It's Climate Change I tell'ya!! IT'S CLIMATE CHANGE!!

[spaminator]

Julian Sands spoke of mountaineering 'dangers' months before disappearance
Author of the article:Bang Showbiz
Bang Showbiz
Published Jul 04, 2023 • 2 minute read

Julian Sands spoke of the dangers of mountaineering in one of his final interviews.


The ‘Room with a View’ star was confirmed dead last week after his body was found, six months after he was last seen in the Mount Baldy area of California on 13 January.


Late last year, he told how many of his friends had stopped going mountaineering because of the dangers, partly due to climate change.

Speaking to the Radio Times magazine at the time, he said: “Pals I used to climb with have stopped going to the mountains, partly because they find, with climate change, the rock faces have become much more unstable, partly, it’s age.

“If you don’t really have the desire, the focus for climbing a route, if you’re not absolutely committed, it becomes much more dangerous.”

Julian also told of “chilling” experiences when he found human remains during his mountaineering expeditions.


He said: “I’ve found spooky things on mountains, when you know you’re in a place where many people have lost their lives, whether it be on the Eiger or in the Andes.

“You may be confronted with human remains and that can be chilling. It’s not necessarily supernatural, it’s possibly all too natural – what I would call hypernatural.

“You’re in the presence of big nature and big nature is revealing itself in all its power. It can take us over a threshold of hypersensitivity into a realm of natural forces.”

Julian, who was a keen hiker and mountaineer, was reported missing after he failed to return home from walking in the Mount Baldy area.

Last week, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said: “The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood. The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.



“We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands.”

Eight searches by ground and air took place to look for the ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ actor but they were hindered by poor conditions in the area and were even halted in March due to the risk of avalanches.

Julian Sands spoke of mountaineering 'dangers' months before disappearance

Late last year, he told how many of his friends had stopped going mountaineering because of the dangers, partly due to climate change.

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

Has the snow in the Sierras melted yet?

 

[spaminator]

Earth hit an unofficial record high temperature this week — and stayed there
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein And Isabella O'malley
Published Jul 06, 2023 • 4 minute read

Sweltering heat is blanketing much of the planet, and one unofficial analysis says the past seven days have been the hottest week on record, the latest grim milestone in a series of climate-change-driven extremes.


On Thursday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration distanced itself from the designation, compiled by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, which uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition. That metric showed that Earth’s average temperature on Wednesday remained at an unofficial record high, 62.9 degrees Fahrenheit (17.18 degrees Celsius), set the day before.


And for the seven-day period ending Wednesday, the daily average temperature was .08 degrees Fahrenheit (.04 degrees Celsius) higher than any week in 44 years of record-keeping, according to Climate Reanalyzer data.

Though the figures are unofficial, many scientists agree they indicate climate change is reaching uncharted territory. And the White House said the data show the need for legislative action.


“The alarming extreme weather events impacting millions of Americans underscore the urgency of President Biden’s climate agenda and the absurdity of continued efforts by Republican lawmakers to block and repeal it,” spokesman Abdullah Hasan said.

NOAA, whose figures are considered the gold standard in climate data, said in a statement Thursday that the agency cannot validate the unofficial numbers. The agency monitors global temperatures and records on a monthly and an annual basis, not daily.

“Although NOAA cannot validate the methodology or conclusion of the University of Maine analysis, we recognize that we are in a warm period due to climate change, and combined with El Nino and hot summer conditions, we’re seeing record warm surface temperatures being recorded at many locations across the globe,” the statement said.


U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the latest numbers help prove “that climate change is out of control.”

“If we persist in delaying key measures that are needed, I think we are moving into a catastrophic situation, as the last two records in temperature demonstrates,” he said.

More frequent and more intense heat waves are disrupting life around the world and causing life-threatening temperatures.

In Timbuktu, Mali — at the gateway to the Sahara Desert _ 50-year-old Fatoumata Arby said this kind of heat is new. “Usually, at night it’s a bit cool even during the hot season. But this year, even at night, it’s been hot — I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Arby, who rarely leaves her hometown. “I’ve been having heart palpitations because of the heat. I’m starting to think seriously that I’m going to leave Timbuktu.”


