” said Andrew Shepherd, a co-author of the study and a researcher at University College London.

    (Image courtesy ESA)

  • Global Warming Causes Shrinking Mammals, Enlarged Reptiles

    Phys.org noted a study published earlier this week by a University of Michigan paleontologist and his research team. They claim to have discovered a process of mammalian “dwarfing” that occurred during multiple climate warming events between 50 and 53 million years ago, and they say that it will probably happen again.

    Paleontologists were relatively aware of the 55-million-year-old Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), after which the fossils of deer, horses, and primates became noticeably smaller. Professor of earth, environmental science, and team leader Philip Gingerich rewrote biological history when they discovered a second event, 2 million years after the PETM, that also affected body size.

    “The fact that it happened twice significantly increases our confidence that we’re seeing cause and effect, that one interesting response to global warming in the past was a substantial decrease in body size in mammalian species,” he said. The Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM2) period lasted roughly 80,000 to 100,000 years, and the earth’s peak temperature rose about 5 degrees during that time.

    Additionally, a report from NBC News about the impact of the study notes that a second, reptile-focused paleontologist studying the PETM found 60-million-year-old turtles the size of breakfast tables, and a snake referred to as a “Titanoboa” that stretched as long as a school bus.

    Jonathan Bloch of the Florida Museum of Natural History paints a picture: “Imagine that the snake would have to squeeze through the door, and come up to your waist,” he said, all while horses were the size of housecats.

    The terrifying conclusion of their study: because it’s happened not once but twice, it could absolutely happen again, and maybe a lot sooner than anyone would like. “You have to go back tens of millions of years before you get close to or higher than what we’re talking about for the next couple of hundred years,” Bloch said, referring to rising temperatures around the globe.

    But Bloch remains confident that humanity might utilize tactics that the Earth herself used to rid the atmosphere of excess carbon dioxide. Who knows? Maybe, he suggests, the records of the PETM period could function as a “user’s manual for [Planet] Earth.”

    [Image via Danielle Byerly/University of Florida]

  • Walrus Crowd Could be Result of Global Warming

    The 10,000 walrus party that gathered on a barrier island beach in Alaska could have an environmental cause for their unusual behavior. According to the AP, the walruses can’t find sufficient sea ice this year in the warming waters of the Arctic Ocean. The females use the ice to give birth, and they dive off the ice to find food, like clams and worms on the reef.

    We’ve become accustomed to tales of shrinking ice caps and rising seas, but the pictures make the evidence hard to ignore. Usually, temperatures warm in the summer, causing the edge of the sea ice to recede north. Females and babies ride the edge of the sea ice into the Chukchi Sea. However, in recent years, sea ice has receded north beyond continental shelf waters and into Arctic Ocean water 10,000 feet deep or more where walrus cannot dive to the bottom.

    Large numbers of walrus were first spotted on the U.S. side of the Chukchi Sea in 2007, and returned in 2009. In 2011, scientists estimated 30,000 walruses camping along one kilometer of beach near Point Lay. Remnant ice kept walrus offshore in 2008 and again last year. This year, there is no remnant.

    The walruses aren’t the only mammals in the Arctic Ocean being effected. The goal of the marine mammals survey that photographed the walrus gathering is to record the abundance of bowhead, gray, minke, fin and beluga whales plus other marine mammals in areas of potential oil and natural gas development, said NOAA Fisheries marine mammal scientist Megan Ferguson.

    “In addition to photographing the walrus haulout area, NOAA scientists documented more bowhead whales, including calves and feeding adults in the Beaufort Sea this summer compared to 2012,” said Ferguson. “We are also seeing more gray whale calves in the Chukchi Sea than we have in recent years.”

    Image via youtube