September-October 2003

Changes in Ecosystems

Human Contributions ad Responses

Climate Variability and Change

Paleoenvironment & Paleoclimate

NOAA's 
Image of the Day 

For documents from the Intergovern-
mental Panel on Climate Change, 
see our IPCC page.

Major Ocean Exploration Effort Would Reveal Secrets of the Deep.  "A new large-scale U.S. program could spur global ocean exploration efforts, says a congressionally mandated report from the National Academies' Ocean Studies Board. The program could accelerate the discovery of new species, ecosystems and energy sources as well as improve understanding of the role oceans play in climate change. "  Press release (dtd 4 Nov 2003) from The National Academies.  See also full report, Exploration of the Seas: Voyage into the Unknown and Listen to the Briefing (requires free RealPlayer) .  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Regional Development, Population Trend, and Technology Change Impacts on Future Air Pollution Emissions.  Request for Applications (RFA)  issued (21 Oct 2003) by the STAR Grants Program within Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Research and Development on behalf of the EPA Global Change Research Program. Closing Date: February 5, 2004. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

SEARCH (Study of Environmental Arctic Change) Open Science Meeting. Information related to meeting held in Seattle, Washington, on 27-30 October 2003. All sessions were webcast and, according to the site, soon will be available online at that location. See also: Arctic researchers to discuss NSF-led, interagency initiative to quantify arctic environmental  change.  Press release (dtd 24 Oct 2003) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). (posted 29 Oct 2003)

$62-million partnership to revolutionize ocean research.  Announces the development of "the world's largest cable-linked seafloor observatory off North America's west coast." Press release (dtd 17 Oct 2003) from University of Victoria (Canada). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Every Week Is "Earth Science Week" at NASA.  Press release (dtd 14 Oct 2003) from NASA. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

National Academies and W.M. Keck Foundation Announce First Winners of New Communication Awards.  Press release (dtd 6 Oct 2003) from National Academies.  Winners include Andrew Revkin, science reporter, The New York Times " for his insightful, comprehensive coverage of the complex science and policy issues of global climate change." (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

AGI Foundation Endows Congressional Geoscience Fellowship Honoring William L. Fisher.  Press release (dtd 3 Oct 2003) from American Geological Institute (AGI). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Hearing on The Case for Climate Change Action.  Testimony from hearing (dtd 1 Oct 2003) before the US Senate, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.  Includes statement from science panel that included: (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

• Antonio Busalacchi, Jr., Chair of the Climate Research Committee, Board on Atmospheric Science and Climate, National Research Council
• Stephen Schneider, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, and Co-Director, Center for Environmental Science and Policy, Stanford University
• Tom M.L. Wigley,  Senior Scientist, Climate and Global Dynamics Divisions, Climate Analysis Section and Program; Director, A Consortium for the Application of Climate Impact Assessments (ACACIA), National Center for Atmospheric Research

Climate Change Science Serves to Improve the Human Condition [MS Word file].  Press release (dtd 29 Sep 2003) from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 30 Years of Observing the Ocean.  Article (dtd 29 Sep 2003) from NOAA Magazine Online (from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Can we defuse the global warming time bomb?  Article (dtd 17 July 2003) by James Hansen (NASA) published by Natural Science. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

National Oceanographic Partnership Program Announces First Award in Global Ocean Data Assimilation Effort.  Press release (dtd 1 Oct 2003) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Antarctic factsheets.  From the British Antarctic Survey.  (links posted 4 Nov 2003)

• The Ozone Hole - polar focus for a global problem (updated 30 January 2002)
• Undersanding Ecosystems - response and regulation (updated 30 January 2002)
• Climate change - ice and ice age (updated 18 May 2000)
• Antarctic fact-file (updated 18 May 2000)

Antarctic Ozone Hole, 2003:

• 2003 Antarctic Ozone 'Hole' Near Record Size;  Cold Temperatures Play Major Role.  Press release (dtd 7 Oct 2003) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)
• Envisat observes resurgent ozone hole.  Press release (1 Oct 2003) from European Space Agency. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)
• Antarctic ozone hole - near record levels.  Press release (dtd 22 Sep 2003) from New Zealand's National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)
• Antarctic Ozone Hole Unusually Large.  [PDF  file].  Press release (dtd 16 Sep 2003) from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

UCI study uncovers unexpectedly high air pollutant levels in southwest states.  Press release (dtd 6 Oct 2003) from University of California Irvine. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Current Greenhouse Gas Concentrations.  Document (updated Sep 2003) from Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