Last week, Egypt experienced one of its many summer heatwaves, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius), according to the country’s national weather forecaster. To combat heat and humidity, children on Thursday frolicked in the Nile River while pedestrians hunted the shade.

People are also feeling the effects in Nouakchot, Mauritania’s capital city, on the shores of the Atlantic. For Abdallahi Sy, a 56-year-old farmer who works in the market gardens, environmental changes have reduced his already-meager income.

“I have a small shelter built from wooden poles and scraps of cloth. I take refuge there when the heat becomes unbearable,” said Sy, who tries to work from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., or noon at the latest. “After that … I practically can’t move because of the heat.” Customers don’t venture out until 5 p.m. or later to buy fertilizer and vegetables.


He cited a scarcity of water and quality feed for livestock as causes for illness and even miscarriage among animals: “It is clear that we are facing profound changes in our environment. The earth is becoming less fertile and less generous.”

Overall, one of the largest contributors to this week’s heat records is an exceptionally mild winter in the Antarctic. Parts of the continent and nearby ocean were 18-36 degrees Fahrenheit (10-20 degrees Celsius) higher than averages from 1979 to 2000.

“Temperatures have been unusual over the ocean and especially around the Antarctic this week, because wind fronts over the Southern Ocean are strong pushing warm air deeper south,” said Raghu Murtugudde, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and earth system science at the University of Maryland and visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.


Chari Vijayaraghavan, a polar explorer and educator who has visited the Arctic and Antarctic regularly for the past 10 years, said global warming is obvious at both poles and threatens the region’s wildlife as well as driving ice melt that raises sea levels.

“Warming climates might lead to increasing risks of diseases such as the avian flu spreading in the Antarctic that will have devastating consequences for penguins and other fauna in the region,” Vijayaraghavan said.

Katharine Hayhoe, The Nature Conservancy chief scientist and a climate scientist at Texas Tech, said: “This is one more reminder of the inexorable upward trend that will only be halted by decisive actions to wean ourselves off fossil fuels, invest in nature, and achieve net zero.”

Earth hit an unofficial record high temperature this week — and stayed there

Sweltering heat is blanketing much of the planet, and one unofficial analysis says the past seven days have been the hottest week on record

torontosun.com

 

[Dixie Cup]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1677360129409445888

 

[Ron in Regina]

…higher than any week in 44 years of record-keeping, according to Climate Reanalyzer data.

44 years…’cuz 1979 is where record keeping must have begun? Or everything before 1979 is unreliable? Or something predating 1979 is contradictory to the current narrative? Or 1979 is arbitrarily chosen to make the record-keeping easier? Some other factors…?

Though the figures are unofficial, many scientists agree they indicate climate change is reaching uncharted territory. And the White House said the data show the need for legislative action.

Because….1979? Uncharted…since 1979.

“The alarming extreme weather events impacting millions of Americans underscore the urgency of President Biden’s climate agenda and the absurdity of continued efforts by Republican lawmakers to block and repeal it,” spokesman Abdullah Hasan said.

Ok.

NOAA, whose figures are considered the gold standard in climate data, said in a statement Thursday that the agency cannot validate the unofficial numbers. The agency monitors global temperatures and records on a monthly and an annual basis, not daily.

Ok

“Although NOAA cannot validate the methodology or conclusion of the University of Maine analysis, we recognize that we are in a warm period due to climate change, and combined with El Nino and hot summer conditions…

Ok

we’re seeing record warm surface temperatures being recorded at many locations across the globe,” the statement said.

Ok

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the latest numbers help prove “that climate change is out of control.”

If the record-keeping begins at 1979?

“If we persist in delaying key measures that are needed, I think we are moving into a catastrophic situation, as the last two records in temperature demonstrates,” he said.

More frequent and more intense heat waves are disrupting life around the world and causing life-threatening temperatures.

