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Scientists
issue dire warning in new study finding last year was likely the
hottest on record
OCEAN HEAT CONTENT
VERSUS CO2 CONCENTRATIONS. CREDIT: LIJING CHEN, IAP
“It is too late to stop serious global warming," warns scientist.
JOE
ROMM
10
January, 2019
Last
year was very likely the hottest year on record, according to the
authors of a new
study in
the journal Science.
The
study examined “multiple lines of evidence from four independent
groups” measuring ocean heat and concluded “ocean warming is
accelerating.”
Researchers found the rate of warming for
the upper 2,000 meters of ocean has increased by more than 50
percent since 1991.
As
a result, “2018 is shaping up to be the hottest for the oceans as a
whole, and therefore for the Earth,” a press release accompanying
the study explains.
“Global
warming is here, and has major consequences already,” it adds,
bluntly.
“There is no doubt, none!”
“There is no doubt, none!”
The
speed up of ocean warming can be seen in the chart below, provided to
ThinkProgress by the study’s lead author, Dr. Lijing Cheng of the
Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The
measurement of ocean heat content (OHC) has gotten much more accurate
in recent years, something the authors were able to take advantage
of.
“For
over a decade, more than 3,000 floats have provided near-global data
coverage for the upper 2,000 meters of the ocean,” the study
explains. This new Argo system of floating measurement devices
provides “superior observational coverage and reduced uncertainties
compared to earlier times.”
These
high-quality Argo observations combined with other independent, older
ways of measuring OHC, have enabled the authors to provide “the
context of the record-breaking recent observations to be properly
established.”
Often,
most people think of global warming as solely about surface air
temperatures. But, as the authors point out, there are two reasons
ocean heat content are a much better measure of actual global warming
than surface air temperatures, which have traditionally been used to
determine what years are the hottest on record.
First,
as the study states, the oceans take up “about 93 percent of the
Earth’s energy imbalance created by increasing heat-trapping gases
in the atmosphere from human activities.” So the overwhelming
majority of warming ends up in the oceans.
Second,
“ocean heat content is not bothered much by weather fluctuations
that do, however, affect the surface temperatures.” And OHC is only
“somewhat affected by El Niño events,” which can have a big,
short-term impact on surface temperatures.
All
of this makes ocean heat content a truer and more stable measure of
how fast the Earth is warming under climate change.
Thus,
when the data show that 2018 has set the record for ocean heat
content, that tells us 2018 sets the record for hottest year.
As
co-author Kevin Trenberth, a distinguished senior scientist in the
Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric
Research, told ThinkProgress, “global warming is close to ocean
warming and 2018 will be the warmest year on record, followed by
2017.”
Trenberth,
a leading expert on the connection between climate change and extreme
weather, pointed out that “one of the warmest spots was where
Hurricane Florence developed this past year [in the Atlantic] and
where Hurricane Harvey developed the previous year [in the
Gulf]. The warm water fuels the evaporation and moisture for storms.”
It
is “too late to stop ocean warming in this century because ocean
response” is so slow, warned Cheng. Water stores a lot a heat, so
its temperature fluctuates much more gradually. But, she said, we can
slow the rate of warming if we “act as soon as possible to reduce
carbon emission.”
As
Cheng’s chart shows, ocean heat content is very strongly linked to
global CO2 levels. Unfortunately, CO2 levels (or concentrations)
won’t stop rising until the world reduces annual global CO2
emissions to near zero, which is in fact the ultimate goal of the
December 2015 Paris climate accord.
But
we are a long way from releasing zero emissions.
“While
there still is time to do something to slow this process down, it is
too late to stop serious global warming,” study co-author John
Abraham, a professor of thermal sciences at the University of St.
Thomas in Minnesota, told ThinkProgress,
Abraham
warned that global warming “is happening faster than we
previously thought.”
“We
are also seeing the impacts, from superstorm hurricanes and typhoons,
to drought and deadly wildfires,” he continued. “We are paying
the consequences for ignoring the science for decades. What a
terrible legacy the denialists have left us and our children.”
Temperatures
in Greece have dropped to -23C as Europe is blanketed by snow,
leaving several dead and hundreds of flights cancelled.
Greece
has been blighted by -23C temperatures and snowfall as Europe is
devastated by a deadly winter storm that has killed several people
and sparked travel chaos.
According
to The Sun those living in Athens awoke to the rare sight of snow as
some of the city’s most famous monuments became topped with white
powder.
Australia's Facing an Unprecedented Ecological Crisis, But No One's Paying Attention
It
started in December, just before Christmas.
Hundreds
of dead perch were discovered floating along the banks of the Darling
River – victims of a "dirty, rotten green" algae bloom
spreading in the still waters of the small country town of Menindee,
Australia.
