Climte Letter #1631

An explanation of how locust swarms form, and their link to weather conditions (Carbon Brief).  This review is quite complete and clearly presented.  It includes a bonus of guidance toward understanding a weather system known as the  ‘Indian Ocean Dipole,’ which has a larger set of far-reaching effects that one should also learn to be familiar with.  (See the next story.)

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How the Indian Ocean Dipole affects extreme weather conditions in Australia, and promises a future worsening because of climate change (The Guardian).  This is an enlargement of the above story, centering on the activity of the Dipole in the east as it affects Australia.  It also draws a picture of the connection between the Dipole in the Indian Ocean and El Nino-Southern Oscillation ( ENSO) events in the Pacific.  Extreme events have occurred in the distant past, but their frequency can be expected to grow in the future.
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A new study has shown that prenatal exposure to high temperatures causes a reduction in average birth weights (Environmental Health Perspectives).  Evidence was gathered from data surrounding 30 million births in the US between 1989 and 2002.  The difference in weight was small but the association with temperature was unmistakable.  “At the individual level, a very small decrease in birth weight probably will not be clinically important for most newborns. But on the population level, even a very small risk factor affecting a very large number of pregnancies can lead to a substantial public health impact…..meaning the proportion of births with low and very low birth weights will increase.”
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Protecting or restoring mangrove forests pays for itself just by reducing the damage of coastal flooding (University of California – Santa Cruz).  Researchers have been able to demonstrate the estimated savings in monetary terms.  “Without mangroves, flood damages would increase by more than $65 billion annually, and 15 million more people would be flooded…..these forests can be easily restored to make people and property safer…..Mangroves are resilient and can grow like weeds, even around cities, if we give them half a chance.”  (Mangrove trees are known to be unusually effective at collecting and storing atmospheric carbon.)
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A new technology promises a highly efficient new way to produce lithium from brine (Monash UniversityMelbourne).  “Based on this new research, we could one day have the capability to produce simple filters that will take hours to extract lithium from brine, rather than several months to years…..Preliminary studies have shown that this technology has a lithium recovery rate of approximately 90 percent—a substantial improvement on 30 percent recovery rate achieved through the current solar evaporation process.”  That will allow new lakebed sources having lower grade ore to become operative.  “We’re pleased that our international research collaboration has made a breakthrough that could improve the supply of lithium. This is important for enabling electric vehicles and grid integration of renewable energy sources.”
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Partisans on the political right are less firm in their beliefs about climate change than those on the left (Nature Climate Change).  That was the conclusion of a large panel survey taken over a five-year period in Oklahoma.  “An important implication is that if climate beliefs are well anchored on the left, but less so on the right, the latter are more susceptible to change. We interpret this to suggest that, despite polarizing elite rhetoric, public beliefs about climate change maintain the potential to shift towards broader acceptance and a perceived need for action.”
Carl

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