In Timbuktu, Mali — at the gateway to the Sahara Desert _ 50-year-old Fatoumata Arby said this kind of heat is new. “Usually, at night it’s a bit cool even during the hot season. But this year, even at night, it’s been hot — I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Arby, who rarely leaves her hometown. “I’ve been having heart palpitations because of the heat. I’m starting to think seriously that I’m going to leave Timbuktu.”

Last week, Egypt experienced one of its many summer heatwaves, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius), according to the country’s national weather forecaster. To combat heat and humidity, children on Thursday frolicked in the Nile River while pedestrians hunted the shade.

People are also feeling the effects in Nouakchot, Mauritania’s capital city, on the shores of the Atlantic. For Abdallahi Sy, a 56-year-old farmer who works in the market gardens, environmental changes have reduced his already-meager income.

“I have a small shelter built from wooden poles and scraps of cloth. I take refuge there when the heat becomes unbearable,” said Sy, who tries to work from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., or noon at the latest. “After that … I practically can’t move because of the heat.” Customers don’t venture out until 5 p.m. or later to buy fertilizer and vegetables.


He cited a scarcity of water and quality feed for livestock as causes for illness and even miscarriage among animals: “It is clear that we are facing profound changes in our environment. The earth is becoming less fertile and less generous.”

Overall, one of the largest contributors to this week’s heat records is an exceptionally mild winter in the Antarctic. Parts of the continent and nearby ocean were 18-36 degrees Fahrenheit (10-20 degrees Celsius) higher than averages from 1979 to 2000.

“Temperatures have been unusual over the ocean and especially around the Antarctic this week, because wind fronts over the Southern Ocean are strong pushing warm air deeper south,” said Raghu Murtugudde, professor of atmospheric, oceanic and earth system science at the University of Maryland and visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.

Chari Vijayaraghavan, a polar explorer and educator who has visited the Arctic and Antarctic regularly for the past 10 years, said global warming is obvious at both poles and threatens the region’s wildlife as well as driving ice melt that raises sea levels.

“Warming climates might lead to increasing risks of diseases such as the avian flu spreading in the Antarctic that will have devastating consequences for penguins and other fauna in the region,” Vijayaraghavan said.

Katharine Hayhoe, The Nature Conservancy chief scientist and a climate scientist at Texas Tech, said: “This is one more reminder of the inexorable upward trend that will only be halted by decisive actions to wean ourselves off fossil fuels, invest in nature, and achieve net zero.”

Earth hit an unofficial record high temperature this week — and stayed there

Sweltering heat is blanketing much of the planet, and one unofficial analysis says the past seven days have been the hottest week on record

torontosun.com

…& it’s an El Niño year, & it’s Summer in this hemisphere, etc…got it.

 

[spaminator]

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kyle Melnick
Published Jul 07, 2023 • 3 minute read

About a month ago, researchers knew there was a problem when hundreds of sea lions began surfacing on Southern California beaches. The charismatic but typically unaggressive sea mammals were biting people who approached them.


To understand their behavior, researchers looked toward the food chain. Small fish, such as anchovies and plankton, probably ate toxic algae that was blooming in the Pacific Ocean. Larger mammals, including sea lions and dolphins, then ate the fish and the toxic algae they carried, researchers found.


Unbeknown to them, sea mammals were ingesting domoic acid – a neurotoxin produced by the algal bloom. In the ecosystem, sea lions were perhaps hit the worst, suffering from seizures, brain damage, dehydration and muscle spasms as hundreds began to die.

The sick animals have been left feeling aggravated, which has led them to attack people and their pets walking by on the beach, researchers say.

“When they start to feel sick or incapacitated at all, it’s really stressful for a wild animal because they are prey,” said Michelle Berman Kowalewski, the founder of the nonprofit Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit in Santa Barbara, Calif. “So if they can’t swim, if they can’t avoid obstacles, if they can’t avoid predators … that’s really scary for a wild animal.”