Things
didn't get better. The dead hundreds became dead thousands, as the
crisis expanded to claim the lives of 10,000 fish along a
40-kilometre (25-mile) stretch of the river. But the worst was still
yet to come.
This
week, the environmental disaster has exploded to a horrific new level
– what one Twitter user called "Extinction level water
degradation" – with reports suggesting up to a million fish
have now been killed in a new instance of the toxic algae bloom
conditions.
Athens’ famous monuments covered in snow as Europe shivers through freezing temperatures
Temperatures
in Greece have dropped to -23C as Europe is blanketed by snow,
leaving several dead and hundreds of flights cancelled.
According
to The Sun those living in Athens awoke to the rare sight of snow as
some of the city’s most famous monuments became topped with white
powder.
Heavy
snowfall this week across Europe has closed down schools, left some
remote villages cut off and disrupted traffic and power supplies in
many areas in the region. Authorities in Bulgaria said two
snowboarders died in an avalanche on Friday.
The
Bulgarian Red Cross said in a statement that their bodies were found
at noon on Friday in the Pirin Mountains in the southwest of the
country.
The
statement said that the snowboarders themselves had caused the
avalanche, apparently ignoring warnings and weather alerts that have
been issued by the authorities after snow also caused traffic
disruptions and power outages.
CO2 is going UP in healthy fashion at Barrow, Alaska
Antarctic
sea ice is 1.4 million sq km below average
CO2 is going UP in healthy fashion at Barrow, Alaska
Cloudy
with a chance of arachnophobia: raining spiders in Brazil
Residents in a rural area of southern Brazil were rained on by spiders this week. Experts say it's typical in Minas Gerais state during hot, humid weather. While it looks like the spiders are falling from the sky, they’ve actually created a huge web to catch prey. Scientists say the parawixia bistriata species builds a community web so fine that it’s nearly impossible to see with the human eye, giving the illusion that the spiders are floating on air
- UN says effluent from desalination is dangerous for food chain
- World’s 16,000 plants make 893 million barrels of waste a day
United
Nations scientists warned Tuesday that desalination in Saudi Arabia
and other countries is creating huge volumes of chemical-laced brine
that risks contaminating food chains if left untreated. The problem
is most acute in the Middle East and North Africa, which account for
two-thirds of the world’s water contaminated by energy-intensive
desalination plants.
The
holiest site in Islam has been hit by a plague of locusts, forcing
cleaners into action to drive the insects out.
Footage
shared on social media showed the insects swarming around the Great
Mosque in Mecca, which hosts millions of Muslim pilgrims every year.
In
one of the videos, the insects can be seen clearly when the night sky
is illuminated by the lights of the mosque.
A
close-up view shows them swarming in all directions, over the heads
of the cleaners in green uniforms attempting to deal with them.
A
record $3.1 m (£2.4 m) has been paid for a giant bluefin tuna at
Tokyo’s new fish market, which replaced the world-famous Tsukiji
late last year.
The
winning bid for the prized but endangered species at the predawn
auction was more than double the 2013 annual New Year auction.
The
278 kg fish (612 pounds) was caught off Japan’s northern coast.
It
was paid by sushi tycoon Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs the popular Sushi
Zanmai chain. Kimura’s Kiyomura Corp has often won the annual
auction in the past.
Japanese
broadcaster NHK showed a beaming Kimura saying that he was surprised
by the high price of tuna this year.
Numerous
weather forecasts are predicting "large amounts of hail"
might fall in some places in Malta and Gozo this weekend,
particularly tonight.
This
latest gloomy news comes as the weather forecast is showing a spell
of stormy weather that will be persisting over the islands in the
coming days as temperatures drop one more time.
Tonight
will see the temperature drop all the way down to 8°C, and tomorrow
isn't looking much warmer either
Five
years ago, a United Nations panel estimated how quickly the world’s
oceans would continue to heat up as the planet warms due to climate
change.
The
oceans are heating up all right. In fact, the Earth’s oceans are
warming 40% faster than that UN panel predicted, according to new
analysis published Thursday in the journal Science.
About
93% of the greenhouse gasses humans emit are trapped by the oceans,
which serve as a vital buffer as carbon emissions continue to climb
despite warnings that we’re causing irreversible destruction to the
planet. And warming oceans lead to a lot of other dire consequences,
some immediately felt by humans and other creatures, and some more
generally destructive to life as we’ve long known it. The Science
study sums up some of the catastrophic impacts of warming oceans in
one alarming list, which includes “rainfall intensity, rising sea
levels, the destruction of coral reefs, declining ocean oxygen
levels, and declines in ice sheets; glaciers; and ice caps in the
polar regions.” In the Arctic, the warming oceans are also causing
a serious decline in sea ice, which only compounds the ongoing
threats of climate change such as sea level rise.
