How climate change is affecting crop yields and reducing global food supplies (The Conversation). A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota spent four years collecting information on crop productivity from around the world, with results published in a recent study. Here the lead author provides an in-depth review of the study. The overall conclusion was that, “when we translated crop yields into consumable calories – the actual food on people’s plates – we found that climate change is already shrinking food supplies, particularly in food-insecure developing countries.” (Something to keep in mind—this is actually happening while world population continues to grow.)
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The carbon cycle poses some special dangers when overexcited (Phys.org). A professor at MIT has spent years studying the effects of excessive ocean acidification, leading to a hypothesis that deserves serious consideration because there is so much historical evidence that backs it up. He “found that when the rate at which carbon dioxide enters the oceans pushes past a certain threshold—whether as the result of a sudden burst or a slow, steady influx—the Earth may respond with a runaway cascade of chemical feedbacks, leading to extreme ocean acidification that dramatically amplifies the effects of the original trigger…..This ‘excitation’ of the carbon cycle occurred most dramatically near the time of four of the five great mass extinctions in Earth’s history……today we are ‘at the precipice of excitation,’ and if it occurs, the resulting spike—as evidenced through ocean acidification, species die-offs, and more—is likely to be similar to past global catastrophes.”
–His study was published in a leading journal. Here is the Abstract, plus a statement of Significance:
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The delta region of Pakiston’s Indus river, home to fifty million people, has a medley of climate problems (Thomson Reuters Foundation). For one thing this region is one of the very hottest in the world in summer months, and dry enough to require irrigation for farming. There is a steadily growing threat from sea level rise and salinization of groundwater. Third, the flow of the river itself is less dependable than before, in part climate-related—“the delta is receiving less than a third of the water it needs.” The potential for mass migration seems very real for these reasons.
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New studies concerning the potential for ice loss on and around West Antarctica (The Guardian). The story covers several new studies, none of which are quite as dramatic as some previously published work with respect to short-term prospects. Instability of the Thwaites glacier, which may be irreversible, is seen as the greatest threat for rapid future sea level rise, for an estimated twenty inches (50 cm) over the next 150 years. Longer-term, all of West Antarctica could account for 16 feet if completely melted. There are natural fluctuations of both sea ice and glacial ice that make the entire picture unpredictable in many ways.
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A lengthy story from Mother Jones tells what it is like to be a climate scientist when confronted with unfolding disaster, in their own words. Their experience is often emotional, in a way that is not readily duplicated when the information is passed second-hand to the general public.
Carl