Post: #61

This thread is about observations & data that could indicate a warming cliimate.

Try the following sites for the counter opinion-

http://wattsupwiththat.com/
http://www.climatedepot.com/

Post: #62

This is a brief summary of what I see as some of the issues of AGW.

Introduction
• The Greenhouse effect as an issue was first recognized by Arrhenius in 1898
• The greenhouse effect is intricately linked to the argument of global warming
• awareness about this issue is common, opinions are polarized

Definition
• Greenhouse effect is the regulation of earths’ temperature by the atmosphere. This is a natural phenomenon and is known as the ‘natural greenhouse effect’
• Global warming is the result of an accelerated increase in the temperatures on earth due to human activity. This is known as the ‘enhanced greenhouse effect’ or anthropogenic global warming (AGW)
• Opinions surrounding this issue are somewhat divided and the massive political, socio-economic and environmental concerns make this an issue worth analyzing.

Basic Chemistry
• All of the heat on earth comes from the energy from the sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation. The infrared bandwidth is felt as heat.
• Due to spectroscopy it can be seen that polar molecules absorb infrared radiation and are therefore said to absorb and retain heat
• Atmospheric gases with polar bonds include water vapor, ozone, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s) and carbon dioxide.
• Referred to as greenhouse gases because they act as insulators against rapid and extreme temperature changes on earth
• CO2 is the resultant from the burning of fossil fuels for energy purposes. Every litre of octane burnt produces 2.16kg CO2.

‘Complex’ chemistry
• climatology being extremely complex (unpredictability of short term weather)
• deals with thermodynamics and quantum theory
• Earth systems operate in long timescales
• The Earth is a dynamic, open system and observations are only new
• The chemistry behind earth systems is complex and poorly understood.
• There are statistical factors due to averaging that need to be accounted for.
• The ramifications for making an error could be disastrous.

Argument for
• The exponential increase in anthropogenic CO2 emissions is more than the biosphere can absorb and the concentration in the atmosphere is increasing.
• average temperature of the earth is also rising concordantly [1, 2]
• The correlation between CO¬2 levels and temperature increase is inferred.

Implications
• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) supports the above view, which represents the mainstream view on the greenhouse effect and global warming.
• They name a number of possibilities for future trends in weather with an outcome based on likelihood [1].
• All have extreme implications for life on earth.
• Some possibilities of AGW include:
- rising of sea levels
- thawing of permafrost
- Changes in ocean currents (a driving force of the weather)
- Changes in vegetation and a resulting impact on agriculture
- increased short-term severe weather conditions
- Changes in the reproduction, growth and migratory cycles of many animals and the subsequent extinction of sensitive species.

Argument against
• Large portion of scientists, and the public, who dispute the validity of AGW [3].
• Dissenting thought includes
- questioning the correctness of the IPCC findings and labeling all global warming hypotheses “meritless conjectures” (Kramm, Dlugi) [4]
- That increased temperatures are the result of natural processes (Chillingar et al) [5].

Critique of both sides
• it hard for the layman to fully understand the scope of the arguments surrounding this dynamic problem
• The lack of professional consensus and the massive political interest in the issue gives rise to much ambiguity on the information that is available.

• there simply is not enough evidence for any claim to be scientifically maintained
• Debate surrounding climate science has declined to proselytization.
• Technically disguised diatribe between Gerlich and Tscheuschner and Halpern et al that borders on peer-reviewed ad hominem squabbling [6, 7, 8].
• A question of epistemology with the main argument being “How do we know that
CO2 causes global warming?”


