Climate Letter #1507

What climate change and future heatwaves mean for a city like Phoenix (VOX).  Phoenix is a good example because it is so hot to begin with.   The article covers a lot of ground with interesting material, making one key point that is often overlooked:  “But the biggest threat from a heat wave may be a power failure. In addition to losing efficiency in power plants, power lines have a diminished capacity when heated to high temperatures, and equipment like transformers and inverters see a higher failure rate.”

The best possible disease to solve this particular purpose cipla sildenafil only. Some are aware about it and still continue viagra 10mg to ignore where as there are some who are still okay if the problem is still there in their life. Therefore, these herbal pills offer the best herbal treatment http://greyandgrey.com/workers-compensation/ cialis online to cure erectile dysfunction, from reputed online stores. It disables all those sildenafil mastercard inhibiting biological functions which hamper the process of blood supply.

—–
A wrap-up of Alaska’s hottest-ever summer (CNN).  The high points are well-covered, and illustrated.   One thing is a real surprise:  “According to the European Space Agency, melting Alaskan ice has contributed more to sea level rise than Greenland, Antarctica or any other part of the world.”
—–
New information about the way lakes around the globe are responding to global warming (University of Basel).  Researchers found an unexpected effect in relatively small and shallow lakes, which make up approximately half of the global lake surface:  “…the pronounced thermal stratification entails that the deeper water layers do barely mix and are poorly ventilated, which can lead to prolonged anoxia. Under these oxygen-free conditions, methane production by anaerobic microorganisms is enhanced.  All in all, global warming increases the greenhouse gas potential of lakes, as expected. However, this has less to do with the warming directly, and more to do with increased oxygen depletion at the bottom of these lakes.”  Because of the relative strength of methane over CO2 as a greenhouse gas, this phenomenon may actually increase the overall global warming potential of these lakes.
–The study has open access and is quite readable:
—–
The current state of electric power production in the US, and where it is heading (USA Today).  This highly informative article is properly critical of the planned overreach of future gas-fired expansion, which could still submit to cheaper renewable alternatives.  Among the discussion points there is a quote in the story from the renowned Michael Mann that should not be missed:  “The world needs to reduce its carbon emissions rapidly – by 50% within the next decade – or face the prospect of a global temperature rise of more than 2.7 degrees within decades…..That’s enough warming to kill off the coral reefs, melt large parts of the ice sheets, inundate coastal cities and to yield what Mann calls “nearly perpetual extreme weather events.”  Does anyone really think global emissions will be reduced 50% in the next decade?
—–
A previously underestimated mass extinction event has been upgraded to a major (New York University).  This happened about 260 million years ago, caused by a massive flood-basalt eruption.  “Massive eruptions such as this one release large amounts of greenhouse gases, specifically carbon dioxide and methane, that cause severe global warming, with warm, oxygen-poor oceans that are not conducive to marine life…..In terms of both losses in the number of species and overall ecological damage, the end-Guadalupian event now ranks as a major mass extinction, similar to the other five.”  The event currently underway, fully extended, thereby drops to number seven.
Carl

This entry was posted in Daily Climate Letters. Bookmark the permalink.