The State of Stratospheric Ozone Depletion [PDF file].  Report (dtd Sept 2003)  by the Global Environment & Technology Foundation. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Global warming boosting tropical reefs?: Rising sea temperature expands range of Caribbean coral.  Article (dtd 4 November 2003) from Nature's "Science Update"  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Scientists find evolution of life.  "A trio of scientists including a researcher from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has found that humans may owe the relatively mild climate in which their ancestors evolved to tiny marine organisms with shells and skeletons made out of calcium carbonate."  Press release (dtd 30 Oct 2003) from UC Berkeley.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Is life regulating today's climate?  "New research at the University of California, Riverside has highlighted the profound role the evolution of plants and animals had on stabilizing the erratic climate of the early Earth, paving the way for increasingly diverse and complicated organisms."  Press release (dtd 31 Oct 2003) from UC Irvine.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)  

Down and dirty: Airborne ozone can alter forest soil.  Press release (dtd 16 Oct 2003) from U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Atlas catalogues vanishing seagrasses: One-seventh of marine meadows have disappeared in past decade.  Article (dtd 15 Oct 2003) from Nature's "Science Update." (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Antarctic penguins thrive in ocean 'oases'.  Press release (dtd 7 Oct 2003) from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Huge Antarctic Iceberg Makes a Big Splash on Sea Life.  Press release (dtd 1 Oct 2003) from NASA. See also: Huge iceberg wreaks havoc on Antarctic marine ecosystem, study finds, press release (dtd 2 Oct 2003) from Stanford University. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Scientists determine biological and ecosystem changes in polar regions linked to solar variability.  Press release (dtd 26 Sep 2003) from University of California at Berkeley. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Releases First Report.  Press release (dtd 24 Sep 2003) from the World Resources Institute. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Current Greenhouse Gas Concentrations.  Document (updated Sep 2003) from Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

PA [Pennsylvania] inventory shows fossil fuels remain largest source of carbon dioxide.  Press release (dtd 24 Sep 2003) from Penn State. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Ancient Relatives of Algae Yield New Insights Into Role of CO2 in Earth's Early Atmosphere.  Press release (dtd 17 Sep 2003) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). See also Atmospheric carbon dioxide greater 1.4 billion years ago, press release (dtd 17 Sep 2003) from Virginia Tech. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

NOAA Study Offers New Take on Urban Heat Island Effect.  Press release (dtd 22 Sep 2003) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Climate change in the vineyards: The taste of global warming.  "A study of the world's top 27 wine regions' temperatures and wine quality over the past 50 years reveals that rising temperatures have already impacted vintage quality. As for the next 50 years, climate modeling for these same wine regions predicts a 2�C temperature rise that is likely to make cool growing regions better producers of some grape varieties, and already warm wine regions less hospitable for viticulture."  Press release (dtd 3 Nov 2003) from Geological Society of America.   (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Debate heats up on role of climate in human evolution.  "Scientists at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Seattle next week [2-5 Nov 2003] are taking a comprehensive new look at drivers of human evolution. It now appears that climate variability during the Plio-Pleistocene (approximately 6 million years in duration) played a hugely important role."  Press release (dtd 3 Nov 2003) from Geological Society of America.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)  

The Second International Conference on Early Warning.  Summary of meeting (held 16-18 October 2003) posted by Earth Negotiations Bulletin (20 Oct 2003). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Independent Task Forces Release Recommendations on Community and Clinical Approaches to Preventing Skin Cancer.  Press Release (dtd 16 Oct 2003) from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).  See also the following pieces in the 17 Oct 2003 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR): (links posted 4 Nov 2003)

• Preventing Skin Cancer: Findings of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services on Reducing Exposure to Ultraviolet Light
• Counseling to Prevent Skin Cancer: Recommendations and Rationale of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

Climate change and US agriculture: Benefits dwindle as the picture sharpens.  Press release (dtd 15 Oct 2003) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)  / University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

U.S. Should Pursue Additional Research on Weather Modification.  Press release (dtd 13 Oct 2003) from the National Academy of Sciences announcing release of Critical Issues in Weather Modification Research. See also: NCAR tip sheet: Weather modification experts tackle a slippery subject, press release (dtd 15 Oct 2003) from National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Ecology of Infectious Diseases [EID] Grants Awarded by National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health.  "Interdisciplinary projects funded through the EID program will study how large-scale environmental events -- such as habitat destruction, biological invasion and pollution -- alter the risks of emergence of viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases in humans and animals."  Press release (dtd 14 Oct 2003) from the National Science Foundation. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