General agreements
• greenhouse gases exist and that they are responsible for the regulation of the planets temperature
• the temperature of the planet is, at least for the moment, rising [9, 10]
• an unprecedented amount of CO2 being released into the atmosphere [2]

Options
• If AGW is true and nothing is done (type 1 error) the results could be catastrophic.
• If AGW is false yet action is taken to prevent it (type 2 error), there will be no serious consequences.
• More research should be conducted and all possible scenarios visited
• Wise to take prudent measures

Conclusion
• Inductive reasoning isn’t possible without generalizing, which mandates assumptions, which is defined as believing something is true with no discernible proof. - Reliable way of learning and encourages a ‘safe’ course of action
• Extraordinary growth of population
• Safe is better than sorry

Source list:
[1] IPCC, 2007: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.

[2] Wmo.int (2012) GCOS: Observing Systems and Data. [online] Available at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/gcos/index...emsandData [Accessed: 29 Jul 2012].

[3] Populartechnology.net (2012) Popular Technology.net: 1100+ Peer-Reviewed Papers Supporting Skeptic Arguments Against ACC/AGW Alarm. [online] Available at: http://www.populartechnology.net/2009/10...rting.html [Accessed: 29 Jul 2012].

[4] Kramm, G. and Dlugi, R. 2011 Scrutinizing the atmospheric greenhouse effect and its
climatic impact. Natural Science, 3 (12), p.971-998.

[5] Chilingar, G. et al. 2009 Greenhouse gases and greenhouse effect. Environmental Geology, 58 (6), p.1207-1237.

[6] Gerlich, G. and Tscheuschner, R. 2009. Falsification Of The Atmospheric Co2 Greenhouse Effects Within The Frame Of Physics. International Journal of Modern Physics (B), 23 (3), p. 275-364

[7] Halpern, J. et al. 2010. Comment On "Falsification Of The Atmospheric Co2 Greenhouse Effects Within The Frame Of Physics”. International Journal of Modern Physics (B), 24 (10), p. 1309-1332

[8] Gerlich, G. and Tscheuschner, R. 2010. Reply To "Comment On 'Falsification Of The Atmospheric Co2 Greenhouse Effects Within The Frame Of Physics'. International Journal of Modern Physics (B), 24 (10), p. 1333-1359

[9] Nsidc.org (2012) All About Glaciers, Retreating glaciers :: National Snow and Ice Data Center. [online] Available at: http://nsidc.org/cryosphere/glaciers/gal...ating.html [Accessed: 30 Jul 2012].

[10] Worldviewofglobalwarming.org (2005) Global warming, photography, pictures, photos, climate change, impact, science, weather, arctic, antarctica, climate zones, glacier, arctic warming, antarctica warming, documentation, effects, effects of climate change, paleoclimate, mountain glaciers, coral reefs, tide pools, phenology. [online] Available at: http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org/...ciers.html [Accessed: 30 Jul 2012].

Post: #63

A dry land for a dry people. Fair enough

Post: #64

Bahrain sees hottest July

Last month was the hottest July on record in Bahrain, with a mean temperature of 36C, which was 2.1C above average, said Civil Aviation Affairs Meteorological Directorate officials.

It also broke the previous record of 35.8C, set in July 2010.

“July 2012 goes on record as the hottest July ever experienced in Bahrain since 1902,” said officials.

“The mean maximum temperature of the month was 40.5C, going on record as the fourth highest mean maximum temperature for July.

“This is the same as July 1996 and 2008 and is only exceeded by July 2002, which was 41.4C, July 2000, which was 41.3C and July 2004, which was 40.8C.”


http://www.tradearabia.com/news/ENV_221466.html

Post: #65

NASA research links extreme summertime heat events with Global Warming

A new statistical analysis by NASA scientists has found that Earth's land areas have become much more likely to experience an extreme summer heat wave than they were in the middle of the 20th century. The research was published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The statistics show that the recent bouts of extremely warm summers, including the intense heat wave afflicting the U.S. Midwest this year, very likely are the consequence of global warming, according to lead author James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.

"This summer people are seeing extreme heat and agricultural impacts," Hansen says. "We're asserting that this is causally connected to global warming, and in this paper we present the scientific evidence for that."

