How should we respond to rising sea levels?

I am not going to try and answer that question right now. I am just going to direct you to two thought provoking articles. The first is from the Washington Post about how the National Park Service is responding on Assateague Island.....basically let nature take its course and adapt (retreat) as needed....for link click The Old Man and the Rising Sea and scroll down to the article.

Glacier calving - Bill Fintel photo

For new data on the increasing rate of glacial melting in Antarctica, see Antarctic glacial melt rate triples in Amundsen Sea embayment

New Fusion Power Prospect - the Dynomak

I have made 6 posts about fusion status, and I confess none have been very optimistic for near term economical fusion power generation....BUT.... now we have....

The Dynomak.....a fusion reactor envisioned to be small enough to fit on a truck. That sizing is so desirable, because local power generation is so much more secure from severe weather events, and because the best fusion power candidate to date is the ITER Tokamak, which is HUGE, and hugely expensive.

I am optimistic....and it is this kind of human ingenuity that may save us as a species, as well as our planet Earth, and the other plant and animal species who we depend on, and in turn depend on a livable planet.

If Iceland can dump use of most fossil fuels...can't the US?

This Cornell link is exceedingly positive. I have been to Iceland, and yes they are sitting on top of a huge geothermal resource, but at least they responded and utilized it.

We in the US are sitting on top of or near huge geothermal, solar and wind resources, but in my opinion, our government is not adequately supporting significant enough utilization of these resources.

Am I a Cornell grad? Take a guess, and whatever, I am certainly pleased with the Iceland presentation by their President.

A Special Moment in my life

In Baja Mexico, on a Searcher trip, I took this "selfie" of my hand on a Gray Whale back, and also the UW pic of a baby with a hand held UW camera.

These Gray Whales used to be killed by us at great rates because they were so easy to kill. Then their killing got banned, and they have come back as "our friends". Truly amazing!

Can I explain? NO. Am I happy with where we both are? Very much so. My encouragement to you is to go meet them. The local tour boats that take you to greet them are also very vigorously protecting the Gray Whales breeding and nursing lagoons, because our tour fees provide income to support their families. Our tour company was Searcher Natural History Tours. We had been with them before to see Blue Whales and pelagic birds, and they are excellent!

The Allam Cycle - An efficient way to Capture and Store CO2 (aka CCS)

Thermodynamic principals work strongly against the efficient (read economic) capture and storage of CO2 from conventional fossil fuel power plants. Dilution of the CO2 by nitrogen in the flue gas from the air used for combustion is a primary issue.

But, if we can burn the carbon containing fuels with pure oxygen, then the effluent is mostly CO2 and water vapor, which can be easily separated, and the CO2 compressed for efficient, and hopefully safe, underground storage.

So see what you think about the Allam Cycle. I am glad to see a major project going forward to determine future economic feasibility. Technology can do a lot, but technology can not override the laws of thermodynamics.

Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Annual Cycle Visualization from NASA

We have the science to understand and deal with global warming, we just don't have the willpower.

The NASA video in this link from Climate Central is truly amazing...and scary. Be sure to note the CO2 scaling in the key. The effect of vegetative growth on CO2 concentrations is also impressive, and highlights two other key avenues to reduced CO2....(1) stop cutting down forests to raise beef, and (2) promote reforestation and grassland restoration.

Ocean Currents and Accelerated Antarctic Glacial Melting

This has been a well publicized topic in recent news, but thought you might like to view the web page from Cal Tech, as they are behind a lot of the science that is making this happen. Me as a retired engineer, love the simplicity of how they are moving the "robotic ocean gliders" both up and down in the water column, and laterally at the same time, with very little energy being expended....only enough to regulate the buoyancy and move the dive fin positions. And when on the surface, they send all their depth-temperature-position data back to Cal Tech.

So what does this mean for us and Global Warming? Well first we know that the oceans are absorbing at least 90% of the excess solar energy from the Greenhouse Gas Effect and rising greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere. And one of the greatest concerns of global warming is sea level rise. So now we have warming oceans, the largest heat sink of global warming, acting directly on the largest "ice sink", Antarctic glaciers, the melting of which is THE greatest threat to cause catastrophic sea level rise.

Perhaps we could build underwater habitats for billions of people at less expense than we could stop emitting trillions of tons of CO2. That would probably be more politically acceptable to our Congress, for reason you no doubt already know.