What can the genomics revolution teach us about global change?  Press release (8 Oct 2003) from American Society of Agronomy. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Alaska's not-so-permanent frost   Article (dtd 7 Oct 2003) from Christian Science Monitor. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Alaska's climate: Too hot to handle. "Alaska is warming up more than anywhere else on Earth. Climate researchers are now turning to regional models to find out why - and how to deal with it."  Article (dtd 2 Oct 2003) from Nature's  "Science Update." (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Agriculture: What Can Farmers Do About it?  (PDF) White Paper (dtd 29 Sep 2003) produced in conjunction with a briefing organized by the Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Dust might drop: Model forecasts health benefits and global warming risk.   Article (dtd 26 Sep 2003) from Nature's  "Science Update." (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

PA [Pennsylvania] inventory shows fossil fuels remain largest source of carbon dioxide.  Press release (dtd 24 Sep 2003) from Penn State. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

NOAA Study Offers New Take on Urban Heat Island Effect.  Press release (dtd 22 Sep 2003) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

UNDP, Swiss Re and the Harvard Center for Health and the Global Environment.  "The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Swiss Re and Harvard Medical School's Center for Health and the Global Environment are collaborating on an innovative research partnership aimed at evaluating health and economic damages from climate change and associated extreme weather events."  Press release (dtd 18 Sep 2003) from United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

The Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Transportation: Workshop Summary and Proceedings.  Material (updated 27 Aug 2003) from workshop held on 1-2 October 2002. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Councils Should Prepare for Climate Change, Says Morley.  Press release (15 July 2003) from UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Debate heats up on role of climate in human evolution.  "Scientists at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Seattle next week [2-5 Nov 2003] are taking a comprehensive new look at drivers of human evolution. It now appears that climate variability during the Plio-Pleistocene (approximately 6 million years in duration) played a hugely important role."  Press release (dtd 3 Nov 2003) from Geological Society of America.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Scientists find evolution of life.  "A trio of scientists including a researcher from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has found that humans may owe the relatively mild climate in which their ancestors evolved to tiny marine organisms with shells and skeletons made out of calcium carbonate."  Press release (dtd 30 Oct 2003) from UC Berkeley.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)  

Is life regulating today's climate.  "New research at the University of California, Riverside has highlighted the profound role the evolution of plants and animals had on stabilizing the erratic climate of the early Earth, paving the way for increasingly diverse and complicated organisms."  Press release (dtd 31 Oct 2003) from UC Irvine.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)  

New evidence of global warming in Earth's past supports greenhouse climate theory.   Press release (dtd 23 Oct 2003) from University of California, Santa Cruz. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

What Seashells Say About Global Warming.  Press release (dtd 19 Sep 2003) from Hudson Institute. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Atmospheric carbon dioxide greater 1.4 billion years ago.  Press release (dtd 17 Sep 2003) from Virginia Tech. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Ancient Relatives of Algae Yield New Insights Into Role of CO2 in Earth's Early Atmosphere.  Press release (dtd 17 Sep 2003) from the National Science Foundation (NSF). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Earth & Sky.  Daily science radio series, currently funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Both transcripts & audio files are provided: (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

• Antarctic Dinos
.  "Antarctica is 98 percent covered in ice. It seems an unlikely place for dinosaurs to thrive. But it was much warmer 200 million years ago."  (original broadcast date:  1 October 2003)

For lots of other links especially useful to students and teachers, see our general page on Educational Resources

Up-to-Date Weather, Climate & Wildfire Summaries

Study Analyzes Changes in Ice Cap. Segment (originally broadcast 3 November 2003) from National Public Radio's All Things Considered. "Satellite and submarine data show that the ice cap over the North Pole has shrunk in the last 25 years. Measurements also suggest that the cap has been getting thinner, as well. A new study links the changes to an extended summer-melting season." (link posted 6 Nov 2003)

Reconciling Vertical Temperature Trends. Material presented before a workshop held at the National Climatic Data Center on October 27-29, 2003. The workshop was held in anticipation of producing a report for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and was coordinated internationally with a newly constituted Global Climate Observing System/Atmospheric Observations Panel for Climate Working Group on Reconciling Vertical Temperature Trends. (link posted 6 Nov 2003)

Melting ice at the world's rooftop stirs concern.   Article (dtd 30 October 2003) from Christian Science Monitor.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)  

Recent warming of Arctic may affect worldwide climate.  Press release (dtd 23 Oct 2003) from NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Columbia research sheds light on inter-ocean and ocean-atmosphere dynamics.  Press release (dtd 23 Oct 2003) from Nature. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

New Study Ties African Drought to Ocean Temperatures.  Press release (dtd 9 October 2003) from The Earth Institute at Columbia University. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

NCAR Explores Link Between Climate Change and Air Quality.  Press release (dtd 8 Oct 2003) from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Alaska's not-so-permanent frost   Article (dtd 7 Oct 2003) from Christian Science Monitor. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

