Climate Letter #1487

July was Alaska’s hottest month on record, and the repercussions are ominous (Reuters).  This report includes much disturbing information about the consequences for wildlife, as surrounding waters have also grown warmer.

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The river Ganges is drying up (National Geographic).  This holiest of rivers sustains some half a billion persons, body and soul.  The loss of water is complex, due in part to the diminishing of monsoon rains that feed the entire basin.  This fine documentary is filled with photos.
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Rainfall in Louisiana is getting more intense, and scientists from LSU explain why (The Advocate).  Frequency and duration of rainfall events is not increasing but the rate per hour is significantly greater, mainly because the air is warmer and warm air holds more moisture.  “An increase of one degree Fahrenheit can increase humidity by 40 or 50 percent…..All that water is just there for the taking…..It just needs the right mechanism to make it into rain.”
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Studies show a weakening of the Gulf Stream, now having its slowest flow rate in 1600 years (Phys.org).  The decline has been 15% just since the middle of the last century, possibly an effect of climate change.  While there is some disagreement over the exact cause, “a consensus has emerged that climate change will lead to a slower Gulf Stream system in the future, as melting ice sheets in Greenland disrupt the system with discharges of cold fresh water.”  This article digs into a variety of possible consequences.
–There is an interesting “related story” posted at the end of the article about a study that was published last March, dealing with the Younger Dryas episode that started 13,000 years ago.  Researchers were able to show evidence that the Gulf Stream was slowing down in a pronounced manner for about 400 years before the event, which then featured a decline of six degrees in air temperatures around Greenland.  Later on the Gulf Stream strengthened for 400 years just before air temperatures recovered and quickly rose to new highs.  Quite remarkably, the CO2 level rose by about 20 ppm during the Younger Dryas.  It’s all very baffling.  Here is that link:  https://phys.org/news/2019-03-deep-ocean-current-shift-year.html
–You may want to take a look at the full study, which has open access, representing a great deal of effort by a dozen authors who were seeking better answers to a number of elusive questions.  Figure #4 is of most interest, with the blue line depicting the strength of the Gulf Stream.  (Green shows something else going on with a carbon isotope that echos the Gulf Stream activity.)  Note how the temporary complete loss of control over the climate by CO2 was fully restored at the end—but why did it lose control at the beginning?
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Why would a bear want to imitate a whale? (The Siberian Times).  Highly amusing photography.
Carl

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