Clipmarks | kkcapricorn's climate changes collection

Antarctic Earthquakes Shake at Glacial Speed

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 21:14:09 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: The future is looking mighty bleak.

By Harvey Leifert, Natural History Magazine

Glaciologists had assumed that ice streams just creep steadily along—until one was recently shown to pack a powerful one-two punch, generating seismic waves twice a day

seismic signals from Antarctica's 60-mile-wide Whillans Ice Stream are as strong as those of a magnitude-7 earthquake

whereas an earthquake of magnitude 7 might last 10 seconds, the Whillans signals continue for ten minutes or longer

They resemble earthquakes at glacial speed, says Douglas A. Wiens of Washington University in St. Louis.

Wiens, with three colleagues, discovered the signals after analyzing recordings from seismographs located 600 miles from the ice stream

they embedded GPS antennae on and near Whillans.

the ice stream advancing abruptly, by about 18 inches, that causes the signals

advances are caused by a combination of ocean tides

One of the daily slips is triggered by high tide, with a second following five to 12 hours later.

Tags: ice, antarctica, seismic signals

Canadian Arctic sheds ice chunk

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:34:38 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: This is very bad news.
Hate to say it, but it but
WE ARE DOOMED

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Nearly 20 sq km (eight sq miles) of ice from the Ward Hunt shelf has split away from Ellesmere Island, according to satellite pictures.

It is thought to be the biggest piece of ice shed in the region since 60 sq km of the nearby Ayles Ice Shelf broke away in 2005.

Scientists say further splitting could occur during the Arctic summer melt.

The current warming being experienced in the Arctic means the conditions needed to rebuild the shelves simply does not exist.

Loss of ice in the Arctic, and in particular the extensive sea-ice, has global implications. The "white parasol" at the top of the planet reflects energy from the Sun straight back out into space, helping to cool the Earth

Further loss of Arctic ice will see radiation absorbed by darker seawater and snow-free land, potentially warming the Earth's climate at an even faster rate than current observational data indicates

The one take-home message for me here is that these ice shelves aren't re-generating

Tags: ice shelf, climate change, warming

Warming health report: poor, elderly to suffer most

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:21:51 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: Everyone will get what they deserve x's 3

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

WASHINGTON - Global warming will affect the health and welfare of every American, but the poor, elderly, and children will suffer the most

The 284-page report, mostly written by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said every region of the country will be hit by worse health from heat waves and drought. It said all but a handful of states would have worse air quality and flooding. It predicts an increase in diseases spread by tainted food, bad water and bugs.

climate change poses real risk to human health and human system that supports our way of life in the United States,"

climate change will "accentuate the disparities already evident in the American health care system."

more people are moving into coastal regions, which are most vulnerable to climate change because of drought and hurricanes,

most vulnerable Americans — the poor, elderly, sick, very young, and immigrants

That's at least 10 percent of the country's population, probably more,

Tags: climate change, poor, elderly, victims

PSE&G announces solar loan program for homeowners

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:15:07 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: Man, the writing is on the wall - or on the roof in this case - it is the dawn of a new day. By the time my daughters are old enough to read this, the idea of solar and wind power will be commonplace. So exciting!!

Clip Source: www.forbes.com

Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) today announced that it will begin offering its innovative solar loan program to residential customers tomorrow.

The program, the first of its kind in the country, will help homeowners install solar energy systems on their homes, enabling them to take an active part in greening their homes and reducing greenhouse gases.

A total of $105 million in loans is available to PSE&G's electric customers. After obtaining agreement from a collaborative stakeholder group on loan documents for the residential customers, PSE&G is now ready to begin accepting residential applications.

Tags: solar, alternative energy, pse&g

Antartic ice shelf hanging by a thread

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:14:08 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: We are doomed.

Clip Source: www.livescience.com

A vast shelf of ice in Antarctica is hanging on to the continent by a thread and is not expected to survive, scientists announced today.

The Wilkins Ice Shelf is experiencing further disintegration that could collapse an ice bridge connecting the shelf to Charcot Island. Since the connection to the island helps to stabilize the ice shelf, it is likely the breakup of the bridge will put the remainder of the ice shelf at risk, the researchers said.

A major breakup was spotted in May, the second this year.

This third significant breakup is puzzling because it occurred in the Southern Hemispheric winter. It's also behaving differently than previous breakups.

"The scale of rifting in the newly-removed areas seems larger, and the pieces are moving out as large bergs and not toppled, finely-divided ice melange

"Wilkins Ice Shelf is the most recent in a long, and growing, list of ice shelves

that are responding to the rapid warming that has occurred in this area over the last fifty years

Tags: ice melt, antartica, climate change

Iceland rocked by earthquake

Sat, 31 May 2008 18:35:58 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7426529.stm
this is the link for video

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A strong earthquake measuring 6.1 has hit southern Iceland, 50km (30 miles) from the capital, Reykjavik.

