Area Burned By U.S. Wildfires Expected to Double by 2050
Warmer and drier conditions in coming decades will likely cause the burned area from wildfires in the U.S. to double in size by 2050, according to new research based on satellite observations and computer modeling experiments. The research, which was first presented at the annual meeting of the whttp://www.agu.org in San Francisco on Dec. 4, provid… Read More
IPCC Predictions: Then Versus Now
Scientists will tell you: There are no perfect computer models. All are incomplete representations of nature, with uncertainty built into them. But one thing is certain: Several fundamental projections found in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports have consistently underestimated real-world observations, potentially leaving world gover… Read More
Report: IPCC Underestimates Climate Risks
This conservative bias, say some scientists, could have significant political implications, as reports from the group – the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – influence policy and planning decisions worldwide, from national governments down to local town councils.… Read More
Climate Change Will Mean More Malnourished Children
Food prices will more than double and the number of malnourished children spiral if climate change is not checked and developing countries are not helped to adapt their farming, food and water experts warned on Tuesday at the UN climate talks in Doha. As the UK energy secretary, Ed Davey, and ministers from 194 countriesarrived for the high-level … Read More
Colombia’s Cloud Forests Besieged by Climate Change
Five hours by truck and mule from the nearest town, a rumbling generator cuts through the silent night to power large spotlights as botanists crouch and kneel on large blue tarps spread across a cow pasture. It's nearly midnight, and the team works urgently to describe every detail of the dozens of colorful orchids, ferns and other exotic plants th… Read More
Arctic Wildfires Speed Melting of Greenland Ice: Study
Wildfire smoke contains dark-colored soot and other particles which, when deposited onto the Greenland ice sheet, cause the ice and snow surfaces to darken and absorb more incoming solar radiation, and therefore melt more readily. Box said that wildfire smoke may be responsible for a dramatic expansion in the portion of Greenland that experiences m… Read More
Balmy November Virtually Assures 2012 to Be Hottest Year
With just more than three weeks left in the year, it’s virtually certain that 2012 will displace 1998 as the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S. according to NOAA. The agency’s monthly State of the Climate Report, released on Thursday, shows that temperatures across the lower 48 states averaged 44.1°F for November -- 2.1°F higher than th… Read More
Accelerated Warming Driving Arctic Into New Volatile State
Since the "Arctic Report Card" began in 2006, each iteration has issued more shrill alarms about the pace and extent of the changes taking place in the Arctic. This year’s report is noteworthy for what it says about the acceleration of climate change in the Far North.… Read More