It
is official, the seas around New Zealand in 2018 were the hottest on
record.
While
it might sound nice for your summer dip, scientists are warning the
warming waters - fueled by climate change - could have "catastrophic"
impacts on our marine life.
A
record-breaking marine heatwave last summer was the key driver of
2018's hot temperatures, with parts of the Tasman Sea as much as 6C
higher than average at times.
Those
scorching seas saw anomalies such as snapper in Fiordland, and
Queensland groper around Northland. It also saw high mortality rates
for both the salmon and mussel farming industries.
It
comes after Niwa announced this week 2018 was the country's
second-hottest year on record.
Scientists
say this year the sea was on track for another hot one, with the
Tasman Sea and areas just off the east coast currently about 3C above
average, and some a whopping 6C warmer than normal.
Just
north of Napier the sea was currently 24C - 6C above the average of
18C for this time of year, and putting it on par with Sydney and New
Caledonia, which were both experiencing slightly cooler seas than
usual.
According
to data provided by Niwa the average sea surface temperature for 2018
was 15.6C - 0.87C above the 1982-2010 long-term average.
Drought kills up to 1m fish in Australian rivers
Up
to a million fish, including huge stocks of large freshwater cod,
have died in Australia’s largest river system as a crippling
drought and heatwave threaten ecological catastrophe.
The
mass death near the mining centre of Broken Hill, 700 miles west of
Sydney, is the latest in a series of similar events along parts of
the 1,800-mile Murray-Darling river network which experts said were
unprecedented.
The
two rivers water much of Australia’s inland agricultural heartland,
a region the size of France and Spain, accounting for 40 per cent of
the value of national agricultural output.
Numerous
weather forecasts are predicting "large amounts of hail"
might fall in some places in Malta and Gozo this weekend,
particularly tonight.
This
latest gloomy news comes as the weather forecast is showing a spell
of stormy weather that will be persisting over the islands in the
coming days as temperatures drop one more time.
Tonight
will see the temperature drop all the way down to 8°C, and tomorrow
isn't looking much warmer either
Five
years ago, a United Nations panel estimated how quickly the world’s
oceans would continue to heat up as the planet warms due to climate
change.
The
oceans are heating up all right. In fact, the Earth’s oceans are
warming 40% faster than that UN panel predicted, according to new
analysis published Thursday in the journal Science.
About
93% of the greenhouse gasses humans emit are trapped by the oceans,
which serve as a vital buffer as carbon emissions continue to climb
despite warnings that we’re causing irreversible destruction to the
planet. And warming oceans lead to a lot of other dire consequences,
some immediately felt by humans and other creatures, and some more
generally destructive to life as we’ve long known it. The Science
study sums up some of the catastrophic impacts of warming oceans in
one alarming list, which includes “rainfall intensity, rising sea
levels, the destruction of coral reefs, declining ocean oxygen
levels, and declines in ice sheets; glaciers; and ice caps in the
polar regions.” In the Arctic, the warming oceans are also causing
a serious decline in sea ice, which only compounds the ongoing
threats of climate change such as sea level rise.
It
is official, the seas around New Zealand in 2018 were the hottest on
record.
While
it might sound nice for your summer dip, scientists are warning the
warming waters - fueled by climate change - could have "catastrophic"
impacts on our marine life.
A
record-breaking marine heatwave last summer was the key driver of
2018's hot temperatures, with parts of the Tasman Sea as much as 6C
higher than average at times.
Those
scorching seas saw anomalies such as snapper in Fiordland, and
Queensland groper around Northland. It also saw high mortality rates
for both the salmon and mussel farming industries.
It
comes after Niwa announced this week 2018 was the country's
second-hottest year on record.
Scientists
say this year the sea was on track for another hot one, with the
Tasman Sea and areas just off the east coast currently about 3C above
average, and some a whopping 6C warmer than normal.
Just
north of Napier the sea was currently 24C - 6C above the average of
18C for this time of year, and putting it on par with Sydney and New
Caledonia, which were both experiencing slightly cooler seas than
usual.
According
to data provided by Niwa the average sea surface temperature for 2018
was 15.6C - 0.87C above the 1982-2010 long-term average.
Fire authorities nervous as grass, scrub grows at fastest rate in decades
The
fastest plant growth in decades has fire authorities on edge in parts
of the country.
Rapidly
growing grass and scrub in places such as Christchurch’s Port Hills
could easily fuel a fire if triggered, according to Fire and
Emergency New Zealand.
The
plants are shooting up thanks to a mild winter, followed by heavy
rain in spring and early summer.
But
now, under a scorching January sun, it's beginning to bake.
Power
was knocked out to thousands of homes as huge red dust clouds swept
across parts of New South Wales.
