Capture Methane as a first priority

This link is to a Wall Street Journal article entitled "A Fast, Cheap Way to Cool the Planet". The gist of it is that methane is a much more potent greenhouse than CO2, it is relatively short-lived, so what is already in the atmosphere will disappear quickly, AND it is relatively easy to capture  methane with existing technology of modest cost. The approach certainly makes sense, and is presented by two authors with excellent credentials. A recommended article, which you may need to log in to read.

"Scientific studies, such as the EPA's June 2006 report, "Global Mitigation of Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases," conservatively indicate that we could eliminate 1.3 gigatons of annual CO2 equivalent emissions—that's half the U.S. power industry's emissions—just by targeting landfills, coal mines, and oil and gas leaks."

Seas Grow Less Effective at Absorbing Emissions

This link is to an article in the NY Times pointed out by Roz Troupin. It summarizes a detailed article in Nature by the three authors. Their basic conclusion, supported by extensive data analysis, is that the seas are absorbing less CO2 than they used to because they are becoming more acidic. This is not an unexpected result, but the magnitude is now better quantified.

"The research suggests that the seas cannot indefinitely be considered a reliable “carbon sink” as humans generate heat-trapping gases linked to global warming."

Nuclear Power expansion

South Korea won a contract to supply the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 4 nuclear power plants, and in doing so edged out France and a US-Japan consortium led by GE and Hitachi. South Korea presently has 20 nuclear power plants in operation and 8 under construction. The linked article from The Korea Herald provides some interesting comparisons about costs and construction times.

In US nuclear power news, there is increasing talk of government guarantees to companies constructing new nuclear power plants. "We are on track to announce the first loan guarantee soon," said Stephanie Mueller, a department (of Energy) spokeswoman.

REDD and the amended Lacey Act

This link is to an article on the World Resources Institute site (WRI).
"On May 22, 2008, the U.S. Congress passed a landmark amendment to the 100 year-old Lacey Act, originally enacted to prohibit the transportation of illegally captured animals or wildlife products across state lines. The new law extended this protection to plants - including timber, paper, and other forest products - thereby giving the U.S. government a powerful tool to eliminate illegally sourced wood and increase transparency in the global forest product supply chain."

The article highlights the first enforcement action under the amended Lacey Act, and also points out that the Act could have a significant impact in reducing illegal timber cutting in developing countries.  REDD is the widely adopted acronym for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation. UN-REDD was probably one of the Copenhagen convention's most agreed upon approaches to slow global warming.

At the WRI site you can also find a concise legal interpretation of the Copenhagen Accord.

Satellite Terra turns ten

This NASA link is about the amazing scientific and technological success of earth monitoring satellites. It is very uplifting to read a climate-science success story after Copenhagen.

The article makes clear the sensitivity of climate to the earth's albedo, and how complex are the factors, such as cloud cover. Note the highly reflective band around the equator due to clouds, and the fact that almost all solar energy striking Antarctica is reflected back into space.

Copenhagen and Beyond, a NY Times perspective

This link was pointed out by Roz Troupin. It is somewhat different from the previous post's main link in that it has more focus on the key role played by the US, and more details about what lies ahead for the US. You may have to register with the NY Times to read it (first time I did not need to register, 2nd time I did need to, but it is free and simple).

Thin climate accord - A Copenhagen Summary

The above link is to a AP article with a summary of what was, and was not, accomplished in Copenhagen. It also highlights the enormous tasks ahead for all countries.

Key points of the 2 1/2 page Copenhagen Accord, a non-binding agreement by most of the nations attending, are summarized as follows:

_Nations agreed to cooperate in reducing emissions, "with a view" to scientists' warnings to keep temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees F) above preindustrial levels, that is, 1.3 degrees C (2.3 degrees F) above today's average temperatures.

_Developing nations will report every two years on their voluntary actions to reduce emissions. Those reports would be subject to "international consultations and analysis" — a concession by China to the U.S.

_Richer nations will finance a $10 billion-a-year, three-year program to fund poorer nations' projects to deal with drought and other climate-change impacts, and to develop clean energy.

