Acclimating to a Warmer World
August 28, 1999With some climate change unavoidable, researchers are focusing on an new
strategy for dealing with the threat of greenhouse warming. The U.S.
National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability
and Change aims to identify ways to adapt and cope with the changing
climate, says Michael C. MacCracken, who is helping coordinate the study.
(Richard Monastersky, Science News)
Eyes on the Stormy Season
August 23, 1999An unlikely team of scientists is seeing if they can take the fuel out of
hurricanes. Robert Langer, a chemical engineer at Massachusettes Institute
of Technology, and Judah Folkman, a cancer researcher at Children's
hospital in Massachusetts, are experimenting with kinds of oil, that when
placed on a body of water spreads out over a large area and act to slow the
rate of evaporation by at least half and inhibit the formation and fueling
of tropical storms. (David Chandler, The Boston Globe)
Getting to the Roots of Carbon Loss
August 20, 1999Scientists are attempting to sum up all the carbon added to the
atmosphere since people began to leave a significant mark on the earth.
Ruth DeFries of the University of Maryland, and Chris Field of the Carnegie
Institution of Washington, are plugging satellite maps before-and-after
people began to their mark into a computer model to trace how much carbon
was released as the land has been altered. (Jocelyn Kaiser, Science)
Why Hurricanes Intensify
August 18, 1999Scientists at the University of Miami are probing the Gulf of Mexico in
new tests to learn why some low-grade hurricanes turn into monster
storms just hours before they hit land. The scientists are testing the
theory that warm water eddies inject energy into weak hurricanes. (Paul
Hoversten, USA Today)
Earthquakes Like Dominos
August 18, 1999This week’s deadly earthquake in Turkey was the latest in a string
of earthquakes to radiate across Turkey. Scientists at the U.S. Geological
Survey have noticed a pattern of earthquakes across northern Turkey.
Scientists are aiming to make earlier predictions by using information
from global positioning system satellites and by continuous monitoring the
area in the future. (Kenneth Chang, ABCNEWS.com)
Japan Wants to Study Global Warming with Giant Airships
August 17, 1999Japanese researchers hope gigantic, solar-powered, cigar-shaped airships will be the latest tools in the fight against global
warming. The 330-foot (100-meter), helium-filled craft
would analyze carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere and transmit the
data electronically to researchers. The only problem now is how the
researchers will launch and land the airship. (Associated Press)
Utah Tornadoes Rare
August 11, 1999Extremely cold air passing over Utah spawned a tornado that descended
upon Salt Lake City. Howard Bluestein, a tornado expert and meteorologist
at the University of Oklahoma, said that this severe weather was caused by
an unusual high-altitude low pressure system that moved inland. Bluestein
said it is extremely rare for something like this to occur during the
summer. (Kenneth Chang, ABCNEWS.com)
Big Hurricane Season Seen
August 11, 1999Meteorologists predict this year will have more storms than usual.
Hurricane season runs from June 1-Nov. 30, but mid-August begins the peak
of tropical storms. William Gray, a hurricane expert at Colorado State
University, has predicted 14 tropical storms, nine hurricanes and four
intense hurricanes this season. (Janell Carter, Associated Press)
La Niña Keeps Hanging Around
August 10, 1999According to scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La
Niña seems to be lingering in the Pacific Ocean. The result is
abnormally low sea levels and cool waters in the northeastern Pacific, and
unusually high sea levels and warm waters in the northwestern Pacific. The
scientists report that these conditions will impact North America’s
climate this fall and will be slow to change. (Environmental News Network)
Case for a Shifting Climate is Heating Up
August 9, 1999Scientists at Ohio State University have watched the Peru’s Quelccaya
ice cap in melt and estimate that the ice cap could disappear in about 20
years. This supports reports that the Earth’s mean temperature has
risen about 0.6 degrees Celsius (1 degree Fahrenheit) over the past 120
years, but British climatologists say that natural swings of climate can
enhance or mask the greenhouse effect leaving more unanswered questions.
(J. Madeleine Nash, Time Magazine)
Satellite Images of Arctic Declassified
August 3, 1999Scientists studying global warming now have access to previously classified high-resolution satellite images of the Arctic Ocean, Vice President Gore announced. The images provide data on the impact of climate change in the Arctic. The images were requested by the National Science Foundation, sponsor of the SHEBA (Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic) Project. (Environmental News Network)
Flat Carbon Dioxide Emissions Give Experts Hope of Compliance
August 2, 1999Despite a booming economy, emissions of man-made carbon dioxide remained almost flat in the United States last year, leading some experts to believe the economic shock of complying with international pollution curbs aimed at stemming global warming may not be so jolting. (John J. Fialka, Wall Street Journal)
Downtown LA Is Shifting
August 2, 1999According to researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, forces in the Earth’s crust are moving downtown Los Angeles toward the San Gabriel Mountains, possibly making the region more susceptible to earthquakes. The study in the journal Geology characterizes the strains that might be released in large and dangerous earthquakes. (Matthew Fordahl, Associated Press)
The Heat Is On
August 1, 1999The planet's climate is changing and is not going to stop anytime soon
says Jerry Mahlman, Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory. Mahlman also says
that with developing countries improving their standard of living a
quadrupling of carbon dioxide emissions is possible in the near future. (Douglas Gantenbein, Popular Science)
Carbon’s Role in Climate Changes
August 1, 1999For the first time scientists have used a satellite to measure the amount of carbon stored in ocean organisms, which could lead to clues in understanding future climate change. The study in the journal Science reported measuring over a billion tons of carbon in the Southern Ocean during the peak growing season. (David E. Graham, San Diego Union-Tribune)