Oceans and IPCC AR-5

From the IPCC AR-5 Summary for Policymakers Report, following is a statement about how the oceans are involved in absorbing the added heat input from the greenhouse gas effect:

Ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system, accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and 2010 (high confidence), with only about 1% stored in the atmosphere. On a global scale, the ocean warming is largest near the surface, and the upper 75 m warmed by 0.11 [0.09 to 0.13] °C per decade over the period 1971 to 2010. It is virtually certain that the upper ocean (0−700 m) warmed from 1971 to 2010, and it likely warmed between the 1870s and 1971. 

And a significant additional change is also taking place....ocean acidification:

Since the beginning of the industrial era, oceanic uptake of CO2 has resulted in acidification of the ocean; the pH of ocean surface water has decreased by 0.1 (high confidence), corresponding to a 26% increase in acidity, measured as hydrogen ion concentration. 

Two observable effects from these changes are, one, sea level rise due to thermal expansion of the warming oceans, and two, deterioration of marine ecosystems dependent on calcified exoskeletons, such as shellfish and coral reefs.

So is there any good news from the oceans? I think there is a lot, and one specific item is Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, or OTEC. More on that in my next post. 

And below, a few pics of zero carbon energy generation based at sea. The top pic is of the Pelamis wave powered electric generator, and bottom, sea based wind turbines. 
Source: BBC article, In Pictures: Green Energy Awards photography contest.

 

Climate Change 2014: IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR-5)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Nov 1, 2014 released a new report titled:

Climate Change 2014

Synthesis Report

It is available in 2 versions: a shorter version of 40 pages for policy makers, and a longer version of 116 pages. Both can be accessed HERE.

Even the shorter version for policymakers is very technical (but I am sure our policymakers have good technical people on their staff). Also many referenced figures are not yet included, and every page has a disclaimer at the bottom saying, "Subject to copy editing and layout".

Even so, there is a vast amount of current information on climate change prepared by some of the world's most qualified scientists. I will begin a series of posts on this subject by quoting a few highlights, then in subsequent posts I will focus on the oceans involvement, as I will be doing a class on The World's Oceans and Climate Change for Osher Lifelong Learning (Lewes, DE) in the spring of 2015.

Following are two paragraphs from page 3 of the 40 page summary for policy makers:

1.1 Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s, many of the observed changes are unprecedented over decades to millennia. The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amounts of snow and ice have diminished, and sea level has risen.

Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850. The period from 1983 to 2012 was likely the warmest 30-year period of the last 1400 years in the Northern Hemisphere, where such assessment is possible (medium confidence). The globally averaged combined land and ocean surface temperature data as calculated by a linear trend, show a warming of 0.8 [0.65 to 1.06] °C over the period 1880 to 2012, when multiple independently produced data sets exist.

The Storm of '62

Many Delaware residents have heard of the Storm of '62, even if few of us experienced it. So after Rae Tyson's recent Osher Climate Class, with Molly Murray of the News Journal as the presenter showing several pics of the Storm of '62, I decided to see what pics are available on-line, and the Cape Gazette has a good presentation of these at The Storm of '62 in Photos. Above is the lead photo from their linked web page.

Food Choices and Climate Change

...... or why eating plant based can significantly help save our World.

The following links were my primary sources of information for my Oct 28 presentation on Food Choices and Climate Change at Dorothy Greets’ class for Osher Lifelong Learning.

National Academy of Sciences report:
Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States
http://www.pnas.org/content/111/33/11996.abstract

The Environmental Working Groups, Meat Eater’s Guide:
http://www.ewg.org/meateatersguide/a-meat-eaters-guide-to-climate-change-health-what-you-eat-matters/reducing-your-footprint/

NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet:
http://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/global-temperature/

J. Morris Hicks web site: Tearing Down the Single Biggest Road Block to Sustainability
http://hpjmh.com/2014/10/23/tearing-down-the-single-biggest-roadblock-to-sustainability/?utm

Delaware Climate Impact Assessment from DNREC

The web page with links for all sections of this report is HERE. There is a superficial summary link on the left side of this page, and to the right are detailed links to all pages in hi-res.

My recommendation is start with the Executive Summary, and then see how much more you want to read. It is a very long report, and does NOT address any action plans. The report is designed to provide action planners with facts, and it does so in great detail with thorough referencing.

This link is thanks to Dr. Daniel Leathers, Delaware State Climatologist, who spoke at Rae Tyson's Oct 15, 2014 class on Climate Change in Delaware.

"Safe Coast Virginia"....and a Delaware connection

The following report was co-authored by Rae Tyson, who is the instructor for the current Osher Lifelong Learning class, Climate Change in Delaware.