_They also set a "goal" of mobilizing $100 billion-a-year by 2020 for the same adaptation and mitigation purposes.

Secretary Clinton to Speak on Worldwide Reproductive Health, 12/21/09

"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will deliver a major speech Monday, December 21, 2009 to mark the 15th year of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). Secretary Clinton will announce the U.S. Government's renewed support for and dedication to reaching the ICPD goals and other related UN agreements, including the Millennium Development Goals, by 2015.

The speech will be live streamed on www.icpd2015.org starting at approximately 3:00 pm. A transcript and video of of the speech will be posted on this site following the event."

U.N. forest-carbon scheme "nearly done"

This article from Reuters starts out very positive, and makes you want to think that some concrete good came out of Copenhagen. But, as you read to the end, the very real threat of the scheme being undone by corrupt governments and local people is disheartening.

Papua New Guinea August 2009 by Bill

Cap-and-Trade Fraud in Europe

It's a lesson to be learned, critics of cap-and-trade say. Creating such a system in the United States would invite "corruption, illegality and criminal activity," much as it has in Europe, said Max Schulz, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

"This is the problem with politicians trying to create a market for something that the free market otherwise doesn't value," Schulz said. "An emissions trading market is an artificially, politically-created market....

"If we pass a system like Europe has, we're going to get all the problems Europe has experienced," he said. "You're asking for a lot of problems."

My thoughts? It's too bad there are so many corrupt people in the world! If you haven't already, read the above post about U. N. Forest-carbon scheme, and note that again the main challenge to this being successful is from corruption.

Trusting Nature as the Climate Referee

The above link to the Science page of the NY Times was supplied by Roz Troupin. It contains a proposal to base a carbon tax on any increase in the Earth's troposphere temperature near the Equator. The rational is that, if the skeptics are correct and the earth is not warming, then no one will have to pay any special carbon taxes (or cap-and-trade costs). But if the earth continues to warm, then the tax will be increased to cover costs of developing low carbon energy sources, and costs of dealing with climate change effects.

At the end of the article is a link to comments about this proposal. I feel most pertinent of these is that the proposed temperature change index has too much lag and variability built into it, and any revenue generated, if the earth continues to warm, will be generated too late to avert any disasters of continued warming. On the plus side, letting Nature make the decisions (she does not go up for re-election) certainly beats letting the politicians and Climate-Gate scientists make the decisions. Perhaps using the new Climate Change Index would make more sense, because it responds much more rapidly than just air temperature, and it incorporates 4 factors as opposed to just one.

Overall, a very interesting concept. Thanks Roz.

Climate-Gate and the Russians

The plot thickens! This link is to a long and detailed article which is more damming than ever re the goings-on behind Climate-Gate. Turns out the emails were leaked to the world from a Russian server in Tomsk, although the Russians deny any involvement. And be sure to see how the "hockey stick" curve was artfully created by terminating tree ring data in 1961. While this news source, Daily Mail, is a tabloid newspaper, the article seems well researched and documented.

Anyway, all along I have said watch sea level as an indicator of global warming, and to that I add arctic sea ice extent.

Climate Change Index

The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme launched a Climate Change Index at the IPCC conference in Copenhagen. This index combines four factors they consider indicative of global climate change: atmospheric CO2 levels, global average temperature, sea level, and arctic sea ice extent.

The three dips in the otherwise steadily upward trend are attributed to major volcanic eruptions, such as Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 leading to the 1992 index dip. More details about how the index is calculated can be found at the above title link.

My assessment of this index? I think the parameters it includes are both very important and very appropriate. As many of you know, I have always said that global average temperature is a just one of the key parameters to look at relative to climate change, and a highly variable one as well.

East Antarctic Icesheet Loss

Since 2006, the east Antarctic icesheet has lost more than it has gained. Most of the loss is in coastal regions and estimated to be a staggering 57 million metric tons per year. You can read about this latest finding be clicking on the title link.

Himalayan Cabinet Meeting

If you like dramatically illustrated articles, this link is for you. It is about an upcoming cabinet meeting "in the shadow of Mt. Everest" to highlight what global warming is doing to melt mountain glaciers, and the impact this will have on nearby and distant inhabitants.