In the town of Selfoss, near the epicentre, buildings were damaged and up to 20 people needed treatment for minor injuries, reports say.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 1546 GMT at a shallow 6.2 miles (10 km).

"Iceland is sitting on a plate boundary where the North America and Eurasian plates are drifting apart. So it's a country of volcanoes and earthquakes and so earthquakes are common but large earthquakes are relatively rare," he added.

earthquake lasted about eight seconds

It sounded like thunder coming from the ground

Iceland, which has a population of about 300,000, is a geologically unstable volcanic island in the north Atlantic.

A spokesman for Iceland's Institute of Earth Sciences said the country had been expecting further quakes after a series of tremors in the same area in 2000

Tags: earthquake, iceland

Polar Bear now protected by Endangered Species Act

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:51:03 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: Score one for the polar bears. But they still have much about with to worry

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

The polar bear, whose Arctic hunting grounds have been greatly reduced by a warming climate, will be placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced Wednesday.

the long-delayed decision to list the bear as a threatened species may prove less of an impediment to industries along the Alaskan coast than many environmentalists had hoped. While further protecting the polar bear from direct or immediate threats — like hunting — the Interior Department added stipulations, seldom invoked under the act, that will make it relatively easy for oil and gas exploration and development activities to proceed.

The decision builds on scientific evidence about the retreat of sea ice, which the bears use as a platform to hunt seals and as a pathway to the Arctic coasts where they den

the Endangered Species Act was “never meant to regulate global climate change” and that it would be “inappropriate” to use the polar bear listing that way

Tags: polar bear, endangered species

Burma's death total soars

Tue, 06 May 2008 22:25:27 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: A disaster 0f monumental proportions.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

The death toll from Burma's devastating cyclone has now risen to more than 22,000, state media have said.

Another 41,000 are missing three days after Cyclone Nargis hit the country, causing a huge tidal surge to sweep inland, according to state radio.

Burma's government has been criticised over its handling of the crisis

22,464 people had now been confirmed as dead and another 41,054 people missing

The wave was up to 12ft [3.5m] high and it swept away and inundated half the houses in low-lying villages,"

most of its 190,000 residents are now homeless

Correspondents say Burma, isolated and impoverished, has long been wary of the international community.

Doubts remain about how much access the government will give to aid workers and there are also concerns about the logistics of reaching remote areas cut off from the outside world, they say.

Tags: burma, cyclone.tidal wave

Hundreds killed by Burma Cyclone

Sun, 04 May 2008 21:40:52 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks:

A trishaw driver in Rangoon, who did not want to be identified, complained that the security forces were not doing enough to help.
"Where are all those uniformed people who are always ready to beat civilians?" he asked.
"They should come out in full force and help clean up the areas and restore electricity."

There is a video but you have to go to the site to see it.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A tropical cyclone has killed at least 351 people in Burma and damaged thousands of buildings, according to state television.

Burma has declared Irrawaddy and four other regions, including the main city Rangoon, to be disaster areas

latest death toll of 351 includes at least 109 people who lived on Haing-gyi island, off the south-west coast

About 20,000 homes have been destroyed and 90,000 people made homeless on the island alone

Cyclone Nargis has since moved towards Thailand

In Rangoon, internet and phone connections have been down since the storm drew near, making it difficult to confirm the extent of the damage

"Everything was wrecked. Roofs of the houses and satellite dishes were blown away."

described the city as an "utter war zone".

"We're seeing a lot of trees down, a lot of billboards blown away, roofs of houses gone

Tags: burma, cyclone, destruction

Twisters slam 4 states

Sat, 03 May 2008 01:28:20 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: Extreme weather continues to strike.
Storms expected to continue.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

DAMASCUS, Ark. - Violent storms rolling across the nation's midsection unleashed tornadoes, high winds and hail in four states and killed seven people in Arkansas on Friday,

The storms late Thursday and early Friday ripped off roofs and toppled train cars near Kansas City, Mo.; pelted parts of Oklahoma with hail; and knocked over tents at a popular open-air market in east Texas. Severe thunderstorms were moving into Kentucky and could make for a wet Kentucky Derby on Saturday

Greg Carbin, a meteorologist for the national Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said as many as 25 tornadoes may have cut through stretches of Oklahoma, Arkansas, eastern Kansas and western Missouri

In Midwest City, hail the size of golf balls broke the windshields of vehicles

a tornado warning for parts of far western Kentucky

more waves of storms were expected Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

The Weather Service has confirmed 84 tornadoes nationwide for January

Tags: tornados, storms, derby

UK: wild bee decline catastrophic

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:07:22 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: What new world cometh?

