Over the course of the 20th century, global warming led to a doubling of Katrina-magnitude storm-surge events, and for every 1.8 degree F increase in global temperatures in the future, the frequency of Katrina-magnitude events in the Atlantic Ocean could increase by three to four times. This is according to a recent publication in...
In The News
Significant Vehicle Emissions Reductions Difficult, But Possible
March 21, 2013 |
National Research Council
It will be very difficult for the U.S. to reduce its automobile petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050 relative to 2005, according to a new congressionally mandated report by the National Research Council. In order for these reductions to occur, a different combination of vehicle types will need to be in...
Geoengineering Research Must Continue, Scientists Urge
March 21, 2013 |
Science
Geoengineering techniques—methods of intervening in the Earth’s climate system to reduce global warming—have both costs and benefits, but more research is needed so that if the technologies are actually needed in the future, policy makers can make informed decisions, according to an article in...
SW Winter Temps Buck National Trend
March 14, 2013 |
NOAA
Temperatures this past winter (December – February) were 1.9 degrees F above average for the contiguous U.S., making the season the 20th warmest winter on record for the country, according to the latest State of the Climate from NOAA. However, in the Southwest, temperatures were up to 6 degrees F cooler than average,...
Monsoon Plays Major Role in Long-Term Droughts
March 14, 2013 |
Geophysical Research Letters
A recent publication sheds light on the North American Monsoon and how it has changed over the past five centuries. Authors of the study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, used a portion of annual tree-rings, known as the latewood, to reconstruct just the monsoon precipitation (June-August) over the...
Temperatures by 2100 Will Exceed Those of the Past 11,300 Years
March 14, 2013 |
Science
By the year 2100, surface temperatures will exceed those of the Holocene (the past about 11,300 years), according to new research published in Science. The authors used records of temperature reconstructed from a variety of paleoclimatic indicators from over 70 locations...
Precipitation Cycle Enhanced in Recent Years
March 14, 2013 |
Nature Geoscience
The annual range of precipitation has increased across the globe, mostly due to the fact that wet seasons have become wetter, according to a new study published in Nature Geoscience. Using observations of seasonal precipitation extremes over the past 30 years, the authors found no change in annual...
Saharan Dust Influences Sierra Nevada Precipitation
March 7, 2013 |
Science
Dust from the Sahara desert and Asia influences precipitation in the Sierra Nevada of California, precipitation that the region counts on for its water supply, according to a new study published in Science. The particles of dust, which other studies have shown to be capable of traveling around the world,...
Ability to Work Outside Diminishes as Climate Warms
March 7, 2013 |
Nature Climate Change
The capacity of an individual to safely perform sustained labor under heat stress (labor capacity) has already decreased by 10 percent globally over the past few decades, and is predicted to decrease by another 10 percent by 2050 due to increasing temperatures and humidity. Authors of a recent study...
Arguments Advanced for Climate-Change Influence on Superstorm Sandy
March 7, 2013 |
Oceanography
Superstorm Sandy may have been influenced by Arctic sea ice loss caused by human-induced climate changes, according to an article in Oceanography. Many factors played a role in creating the conditions needed to produce the superstorm, according to the authors: 1) unusually warm ocean temperatures maintained...