Stories that have recently appeared in the popular press, television, and radio.
Human Imprint on Climate Change Grows Clearer
June 29 As evidence that the Earth's atmosphere is warming continues to accumulate, scientists are making slow progress toward an answer to the big question of how much of the warming is due to human activity and how much to natural causes. New research published in the journal Nature suggests a strong human influence. (William K. Stevens, New York Times)
Global Warming Rate May Be Higher
June 29 The rate of global warming and sea-level rise may be slightly higher than predicted during the next century. Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research said in a new Pew Center on Global Climate Change report that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's latest estimates on sulfur dioxide releases suggest a mean global warming of 2.3-7.3 degrees F, up from the IPCC's current estimate of 1.4-6.3 degrees F. (H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press)
Fish Out of Waters
June 28 Fishermen in New Hampshire were astonished to find a six-inch tropical
fish with an electric blue tint and a huge triangular head in their lobster
nets. More tropical fish are riding natural warm-water eddies up the Gulf
Stream bringing exotic fish to northern shores. (Sy Montgomery, The Boston
Globe)
Southern Air Pollution Study Under Way
June 25 By studying the warm temperatures, high humidity, stagnant air and
natural emissions of hydrocarbons unique to the air quality problems of
Atlanta, Ga., and Nashville, Tenn., scientists are trying to develop tools
to fight air pollution. Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration report that lush vegetation and forests surround large urban
heat islands, causing a unique air pollution mix of human-caused and
natural emissions. (CNN Interactive)
Sun, Sun Go Away
June 25 It's only the first week of summer, but most of the United States has
already had enough of the sun. This "Drought of the Century," has been
made worse by La Niña, which meteorologists say has created the
second-driest spring in a century. (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Little Ice Age-Only the Latest Big Chill
June 25 The years from1400 until 1900 have been dubbed "The Little Ice Age." New
evidence suggests that this cold spell was nothing exceptional.
Paleoceanographers sediments in the North Atlantic that identically
matched older sediments created during earlier Ice Ages that have occurred
every millennium or two beginning 130,000 years ago.
(Richard A. Kerr, Science)
Jet Contrails Likely to Add to Earth's Warming
June 23 Those jet contrails that streak across the sky will contribute
significantly to global warming within the next 50 years, say researchers.
Researchers at NASA?s Langley Research Center concluded the contrails
have a very small impact now, but as more jets fly, the contrails will
affect the climate. (Reuters)
Cold Climate May Suppress Volcanoes
June 22 Scientists have known that the gases injected into the air by volcanoes
can cool the climate, but now it appears that cooler climates can suppress
eruptions. A study of volcanoes in eastern California indicates that over
millions of years, eruptions have occurred between cycles of cooler
climates, which prompts speculation that glaciation may suppress eruptions.
(Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press)
NASA Satellite Studies Ocean Winds
June 19 To improve weather forecasts and storm warnings, scientists will begin
measuring wind speed and direction on the surface of the ocean with
QuikScat. Scientists at NASA?s Jet Propulsion Laboratory report that
QuikScat will give more accurate forecasts especially for people living
along the coast. (John Antczak, Associated Press)
Craft to Track Climate-Affecting Link of Sea and Wind
June 15 The relationship between the winds and the oceans goes mostly unmonitored. Scientists at NASA are using Quikscat, a satellite housing a scatterometer, to continually sweep the ocean and cover two-thirds of the Earth's surface while measuring the speed and direction of the wind. (Warren E. Leary, New York Times)
La Ni�a Changes the Climate for Research
June 14 Over the past nine months La Ni�a has brought flooding to Australia, heavy rains to Washington state, tornadoes to the Midwest, and in the middle Atlantic states drought conditions. Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research says that the drought conditions will continue throughout the summer. (Guy Gugliotta, Washington Post)
The Case of the Missing Carbon Dioxide
June 12 Tropical countries are releasing far less carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere than scientists previously thought, according to scientists at
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies. This study questions a widely
used estimate of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted after residents chop
down trees, burn vegetation, and convert forests into pastures and crop
fields. (Richard Monastersky, Science News)
NOAA Planes Ready for Hurricane Research
June 11 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has readied its
hurricane hunter airplanes for reconnaissance and research for the 1999
hurricane season. The information gathered by the hunter airplanes has
improved hurricane, helped save lives, and minimized property damage. (CNN
Interactive)
Enormous Haze Found Over Indian Ocean
June 10 A haze of air pollution about the size of the United States covers the
Indian Ocean in the winter according to scientists at Scripps Institution
of Oceanography. The scientists say that the haze may have important
implications for global climate and the regional environment of both Asia
and the tropical ocean. (William K. Stevens, New York Times)
Ice Core Sample Attests to Warming Climate
June 10 A 2-mile-long (3.2-kilometer-long) ice core drilled out of an Antarctic
ice sheet shows that the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are
higher now than at any time during the past 420,000 years. The ice core
shows that carbon dioxide and methane play a large role in warming the
planet when ice ages end. (Associated Press, CNN Interactive)
Warmer Oceans Killing Marine Life
June 9 Warming oceans are killing marine life at an alarming rate and shrinking
food supplies for people and other creatures dependent on the seas
according to a report by the Washington-based World Wildlife Fund and the
Marine Conservation Biology Institute. The report reveals that global
warming has influences several species like Pacific salmon and melting
polar ice. (Reuters, CNN Interactive)
Ocean Warming May Threaten Salmon
June 8 Rising ocean temperatures, perhaps caused by global climate change, are
forcing salmon out of the Pacific Ocean. Scientists at the Monterey Bay
Aquarium Research report that the warmer ocean temperatures have caused a
higher mortality rate among salmon and plankton species. David Welch,
Canadian National Department of Fisheries, says that this decline in salmon
is not fully understood but is expected from increased global warming.
