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First there's The Red River flooding and the actual records:
stormx :: Weather Risk : The Red River Flood, Global Change, President Barack Obama, and the Actual Record (http://www.stormx.com/agriculture/weather-risk/2009/04/the-red-river-flood-global-change-president-barack-obama-and-the-actual-record/ - broken link)
And then of course there's sunspots:
stormx :: Weather Risk : Solar Activity Lowest in Almost 100 Years, Implications for Climate Potentially Significant (http://www.stormx.com/agriculture/weather-risk/2009/04/solar-activity-lowest-in-almost-100-years-implications-for-climate-potentially-significant/ - broken link)
Some people may be surprised that there is research and historical data on the other side of the coin.
First there's The Red River flooding and the actual records:
stormx :: Weather Risk : The Red River Flood, Global Change, President Barack Obama, and the Actual Record (http://www.stormx.com/agriculture/weather-risk/2009/04/the-red-river-flood-global-change-president-barack-obama-and-the-actual-record/ - broken link)
And then of course there's sunspots:
stormx :: Weather Risk : Solar Activity Lowest in Almost 100 Years, Implications for Climate Potentially Significant (http://www.stormx.com/agriculture/weather-risk/2009/04/solar-activity-lowest-in-almost-100-years-implications-for-climate-potentially-significant/ - broken link)
Some people may be surprised that there is research and historical data on the other side of the coin.
Yes, and if one chooses to ignore all differences of scale, they carry equal weight.
Though greenhouse gases are invariably at the center of discussions about global climate change, new NASA research suggests that much of the atmospheric warming observed in the Arctic since 1976 may be due to changes in tiny airborne particles called aerosols. NASA - Aerosols May Drive a Significant Portion of Arctic Warming
Goes on to say that the aerosols are of 2 types one which cools the earth and the other which warms it. Also in some respects, lays the blame for artic melting on Asia.
But then there are other reports which say the artic is melting, is not melting, is natural, is man-made.
GOOOOOOD grief!!!!!!!!!!
Ummmm, perhaps the US should not be setting drastic economic policies based on, ummm, well, which should they base it on? Hmmmmmmm.
Goes on to say that the aerosols are of 2 types one which cools the earth and the other which warms it. Also in some respects, lays the blame for artic melting on Asia.
But then there are other reports which say the artic is melting, is not melting, is natural, is man-made.
GOOOOOOD grief!!!!!!!!!!
Ummmm, perhaps the US should not be setting drastic economic policies based on, ummm, well, which should they base it on? Hmmmmmmm.
Seems Clear enough.
Quote:
Quote:
The Arctic region has seen its surface air temperatures increase by 1.5 C (2.7 F) since the mid-1970s. In the Antarctic, where aerosols play less of a role, the surface air temperature has increased about 0.35 C (0.6 F).
That makes sense, Shindell explained, because of the Arctic's proximity to North America and Europe. The two highly industrialized regions have produced most of the world's aerosol emissions over the last century, and some of those aerosols drift northward and collect in the Arctic.
"There's a tendency to think of aerosols as small players, but they're not," said Shindell. "Right now, in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and in the Arctic, the impact of aerosols is just as strong as that of the greenhouse gases."
"We will have very little leverage over climate in the next couple of decades if we're just looking at carbon dioxide," Shindell said. "If we want to try to stop the Arctic summer sea ice from melting completely over the next few decades, we're much better off looking at aerosols and ozone."
Though there are several varieties of aerosols, previous research has shown that two types -- sulfates and black carbon -- play an especially critical role in regulating climate change. Both are products of human activity.
Sulfates, which come primarily from the burning of coal and oil, scatter incoming solar radiation and have a net cooling effect on climate. Over the past three decades, the United States and European countries have passed a series of laws that have reduced sulfate emissions by 50 percent. While improving air quality and aiding public health, the result has been less atmospheric cooling from sulfates.
At the same time, black carbon emissions have steadily risen, largely because of increasing emissions from Asia. ..Black carbon -- small, soot-like particles produced by industrial processes and the combustion of diesel and biofuels -- absorb incoming solar radiation and have a strong warming influence on the atmosphere.
Similarly, Dr. Tami Bond of the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, estimates the sources of black carbon emissions as follows:[54]
42% Open biomass burning (forest and savanna burning)
18% Residential biofuel burned with traditional technologies
14% Diesel engines for transportation
10% Diesel engines for industrial use
10% Industrial processes and power generation, usually from smaller boilers
6.0% Residential coal burned with traditional technologies[55]
Black carbon sources vary by region. For example, the majority of soot emissions in South Asia are due to biofuel cooking, whereas in East Asia, coal combustion for residential and industrial uses plays a larger role. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_carbon
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