As carbon dioxide levels double, data suggest U.S. will see major climate climate changes, CU meteorologist will say at Providence symposium, Oct. 4.  Press Release (dtd 3 Oct 2003) from Cornell University. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Solar contribution to 'global warming' predicted to decrease.  Press release (dtd 1 Oct 2003) from British Antarctic Survey. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Early Arctic Thaw Could Have Chilling Effect.  Article (dtd 29 Sep 2003) from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Dust might drop: Model forecasts health benefits and global warming risk.   Article (dtd 26 Sep 2003) from Nature's  "Science Update." (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Global effort to plot climate change: Spare power of public PCs sought to probe atmosphere models. Article (dtd 12 Sep 2003) from  Nature's  "Science Update." See also D.I.Y. climate prediction.  Press release (dtd 12 Sep 2003) from New Zealand's National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Global Warming.  Segment from National Public Radio's All Things Considered.  Originally broadcast on 11 Sept 2003.  "Researchers writing in the new issue of the journal Science try to account for some data that continues to puzzle climate change scientists -- data that suggests that global warming isn't following the rules." (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Simulating the 1951-2050 Climate with an Atmosphere-Ocean Model.  Science Brief (dtd September 2003) from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Northern climate, ecosystems driven by cycles of changing sunlight.  Press release (dtd 25 Sep 2003) from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Ocean Sponging Up Some Warmth Over Next 50 Years.  Article (dtd 3 Sep 2003) from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Europe and North America warming due to human activity.  Press release (dtd 28 July 2003) from United Kingdom Met Office. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Climate Volunteers.  (1.38 Kb .MP3)   (247 Kb .RM).  Audio segment from Environment Canada's Planet Update.  "Climate volunteers are an important part of a tradition of volunteer weather and climate observers; it's a practice that goes back almost 240 years. When combined with other data, the daily reports create a comprehensive record of the climate of Canada, and can help scientists to discern any possible changes in the climate."  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Recent Atmospheric Conditions & Impacts:

• Up-to-Date Weather, Climate & Wildfire Summaries
• Western Drought.   Segment (dtd 7 October 2003) from PBS's Online NewsHour. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)
• Climate of 2003 - September.  Report (dtd 15 Oct 2003) from U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)
• Climate of 2003 - August.  Report (updated 12 Sep 2003) from the U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)
• NCDC: Climate of 2003: Global hazards and significant events.  Report (dtd 16 Oct 2003) from U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

El Nino Most recent El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Diagnostic Advisory. Issued monthly by the US Climate Prediction Center/National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).  According to the most recent report (9 October 2003):  "A majority of the statistical and coupled model forecasts indicate near neutral conditions ... for the remainder of 2003 and early 2004. However, over the past few months there has been a trend in the suite of forecasts towards somewhat warmer conditions, consistent with observations. Thus, it is likely that slightly warmer-than-average conditions will persist in the equatorial Pacific through the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2003-04."   (link updated 5 September  2003) El Niño Theme Page.  Site maintained by NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Project.

La Niña influences Amazon flooding.  "Work recently published in Nature announces a significant correlation between sediment deposition in two Bolivian rivers, which flow into one of the principal tributaries of the Amazon, and climatic events of the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) type."  Press release (dtd 4 Nov 2003) from Institut de Recherche Pour le Development.  (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Historical Trend in River Ice Thickness and Coherence in Hydroclimatological Trends in Maine. Abstract of article written by USGS scientists and published in Climatic Change (November 2003 issue).

Columbia research sheds light on inter-ocean and ocean-atmosphere dynamics.  Press release (dtd 23 Oct 2003) from Nature. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

$62-million partnership to revolutionize ocean research.  Press release (dtd 17 Oct 2003) from University of Victoria (Canada). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

South American Glaciers Melting Faster, Changing Sea Level.  Press release (dtd 16 Oct 2003) from NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

ICESat's lasers measure ice, clouds and land elevations.  Press release (dtd 6 Oct 2003) from NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Scientists use satellite to 'pond-er' melted Arctic ice.  Press release (dtd 2 Oct 2003) from NASA/ Goddard Space Flight Center. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

National Oceanographic Partnership Program Announces First Award in Global Ocean Data Assimilation Effort.  Press release (dtd 1 Oct 2003) from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory 30 Years of Observing the Ocean.  Article (dtd 29 Sep 2003) from NOAA Magazine Online (from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Envisat radar altimetry tracks river levels worldwide.  Press release (25 Sep 2003) from European Space Agency. (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Mediterranean hot flush detected after scorching summer.  Press release (dtd 24 Sep 2003) from European Space Agency (ESA). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)

Ocean Sponging Up Some Warmth Over Next 50 Years.  Article (dtd 3 Sep 2003) from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). (link posted 4 Nov 2003)