Earth Hour

"The horrifying aftermath from Haiti’s earthquake is a stark example of the vulnerability of poor nations to sudden shifts in their natural environment."

Much as polar bears and walruses must move ashore as Arctic sea ice recedes in response to climate change, people around the world also must move as climate change raises sea levels, changes precipitation patterns and otherwise forces them from their homes and communities.  The film documentary Climate Refugees: The Human Face of Climate Change, vividly illustrates the consequences.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released today (12 February 2010) data indicating that January 2010 was the fourth warmest on record.  Land surface temperatures were the highest on record in the Southern Hemisphere; and global ocean surface temperatures were the second warmest on record.

NASA released data today (17 February 2010) showing that surface  temperaturesin January 2010 in the Sourthern Hemisphere were 0.62 degrees Centigrade above the 1951-1980 mean for the month, far exceeding the 0.47oC anomaly recorded in January 2007 -- which until now was the warmest January on record.

Researchers report that at the lower reaches of west Greenland glaciers, where they terminate in warm ocean waters, the submerged portions of the glaciers are melting 100 times faster than the above water areas of the glaciers where warm air temperatures drive the melting. The U.S. Global Change Research Program warns that this kind of "interaction of warm waters with the periphery of the large ice sheets represents one of the most significant possibilities for abrupt change in the climate system."

Podcast from the U.S. Geological Survey. 

mp3: 

20100222_121_AntarcticPeninsulaIceShelves.mp3

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported today (22 February 2010) that "every ice front in the southern part of the Antarctic Peninsula has been retreating overall from 1947 to 2009, with the most dramatic changes occurring since 1990. "  The finding comes on the heels of the warmest January on record for the Southern Hemisphere.

Erik Stokstad of the journal Science interviews  Edward Miles of the University of Washington, Seattle, about ocean acidification -- the evil twin of climate change.  Listen to the podcast.

From today through Sunday (4-7 March 2010), the National Association of Environmental Law Societies (NAELS) is holding its annual conference, focused on "Staying Afloat: Adapting to Climate Change on the Gulf and Beyond."  According to the conference organizers, "the United States and other nations must begin adapting their communities to a warming climate."

In the aftermath of Winter Storm Xynthia, which struck Europe last weekend (26–28 February 2010) leaving damages that may range from at $2 - $4 billion, meteorology expert Jeff Masters asks (and answers) whether the frequency of such storms is changing, and whether we can expect the frequency to change in the future. 

Researchers announced yesterday (26 February 2010) that a giant iceberg has collided with a seaward extension of East Antarctica's Mertz Glacier, breaking a huge chunk off of the glacier to form a second iceberg 78 km (48 miles) long, 33 to 39 km (21-24 miles) wide and 400 m (0.25 mile) thick.  A team of Australian and French scientists say that "[t]he future behavior of the two icebergs is of great interest," with potential impacts on local ocean circulation, and on the region's marine biology -- including emperor penguins.

A video about the empirical evidence on climate change—it details what the science reveals and how we know what we know.  "Of course, no amount of proof is sufficient for those who believe climate science is all a global conspiracy," acerbically notes the video's producer, Peter Sinclair.

Researchers report in tomorrow's journal Science (5 March 2010) that the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) is leaking methane to the atmosphere, in volumes "on par with previous estimates of methane venting from the entire World Ocean."  They warn that "remobilization to the atmosphere of only a small fraction of the methane" held in the ESAS sediments "could trigger abrupt climate warming."

In a videotaped lecture, Naomi Oreskes discusses the upcoming book, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming, which she coauthored with Erik Conway. "The failure of the United States to act on global warming as well as the long delays between when the science was settled and when we acted on tobacco, acid rain and the ozone hole are prima facie empirical evidence that doubt-mongering works," Oreskes said.

New records are being achieved for Earth Hour with more countries now signed up for the event than for last year’s globe-circling lights-out for climate action.  Organizers are now active in 92 countries, compared to a final participation figure of 88 countries in 2009 - with still just over two weeks to go.