At least 500 sea lions and 100 dolphins have become sick from the algae on beaches in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, wildlife officials said. And at least two dozen beachgoers have reported being bitten.

Harmful algal blooms – rapid increases in toxic-producing algae – occur almost every year and cause dozens of sea mammals to die in California, including particularly deadly occurrences last year and in 2015. Kowalewski said only a “perfect storm” of algae abundance and animals eating certain fish could cause an outbreak like this summer’s. Climate change and pollution can also cause harmful algal blooms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Stemming from algae called Pseudo-nitzschia, the past month has brought the deadliest algae bloom researchers have seen in the state.


“It gives people sort of a sense of doom,” John Warner, the chief executive of the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, Calif., told The Washington Post.

Southern California wildlife care centers have become overcrowded. Kowalewski and Warner said their centers have treated over a hundred sea lions and dolphins – more than double the number they care for most years. Due to the lack of space, some sea lions have been left on shores, researchers said. But SeaWorld and local aquariums have volunteered to adopt some of the sick sea lions.

When treated, the sea lions are hydrated to help flush out the toxins. But Warner said about 30 percent of the sea lions he has treated have died. For those that survive, many could continue suffering health effects even after they’re released, wildlife officials said.


Humans can face health risks, too. The California Department of Health advised Santa Barbara County residents last month to avoid shellfish in case they contained toxins.

Beaches visitors have been cautioned to stay at least 50 feet away from sea lions. Many beaches have marked off sections that are off-limits to humans using bleach or chalk.

A 14-year-old told NBC 7 San Diego on Wednesday that he was celebrating the Fourth of July on the Del Mar, Calif., coast when a sea lion bit his right knee and butt.

“It looked really tired,” he told the news channel. “Its eyes were closed, and its mouth was twitching.”

This week, Warner said some recovering sea lions are waddling back toward the ocean, and calls about other sick marine mammals have decreased. Officials hope they’ve contained the contamination.

Researchers also hope the toxins won’t spread to other parts of the Pacific Ocean.

“The mortality rate will increase,” Warner said, “the longer this goes on.”

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say

torontosun.com

 

[petros]

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kyle Melnick
Published Jul 07, 2023 • 3 minute read

About a month ago, researchers knew there was a problem when hundreds of sea lions began surfacing on Southern California beaches. The charismatic but typically unaggressive sea mammals were biting people who approached them.


To understand their behavior, researchers looked toward the food chain. Small fish, such as anchovies and plankton, probably ate toxic algae that was blooming in the Pacific Ocean. Larger mammals, including sea lions and dolphins, then ate the fish and the toxic algae they carried, researchers found.


Unbeknown to them, sea mammals were ingesting domoic acid – a neurotoxin produced by the algal bloom. In the ecosystem, sea lions were perhaps hit the worst, suffering from seizures, brain damage, dehydration and muscle spasms as hundreds began to die.

The sick animals have been left feeling aggravated, which has led them to attack people and their pets walking by on the beach, researchers say.

“When they start to feel sick or incapacitated at all, it’s really stressful for a wild animal because they are prey,” said Michelle Berman Kowalewski, the founder of the nonprofit Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit in Santa Barbara, Calif. “So if they can’t swim, if they can’t avoid obstacles, if they can’t avoid predators … that’s really scary for a wild animal.”


At least 500 sea lions and 100 dolphins have become sick from the algae on beaches in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, wildlife officials said. And at least two dozen beachgoers have reported being bitten.

Harmful algal blooms – rapid increases in toxic-producing algae – occur almost every year and cause dozens of sea mammals to die in California, including particularly deadly occurrences last year and in 2015. Kowalewski said only a “perfect storm” of algae abundance and animals eating certain fish could cause an outbreak like this summer’s. Climate change and pollution can also cause harmful algal blooms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Stemming from algae called Pseudo-nitzschia, the past month has brought the deadliest algae bloom researchers have seen in the state.


“It gives people sort of a sense of doom,” John Warner, the chief executive of the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, Calif., told The Washington Post.