Hansen and colleagues analyzed mean summer temperatures since 1951 and showed that the odds have increased in recent decades for what they define as "hot," "very hot" and "extremely hot" summers.

The researchers detailed how "extremely hot" summers are becoming far more routine. "Extremely hot" is defined as a mean summer temperature experienced by less than one percent of Earth's land area between 1951 and 1980, the base period for this study. But since 2006, about 10 percent of land area across the Northern Hemisphere has experienced these temperatures each summer.

Hansen and colleagues found that a bell curve was a good fit to summertime temperature anomalies for the base period of relatively stable climate from 1951 to 1980. Mean temperature is centered at the top of the bell curve. Decreasing in frequency to the left of center are "cold," "very cold" and "extremely cold" events. Decreasing in frequency to the right of center are "hot," "very hot" and "extremely hot" events.

Plotting bell curves for the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, the team noticed the entire curve shifted to the right, meaning that more hot events are the new normal. The curve also flattened and widened, indicating a wider range of variability. Specifically, an average of 75 percent of land area across Earth experienced summers in the "hot" category during the past decade, compared to only 33 percent during the 1951 to 1980 base period. Widening of the curve also led to the designation of the new category of outlier events labeled "extremely hot," which were almost nonexistent in the base period.


Full-
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/feature...links.html


James Hansen and colleagues use the bell curve to show the growing frequency of extreme summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, compared to the 1951 to 1980 base period. The mean temperature for the base period is centered at the top of the green curve, while hotter than normal temperatures (red) are plotted to the right and colder than normal (blue) to the left. By 1981, the curve begins to shift noticeably to the right, showing how hotter summers are the new normal. The curve also widens, due to more frequent hot events.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUuYBP0vheU

Post: #66

Bulgaria Endures Record Number of Temperature Records

Record summer heat was registered all over Bulgaria on Tuesday, the National Meteorology and Hydrology Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has announced.

A total of 37 temperature records were recorded in Bulgaria on Tuesday, August 7, 2012, its data indicates.

The oldest August 7 records were broken in Bulgaria's Black Sea city of Burgas – where the 36.5 degrees Celsius registered Tuesday beat the 34.6 degrees registered on the same date back in 1912 – and in the Danube town of Lom where the 38.7 degrees registered this year on August 7 beat the 36.3 degrees registered on August 7, 1896.

All of Northern and much of Southern Bulgaria saw temperatures of over 38-39 degrees Celsius, while the Black Sea coast had temperatures over the mid 30s.

The Bulgarian capital Sofia also saw a temperature record with 35.7 degrees Celsius beating the previous record of 33.9 degrees set on August 7, 2000.


http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=142094

Post: #67

Ukraine's Capital Sees Record High Temperature

Temperatures reached a record 36 degrees Celsius Tuesday afternoon in the Ukrainian capital, eclipsing the former high of 33.6 degrees for the day set 112 years ago, the weather service said.

As part of a long-term warming trend in most Ukrainian regions, the blistering two-week heat wave is threatening this year's grain harvest and triggering wildfires, the weather bureau said.

The highest temperatures in the country's southern and central regions reached 40-42 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday, it said.

The Emergencies Ministry has issued an alarm against the heat wave, urging people to refrain from visiting forests and plantations, as well as building fires in open space.


http://english.cri.cn/6966/2012/08/07/3141s715885.htm

Post: #68

When does the Weather turn into the Climate?

Post: #69

Askakido  Wrote:

When does the Weather turn into the Climate?

Weather is specific to a time and location.

Climate is the average of weather in a area or region over any particular period of time.

Post: #70

Temperature Records All Over Montenegro

A very hot tropical heat wave stemming from the north-western Africa has hit the Balkan region, including Montenegro. Temperatures are reaching high levels all over Montenegro, and the National Meteorology Department has advised citizens to be very careful and to follow the usual rules when temperatures are this high — don’t go out between 10am and 6pm. If you have to go out, be sure to drink a lot of water and stay in the shade as much as possible.

