Kenneth Weiss, a surfer/reporter who last year headed a team that won a Pulitzer for the Los Angeles Times for a series on our trashed oceans, returns to the front page today with a story about how global warming appears to be damaging the arctic feeding grounds of the Gray Whale, leading to "skinny whales"Continue reading “Global Warming Makes It Tough on Gray Whales”
Category Archives: climate
Spring Comes to the Arctic — Two Weeks Early
In a gently-written article from Greenland, Nature reports that spring is coming two weeks early in the Arctic. The discovery adds to the litany of changes to ecosystems that are occurring in response to changing climates around the world. But the rate at which changes are occurring in the high Arctic far outstrips that seenContinue reading “Spring Comes to the Arctic — Two Weeks Early”
James Lovelock: “We Have to Change Our Whole Style of Living”
In an effort to open up important books on climate change to the broader public, and to implant their key points in my mind, I’m going to excerpt crucial passages. Here’s a central point from James Lovelock’s The Revenge of Gaia, published by a Penguin imprint in 2006: I am not recommending nuclear fission energyContinue reading “James Lovelock: “We Have to Change Our Whole Style of Living””
Ganges River Seasonal by 2030, UN Warns
On the other side of the coin, the river on which 800 million Hindus depend, both physically and spiritually, may become seasonal by 2030, according to a U.N. study reported by the Washington Post. recent reports by scientists say the Ganges [River] is under an even greater threat from global warming [than sewage]. According toContinue reading “Ganges River Seasonal by 2030, UN Warns”
Now that Bush Has Threatened Our Kids with Osama, Can We Ask Him About Global Warming?
John Dickerson in Slate notes that when his Iraq strategy was questioned in a press conference, the Prez resorted to threatening the children of reporters with al-Qaida: "They are a threat to your children, David," he said to NBC’s David Gregory . It’s an understandable instinct [writes Dickerson]. To persuade, we try to appeal toContinue reading “Now that Bush Has Threatened Our Kids with Osama, Can We Ask Him About Global Warming?”
CO2 Worry of the Week
Nicely put WSJ headline: Next CO2 Worry: Less Absorption The ability of the world’s southern oceans to absorb carbon dioxide isn’t keeping pace with the rate of emissions due to human activity, which means that future concentrations of the gas in the atmosphere may be higher than what current projections suggest, a new study finds.Continue reading “CO2 Worry of the Week”
NPR Answers Questions on Climate Change
NPR science correspondents take questions from listeners on climate change — an excellent idea. One question they answer I heard asked to Bill McKibben just two weeks ago, about the effect of population on global carbon emissions. McKibben made a strong point that NPR glosses over in their answer. Most of the population growth inContinue reading “NPR Answers Questions on Climate Change”
Arctic Sea Ice: Melting Faster Than Expected…or Faster Than the Northern Annular Mode?
This might sound like an overly-fine distinction, but climate scientist Christina Hulbe argues for The Left Coaster that part of what is happening in the Arctic is a long-standing oscillation of systems called the "northern annular mode," or NAM. This oscillation is not enough to account for arctic ice melting without the "anthropogenic signal" (globalContinue reading “Arctic Sea Ice: Melting Faster Than Expected…or Faster Than the Northern Annular Mode?”
Global Warming May Increase Atlantic Wind Shear: Break Up Hurricanes, Reports Study
"April 18: Climate model simulations for the 21st century indicate a robust increase in wind shear in the tropical Atlantic due to global warming, which may inhibit hurricane development and intensification. Historically, increased wind shear has been associated with reduced hurricane activity and intensity." So reports Gabriel Vecchi and Brian Sobel in the Geophysical ResearchContinue reading “Global Warming May Increase Atlantic Wind Shear: Break Up Hurricanes, Reports Study”
NO MORE WATER: Scientists, Oak Trees Predict Drought
After an unusually dry winter, experts in climate and weather are predicting drought for Ventura County and Southern California. Southern California experienced the driest fall and winter in over a century, according to the National Oceanographic and Atrmospheric Administration, and the drought is expected to continue and widen across the region. Continue reading “NO MORE WATER: Scientists, Oak Trees Predict Drought”
Kit Stolz 