climate change

Huge iceberg breaks away from the Pine Island glacier in the Antarctic

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The Watchers, 7/10/13, Adonai

A huge area of the ice shelf measuring 720 square kilometers broke away on July 8, 2013, from the Pine Island glacier, the longest and fastest flowing glacier in the Antarctic. It is now floating in the Amundsen Sea in the form of a very large iceberg.

Scientists of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research have been following this natural spectacle via the earth observation satellites TerraSAR-X from the German Space Agency (DLR) and have documented it in many individual images. The data is intended to help solve the physical puzzle of this “calving“.

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Experts: Western wildfires are becoming more immense and explosive than in the past

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Foxnews.com - 7/5/13, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES –  Scientists say the deadly Arizona wildfire and other blazes raging across the West are becoming more common as the planet warms.

While no single wildfire can be blamed solely on climate change, researchers say hotter temperatures, prolonged drought and heavy undergrowth will increase the risk of more frequent and explosive fires.


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First decade of 21st century: unprecedented high-impact climate extremes since measurements began!

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The Watchers, 7/6/13, Adorali

Accoding to a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report The Global Climate 2001-2010, A Decade of Extremes Earth experienced unprecedented high-impact climate extremes in 2001 - 2010 since the measurements began in 1850. In that period more national temperature records were broken than in any other decade.

The first decade of the 21st century was the warmest for both hemispheres and for both land and ocean temperatures. High temperatures were accompanied by a rapid decline in Arctic sea ice, and an accelerating loss of the ice sheets of the world's glaciers

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Extreme heat wave to hit US - expected temperatures above 48 °C

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The Watchers, 6/29/13, Chillmanjaro

Interior US West will experience heat reaching dangerous levels, challenging records and elevating the wildfire threat. The developing pattern will take the heat to the extreme levels with record highs. Temperatures will soar above 120 °F (48.8 °C) into early next week. The extreme heat is expected to impact Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver, Boise, Idaho, Rawlins, Medford and Fresno. The worst of the heat will hold up just inland over California.

For more on this story please see The Watchers.com

 

 

 

Epic Rains Hit Iguazu Falls in Brazil

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The Epoch Times, 6/28/13, Associated Press

FOZ DO IGUAZU, Brazil—The majestic Iguazu Falls that straddle the border of Brazil and Argentina have been hit hard by rains that are keeping visitors from seeing the falls up close and leading officials to take measures to prevent flooding.

The amount of water flowing at one of South America’s biggest tourist destinations is now about 13 million liters (roughly 3,434,000 gallons) per second. That’s up from the roughly 1.5 million liters (roughly 396,000 gallons) per second two weeks ago, according to park administrators on the Brazilian side.

For more information and some beautiful pictures please follow this link.

Major Heat Wave for Western US

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Accuweather - 6/28/13, Alex Sosnowski

 

Temperatures will be at full throttle heading into the weekend over the interior West, reaching dangerous levels, challenging records and elevating the wildfire threat.

While many folks over the interior West are accustomed to and expect hot weather during the summer the developing pattern will take the heat to the extreme. In some cities record highs for any date throughout the year could be equaled or breached.

For more on this story please click this link.

Wacky weather? Blame a wobbly jet stream

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TheStar.com - 6/25/13, Seth Borenson

This Thursday, May 30, 2013 image provided by KFOR-TV shows a bolt of lightning from storm clouds moving over Guthrie, Okla.

WASHINGTON—The jet stream, the river of air high above Earth that generally dictates the weather, usually rushes rapidly from west to east in a mostly straight direction.

But lately it seems to be wobbling and weaving like a drunken driver, wreaking havoc as it goes.

“I’ve been doing meteorology for 30 years and the jet stream the last three years has done stuff I’ve never seen,” said Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the private service Weather Underground. “The fact that the jet stream is unusual could be an indicator of something. I’m not saying we know what it is.”

For more on this story please follow this link.

Map Shows States Most Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise

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Wunderground, 6/25/13, Terrel Johnson

In a warming world with rising sea levels, where will be the least vulnerable places to live?

As you can see in the image of the map below, the high-elevation states across the West and Midwest fare best, while the future of the comparatively lower-elevation states in the Southeast and Northeast (especially in New England) is a far less rosy one.

Map of U.S. states above sea level, by volume

Link: Wunderground.com

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