A
major dust storm swept over parts of New South Wales on Tuesday
afternoon, with hundreds of homes losing power as the incredible red
dust clouds engulfed Riverina towns.
Temora,
Ariah Park and Barellan were hit by the huge clouds that turned the
skies a deep red.
The
cause of the Mars-like conditions was a strong thunderstorm, a
spokeswoman from the Bureau of Meteorology said.
“It
was a thunderstorm and the strong winds, generated from it, lifted
the dust off the ground and blew it around,” she said.
Health
officials in Wyoming say a third cat has become infected with bubonic
plague in six months.
NBC
News reported that this latest cat, known to wander outside near its
home in Johnson County, had contracted the disease. The two other
infected cats were in different counties.
However,
a spokeswoman for the Wyoming Department of Health says the cat has
recovered.
The
health department recommends people avoid areas with rodents and use
insect repellant in areas with fleas. The last time a human in
Wyoming contracted the plague was in 2008, and one of only six cases
reported since 1978.
Long-dormant
bacteria and viruses, trapped in ice and permafrost for centuries,
are reviving as Earth's climate warms
Climate
change is melting permafrost soils that have been frozen for
thousands of years, and as the soils melt they are releasing ancient
viruses and bacteria that, having lain dormant, are springing back to
life.
A
new study shows that fields with crop cover showed significantly
warmer winter temperatures than fields with no cover or just short
stubble.
Farmers
grow crops or leave dying vegetation in their fields over the winter.
A new study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
in Boulder, Colorado, shows they may be causing unintended climate
warming.
"When
they stick out above the snow, they can warm winter temperatures,"
Danica Lombardozzi, a plant ecophysiologist with NCAR, said
Retreating ice sheets could be uncorking another new source of carbon pollution
There's mounting evidence that ice sheets are letting the lid off a previously unaccounted for source of methane.
Most
people are familiar with the sudden appearance of bubbles in a bottle
of soda after the lid is opened. The explanation for why that happens
is that, with the lid on, the pressure inside the bottle keeps the
carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the liquid soda. Open the lid, and
the pressure falls. The fizziness is the carbon dioxide as it escapes
from the now effervescent soda.
Two
papers published at the end of 2018 and a third, published this week,
appear to draw a picture of the same phenomenon taking place on a
much larger scale when it comes to methane trapped under ice sheets
and large glaciers....
Like
carbon dioxide, methane contributes to global warming. While it only
makes up 17 percent of greenhouse-gas emissions, primarily from
sources such as agriculture, oil and gas production and wetlands, it
can trap 30 times as much heat as carbon dioxide, meaning that
scientists take a keen interest when a source is identified.
Even
though it is a more powerful greenhouse gas, calculations of how
methane relates to global warming are not always straightforward;
methane, for example, exists for a much shorter period of time than
carbon dioxide does, and areas underlain by sources such as thawing
permafrost may help reduce carbon pollution if they eventually
support plants that can remove carbon dioxide from the air.
But
some methane is also trapped under ice.
A wall of Jellyfish have stung more than 22,000 beachgoers on Australia's Gold and Sunshine coasts in 1 week more than double the yearly average
Jellyfish
have stung more than 22,000 beachgoers on Australia's Gold and
Sunshine coasts, prompting officials to issue warnings and close
beaches.
Safety
authority Surf Life Saving Queensland said the bluebottle jellyfish
-- also known as Pacific man-of-war -- have been blown in by recent
winds.
The
surge in jellyfish numbers coincided with a busy period on Queensland
beaches, with Christmas, the New Year and the school holidays
bringing people to the coast.
Europe's snow chaos continues, with up to TEN FEET expected in Austria, 1,000 miles of ski slopes closed, more avalanche warnings issued - and temperatures of just -9F in GREECE
- Austria has issued avalanche warnings with more snowfall expected today
- Parts have more snow already this month than in whole of an average January
- The tourist season in the Alps has been hit with 450 ski lifts closed amid snowfall
Austria
could face 10 feet of snow in the next few days as fierce winter
weather continues to strike central Europe this week.
Parts
of Austria have already had more snow this month than they usually do
in the whole of January, with more snow expected before the weekend.
The
tourist season in the Alps has also been hit with more than 1,000
miles of ski slope and 450 ski lifts closed because of the weather.
The
cold weather has also reached Greece where temperatures reached as
low as -9F (-23C) in the city of Florina on Tuesday night.
Penny’s revenge: Cyclone to dump a month's worth of rain on Australia’s east coast as it swings back towards the country bringing devastating storms
- Cyclone Penny is set to wreak havoc across Queensland over the next few days
- The former tropical cyclone has been predicted to cause up to 200mm of rain
- It's set to strike Mackay before moving on to Townsville and then onto Cairns
- The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe weather warnings to some areas
- The cyclone is expected to move towards West Australia by the end of the week
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