Safe Coast Virginia

I highly recommend it, as a great deal of what is presented is applicable to Delaware, because Delaware also has so much infrastructure and investment barely-above-sea level. The recommended "Ten Point Action Plan" is very well thought out and specific... a most welcome addition compared to so many gloom and doom reports with only vague recommendations.

Plant-based Eating, World Health, and Climate Change

Following is a superb link about why plant-based eating is so good for your health. It is from a major health insurance company, Kaiser Permante, so they have a major axe to grind in keeping you healthy...

.....unlike many doctors who have a major stake in making a living having you tested and treated more and more.

What's Possible - a film on climate solutions presented to the UN

What's Possible is a 3 minute film created to inspire delegates to the UN Climate Meeting in NY September 23, of this year.

After watching the film, if you wish to learn more about the interesting background behind it, read this Huffington Post article by the film's producer, Lyn Davis Lear.

The role of oceans relative to increasing greenhouse gas emissions

If you have been following this blog, you know I took the summer off, but now I am back, as the UN convenes in NYC to address climate change. The specific climate issue I wish to focus on is the role of the World's oceans in the presence of increased greeenhouse gas emissions.

The oceans absorb approximately 1/4 of the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere. This is good in that it removes this amount of CO2 from the atmosphere and global warming effects. However, this absorbed CO2 is acidifying the oceans at an alarming rate...."the current level of ocean acidification appears unprecedented, at least over the last 300 million years."(source 9 Sep 2014 UN News article)

Another note of concern, is that the oceans seem to be absorbing less CO2 than previously. For a complete picture of ocean chemistry and Ph history, see pages 4 and 5 the World Meteorological Organization Greenhouse Gas Bulletin for 2013.

The effects of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems is very significant and will be considered in future posts.

Andean Glaciers, another barometer to climate change

Yes, I have a fascination with glaciers, so following are two recent links to Andean glaciers which would not have been possible just a few years ago. Can technology save us? Probably not, as technology combined with greed and prejudice is killing us.

For now, just imagine being the astronaut that took these pics.

Patagonia Glacier overview
 
Northern Patagonia Icefield

Bill

Latest Sea Level Rise Studies in West Antarctica

No doubt you have all read at least a modest amount this highly publicized topic. To me it does add a lot more credibility to near term sea level rise concerns. The latest studies are of what IS happening, not just what is predicted to happen. For a nice synopsis with some excellent graphics for the mechanisms, watch the following video from Yale Forum on Climate Change and the Media.

The One Video to Explain Why the Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Doomed

How bad is wind power for birds?

A controversial subject, with few very definitive answers, except in extreme cases, like Altamonte, CA.

The good news is that when wind turbines are sited AFTER doing a thorough bird study, especially of migratory bird pathways, the harm to birds is lessened greatly...BUT can still be significant.

For an in-depth article from the American Bird Conservancy, see top ten myths about wind power and birds.

What I missed in this very thorough article was a comparison of wind turbine bird kills to kills by cats and window impacts. I recall that the later two are orders of magnitude worse... and Mother Jones confirms my recollection in regard to cats.

And if you prefer Bloomberg to Mother Jones, read THIS.

The Ugly Side of Raising Meat to Eat

I am mostly a vegan, who also eats a bit of fish, mostly what I catch. I also strongly believe that eating a lot of meat is bad for you, and bad for our World.

Why? For starters, you can get the same nutrition from plants that you get from meat, at a cost of 1/10 of the water, energy, land area, and nutrients that eating animals costs.

Add to that all the studies (like the China Study) which show for us humans, eating only plants is far more healthy, than eating meat plus plants.

For a nice review by Marc Guenther, see Yet Another Reason to Eat Less Meat.

Changes in Antarctica May Cool Europe

Europe's climate in recent history has been warmed by the Gulf Stream. Plus some recent European cold periods have been attributed to a reduction in Gulf Stream flow, like the Little Ice Age from about 1350 to 1850.

So is this happening again? There is some solid evidence that it may be.

See this Smithsonian article about the shutdown of deep sea mixing in the Weddell Sea of Antarctica in Climate Change Felt in Deep Waters of Antarctica. There are also many good links in this article, such as the science behind Thermohaline Circulation, aka Ocean Conveyor Belt.

Since there is also a corresponding slow down of the deep water ocean circulation in the N. Atlantic due to increased fresh water influx from melting Greenland glaciers, the combined effect of Arctic and Antarctic changes on the Thermohaline Circulation may become especially significant in the future.