The Parable of the Sower

Irrespective of whether climate change this century results in additional Earth warming or cooling, and to what extent, the human population of this planet will have increased to 9 billion people. Shortages of food, energy, and potable water will be more and more critical issues and need to be addressed NOW -- if mankind is to avoid serious crisis that could otherwise lead to mass migration, starvation, and even wars.

The advantages of genetically modified seeds is becoming more apparent. Monsanto has been an innovator in this field: identifying genetic traits with particular qualities and transplanting these traits into seeds to improve their performance. The biggest breakthrough so far has been in weed and bug control. Some plants have been bioengineered to deter pests from eating their leaves and roots, reducing or even eliminating the need for insecticides. Drought tolerent products are expected to be available in about three years.

Think of the benefit to humanity this will result in. The attached link leads you to the article published in the November 21st Economist, "The Parable of the Sower."

More on 'Climate-Gate' from the WSJ

Concerning the leaked emails of prominent climate scientists (Penn State's Michael Mann et al):

"A more thoughtful response to the emails comes from Mike Hulme, another climate scientist at the University of East Anglia, as reported by a New York Times blogger:

".............. It is possible that climate science has become too partisan, too centralized. The tribalism that some of the leaked emails display is something more usually associated with social organization within primitive cultures; it is not attractive when we find it at work inside science."

The response from the defenders of Mr. Mann and his circle has been that even if they did disparage doubters and exclude contrary points of view, theirs is still the best climate science. The proof for this is circular. It's the best, we're told, because it's the most-published and most-cited—in that same peer-reviewed literature. The public has every reason to ask why they felt the need to rig the game if their science is as indisputable as they claim."

Resurgence in El Nino

A late fall, 2009, resurgence of El Nino is shown graphically on the attached link to the NASA Earth Obsevatory WEB site, A strong wave of warm water has spread from the western Pacific eastward as revealed from the satellite "Jason" which continuously monitors sea level height. This affects global climate conditions as discussed in class.

Unethical Behavior - 'Climate-gate'

This link to FoxNews contain many quotes from the hacked documents of prominent climate researchers. Even as a believer that global warming is taking place, I certainly find many of the quotes presented as sound examples of unethical behavior. The following quote sums up the suppression of skeptical views:

"Other emails refer to efforts to exclude contrary views from publication in scientific journals. Pat Michaels, a climate scientist at the Cato Institute, told The Wall Street Journal: "This is what everyone feared. Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult for anyone who does not view global warming as an end-of-the-world issue to publish papers. This isn't questionable practice, this is unethical."" (bold type by me). Bill

El Nino

A surge in the west to east Pacific Ocean current called El Nino is expected to offer relief to the drought condition that has plagued the southwest. The link will take you to the NASA release that describes this condition.

Laser Fusion at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory

Laser fusion, also known as Inertial Confinement Fusion, uses extremely powerful lasers to heat and compress a deuterium/tritium fuel pellet to a temperature and density where fusion will take place. It has been studied since the 70's. One of the main problems has been making powerful-enough lasers. The other challenge has been the accuracy with which the laser beams must impact the fuel pellet. If the impact is not perfect, the pellet does not implode precisely enough to achieve the needed density for fusion.

In the linked Newsweek article, Edward Moses, head scientist at the National Ignition Facility, or NIF, portion of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, believes they have overcome these problems and will demonstrate productive laser fusion (more energy out than in) some time in the next year.

U of Del Atlantic Coast Wind Study

The above link is to a report in Energy Central, a portion of which is quoted as follows:

"Willett M. Kempton, a professor at the University of Delaware, told the audience at the eighth annual Ronald C. Baird Sea Grant Science Symposium that a study he and his colleagues conducted using a decade of satellite data and information collected from federal meteorological buoys shows that annual offshore wind resources in the region amounted to 330 gigawatts or nearly five times the estimated energy use in nine coastal states including Rhode Island."

Another interesting wind energy article was in Environmental Leader (Energy and Environmenta News for Business). A portion states: "NRG told MarketWatch that Bluewater’s 450-MW offshore wind project off Delaware’s coast could start producing electricity by late 2013 or early 2014."

