Rappin' about the earth, cont'd...

I guess I feel inspired by Hip Hop.
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Biz Markie Raps About Clean Energy

Basic Graph #4

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Although sea levels have been rising since the end of the last glaciation (nearly 11,000 years), the rate of rise has increased over the past 200 years as average global temperatures have increased. The rise is due to two factors, the freshwater being added to the oceans from ice melt in the cryosphere , and the thermal expansion of the oceans due to rises in sea temperature.

The contribution from Antarctica melt water is uncertain, and there is a distinct possibility of surprises from this southern region. The floating ice shelves, notably the Wordie and Larsen A and B shelves, broke up very rapidly during the 1990s, after rapid regional warming. Climate, like other complex systems do not always vary in a smooth fashion, and sudden changes can occur over wide areas. Critical levels, or thresholds may be reached in a system whereupon drastic, and perhaps disastrous results occur.

Threshold events in this case include the complete or partial shutdown of the ocean thermohaline circulatory system, disintegration and melting of Antarctica and Greenland Ice Sheets (the polar caps) , and major changes in the carbon cycle, due to biospheric effect."

The EPA website has more information on the causes and implications of sea level rise due to climate change.

Basic Graph #3

This diagram shows the processes that make up the planet’s energy budget. The earth’s surface absorbs shortwave radiation (red arrows) and re-radiates longwave infrared radiation (blue arrow). The numbers are percentages: For example, 30% of the solar radiation shining on the earth is reflected away.

The earth receives a tremendous amount of energy from the sun. The land, sea, and air absorb some of this energy and reflect some of it back into space. The overall description of this process is called the earth’s energy budget.

Basic Graph #2

The measurements show the steady rise of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere over a forty-seven-year period (1958-2005). Regular wobbles reflect the inhalation and exhalation of the Earth as plants grow, absorbing carbon in the summer and spring, and decay, releasing carbon in the fall and winter.

The measurements shown in this curve represent the world’s longest continuous record of atmospheric carbon dioxide and were the first to confirm the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels. As such, this is considered to be among the most important time-series data sets for the study of global climate change.

The data were collected at the Mauna Loa Observatory, perched 3,397 meters (11,140 feet) above sea level on the northern slopes of Earth’s largest volcano, away from dense vegetation or human population that might skew the measurements.

For more information, click here.

Basic Graph #1

First in the series of basic climate science graphs, this is the basic temperature acceleration over time graph. As you can see, there is some disparities between scientists, but the overall trends are exactly the same.

"We are not bound to win, but we are bound to be true. We are not bound to succeed, but we are bound to let whatever light we have shine."

Abraham Lincoln

Rising Sea Level: Say Goodbye to Coastal Cities

These images are of Charleston, SC now and then what it is expected to look like in the near future due to sea level rise. It won't take much rise to eradicate coastal areas and even entire island nations such as the Maldives.
Read more.

Climate Change and Health

As there have been many large natural disaster occuring lately, I thought it would be a good time to start looking at the increase in massive storms that will occur due to climate change and how that will affect the global community. First, I want to look at public health.

"A warming climate already contributes to disease and early deaths worldwide, as populations experience greater risks from extreme weather events, poor air quality and infectious disease.

The World Health Organization estimates that 150,000 people die every year from the effects of climate change, and millions more suffer from illness, malnutrition and other health problems due to a warming planet."

This is from a report done by the Environmental Defense Fund. The report also looks at how prepared the United States is for such disasters and their consequences. The findings show that even the U.S. is nowhere near prepared for numerous, large scale disasters, just look at Hurricane Katrina. If the U.S. is not prepared, how well do you think the rest of our world is doing?

Environmental Defense Fund: Coping with Looming Health Dangers

Frontline Special: Heat

A must see documentary from my favorite station, PBS and the greatest show, Frontline. You can watch it in chapters, which is good for those who don't have an hour and a half to watch all of it.

This is the first chapter, the rest can be accessed here.

GHG Flow Chart

Just about everything we do produces harmful greenhouse gases.

Click on the image below to bring it to full size.

Some Inspiring News

Bill Gates has made zero carbon emissions the long term goal of his foundation. Finally some funding for r and d and some global recognition.

Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts

"Astonished by the summer’s changes, scientists are studying the forces that exposed one million square miles of open water — six Californias — beyond the average since satellites started measurements in 1979."

States an article in the NY Times science section. To read the whole article and see an interactive map, click here.

D.O.D Warns of the Dangers of Climate Change

Strengthening Storms

Nature Magazine reported on Jan 28 2010, that:

"The number of strong storms in the western Atlantic could double by the end of the century, despite a drop in the overall number of storms, finds new research.

Morris Bender of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and colleagues applied a two-step ‘downscaling’ technique to increase the resolution of climate models. Using the ensemble-mean of 18 global climate models and 4 regional models, they assessed the climatic response to a ‘business as usual’ emissions pathway. They then employed a hurricane model to simulate storm development in response to the projected warming. In the simulations, the number of category-4 and category-5 storms in the Atlantic Ocean rose 81 per cent by 2100, while the number of storms with winds greater than 65 metres per second increased by 250 per cent. The largest jump in intense storm activity occurred in the western Atlantic Ocean.

The researchers caution that the increasing numbers of the strongest storms could drastically raise the cost of storm damage."

Nature Reports - Climate Change

"Short-term Cooling on a Warming Planet"

How can there be global warming if the earth is currently cooling? This is a common and valid question and here is the answer:


This graph shows Global Average Temperature compared with the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO) Index. The AMO Index is the average sea-surface temperature over the North Atlantic Ocean. The roughly parallel curves of the two parameters show that they are related: the increase in global temperature over time, coincident with the increase in greenhouse gases observed since the Industrial Revolution, is alternately obscured and enhanced by the AMO.

-Michon Scott, NOAA

For more information and continued discussion, visit Climate Watch Magazine published by NOAA Climate Services.

Natural Cycling vs. Climate Change

This is an essential question that will be returned to continually in climate research. One essential key is the rate of change when considering anthropogenic change and natural change. NOAA has been studying the global carbon cycle and this very question, this is what they've found:

"In the geological history of the Earth, carbon has been cycling among large reservoirs in the land (including plants and fossil fuels), oceans, and the atmosphere. This natural cycling of CO2 usually takes millions of years to move large amounts from one system to another. Now we are looking at these changes occurring in centuries or even decades.

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 30 percent. This follows the increase in burning of fossil fuels that began with the rise of industry and transportation."

Read more here.

The Danger of Tipping Points

"There is alarming evidence that important tipping points, leading to irreversible changes in major ecosystems and the planetary climate system, may already have been reached or passed. Ecosystems as diverse as the Amazon rainforest and the Arctic tundra, for example, may be approaching thresholds of dramatic change through warming and drying. Mountain glaciers are in alarming retreat and the downstream effects of reduced water supply in the driest months will have repercussions that transcend generations. Climate feedback systems and environmental cumulative effects are building across Earth systems demonstrating behaviours we cannot anticipate."

-UNEP Climate Change Presentation - June 2009

I will be posting more about tipping points as I continue to delve into Storms of My Grandchildren and the science around climate tipping points.

Solving Climate Change the Answer to Unemployment

Can Climate Change bring down the U.S. economy? Most likely, yes.
Can Climate Change renew the U.S. economy? If we change our thinking, yes.

Check out this article in today's NY Times:
China Leading Global Race to Make Clean Energy