At 6pm, the temperature in Podgorica was 42,3 degrees Celsius! However, today’s peak was at 4pm, when the temperature was at 43,5 degrees Celsius.

“We are experiencing record temperatures today. These are the highest numbers of all time for this time of year, and we have data for the last 50 years,” said Branko Micev, a meteorologist.

The Montenegrin government also intervened — they ordered that all companies who work in the construction business must pause their operations between 11am and 4pm.

http://www.dailynewsmontenegro.com/tempe...negro.html


Greece feels heat this summer

A new heat wave that sent temperatures in some parts of the country soaring above 40 Celsius is due to subside from Thursday but is a further indication that summers are getting warmer, underlined by the fact that figures reveal Greece experienced the warmest June and July in recent history.

According to data collected by the National Meteorological Service, this June was the third-hottest on record. The average high -- as recorded at the weather station in the Athens suburb of Nea Philadelphia -- was 34.6 Celsius, which is more than 3 degrees above the seasonal average. The only two times in recent years that the temperature was substantially above the seasonal average in June was in 2003 and 2007.

July also set new records as the average high was 37.2 Celsius, compared to a seasonal average of 33.4 degrees. Until this year, the warmest months of July were in 1998 and 2000, when the average top temperatures were at 36.2 and 36.5 degrees. The highest temperature recorded in Greece this year was in July, in Sparta and Tripoli, where it reached 43 Celsius.

Meteorologist Dimitris Ziakopoulos said the rising temperatures have been part of a trend this year.

“March was warmer than usual and we have less rainfall than usual, except in Epirus, eastern Crete and the southern Aegean” he told Kathimerini. “In April, the temperature was higher than usual, mainly in southern and eastern Greece. It rained more than usual, apart from Crete and the southern Aegean. May was also warmer than usual, apart from some areas in northwestern Greece and it rained more than usual in almost all areas.”

“Over the last few years, meteorological records are being broken at a national and international level, and the appearance of extreme phenomena has increased,” he said. “We can no longer pretend that we do not understand what is going on. Climate change is not something that is going to happen in the next decades; it is already happening.”

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_art...012_455961

Post: #71

July was hottest month in U.S. history

July was the hottest month in U.S. history, federal scientists announced today, eclipsing the old record set during the heart of the Dust Bowl in 1936.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average temperature for the contiguous U.S. in July was 77.6 degrees, which is 3.3 degrees above the 20th century average, marking the hottest July and the hottest month on record for the nation.

The previous warmest month on record was July 1936, when the average U.S. temperature was 77.4 degrees.

Cities such as Denver, Indianapolis and St. Louis all smashed all-time records for their hottest month on record.

The January-July period was also the warmest first seven months of any year on record for the USA. The national temperature of 56.4 degrees was 4.3 degrees above the long-term average.


http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/...56873854/1

Post: #72

Rate of arctic summer sea ice loss is 50% higher than predicted

Sea ice in the Arctic is disappearing at a far greater rate than previously expected, according to data from the first purpose-built satellite launched to study the thickness of the Earth's polar caps.

Preliminary results from the European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 probe indicate that 900 cubic kilometres of summer sea ice has disappeared from the Arctic ocean over the past year.

This rate of loss is 50% higher than most scenarios outlined by polar scientists and suggests that global warming, triggered by rising greenhouse gas emissions, is beginning to have a major impact on the region. In a few years the Arctic ocean could be free of ice in summer, triggering a rush to exploit its fish stocks, oil, minerals and sea routes.

Using instruments on earlier satellites, scientists could see that the area covered by summer sea ice in the Arctic has been dwindling rapidly. But the new measurements indicate that this ice has been thinning dramatically at the same time. For example, in regions north of Canada and Greenland, where ice thickness regularly stayed at around five to six metres in summer a decade ago, levels have dropped to one to three metres.