Southern California wildlife care centers have become overcrowded. Kowalewski and Warner said their centers have treated over a hundred sea lions and dolphins – more than double the number they care for most years. Due to the lack of space, some sea lions have been left on shores, researchers said. But SeaWorld and local aquariums have volunteered to adopt some of the sick sea lions.

When treated, the sea lions are hydrated to help flush out the toxins. But Warner said about 30 percent of the sea lions he has treated have died. For those that survive, many could continue suffering health effects even after they’re released, wildlife officials said.


Humans can face health risks, too. The California Department of Health advised Santa Barbara County residents last month to avoid shellfish in case they contained toxins.

Beaches visitors have been cautioned to stay at least 50 feet away from sea lions. Many beaches have marked off sections that are off-limits to humans using bleach or chalk.

A 14-year-old told NBC 7 San Diego on Wednesday that he was celebrating the Fourth of July on the Del Mar, Calif., coast when a sea lion bit his right knee and butt.

“It looked really tired,” he told the news channel. “Its eyes were closed, and its mouth was twitching.”

This week, Warner said some recovering sea lions are waddling back toward the ocean, and calls about other sick marine mammals have decreased. Officials hope they’ve contained the contamination.

Researchers also hope the toxins won’t spread to other parts of the Pacific Ocean.

“The mortality rate will increase,” Warner said, “the longer this goes on.”

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say

torontosun.com

Overpopulation after fishermen stopped shooting sea lions.

 

[pgs]

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say
Author of the article:Washington Post
Washington Post
Kyle Melnick
Published Jul 07, 2023 • 3 minute read

About a month ago, researchers knew there was a problem when hundreds of sea lions began surfacing on Southern California beaches. The charismatic but typically unaggressive sea mammals were biting people who approached them.


To understand their behavior, researchers looked toward the food chain. Small fish, such as anchovies and plankton, probably ate toxic algae that was blooming in the Pacific Ocean. Larger mammals, including sea lions and dolphins, then ate the fish and the toxic algae they carried, researchers found.


Unbeknown to them, sea mammals were ingesting domoic acid – a neurotoxin produced by the algal bloom. In the ecosystem, sea lions were perhaps hit the worst, suffering from seizures, brain damage, dehydration and muscle spasms as hundreds began to die.

The sick animals have been left feeling aggravated, which has led them to attack people and their pets walking by on the beach, researchers say.

“When they start to feel sick or incapacitated at all, it’s really stressful for a wild animal because they are prey,” said Michelle Berman Kowalewski, the founder of the nonprofit Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit in Santa Barbara, Calif. “So if they can’t swim, if they can’t avoid obstacles, if they can’t avoid predators … that’s really scary for a wild animal.”


At least 500 sea lions and 100 dolphins have become sick from the algae on beaches in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas, wildlife officials said. And at least two dozen beachgoers have reported being bitten.

Harmful algal blooms – rapid increases in toxic-producing algae – occur almost every year and cause dozens of sea mammals to die in California, including particularly deadly occurrences last year and in 2015. Kowalewski said only a “perfect storm” of algae abundance and animals eating certain fish could cause an outbreak like this summer’s. Climate change and pollution can also cause harmful algal blooms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Stemming from algae called Pseudo-nitzschia, the past month has brought the deadliest algae bloom researchers have seen in the state.


“It gives people sort of a sense of doom,” John Warner, the chief executive of the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, Calif., told The Washington Post.

Southern California wildlife care centers have become overcrowded. Kowalewski and Warner said their centers have treated over a hundred sea lions and dolphins – more than double the number they care for most years. Due to the lack of space, some sea lions have been left on shores, researchers said. But SeaWorld and local aquariums have volunteered to adopt some of the sick sea lions.

When treated, the sea lions are hydrated to help flush out the toxins. But Warner said about 30 percent of the sea lions he has treated have died. For those that survive, many could continue suffering health effects even after they’re released, wildlife officials said.


Humans can face health risks, too. The California Department of Health advised Santa Barbara County residents last month to avoid shellfish in case they contained toxins.

