Climate Letter #1601

An important new study shows how the loss of Arctic sea ice can effect weather patterns in the tropics (Inside Climate News).  The main consequence is an increase in the development of El Nino events, which go on to have major effects on weather patterns in many other parts of the world.  “The study…detected a pattern that links sea ice decline since the late 1990s with more frequent warm cycles in the Central Pacific Ocean. The surges of ocean heating in that region can disrupt the climate, affecting drought, flood and hurricane patterns around the world…..The study found a secondary effect. The atmospheric roller coaster rebounds back north, and may weaken a weather pattern near Alaska that steers Pacific storms toward the West Coast.”  In addition, strong El Nino events are invariably associated with an extra surge in CO2 emissions and to high peaks in the course of global temperature trends.

People http://downtownsault.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/11-12-14-DDA-Minutes.doc levitra 10 mg rely on tobacco products like cigarettes to get out work pressure and stress. sildenafil without prescription downtownsault.org Sexual dysfunction prevents both partners from having a satisfying sexual intercourse resulting in greater pleasure. For the time being, Americans will continue to have to wipe out the buy cialis levitra hard drive and reinstall all the software programs. They collaborate with teachers, parents, http://downtownsault.org/contact/ order generic viagra and school personnel to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all children.

–Mongabay also has an extensive write-up on the study with additional commentary.  “Scientists worry that in the future, when one bioregion reaches a climate tipping point, a domino effect could occur, triggering tipping points in other faraway places.”
.
A new study is full of information about all terrestrial biomes and how they either add to or subtract from the activity of nature’s carbon sink (Carbon Brief).  One finding stands out as the most important:  “This study gives us an insight in how this CO2 uptake is distributed across the world – and we show that the contribution of the tropical forests is substantially decreasing. At the same time, the contribution of boreal forests is increasing.”  Tropical forests mainly suffer from a high rate of deforestation; boreal forests get maximum benefit from the “fertilization effect” of CO2 and probably also from a longer growing season.  The researchers have doubts about how long those benefits will be able to continue at the same magnitude.
.
A leader in the research of atmospheric rivers provides much useful information about their prevalence and the nature of their impact (The Conversation).  “We found that while many of these events are benign, the largest of them cause most of the flooding damage in the western U.S. And atmospheric rivers are predicted to grow longer, wetter and wider in a warming climate.”
.
The 10 most under-reported humanitarian crises of 2019 (Care International).  All but one (North Korea) were African, with Madagascar at the top of this list.  There were actually 40 humanitarianism crises being monitored, in each of which at least one million persons were critically affected.  The main report found a correlation between media coverage and the amount of funding received.
.
Researchers from MIT and the NREL have found a better and much cheaper way to make silicon solar cells (Renew Economy).  Using modern manufacturing methods, the team found that substantial cuts could be made in the amount of hyper-pure silicon needed without loss of efficiency or performance and that capital expenditures could also be sharply reduced.  The changes “could lead to substantial cost reductions and significantly accelerate the rate of manufacture of solar modules.”
.
Carl

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