Fusion energy producing devices

The above link is to the sustainable energy page of the finbliz web site, which now contains summary information and links to ITER, Focus Fusion, and Z-pinch sites. IF one of these concepts can be made to work on a large and economical scale, then truly the world will never run out of energy.

My assessment? ITER's large Tokamak plasma containment device will work, but because of its huge size, complexity and costs, will it ever do so economically? Focus Fusion's "Dense Plasma Focus" device almost seems "to good to be true", but its compact low-investment machine is certainly good from an economic perspective. Z-pinch at present can not fire repeated pulses, so this issue needs to be solved. Would I keep working on these concepts? Most definitely yes, as the stake is monumental. Bill

Patagonia Glaciers first-hand

This link takes you to some of the photos I took while Sally and I were in the Patagonia region of Argentina. A few of these were presented in class, but if you wish to view some more, or show to friends, go to the above link.  Best, Bill

Glaciel melting in Bhutan

OK, I promised you that this blog would have some unique material, well this link is about hand excavation of glacial moraines in an attempt to avert catastrophic floods if any of the moraine dams holding back the rising glacial lakes burst. Such an event is known as a Glof, for glacial lake outburst flood, and past Glofs have caused widespread destruction and fatalities.

For those of you still skeptical about global warming taking place, at least here in the Himalayas, there is abundant evidence of warming and resultant glacial melting. From a detailed article about the same subject in the 21 October 2009 issue of Nature: "Glaciers in the Himalayas are retreating faster than in any other part of the world and they could disappear completely by 2035". I hope to be able to give you a first hand report next May. The following image is from the Bhutan Observer.

Sailing the Northwest Passage

You can follow a 13 month sailing voyage around the Americas aboard the "Ocean Watch," a 64-foot steel cutter-rigged sloop. Their mission is to build awareness about ocean health on an international scale. It has been estimated that in about 30 years there may be ice-free summers in the Arctic waters, enabling shortened passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Latest & Best Desert Solar Thermal

This link goes to BrightSource Energy's web site, which provides an excellent explanation and very clear graphics of the technology involved. Basically thousands of large flat mirrors focus the sun's energy on a boiler to generate 550 deg C high pressure steam. This steam is then used to drive conventional steam turbines coupled to electric generators. It appears that one unique aspect of the BrightSource technology is the computer control for the thousands of mirrors to keep each one tracking the sun and directing the reflected light onto the boiler.

Also, it looks like once again, California has taken the lead in the US. As of September 2009, the California Public Utilities Commission had approved 1,310 megawatts of contracts between BrightSource and PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric).

The bike riding vegan scientist who....

This is a fun read about why babies matter a lot, for lots of reasons, including global warming. And it certainly recalls David MacKay's approach of looking at emissions on a PER PERSON basis.

Drought in Africa since 2008

Droughts in Africa are often mentioned as one possible outcome of global warming. With modern satellites and their sophisticated instrumentation, it now appears possible to measure such happenings almost in real time.

Since we are at NASA Earth Observatory, you might also wish to check human induced global cooling smoke and haze over India.

Phytoplankton Bloom off New Zealand

I recall the question being asked if major coccolithophore blooms occurred in the Southern Oceans. Well here is your answer, and down there spring is in progress. Source: NASA Earth Observatory.

El Niño, La Niña, and Rainfall

This link is to some excellent graphics and a clear explanation from NASA Earth Observatory.

Oct 24 is "350 ppm day"

  INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLIMATE ACTION

All I can say is that I am very impressed with the magnitude of this, like 5200 events in 181 countries. See the above link for many amazing photos from around the world. 


For what is happening locally, see Rehoboth.

Engineering a Cooler Planet

This link is a long, but very well thought out blog post by Eric Etheridge. It deals primarily with adding sulfur to the atmosphere to counter CO2 induced global warming. To me the scariest scenario arises if we implement the sulfur addition approach, and then discover it has serious adverse side effects. In this scenario, we will not have been doing all possible to reduce carbon emissions, and if we decide we must  stop sulfur addition, global warming will basically explode as the sulfur quickly disappears from the atmosphere.

