Solyndra Collapse

Perhaps you were as astounded by this recent headline story as I was. A good thorough description of what transpired can be found at the title link to an LA Times article.

It looks like there were multiple factors involved, such as over-exuberance for solar power, and a dramatic fall in the price of high grade silicon which is used in competing flat solar panels.

2011 Minimum Arctic Sea Ice Extent

Depending on your source, 2011 was either the 2nd lowest arctic sea ice extent, or the lowest. The title link is to the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). Their satellite sensor, and the algorithms they use, show minimum sea ice extent for 2011 was 2nd to the all time minimum observed in 2007.

The University of Bremen uses a different sensor, on a different satellite, as well as different algorithms, and their analysis shows 2011 to be the lowest sea ice extent ever measured.

In a broader view, both these analyses show a consistent trend in loss of arctic sea ice since satellite measurements began in 1972. Current minimum sea ice extent is only 50% of what it was in 1972. Other data show that ice thickness is also decreasing.

Additional details from the University of Bremen study can be found in the press release link at their web site. From this press release: "Climate models show rather that the reduction is related to the man-made global warming which, due to the ice albedo effect, is particularly pronounced in the Arctic: an ice area melted by a small temperature increase will then as open water have a much darker surface, absorb more solar radiation than before, which causes additional heating.......

The ice maps of the University of Bremen show also that in this year, the Northwest and Northeast passages are ice free simultaneously (Figure 2). This had happed for the first time in 2008, and in 2009 the German shipping company Beluga has traveled it commercially for the first time."

Extreme Weather and Global Warming

Above photo from Inhabitat.com article about Hurricane Irene.

Extreme weather and global warming is a very controversial topic! But a topic worth thinking about, and studying, because the underlying science supports a link between the two. As the Earth warms, which essentially all climate science data supports is happening, more energy is present in the atmosphere, primarily in the form of water vapor, but also in the form of higher air temperatures. Water vapor is most significant, because as water vapor condenses, it releases its latent heat of evaporation, which then provides the energy that fuels major storm systems, such as hurricanes.

The title link and photo link provide additional perspectives on this relationship. Also note that it is integrated weather which defines climate and climate change, so it is not justified to attribute a single storm event to global warming. But a history of many more major storm events, can be ascribed to global warming with reasonable scientific certainty.

Earth's Energy Balance

The title link is to a NASA Earth Observatory page which discusses the July heat wave in the U.S. The article also provides some relatively easy to understand details about Earth's energy balance, and is conveniently summarized in the next-to-last paragraph:

"The temperature on any planet, including Earth, is controlled by energy from the Sun. The Sun provides an average 340 Watts per square meter to the Earth. That energy returns to space as either reflected energy or radiated heat. Over time, the total outgoing energy should equal the amount of energy coming in from the Sun. When incoming and outgoing energy don’t balance, Earth’s temperature will change until balance is restored."

Please note that it is easy to subscribe to postings from  NASA Earth Observatory on the linked page.