Arctic sea ice shrank to the smallest area on record this year, US scientists have confirmed.
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) said the minimum extent of 4.13 million sq km (1.59 million sq miles) was reached on 16 September.
The figure shatters all previous satellite surveys, including the previous record low of 5.32 million sq km measured in 2005.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Northwest Passage was open.
The fabled Arctic shipping route from the Atlantic to the Pacific is normally ice-bound at some location throughout the year; but this year, ships have been able to complete an unimpeded navigation.
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Friday, 21 September 2007
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Climate change clues emerge from swamp
An ancient British bog that pumped out high amounts of greenhouse gases during a period of global warming 55 million years ago may offer clues about future climate change, said researchers.
An analysis of sediments from the bog suggests that global warming caused methane emissions to rise in the wetlands, which in turn sent temperatures there even higher, said the researchers.
Scientists are interested in this period because the Earth warmed fairly quickly as increased amounts of carbon dioxide entered the atmosphere at a pace similar to what is happening today, said Richard Pancost, a geochemist at Bristol University, who led the study.
Greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide are widely blamed for global warming. Scientists say average temperatures will rise by 2-6C by the end of the century, causing droughts, floods and violent storms.
"It is in the same ballpark of what we have done over the past 100 years and what we might do over the next 100 years," said Dr Pancost.
The team analysed sediments taken from a wetland in southeast England that was unearthed during construction of a rail link between London and Paris.
This section of exposed rock offered a clear sediment record of changes in vegetation and indicated how global warming affected the area tens of millions of years ago, said Dr Pancost.
The researchers looked at molecular fossils that came from bacteria and found that, as temperatures rose, the organisms switched to a diet of methane - probably because there was more of it around, said Dr Pancost.
"Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas," he said.
"So if the processes at [the bog] were widespread, then the increase in methane emissions could have caused further warming, amplifying the climate change at this time."
The bog became part of a vicious cycle; warmer temperatures caused higher emissions of methane and drove temperatures even higher, he said.
"The main event made it warmer and wetter. What we are talking about is a response to the system."
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Nature, cautioned that the data was only from a single site but said it nevertheless shows how some ecosystems might respond to rapid climate change in the future.
full article
An analysis of sediments from the bog suggests that global warming caused methane emissions to rise in the wetlands, which in turn sent temperatures there even higher, said the researchers.
Scientists are interested in this period because the Earth warmed fairly quickly as increased amounts of carbon dioxide entered the atmosphere at a pace similar to what is happening today, said Richard Pancost, a geochemist at Bristol University, who led the study.
Greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide are widely blamed for global warming. Scientists say average temperatures will rise by 2-6C by the end of the century, causing droughts, floods and violent storms.
"It is in the same ballpark of what we have done over the past 100 years and what we might do over the next 100 years," said Dr Pancost.
The team analysed sediments taken from a wetland in southeast England that was unearthed during construction of a rail link between London and Paris.
This section of exposed rock offered a clear sediment record of changes in vegetation and indicated how global warming affected the area tens of millions of years ago, said Dr Pancost.
The researchers looked at molecular fossils that came from bacteria and found that, as temperatures rose, the organisms switched to a diet of methane - probably because there was more of it around, said Dr Pancost.
"Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas," he said.
"So if the processes at [the bog] were widespread, then the increase in methane emissions could have caused further warming, amplifying the climate change at this time."
The bog became part of a vicious cycle; warmer temperatures caused higher emissions of methane and drove temperatures even higher, he said.
"The main event made it warmer and wetter. What we are talking about is a response to the system."
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Nature, cautioned that the data was only from a single site but said it nevertheless shows how some ecosystems might respond to rapid climate change in the future.
full article
Have you got green fatigue?
Recent environmental messages have made such an impact on a friend of mine that, a couple of weeks ago, he broke a four-year prohibition and walked back into Burger King. "Intensive beef production, clone town Britain, just so much blah," he said, by way of explanation. "Nobody else really seems to be doing much about it, so why should I bother?"