A recommended post if you have time to read it, and ponder over it.

5 Technologies....Wall Street Journal

Here is the on-line version of the article Keith brought in to class today. My favorite is the algae biofuel technology. "Algae grow fast, consume carbon dioxide and can generate more than 5,000 gallons a year per acre of biofuel, compared with 350 gallons a year for corn-based ethanol."

RE space-based solar power,  I don't want the microwave receiver anywhere near my backyard (even though the microwaves are reportedly safe).

Thanks Keith!

Copenhagen Prospects Grim

"History suggests that transformative moments in global policy making usually come only "in the moments after disaster," Philippe Sands, a leading expert in environmental law, told a crowd in London Thursday night at a forum exploring the prospects for Copenhagen."

I,  unfortunately, also think this is correct. So which, of the many possible disasters, will be the first and deciding one? I think it will probably be the Maldives going under.

Arctic Sea Ice Decline Details

This article in the Oct 15 TimesOnline provides many interesting details about the trends and implications in the loss of Arctic sea ice. The loss has been measured not only in extent by satellite, but also in average thickness by hands-on measurements:

"Mr Hadow and his two team members spent 73 days between March 1 and May 7 this year walking 280 miles (450.6km) across the Arctic while taking measurements. They drilled 1,500 holes and found that the average thickness of ice floes was 1.8m (5.9ft)."

For an answer to - Why was sea ice extent in 2009 only the 3rd lowest ? - see this NSIDC press release which contains the following quote: "The cooler conditions, which resulted largely from cloudy skies during late summer, slowed ice loss compared to the past two years (Figure 4). In addition, atmospheric patterns in August and September helped to spread out the ice pack, keeping extent higher. "

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

I continue to be very skeptical about CCS. The economics of capturing CO2 from coal power plant emissions, transporting it to a suitable sequestering site, and then keeping it safely stored for thousands of years, seems unrealistic. I personally would much rather put my money to solar, wind and wave power generation.

Anyway, in sorting my bookmarked web pages, I came upon the above link, which is detailed and  relevant to what we discussed in this morning's class.....and Keith, I know you'll love all the $ figures.

NRDC Ocean Acidification Video

The above link is to the NRDC video Acid Test. It is a very well done 21 minute video with excellent graphics, including close-up photos of terapods.

Sorry we did not have this for class this morning, but I just came upon it.

'Scary' new historical CO2 data and high sea levels

From the above linked BBC article: "Researchers used ocean sediments to plot CO2 levels back 20 million years.  Levels similar to those now commonly regarded as adequate to tackle climate change (read 450 ppm) were associated with sea levels 25-40m (80-130 ft) higher than today."

The science is based on "the ratios of boron and calcium in the shells of tiny marine organisms called foraminifera. The ratio indicates the pH of sea water at the time the organisms grew, which in turn allows scientists to calculate the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere. The shell fragments came from cores drilled from the floor of the Pacific Ocean."

A second linked  article in Reuters uses a comparable approach by different scientists to arrive at similar conclusions. In this study they went back further in time to when CO2 levels were 750 ppm. Both articles were based on results published in the journal Nature.

Pyron Solar - High Efficiency Solar Power

This is a 2nd "Less Dumb Global Warming Solution" from Spencer's book, Climate Confusion. The following quote from the above treehugger article caught my attention as almost too good to be true:

"With the size, price, and efficiency of the system, it has been calculated that, with a piece of land measuring 50 square miles in the desert southwest, the Pyron system could provide all the electricity consumed by the entire US."

Then again, the technology seems sound and proven, and I hope it is true.  There are also a lot of good related references in the above link.

Solar Tower Electricity Generation

A solar (updraft) tower generates electricity by combing the chimney effect, the greenhouse effect and wind turbines. Air is heated by the sun in a greenhouse-like enclosure, and then passed through turbines and up a very tall tower, or chimney.

A prototype was operated in Spain for several years. Currently there are plans to build a commercial facility in Australia (above link, also see Wikipedia). Such power plants are best suited for areas with low land costs, and high solar radiation input . Once constructed, they are very easy to operate, and thus also well suited for undeveloped regions of the world.