Beaches visitors have been cautioned to stay at least 50 feet away from sea lions. Many beaches have marked off sections that are off-limits to humans using bleach or chalk.

A 14-year-old told NBC 7 San Diego on Wednesday that he was celebrating the Fourth of July on the Del Mar, Calif., coast when a sea lion bit his right knee and butt.

“It looked really tired,” he told the news channel. “Its eyes were closed, and its mouth was twitching.”

This week, Warner said some recovering sea lions are waddling back toward the ocean, and calls about other sick marine mammals have decreased. Officials hope they’ve contained the contamination.

Researchers also hope the toxins won’t spread to other parts of the Pacific Ocean.

“The mortality rate will increase,” Warner said, “the longer this goes on.”

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say

Sea lions biting people are sick from toxic algae, officials say

torontosun.com

Maybe they are just hungry, have you ever seen those things teeth , and how fast they can come out of the water .

 

[spaminator]

Florida in hot water as ocean temperatures rise along with humidity
Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30sC) are threatening delicate coral reefs and depriving swimmers of cooling dips

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein And Mike Schneider
Published Jul 11, 2023 • 4 minute read
Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs, depriving swimmers of cooling dips and adding a bit more ick to the state's already oppressive summer weather.
ORLANDO — Record global ocean heating has invaded Florida with a vengeance.


Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs, depriving swimmers of cooling dips and adding a bit more ick to the Sunshine State’s already oppressive summer weather. Forecasters are warning of temperatures that with humidity will feel like 110 degrees (43 degrees Celsius) by week’s end.


If that’s not enough, Florida is about to get a dose of dust from Africa’s Saharan desert that’s likely to hurt air quality.

The globe is coming off a week of heat not seen in modern measurements, the World Meteorological Organization said Monday, using data from Japan’s weather agency to confirm unofficial records reported nearly daily last week by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer. Japan reported the global average temperature on Friday was half a degree (0.3 degrees Celsius) warmer than its past record hottest day in August 2016.


Global sea surface temperatures have been record high since April and the North Atlantic has been off-the-charts hot since mid-March, meteorologists report as climate change is linked to more extremeand deadly events.

“We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall,” said WMO director of climate services Christopher Hewitt. “This is worrying news for the planet.”

Now it’s Florida’s turn.

Water temperature near Johnson Key came close to 97 degrees (36.1 degrees Celsius) Monday evening, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy. Another buoy had a reading close to 95 (35 Celsius) near Vaca Key a day earlier. These are about 5 degrees warmer than normal this time of year, meteorologists said.



“That’s incredible,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Orrison. “The water is so warm you really can’t cool off.”

While the 95- and 96-degree readings were in shallow waters, “the water temperatures are 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit around much of Florida, which is extremely warm,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. He said his 95-degree pool doesn’t cool him — it just leaves him wet.

Water temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico and Southwest Atlantic are 4 to 5 degrees (2 to 3 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal, Orrison said. Because the water is so warm, the air in Florida gets more humid and “that’s making things tougher or more oppressive for people who are going to be out and about,” he said.


The heat dome that baked Texas and Mexico for much of the early summer has oozed its way to Florida with sunshine, little to no cooling clouds or rain, but humidity worsened by the hot oceans, Orrison and McNoldy said.

Not only will it stick around for a while as weather patterns seem stuck — a sign of climate change, some scientists contend _ “it may actually tend to get a little bit worse,” Orrison said, with extra heat and humidity that has NOAA forecasting a heat index around 110 by weekend.

It could be worse. Air temperatures of 110 are forecast for the U.S. Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico and southeast California, Orrison said. Death Valley should see highs of 120 to 125 by the end of the week, and possibly a highly unusual 130.


At Hollywood Beach, south of Fort Lauderdale, Monday’s 91 degrees were about average and Glenn Stoutt said the breeze made him fine to do lunges with a 15-pound weighted ball and calisthenics — though he wore shoes on the blazing sand.