"Preliminary analysis of our data indicates that the rate of loss of sea ice volume in summer in the Arctic may be far larger than we had previously suspected," said Dr Seymour Laxon, of the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at University College London (UCL), where CryoSat-2 data is being analysed. "Very soon we may experience the iconic moment when, one day in the summer, we look at satellite images and see no sea ice coverage in the Arctic, just open water."

The consequences of losing the Arctic's ice coverage, even for only part of the year, could be profound. Without the cap's white brilliance to reflect sunlight back into space, the region will heat up even more than at present. As a result, ocean temperatures will rise and methane deposits on the ocean floor could melt, evaporate and bubble into the atmosphere.

Scientists have recently reported evidence that methane plumes are now appearing in many areas. Methane is a particularly powerful greenhouse gas and rising levels of it in the atmosphere are only likely to accelerate global warming. And with the disappearance of sea ice around the shores of Greenland, its glaciers could melt faster and raise sea levels even more rapidly than at present.

Professor Chris Rapley of UCL said: "With the temperature gradient between the Arctic and equator dropping, as is happening now, it is also possible that the jet stream in the upper atmosphere could become more unstable. That could mean increasing volatility in weather in lower latitudes, similar to that experienced this year."

"Before CryoSat, we could see summer ice coverage was dropping markedly in the Arctic," said Rapley. "But we only had glimpses of what was happening to ice thickness. Obviously if it was dropping as well, the loss of summer ice was even more significant. We needed to know what was happening – and now CryoSat has given us the answer. It has shown that the Arctic sea cap is not only shrinking in area but is also thinning dramatically."

Sea-ice cover in the Arctic varies considerably throughout the year, reaching a maximum in March. By combining earlier results from ICESat and data from other studies, including measurements made by submarines travelling under the polar ice cap, Laxon said preliminary analysis now gave a clear indication of Arctic sea-ice loss over the past eight years, both in winter and in summer.

In winter 2004, the volume of sea ice in the central Arctic was approximately 17,000 cubic kilometres. This winter it was 14,000, according to CryoSat.

However, the summer figures provide the real shock. In 2004 there was about 13,000 cubic kilometres of sea ice in the Arctic. In 2012, there is 7,000 cubic kilometres, almost half the figure eight years ago. If the current annual loss of around 900 cubic kilometres continues, summer ice coverage could disappear in about a decade in the Arctic.

However, Laxon urged caution, saying: "First, this is based on preliminary studies of CryoSat figures, so we should take care before rushing to conclusions. In addition, the current rate of ice volume decline could change." Nevertheless, experts say computer models indicate rates of ice volume decline are only likely to increase over the next decade.

As to the accuracy of the measurements made by CryoSat, these have been calibrated by comparing them to measurements made on the ice surface by scientists including Laxon; by planes flying beneath the satellite's orbit; and by data supplied by underwater sonar stations that have analysed ice thickness at selected places in the Arctic. "We can now say with confidence that CryoSat's maps of ice thickness are correct to within 10cm," Laxon added.

Laxon also pointed out that the rate of ice loss in winter was much slower than that in summer. "That suggests that, as winter starts, ice is growing more rapidly than it did in the past and that this effect is compensating, partially, for the loss of summer ice." Overall, the trend for ice coverage in Arctic is definitely downwards, particularly in summer, however – a point recently backed by Professor Peter Wadham, who this year used aircraft and submarine surveys of ice sheets to make estimates of ice volume loss. These also suggest major reductions in the volume of summer sea ice, around 70% over the past 30 years.