My friend is the embodiment of one of the great fears of the environmental lobby. Fifteen years ago, the term "compassion fatigue" indicated a general disillusionment with fund-raising concerts and famine appeals. The cause was too hopeless, governments too apathetic, and individuals too impotent. Slowly, and for similar reasons, the term "green fatigue" has started to creep into the dinner-party conversations of the composting classes.
And, if anything, with more reason. Environmental campaigners worry that individuals see their actions as largely irrelevant when set against the enormity of global climate change. While famine appeals parade a simple, striking message – send a tenner, save a child – no such easy cause and effect exists for global warming. By contrast, the solutions to climate change seem hugely complex and controversial.
"The problems we face are of a magnitude no one has seen in at least two generations," says Alex Steffen, the executive editor of WorldChanging, a website and book that promote innovative solutions for sustainable living. "The scale of the actions people are being told to take by green consumerism groups and businesses, on the other hand, are so small as to seem meaningless. I think that more and more people see this widening gulf and lose hope."
And if we're not all losing hope just yet, many of us are becoming increasingly cynical. To campaigners, that's not surprising. As Steffen suggests, businesses have turned environmentalism into a marketing strategy. A new term, "green-washing", describes companies that paint a superficial green gloss on conventional business practices. When firms such as BP and Wal-Mart parade their environmentally friendly credentials, scepticism is not only inevitable, says Steffen, it's "a necessary antidote".
full article
My friend is the embodiment of one of the great fears of the environmental lobby. Fifteen years ago, the term "compassion fatigue" indicated a general disillusionment with fund-raising concerts and famine appeals. The cause was too hopeless, governments too apathetic, and individuals too impotent. Slowly, and for similar reasons, the term "green fatigue" has started to creep into the dinner-party conversations of the composting classes.
And, if anything, with more reason. Environmental campaigners worry that individuals see their actions as largely irrelevant when set against the enormity of global climate change. While famine appeals parade a simple, striking message – send a tenner, save a child – no such easy cause and effect exists for global warming. By contrast, the solutions to climate change seem hugely complex and controversial.
"The problems we face are of a magnitude no one has seen in at least two generations," says Alex Steffen, the executive editor of WorldChanging, a website and book that promote innovative solutions for sustainable living. "The scale of the actions people are being told to take by green consumerism groups and businesses, on the other hand, are so small as to seem meaningless. I think that more and more people see this widening gulf and lose hope."
And if we're not all losing hope just yet, many of us are becoming increasingly cynical. To campaigners, that's not surprising. As Steffen suggests, businesses have turned environmentalism into a marketing strategy. A new term, "green-washing", describes companies that paint a superficial green gloss on conventional business practices. When firms such as BP and Wal-Mart parade their environmentally friendly credentials, scepticism is not only inevitable, says Steffen, it's "a necessary antidote".
full article
The Wattson (Eco Meter)
Technology companies really seem to be getting to grips with the idea of "green gadgets" and "carbon footprints" this year, but we could all be doing more to help. Step forward the Wattson, a lovely looking device that could help you save money as well as the planet.
Simply clip its transceiver to the cable between your electricity meter and your fuse box, and the wireless Wattson will display the amount of electricity being used in your house in real-time. It's frightening to see the read spike and then plummet as you turn light switches, televisions and kettles on and off. It will even display an estimate of your annual energy bill. With its compact dimensions and lovely, glossy white finish, the Wattson suits even the most minimalist decor, and you can enable LED warnings to give you a visual clue of sudden spikes in energy use: it glows red when energy use is high, and blue when it is low.
There is even an online community of Wattson users: hook your device up to your computer's USB port to download a record of your energy use, calculate how you could save money on your energy bill, and see how your energy consumption compares to other Wattson owners. Educational and illuminating
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