Above picture is my family in 1979, north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. Cold then, and now maybe getting colder (thermohaline changes)...or maybe getting warmer (greenhouse gas effects). They will probably see, and I believe in their lifetime, they will make positive efforts to benefit the health of our planet.

Obama's California???

That title should raise some hackles..... but maybe it also got you to read on. Obama visited California recently, and was struck by the profound drought. So below is a satellite view of this drought, and yes it is dramatic.

For full details about this photo go to Earth Observatory.

So where will your 2015 and after wine be coming from???  Maybe Chile or Argentina?

Some dramatic satellite pics of UK flooding

No doubt you have all read about the long and disastrous flooding in the SW of the UK. From Earth Observatory, here is a satellite image of the latest storm, and here are images of the regions affected, both before, and after the storms.

Now are the storms caused by global warming due to greatly increased greenhouse gas emissions? Scientific opinions lean to "Yes", but are cautious to say that proof is not possible at this time. And yes, I agree, but I also feel that the science behind what is forecast, and what is happening is very soundly connected.

World Sustainability and Plant-based Eating

On Dec 31, I put up a post about J. Morris Hicks' efforts to convey the value of plant-based eating... value to both the eater, and more importantly to the World's population, because it can so greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and hence improve sustainability of our World

What we are faced with as a species trying to survive long term on Earth, is living in a sustainable manner. Very simply, that means not running out of fresh water and food, not flooding ourselves out of coastal cities and towns, not causing major extinctions of plants and wildlife, not creating huge ocean dead zones..........

When we look at building enough renewable energy capacity, like wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, tidal, wave, biomass, etc., to make a significant contribution, lets say a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the task is very daunting. But if we switch to plant based eating, we can achieve that same 50%, and while the task is still very daunting, it is daunting in a behavioral sense, BUT VERY DOABLE in a physical sense.

So how is your today's diet? Take the 4 Leaf Test (link to test is near bottom of Hick's post). How am I doing? I am in the 4-leaf category by a parsley leaf, but I am there. And I am enjoying my food more than ever, probably because it both tastes good, and makes me feel good, too.

My lunch from the buffet line at McDougall's Hawaii Plant-based Eating program, Jan 2014.

Meat is the new tobacco!!!

Sound weird?

It is solid science, if and when you get through the Industry filters.

Trust me, and MANY doctors whom I will provide links to soon, but in the meantime:

http://www.pcrm.org/pdfs/health/meat_new_tobacco_chart.pdf

Off to a vegan stir fry dinner,

Herbivore Bill

The Beef about McDonald's Beef

Marc Guenther says HERE what I firmly believe: Eating much less beef (and other meat), will greatly help our World survive, and will also greatly benefit your health.

My apology for a recent absence of posts, but I have been away learning how to become a better vegan-with-no-added-oil, thanks to a great Dr. McDougall program.

Global Warming from an Aussie perspective

OK, we have had our Polar Vortex....NOW what's happened to global warming in Australia?

Has global warming gone away, or are the recent Vortex comments just short sightedness???

My opinion?

Get ready to be HOT!!!

Polar Vortex, high winds, and wind turbines step up to the plate

It is an obvious connection once you think about it, but it took this article from Renewable Energy News to make me realize that wind power can have its moment in a crisis.

Global Warming and the current "Polar Vortex"

Does it add up? The Earth is warming, and yet many US locations are about to equal or exceed previous low temperature records.

In a nutshell, earth and climate science support what is happening. The northern hemisphere jet stream is being slowed by arctic warming, and in slowing, it is becoming more erratic in its north south wanderings. These larger wanderings are allowing very cold arctic air to spill farther into the US, just like is now happening.

Want to get more scientific than me? Sure you do, so visit QUARTZ, and do watch at least the short video by Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University.

Crops, Livestock, and Sustainability

Happy New Year to All, and to all less beef. Less beef is better for you, and for our Earth.

The following links are very detailed, but I think also very worthwhile, thought provoking, and good references for future study.

First from Dr. McDougall re what we eat, and why Al Gore just made a huge statement with his change to becoming a vegan.

So then I checked out the detailed link from the UN about the Livestock's Long Shadow. (This is a big link, but do try to read the executive summary).

Now since the UN paper was from 2006, I did some additional research of my own, and found a very recent and thorough study by the International Livestock Institute and 2 others titled "......hoofprints".

In a nutshell, if you care about our Earth and still want to eat animal protein, eat chickens.......or go fishing.