"The Arctic is particularly vulnerable to the impact of global warming," said Rapley. "Temperatures there are rising far faster than they are at the equator. Hence the shrinking of sea-ice coverage we have observed. It is telling us that something highly significant is happening to Earth. The weather systems of the planet are interconnected so what happens in the high latitudes affects us all."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/20...sfeed=true

Post: #73

•REC  Wrote:

Rate of arctic summer sea ice loss is 50% higher than predicted

Sea ice in the Arctic is disappearing at a far greater rate than previously expected, according to data from the first purpose-built satellite launched to study the thickness of the Earth's polar caps.

Preliminary results from the European Space Agency's CryoSat-2 probe indicate that 900 cubic kilometres of summer sea ice has disappeared from the Arctic ocean over the past year.

This rate of loss is 50% higher than most scenarios outlined by polar scientists and suggests that global warming, triggered by rising greenhouse gas emissions, is beginning to have a major impact on the region. In a few years the Arctic ocean could be free of ice in summer, triggering a rush to exploit its fish stocks, oil, minerals and sea routes.

Using instruments on earlier satellites, scientists could see that the area covered by summer sea ice in the Arctic has been dwindling rapidly. But the new measurements indicate that this ice has been thinning dramatically at the same time. For example, in regions north of Canada and Greenland, where ice thickness regularly stayed at around five to six metres in summer a decade ago, levels have dropped to one to three metres.

"Preliminary analysis of our data indicates that the rate of loss of sea ice volume in summer in the Arctic may be far larger than we had previously suspected," said Dr Seymour Laxon, of the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at University College London (UCL), where CryoSat-2 data is being analysed. "Very soon we may experience the iconic moment when, one day in the summer, we look at satellite images and see no sea ice coverage in the Arctic, just open water."

The consequences of losing the Arctic's ice coverage, even for only part of the year, could be profound. Without the cap's white brilliance to reflect sunlight back into space, the region will heat up even more than at present. As a result, ocean temperatures will rise and methane deposits on the ocean floor could melt, evaporate and bubble into the atmosphere.

Scientists have recently reported evidence that methane plumes are now appearing in many areas. Methane is a particularly powerful greenhouse gas and rising levels of it in the atmosphere are only likely to accelerate global warming. And with the disappearance of sea ice around the shores of Greenland, its glaciers could melt faster and raise sea levels even more rapidly than at present.

Professor Chris Rapley of UCL said: "With the temperature gradient between the Arctic and equator dropping, as is happening now, it is also possible that the jet stream in the upper atmosphere could become more unstable. That could mean increasing volatility in weather in lower latitudes, similar to that experienced this year."

"Before CryoSat, we could see summer ice coverage was dropping markedly in the Arctic," said Rapley. "But we only had glimpses of what was happening to ice thickness. Obviously if it was dropping as well, the loss of summer ice was even more significant. We needed to know what was happening – and now CryoSat has given us the answer. It has shown that the Arctic sea cap is not only shrinking in area but is also thinning dramatically."

Sea-ice cover in the Arctic varies considerably throughout the year, reaching a maximum in March. By combining earlier results from ICESat and data from other studies, including measurements made by submarines travelling under the polar ice cap, Laxon said preliminary analysis now gave a clear indication of Arctic sea-ice loss over the past eight years, both in winter and in summer.

In winter 2004, the volume of sea ice in the central Arctic was approximately 17,000 cubic kilometres. This winter it was 14,000, according to CryoSat.

However, the summer figures provide the real shock. In 2004 there was about 13,000 cubic kilometres of sea ice in the Arctic. In 2012, there is 7,000 cubic kilometres, almost half the figure eight years ago. If the current annual loss of around 900 cubic kilometres continues, summer ice coverage could disappear in about a decade in the Arctic.

However, Laxon urged caution, saying: "First, this is based on preliminary studies of CryoSat figures, so we should take care before rushing to conclusions. In addition, the current rate of ice volume decline could change." Nevertheless, experts say computer models indicate rates of ice volume decline are only likely to increase over the next decade.

