Earth's Core is Sizzling at 9930 Degrees
September 29, 1999Earth's core is a mass of molten iron, bubbling at 9930 degrees
Fahrenheit report British scientists. Mike Gillian, a professor at the
University College London, says that the whole dynamics of the Earth
depends on knowing the temperature of the Earth's core. (Reuters)
Fire's Role in Global Warming Studied
September 27, 1999Scientists from 12 countries are monitoring how fires contribute to
greenhouse gas emissions. Dean Graetz of the Australian Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organization Earth Observation Center
says that fires account for 40 percent of annual global greenhouse gas
emissions. (Environmental News Network)
Maryland Laser Tests May Help in Global Warming Battle
September 25, 1999A NASA aircraft will fire laser beams over Maryland to help scientists
identify the height and age of the trees, as well as the amount of carbon
they contain. Ralph Dubayah , the project's principal investigator, says
that these measurements will provide more accurate numbers for scientists
to tackle global warming, protecting old-growth forest and even forecasting
the weather. (Frank D. Roylance, Baltimore Sun)
Quakes Will Be More Devastating in Future
September 22, 1999Increasing urban development and unprecedented population growth will
worsen the effects of earthquakes, say seismic experts. Earthquakes like
those in Turkey and Taiwan are the wave of the future, says Kerry Sieh of
California Institute of Technology. (Los Angeles Times)
Global Warming Unpredictable, Scientists Say
September 21, 1999Climate scientists are changing their theory about greenhouse gas
emissions and global warming with a pessimistic and an optimistic view.
According to a draft of the special report on emissions from the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change due out in March 2000, emissions
in 2100 could be five times as high as today's, which is double the amount
predicted or the emissions could be lower than predicted. (Environmental
News Network)
Floyd: Offspring of La Niña
September 16, 1999Hurricane Floyd was the type of storm expected to follow a La
Niña. According to Kevin Trenberth, atmospheric scientist at the
National Center for Atmospheric Research, says that La Niña shifts
north the jets stream winds that ordinarily would tear hurricanes apart
before they form. The result is smaller storms coming together and growing
into hurricanes and typhoons. (Guy Gugliotta, Washington Post)
Clinton Releases Satellite Images of Antarctica
September 15, 1999President Clinton released classified satellite images of Antarctica to
help scientists chart global climate changes. Clinton warned that global
warming could bring cataclysmic consequences and that the five warmest
years have all been in the 1990's. (Terence Hunt, Associated Press)
Climate Experts Draw a Blank on Global Warming
September 15, 1999Climate scientists are abandoning their old estimates of greenhouse gas
emissions, saying there are too many uncertainties to predict the extent of
global warming. The draft report of the United Nation's Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change contains 40 scenarios based on world population,
economics, and technical advances that predict carbon dioxide emissions to
range from 4.3 to 36.7 billion by 2100. (Reuters)
La Niña Intensifies Threat of Hurricane Season
September 10, 1999Scientists blame La Niña for the potentially devastating storms
that could form in the second half of the hurricane season. Tony
Busalacchi, an atmospheric scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center, says that El Niño shifts the jet stream south, which blocks
and weakens hurricanes, but La Niña shifts the jet stream north
leaving the door wide open for more intense storms. (Ann Kellan, CNN
Interactive)
Increase of Ultraviolet Radiation in New Zealand
September 10, 1999Ultraviolet radiation in New Zealand has increased by about 12 percent
during the last 20 years as a result of a thinning ozone layer in the
atmosphere. In a study, in the journal Science, scientists at the National
Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research measured ultraviolet radiation
at Lauder, New Zealand from 1979-1998 and found an increase in the
radiation with a decrease in ozone levels. (Associated Press)
El Niño Calms Atlantic Hurricane Season
September 3, 1999El Niño reduces the number of intense hurricanes that form in the
Atlantic Ocean, according to NASA scientists. Scientists at Marshall Space
Flight Center say that since El Ni�o won't be around this year, the 1999
Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be active with four or more
intense hurricanes predicted. (Environmental News Network)
Fine Tuning Forecasts
September 2, 1999Researchers at Florida State University and the Indian Institute of
Science, report that combining the predictions of different weather and
climate models yields better results than any individual model. Eric
Williford of Florida State University says that extracting the best
information from each model gives the most accurate forecast. (Kenneth
Chang, ABCNEWS.com)
El Niño Wasn't So Bad After All
September 1, 1999Last year’s El Niño is blamed for 189 deaths, but saved
nearly 850 lives says Stanley A. Changnon, a consulting climatologist, and
the $4.2-$4.5 billion in damage is outweighed by the $20 billion in
benefits. But Michael Glantz at the National Center for Atmospheric
Research was skeptical about trusting Changnon's numbers, but applauds
Changnon's efforts. (Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press)