Climate news
Global warming not due to increased solar activity
A new NASA study has underscored the conclusion that greenhouse gases generated by human activity - not changes in solar activity - are the primary force driving global warming. The study offers an updated calculation of the Earth's energy imbalance, the difference between the amount of solar energy absorbed by Earth's surface and the amount returned to space as heat. The researchers' calculations show that, despite unusually low solar activity between 2005 and 2010, the planet continued to absorb more energy than it returned to space.
James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City, led the research and said "it's worth noting because this provides unequivocal evidence that the sun is not the dominant driver of global warming."
'Red List' of threatened species updated: Western Black Rhino extinct
The IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species has just been updated. The Western Black Rhino subspecies is now officially extinct and the Northern White Rhino is listed as 'Possibly Extinct in the Wild', although Southern White Rhino numbers have increased.
Five out of the eight species of tuna are also now listed in the threatened or near-threatened categories, including the Atlantic bluefin, southern bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin and albacore.
Arctic sea ice reaches second lowest extent
Data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSDIC) shows that the extent of Arctic sea ice appears to have reached its annual minimum on 9th September this year, and that this minimum is the second lowest since records began in 1979.
The last five years (2007 to 2011) have been the five lowest extents in the continuous satellite record. While the record low year of 2007 was marked by a combination of weather conditions that favoured ice loss (including clearer skies, favourable wind patterns, and warm temperatures), this year has shown more typical weather patterns but continued warmth over the Arctic. This supports the idea that the Arctic sea ice cover is continuing to thin.
Record high global CO2 emissions in 2010
Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history, according to the latest estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA). After a dip in 2009 caused by the global financial crisis, emissions are estimated to have climbed to a record 30.6 Gigatonnes (Gt), a 5% jump from the previous record year in 2008, when levels reached 29.3 Gt.
The IEA has estimated that 80% of projected emissions from the power sector in 2020 are already locked in, as they will come from power plants that are currently in place or under construction today. “This significant increase in CO2 emissions and the locking in of future emissions due to infrastructure investments represent a serious setback to our hopes of limiting the global rise in temperature to no more than 2ºC,” said Dr Fatih Birol, Chief Economist at the IEA.
On a per capita basis, OECD countries (including the USA, Europe and Australia) collectively emitted 10 tonnes, compared with 5.8 tonnes for China, and 1.5 tonnes in India.
Click here to read more from IEA.
Renewable energy guide for rural communities
The UK Commission for Rural Communities (CRC) has worked in partnership with Action for Communities in Rural England (ACRE), the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) to produce a guide to help rural communities interested in generating renewable energy locally. The guide gives an overview of community-based renewable energy options for community groups, local councils and individuals. It provides a starting point for rural communities to take the next step in planning and delivering their own renewable energy developments.
2010: Equal hottest year on record
2010 was marginally the warmest year on record, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), but the average global temperature was not statistically different from the temperatures recorded in 1998 and 2005. The ten warmest years on record have all occurred since 1998.
Regional differences meant that 2010 was particularly hot in much of Africa and southern Asia and also in Greenland and northern Canada, but cooler than average in northern Europe and eastern Australia.
Ocean acidification update
ClimateWatch Magazine (produced by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has produced predictions of ocean acidification that may occur by 2100 either with CO2 reduction or without it. The amount of CO2 reduction modelled is that which would limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees C.
Oceanic pH currently averages about 8.07, down from 8.16 historically. The oceans have adsorbed about half the CO2 produced since the industrial revolution but the dissolved CO2 leads to increasing acidification of the water, which can then corrode the minerals that many creatures use to form their protective shells and skeletons. Under the reduced CO2 scenario, the pH is expected to drop to about 8.01 by the end of the century; without CO2 reduction, the 2100 pH is expected to be about 7.67.
Arctic sea ice at third lowest extent
Arctic sea ice appeared to reach its annual minimum extent on 10 September. The minimum ice extent was the third-lowest in the satellite record, after 2007 and 2008, and continues the trend of decreasing summer sea ice. This is despite a late start to the melt season, which is the shortest melt seaon on record. Both the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route were open at the 2010 sea ice minimum, whereas in 2007 (the lowest extent on record), ice blocked the Northern Sea Route.
It remains possible that further melting may still occur in the second half of September, to reduce this year's minimum ice extent further.
Warmest January to June on record
Last month’s combined global land and ocean surface temperature made it the warmest June on record and the warmest on record averaged for any April-June and January-June periods, according to the US Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for June 2010 was 16.2°C, and for the year-to-date it was 14.2°C. Both of these are 0.68°C above the 20th century average.
Other climate-related highlights for June 2010 include:
- Arctic sea ice extent in June 2010 was the lowest June extent since records began in 1979 and was the 19th consecutive June with below-average Arctic sea ice extent.
- Antarctic sea ice extent in June was the largest June extent on record.
- Australia had its fourth-driest June on record.
- The first six months of 2010 were the driest since 1929 for the United Kingdom.
January to March 2010 warmest on record despite the cold in UK and northern Europe
Charts of surface temperature anomolies around the globe, published by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, show that temperatures during the first quarter of 2010 were the highest on record (out of 131 years).
Although temperatures in the UK, northern Europe and northern China were generally 1-2 degrees C below average, this was more than offset by warmer temperatures across most of Africa, South America, south Asia and Canada. Much of northern Canada was more than 4 degrees warmer than average.
Click here to view the graphs
Every day there is a torrent of climate-related news. Here is our pick of the stories.
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