National Geographic: Experts compare modern heat waves to the past and show what’s really going on with Carbon Dioxide. Related Some 15% of Pacific islands wiped out by 1m sea level rise – IPCC Carbon dioxide benchmark hits new heights, worries scientists Citigroup says the ‘Age of Renewables’ has begun
What are the true cost of living in the Anthropocene? Wikipedia: The Anthropocene is an informal geologic chronological term that serves to mark the evidence and extent of human activities that have had a significant global impact on the Earth‘s ecosystems. The term was coined recently by ecologist Eugene F. Stoermer and has been widely popularized by the Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist, Paul Crutzen, who regards the…
By Tim Radford (Climate News Network): Scientists think the amount of methane emitted to the atmosphere from freshwater ecosystems will increase as the climate warms, triggering further warming. LONDON, 20 March – British scientists have identified yet another twist to the threat of global warming. Any further rises in temperature are likely to accelerate the release of methane from…
NASA: A look at how the historic DaisyWorld model illustrates earth science concepts, such as albedo and feedback loops. This webshort was produced as an educational tie-in with the Science on a Sphere feature LOOP. The Albedo Effect Explained With The Daisyworld Model A look at how the historic DaisyWorld model illustrates earth science concepts,…
Update: As pointed out by one of the authors, Rhiannon Mondav, the microbe is not considered an entire new discovery. (See comment below). Phys.org explains: Scientists from The University of Queensland have discovered a microbe that is set to play a significant role in future global warming. UQ’s Australian Centre for Ecogenomics researcher Ben Woodcroft said…
America’s natural gas system is leaky and in need of a fix, new study finds A review of more than 200 earlier studies confirms that U.S. emissions of methane are considerably higher than official estimates. Leaks from the nation’s natural gas system are an important part of the problem. This finding has important implications for…
Repost from 2012: Kate Scow – Professor of Soil Science and Microbial Ecology, UC Davis setup an excellent wiki entry about flooding on soils. Flooded soils occur with complete water saturation of soil pores, and generally result in anoxic conditions of the soil environment. Flooded soil environments may include such ecosystem as: rice paddies; wetlands (swamps,…
By Phil Plait (Slate): It’s official: 2013 is the fourth hottest year since records started being kept in 1880. It ties with 2003 for that dubious honor. This result was just announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It uses global annual land and sea surface temperatures to make the call, and in 2013 these two measures combined…
Fiona Harvey and Terry Macalister from The Guardian, report: Energy firm’s analysis finds switch to other fuels like shale gas will do little to cut carbon emissions In the UK, shale gas has received a boost from David Cameron, who vowed to go all out for shale by offering taxpayer-funded giveaways to companies. But the news that such a move will…