(H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press)
Ice Core Shows Greenhouse Gases
June 6 The levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases are higher now than at any
time over the past 420,000 years. Based on ice core samples from an
Antarctic ice sheet, scientists at the National Centre for Scientific
Research in Grenoble, France, have found that carbon dioxide and methane
play a large role in warming the planet when ice ages end. (Rick Callahan,
Associated Press)
Scientists Predict NYC Storm Surges
June 4 New York City could experience a sea-level rise of 1-3 feet by 2090
says Cynthia Rosenzweig, at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.
Rosenzweig co-heads the project studying the potential impact of climate
change on New York City. Much of Manhattan that lies within 10 feet of sea
level. (Jeff Donn, Associated Press)
Americans Losing Interest in the Environment
June 3 Researchers say American?s are discouraged by the difficulty solving
environmental problems that they have lost interest. In a survey by the
nonprofit group Public Agenda the resutls show that most people are aware
of environmental problems, think that they are a real problem, but are
frustrated because they do not know what to do about them. (Jeff Donn,
Associated Press)
Twin Cyclone Pattern Linked to Flooding of Yangtze River
June 3 Scientists have found a link between weather patterns that will help them
to predict Yangtze River floods such as the 1998 floods that killed 3,700
people and caused $30 billion in damage. William Lau, of NASA Goddard
Space Flight, says that a pair of early May cyclones over the Indian Ocean
delays the South China Sea Monsoon by a week. Studying the twin cyclone
system will help scientists understand the strength and timing of the
system. (Jeff Donn, Associated Press)
Polar Winds Might Cause Winter Storms
June 2 Rising winter temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are expected to
generate more numerous winter storms across western North America and western
Europe, according to NASA scientists. The higher production of greenhouse gases
in the industrialized nations of the Northern Hemisphere caused average winter
temperatures across the region to rise by 9 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 30 years,
said Drew Shindell of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. (Reuters)
Air Traffic a Growing Cause of Global Warming
June 2 A major international study said aircraft pollution was a growing factor in
global warming and warned that stricter regulation and new levies on the aviation
industry could be needed. Produced jointly by the United Nations and the World
Meteorological Organization, the study said a continued boom in air travel would
produce more of the greenhouse gases blamed for the heating up of the planet.
(Reuters)
Snowpack in Northwest Could Shrink in Future
June 2 The Pacific Northwest could be facing more rain and flooding and a
shortage of water in coming decades according to Dennis Lettenmaier at
University of Washington. Lettenmaier says that using computer models for
global climate changes revealed that the region?s snowpacks could
decline drastically within the next 25 years because of global warming.
(Associated Press)
Creatures of the Deep May Be Starving
June 1 Hordes of creatures living in the hidden depths of the deep sea are in
danger of starving to death, scientists report. This remote part of the planet is
believed to harbor millions of undiscovered species, an unknown number of which
may be in crisis. A likely culprit is a documented increase in sea surface
temperatures. (William J. Broad, The New York Times)
Politics Keep Earth-Viewing Satellite Earthbound
June 1 The small, inexpensive Triana satellite has attracted a lot of attention
because of its unusual origin, and it is in trouble because of it. The debate over
whether Triana, the brainchild of Vice President Al Gore, is a good idea or not is
muddled by the reality of Washington politics. (Warren E. Leary, The New York
Times)
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