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Bees are important pollinators of flowers and crops

The UK has 18 true bumblebee species and many are seriously threatened due to habitat loss

the insects' demise has serious implications for food supply and the price of goods.

"When a bee visits a flower, it picks up pollen on its fur, and transports it to another flower, pollinating it in the process.

"Without pollination, flowering crops like beans, peas, strawberries and raspberries won't produce anything to harvest, and wildflowers won't produce any seeds.

Government-backed agri-environment schemes offer payments to farmers to help them maintain flower-rich areas for bees and other wildlife

Gardeners have also been encouraged to plant wild flower varieties.

it had been estimated every third mouthful of food consumed could be linked to pollination by bees.

"The British government is supporting beekeepers with £200,000.

"If there are no bees there will be no steak.

Tags: bees, food

Earth's hum more mysterious than ever

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:18:42 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: Everything in the universe is connected and has it's own unique form of communication.

Clip Source: www.unexplained-mysteries.com

Earth gives off a relentless hum of countless notes completely imperceptible to the human ear, like a giant, exceptionally quiet symphony, but the origin of this sound remains a mystery.

unexpected powerful tunes have been discovered in this hum

The planet emanates a constant rumble far below the limits of human hearing, even when the ground isn't shaking from an earthquake.

discovered a decade ago, is one that only scientific instruments - seismometers - can detect

his murmur could originate from the churning ocean, or

the roiling atmosphere

In the past, the oscillations that researchers found made up this hum were "spheroidal"

oscillations have been discovered

that, oddly, are shaped roughly like rings

spheroidal oscillations might be caused by forces squeezing down on the planet - say, pressure from ocean or atmospheric waves - the twisting ring-like phenomena might be caused by forces shearing across the world's surface, from the oceans, atmosphere or possibly even the sun

Tags: earth, hum, unknown

Earthquake strikes Chile

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:59:30 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: Methinks that the earth is expressing it's displeasure with the digging and mining.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

A 6.1-magnitude quake has hit northern Chile close to the border with Bolivia, the US Geological Survey reports.

The tremor, whose epicentre was 145km (90 miles) east of the coastal city of Iquique, struck at a depth of more than 120km (74 miles), it adds.

Chile lies in one of the most seismically active areas of the world

In 1960, it suffered the world's largest recorded earthquake which resulted in thousands of deaths

Miners at the Collahuasi copper mine said they had felt the tremor at around 1630 (2030 GMT)

"For the moment, we have no reports of damage or power disruptions," an official at Onemi told the Reuters news agency shortly after the earthquake.

A 7.8-magnitude tremor in June 2005 close to Monday's epicentre killed 11 people and left thousands homeless

Tags: earthquake, chile

Huge waves in Carribean damage coral reefs

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:12:00 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: Another lost breath from a dying planet.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Unusually large waves churned by an Atlantic storm system have littered the beaches of Barbados with broken coral in what could be a sign of damage to reefs across the region, a scientist said Sunday.

The waves, reaching as high as an estimated 30 feet, lashed coastlines from Guyana to the Dominican Republic last week as a large low-pressure system idled off the northeastern United States.

At their peak on Thursday morning, a buoy north of the U.S. Virgin Islands recorded swells of 15 feet — the highest since 1991

In Barbados, the white coral washed up in chunks as heavy as seven pounds, generally healthy but with their polyps rubbed away by the rough surf, Brewster said.

Reef-building coral provide a habitat for thousands of marine creatures but have been dying off across the Caribbean due to coastal pollution, overfishing and disease blamed on rising sea temperatures.

Tags: waves, carribean, coral

Antarctic glaciers surge toward ocean

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:27:19 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks:

Much higher up the course of the glacier there is evidence of a volcano that erupted through the ice about 2,000 years ago and the whole region could be volcanically active, releasing geothermal heat to melt the base of the ice and help its slide towards the sea.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

new evidence comes from a group of glaciers covering an area the size of Texas, in a remote and seldom visited part of West Antarctica

"rivers of ice" have surged sharply in speed towards the ocean

"It has been called the weak underbelly of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and the reason for that is that this is the area where the bed beneath the ice sheet dips down steepest towards the interior.

There is good reason to be concerned.

Satellite measurements have shown that three huge glaciers here have been speeding up

the Pine Island Glacier, is causing the most concern.

Julian Scott and Rob Bingham and colleagues from the British Antarctic survey spent 97 days camping on the flat, white ice.

placed recorders linked to the global positioning system (GPS) satellites on the ice to track the glacier's motion

Geothermal activity may be playing its part, says Julian Scott

risk of a major collapse of this section of the West Antarctic ice sheet should be taken seriously.

Tags: glaciers, antarctic