I have included this post because the information was new to me. I came upon it in Roy Spencer's book, Climate Confusion, in the chapter, "Less Dumb Global Warming Solutions".

Updated Syllabus

An updated climate class syllabus is available at this link.

Maldives Underwater Cabinet Meeting

With an average elevation above sea level of only 1.5 m, the Maldives face the most serious threat of any country in the world from rising sea levels. To highlight their plight, their new President has called an underwater cabinet meeting, and pledged to have the nation carbon neutral by 2020. They are also investigating purchase of land in India, Sri Lanka and Australia, where they could move their 330,000 residents if needed.

NASA Data: Greenland, Antarctic Ice Melt Worsening

I will of course cover this in the next class on Arctic and Antarctic, but I thought you might like to read this article beforehand. One quote from the referenced article stands out:

"To some extent it's a runaway effect. The question is how far will it run?" said the study's lead author, Hamish Pritchard of the British Antarctic Survey. "It's more widespread than we previously thought."

Must Reads for Copenhagen

Whew! This is one heck of an assignment. Gordon, think you can finish all these by December?

Seriously, it is great to have a summary by a climate expert for each of these recommended books, and scanning through these summaries, I see several books I will be reading.

Also, Gordon and I will also be happy to make class time available to anyone who wants to read and present their summary of one of these books. Bill

In a New Climate Model, Short-term Cooling

Natural climate changes can outweigh global warming from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In this May, 2008 New York Times article by Andrew Revkin, he refers to work done by researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences, in Kiel, Germany. "We're learning that internal climate variability is important and can mask the effects of human-induced global change," according to the lead author of a paper published in the May 1, 2008 journal Nature, Noel Keenlyside. This study looked at the relationship between currents in the Atlantic Ocean called the meridional overturning circulation, which undergo periodic changes, and global climate trends. The result of their computer simulation based on ocean temperatures indicate a slight cooling of Europe and North America in this coming decade.

Also, as pointed out in Revkin's article, researchers, including NASA scientists reported that a slowly fluctuating oscillation in Pacific Ocean temperatures had shifted into a cooling phase that is expected to exert an overall cooling of global climate.

Skeptics

Professor Fred Singer, distinguished research professor of environmental science at the University of Virginia, pointed out in his book, "Unstoppable Global Warming," that the warming we now seem to be experiencing is certainly not unique in recent climate history; even NASA acknowledged it had accidently inflated its official record of surface temperatures in the US beginning with the year 2000. Revised data show 1934 as the warmest year, followed by 1998, 1921, 2006, 1931, 1999, and 1953. New data are emerging that raises substantial doubt about the veracity of the surface temperature data in the US, as well as globally; warming from surrounding manmade structures are apparently the cause for the rising temperature trend being recorded.

NASA Eyes on the Earth 3D

This is the link which Gordon mentioned today. It provides an animation and explanation of all NASA  climate/science related satellites, which includes the sea level sensing satellite, Jason1, I referred to last week. (You may need to download the latest version of the player they use to see the animation.) Amazing technology!

EO quantification of rain amounts in Philippines

I am sure you all have read about the disastrous rains in the Philippines, but I thought you might also like to see the Earth Observatory plot of estimated amounts......over 1/2 meter in some areas.

"The flooding that struck the region in late September 2009 was the worst in more than 40 years. Officials declared a “state of calamity” in Manila and 25 provinces affected by the storm."

I am sure we all have the same question, and no one has the answer.........yet!

China planting trees and more

China has been criticized in regard to global warming activities, but this article certainly points to some very positive action. From Xinhua " The Chinese government has planted 2.6 billion trees, bringing the total on the planet to 7.3 billion trees planted in 167 countries worldwide, according to a report by United Nations (UN) Environment Program, which was released on Sept. 21."

Since we are on the topic of China, I have also added this link to the speech by Chinese President Hu Jintao to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 22, 2009. What China will do in specifics, remains to be seen, but this speech certainly presents meaningful objectives to control adverse climate change.

