Monthly Archives: July 2015

Are we now half way to the global “guardrail limit” of a 2C temperature rise?  This report from New Scientist magazine explains several reasons for thinking so, which puts us a big step ahead of those charts placing the current … Continue reading →

Update on the development of offshore wind power around the US.  Rather quietly, things have been happening that could become exciting.  “The potential for offshore wind power generation in the U.S. is staggering. At a projected 4,223 gigawatts (GW) of … Continue reading →

How coastal flooding in the US is compounding to add danger.  Maximum damage occurs when heavy rainfall and an oceanic storm surge occur at the same time.  A new study shows how the risk of “compound flooding” has increased for … Continue reading →

A summary of Alaska’s wildfire season and its terrifying effects.  This year’s rate of burning is ahead of the pace set during the record year of 2004.  The list of damaging effects goes on and on.   http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/26/alaskas-terrifying-wildfire-season-and-what-it-says-about-climate-change/ One of the … Continue reading →

A new study shows the power of abrupt climate change.  There is evidence that megafauna extinction rates can be linked to bursts of climate change that occurred naturally during the last great ice age.  This is a good reminder that … Continue reading →

The trend of global warming brought up to date with discussion and on charts, for the years 1880-2015.  What’s special about this piece is that the composer used available data for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres to construct extra charts … Continue reading →

The outlook for major changes in the phytoplankton community.  In a new report, researchers see major changes coming at a rapid pace, mostly due to acidification plus warmer temperatures.  Some species may be wiped out while others prosper, no doubt … Continue reading →

A study of persons displaced by natural and weather-related disasters.  The worldwide total was 19.3 million in 2014, mostly in China, India and the Philippines.  The number was not as high as in some recent years but the historical trend … Continue reading →

Important new research on Greenland’s ice sheet.  “On average, the fjords in this region are about 200 to 300 meters deeper than previously thought in some areas, he added. Glaciers undercut by warm water can melt twice as fast as those … Continue reading →

Great new research involving many related phenomena in the North Atlantic region.  It’s all keyed to AMOC, which is the normal graveyard of the Gulf Stream.  AMOC is created when very cold and salty surface water sinks to the bottom … Continue reading →