“It’s funny to watch the new people and the tourists get about halfway out and realize their feet are getting scorched,” Stoutt said. “They start running, but it doesn’t matter how fast you run, you need to get them in the water.”

Scientists worry about the coral in that warmed-up water.

“There’s a good chance of heat stress accumulating very early in the season so we could be looking at nasty bleaching,” said International Coral Reef Society’s Mark Eakin, a retired top NOAA coral reef scientist. Bleaching weakens coral; it takes extended heat to kill it.


“We are already receiving reports of bleaching from Belize, which is very alarming this early in the summer,” said scientist Liv Williamson of the University of Miami’s Coral Reef Futures Lab. She said global projections give a 90% chance for major bleaching on many reefs, including in Pacific Islands along the Equator, the eastern tropical Pacific in Panama, the Caribbean coast of Central America, and in Florida.

“This is only July, this heat will just keep accumulating and these corals will be forced to deal with dangerously warm conditions for much longer than is normal,” Williamson said in an email.

Coral bleaching and die-offs are becoming more frequent with climate change, especially during an El Nino, with Australia’s Great Barrier Reef losing half its coral during the last supersized El Nino in 2016, Williamson said.


Scientists say a new El Nino is part of the reason for the current heat, along with ever-increasing warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

Then there’s that Sahara dust.

With little rain to keep the soil grounded, it’s common this time of year for plumes of dust particles from the Sahara Desert to blow across the Atlantic on upper-level winds. It takes strong winds to push them all the way to Florida so it doesn’t happen often.

One plume settled over South Florida on Monday, and the next plume was expected later in the week, said Sammy Hadi, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami. The plumes typically stay two to three days, and dry the atmosphere so there are fewer of the afternoon rains that are typical for Florida summers.

One plus: sunlight bouncing off those dust particles produces more vivid sunrises and sunsets.

“In general, it makes the sunrises and sunsets more vibrant and beautiful,” Hadi said.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1678733905589940227

'WORRYING NEWS': Florida in hot water as ocean temperatures rise along with humidity

Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs and depriving swimmers of cooling dips

torontosun.com

 

[pgs]

Florida in hot water as ocean temperatures rise along with humidity
Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30sC) are threatening delicate coral reefs and depriving swimmers of cooling dips

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein And Mike Schneider
Published Jul 11, 2023 • 4 minute read
Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs, depriving swimmers of cooling dips and adding a bit more ick to the state's already oppressive summer weather.
ORLANDO — Record global ocean heating has invaded Florida with a vengeance.


Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs, depriving swimmers of cooling dips and adding a bit more ick to the Sunshine State’s already oppressive summer weather. Forecasters are warning of temperatures that with humidity will feel like 110 degrees (43 degrees Celsius) by week’s end.


If that’s not enough, Florida is about to get a dose of dust from Africa’s Saharan desert that’s likely to hurt air quality.

The globe is coming off a week of heat not seen in modern measurements, the World Meteorological Organization said Monday, using data from Japan’s weather agency to confirm unofficial records reported nearly daily last week by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer. Japan reported the global average temperature on Friday was half a degree (0.3 degrees Celsius) warmer than its past record hottest day in August 2016.


Global sea surface temperatures have been record high since April and the North Atlantic has been off-the-charts hot since mid-March, meteorologists report as climate change is linked to more extremeand deadly events.

“We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall,” said WMO director of climate services Christopher Hewitt. “This is worrying news for the planet.”

Now it’s Florida’s turn.

Water temperature near Johnson Key came close to 97 degrees (36.1 degrees Celsius) Monday evening, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy. Another buoy had a reading close to 95 (35 Celsius) near Vaca Key a day earlier. These are about 5 degrees warmer than normal this time of year, meteorologists said.



“That’s incredible,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Orrison. “The water is so warm you really can’t cool off.”

While the 95- and 96-degree readings were in shallow waters, “the water temperatures are 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit around much of Florida, which is extremely warm,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. He said his 95-degree pool doesn’t cool him — it just leaves him wet.