"Climate Change and Our Coast"

This is the topic for Coast Day 2009 to be held on October 4, from 11 am to 5 pm at the University of Delaware's Hugh R. Sharp Campus in Lewes.
Lectures include:
"Harnessing Wind Energy at the University of Delaware" - Dr. Jeremy Firestone
"Top 10 Challenges for Coastal Communities in the 21st Century" - Dr. Nancy Targett
"Oceans in Global Climate Negotiations" - Dr. Biliana Cicin-Sain
To access the complete schedule, download the pdf from the above referenced web site for UD College of Earth, Ocean and the Environment.

9/23 Dust Storm in Australia

The linked image from NASA Earth Observatory graphically shows the magnitude of this storm. The accompanying article attributes the dust to several consecutive years of drought, and agricultural fields not being planted because of the drought. Is the drought due to global warming?

All I can say is that we were just in Queensland, and many of the reservoirs there which had been completely dry for several years, now had water due to heavy rains earlier this year. Whether rainfall overall is decreasing in Australia due to global warming is probably too early to tell, because "Drought is also part and parcel of life in Australia, particularly in the marginal areas away from the better-watered coasts and ranges."

El Nino and Global Warming

Ben Kirtman of the U of Miami discusses two flavors of El Nino, an eastern Pacific one, and a central Pacific one. His prediction is that global warming will increase the incidence of the less desirable central Pacific El Nino. He further discusses what impacts he expects this will have on Australia and the US, including US landfall of Atlantic hurricanes. The original article was published in the September 24 issue of the journal Nature.

Obama UN Speech on Global Warming

Sept. 22 2009, USA Today: "There should be no illusions that the hardest part of our journey is in front of us," Obama told the U.N. Climate Change Summit, a warm-up for a 190-nation conference to be held in Copenhagen in December.

A quote I found even more telling is also in this article:
Jose Barroso, president of the European Commission, put it succinctly: "Negotiations are dangerously close to deadlock at the moment."

Sinking River Deltas

This linked article from NASA Earth Observatory provides some excellent insight into why river deltas across the globe are sinking, and how this affects about 1/2 billion people. (Be sure to read the last paragraph).

Pacific Gas and Electric Quits US Chamber of Commerce

The linked article in the NY Times highlights the fundamental conflicts between big business and climate policy. The link in the article to the PG&E's environmental Blog also provides some interesting insight. California leads the way.......again?

New York City Prepares for High Seas

The above link is to an article in the Wall Street Journal brought to class last week by Keith Kierman. It covers both what NYC can expect, and what engineering measures are being considered to prevent a catastrophe.

2009 Arctic Sea Ice Extent

Arctic sea ice extent has reached its minimum for 2009 based on satellite measurements. 2009 was the third smallest sea ice extent since satellite measurements began in 1979. Details in above link.

Global Health Catastrophe

In the above link, the British Medical Journal and the Lancet warn of the the effects of global warming. In this editorial, they not only include strong recommendations for a carbon-free society, but also for population stabilization, an approach which we believe is essential, but often ignored.

Climate Class description and reason for this blog

After a recap of Earth’s climate history such topics will be addressed as:

Is global warming a hoax as some have stated, an anomaly in the natural course of climate history, or are man's emissions about to cause a global warming crisis?

How are climate changes measured and what is the accuracy? What is the potential for abrupt climate change (climate tipping point) and possible causes? What are the various climate forecasts? What can be done to mitigate undesirable climate change, and does it make economic sense to atempt to do so?

Also to be addressed are recent findings on topics such as:
- current climate models, their strengths and weaknesses
- glacial melting and loss of sea ice cover
- ocean current changes and their effect on climate
- ozone hole closing
- ocean warming and acidification
- carbon sequestration, natural and forced

We will also review the possible effects of climate change on humans, as caused by sea level rise, droughts and desertification, water and its availability, food production, biodiversity, and marine life changes.

These are most difficult questions to resolve and the intent of this course is not to resolve them, nor offer but a small fraction of what has been recently reported, but to bring them to the attention of the class.

Time will be allotted for class discussion, and is also hoped that this blog will provide a venue for additional discussion.