Most-Serious Greenhouse Gas Is Increasing
April 25 — An international study reports a surprising and dramatic increase in the most important greenhouse gas - water vapor - during the last half-century. The study by the World Climate Research Programme indicates that the water vapor increase can be traced in part to human influences but other causes not directly related to humans must also be at work. (University of Washington release) More

Rise of Agriculture May Have Cooled Climate
April 23 — A cooling of up to 2-degree Fahrenheit over land between 1000 and 1900 AD may have been caused by changes from natural vegetation to agriculture. Previous studies had attributed cooling to natural climate variations, but new research published in Geophysical Research Letters suggests that much of this cooling could have been the result of human activity. (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory release) More

Tracking Global Climate-Modifying Aerosols
April 13 — Using a new computer modeling technique, scientists have found a novel way to bring aerosol data into climate projections. The new findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research track the actual motions of aerosols within day-to-day weather patterns. (American Geophysical Union release) More

Scripps Researchers Cite Human-Induced Warming in World’s Waters
April 12 — Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have shown preliminary evidence of human-produced warming in the upper 3,000 meters of the world’s oceans. (University of California, San Diego release) More

Warmer Tropical Oceans Drive Northern Climate Change
April 5 — A progressive warming of tropical oceans, likely due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, is driving major climate changes in the Northern Hemisphere. According to a new study in Science, the key player in this climate trend is the North Atlantic Oscillation, an atmospheric pressure seesaw between Iceland and Spain. (National Center for Atmospheric Research release) More

Amphibian Deaths Linked to Climate Change
April 4 — For the first time, researchers have identified a direct link between global climate change and local factors that cause the death of amphibian eggs in the wild. New research in the journal Nature points to changes in rainfall patterns that cause stress in moisture-sensitive amphibians, leaving them susceptible to a variety of pathogens. (Penn State University release) More

Climate Change Impact on Health “Uncertain”
April 2 — It is not yet possible to determine whether global warming will actually cause diseases to spread, says a new report from the U.S. National Research Council. “The potential exists for scientists one day to be able to predict the impact of global climate change on disease, but that day is not yet here,” said Donald Burke of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. (National Research Council release) More

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