As to the accuracy of the measurements made by CryoSat, these have been calibrated by comparing them to measurements made on the ice surface by scientists including Laxon; by planes flying beneath the satellite's orbit; and by data supplied by underwater sonar stations that have analysed ice thickness at selected places in the Arctic. "We can now say with confidence that CryoSat's maps of ice thickness are correct to within 10cm," Laxon added.

Laxon also pointed out that the rate of ice loss in winter was much slower than that in summer. "That suggests that, as winter starts, ice is growing more rapidly than it did in the past and that this effect is compensating, partially, for the loss of summer ice." Overall, the trend for ice coverage in Arctic is definitely downwards, particularly in summer, however – a point recently backed by Professor Peter Wadham, who this year used aircraft and submarine surveys of ice sheets to make estimates of ice volume loss. These also suggest major reductions in the volume of summer sea ice, around 70% over the past 30 years.

"The Arctic is particularly vulnerable to the impact of global warming," said Rapley. "Temperatures there are rising far faster than they are at the equator. Hence the shrinking of sea-ice coverage we have observed. It is telling us that something highly significant is happening to Earth. The weather systems of the planet are interconnected so what happens in the high latitudes affects us all."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/20...sfeed=true

The ice thinning could be due to hot springs and undersea volcanic activity -

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/?p=2170

New hot springs in Greenland after an earthquake (swarm?)
Posted on February 5, 2012

According to the Greeland Radio new hot springs opened up in the village of Kangersuatsiaq of the west coast of Greenland. After an what appears to be swarm of earthquakes.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...lcano.html

Arctic Volcanoes Found Active at Unprecedented Depths

Buried under thick ice and frigid water, volcanic explosions are shaking the Arctic Ocean floor at depths previously thought impossible, according to a new study.

Post: #74

tethys  Wrote:

•REC  Wrote:

Rate of arctic summer sea ice loss is 50% higher than predicted

Sea ice in the Arctic is disappearing at a far greater rate than previously expected, according to data from the first purpose-built satellite launched to study the thickness of the Earth's polar caps.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/20...sfeed=true

The ice thinning could be due to hot springs and undersea volcanic activity -

http://www.jonfr.com/volcano/?p=2170

New hot springs in Greenland after an earthquake (swarm?)
Posted on February 5, 2012

According to the Greeland Radio new hot springs opened up in the village of Kangersuatsiaq of the west coast of Greenland. After an what appears to be swarm of earthquakes.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/...lcano.html

Arctic Volcanoes Found Active at Unprecedented Depths

Buried under thick ice and frigid water, volcanic explosions are shaking the Arctic Ocean floor at depths previously thought impossible, according to a new study.

Volcanoes of the Arctic.

Post: #75

Planet Records Fourth-Warmest July on Record

July was the fourth-warmest such month on record globally, and the 329th consecutive month with a global-average surface temperature above the 20th-century average, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

The combined-average July temperature over global land and ocean surfaces was 61.52°F, which was 1.12°F above the 20th-century average.

This was the 36th straight July with a global temperature above the 20th-century average.

The last time the globe experienced a cooler-than-average July occurred in 1976, when Gerald Ford was the U.S. president.

The globally averaged temperature over land areas was the third highest for July on record. For Northern Hemisphere land areas only, however, it was the warmest July on record, which is significant since this is where most of the planet’s land masses are located.

According to NCDC, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), July marked the fourth consecutive month that the Northern Hemisphere has set a monthly land temperature record.

During July, sea surface temperatures continued to increase in the eastern and equatorial Pacific Ocean, a sign of developing El Niño conditions, according to NOAA. After two years of La Niña conditions, which featured cooler-than-average waters in the tropical Pacific, the developing El Niño is already boosting global temperatures.

July featured a precipitous drop in Arctic sea ice cover, which declined by 1.2 million square miles — equivalent to the states of Alaska, California, and Texas combined. Antarctic sea ice was 2.2 percent above average during July.


http://www.climatecentral.org/news/globe...-us-14813/