Water temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico and Southwest Atlantic are 4 to 5 degrees (2 to 3 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal, Orrison said. Because the water is so warm, the air in Florida gets more humid and “that’s making things tougher or more oppressive for people who are going to be out and about,” he said.


The heat dome that baked Texas and Mexico for much of the early summer has oozed its way to Florida with sunshine, little to no cooling clouds or rain, but humidity worsened by the hot oceans, Orrison and McNoldy said.

Not only will it stick around for a while as weather patterns seem stuck — a sign of climate change, some scientists contend _ “it may actually tend to get a little bit worse,” Orrison said, with extra heat and humidity that has NOAA forecasting a heat index around 110 by weekend.

It could be worse. Air temperatures of 110 are forecast for the U.S. Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico and southeast California, Orrison said. Death Valley should see highs of 120 to 125 by the end of the week, and possibly a highly unusual 130.


At Hollywood Beach, south of Fort Lauderdale, Monday’s 91 degrees were about average and Glenn Stoutt said the breeze made him fine to do lunges with a 15-pound weighted ball and calisthenics — though he wore shoes on the blazing sand.

“It’s funny to watch the new people and the tourists get about halfway out and realize their feet are getting scorched,” Stoutt said. “They start running, but it doesn’t matter how fast you run, you need to get them in the water.”

Scientists worry about the coral in that warmed-up water.

“There’s a good chance of heat stress accumulating very early in the season so we could be looking at nasty bleaching,” said International Coral Reef Society’s Mark Eakin, a retired top NOAA coral reef scientist. Bleaching weakens coral; it takes extended heat to kill it.


“We are already receiving reports of bleaching from Belize, which is very alarming this early in the summer,” said scientist Liv Williamson of the University of Miami’s Coral Reef Futures Lab. She said global projections give a 90% chance for major bleaching on many reefs, including in Pacific Islands along the Equator, the eastern tropical Pacific in Panama, the Caribbean coast of Central America, and in Florida.

“This is only July, this heat will just keep accumulating and these corals will be forced to deal with dangerously warm conditions for much longer than is normal,” Williamson said in an email.

Coral bleaching and die-offs are becoming more frequent with climate change, especially during an El Nino, with Australia’s Great Barrier Reef losing half its coral during the last supersized El Nino in 2016, Williamson said.


Scientists say a new El Nino is part of the reason for the current heat, along with ever-increasing warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

Then there’s that Sahara dust.

With little rain to keep the soil grounded, it’s common this time of year for plumes of dust particles from the Sahara Desert to blow across the Atlantic on upper-level winds. It takes strong winds to push them all the way to Florida so it doesn’t happen often.

One plume settled over South Florida on Monday, and the next plume was expected later in the week, said Sammy Hadi, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami. The plumes typically stay two to three days, and dry the atmosphere so there are fewer of the afternoon rains that are typical for Florida summers.

One plus: sunlight bouncing off those dust particles produces more vivid sunrises and sunsets.

“In general, it makes the sunrises and sunsets more vibrant and beautiful,” Hadi said.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1678733905589940227

'WORRYING NEWS': Florida in hot water as ocean temperatures rise along with humidity

Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs and depriving swimmers of cooling dips

torontosun.com

If there were any hills in Florida they could head to them . Or they could ignore the latest doom and glum and go to the beach .

 

[petros]

Florida in hot water as ocean temperatures rise along with humidity
Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30sC) are threatening delicate coral reefs and depriving swimmers of cooling dips

Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein And Mike Schneider
Published Jul 11, 2023 • 4 minute read
Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs, depriving swimmers of cooling dips and adding a bit more ick to the state's already oppressive summer weather.
ORLANDO — Record global ocean heating has invaded Florida with a vengeance.


Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs, depriving swimmers of cooling dips and adding a bit more ick to the Sunshine State’s already oppressive summer weather. Forecasters are warning of temperatures that with humidity will feel like 110 degrees (43 degrees Celsius) by week’s end.


If that’s not enough, Florida is about to get a dose of dust from Africa’s Saharan desert that’s likely to hurt air quality.

The globe is coming off a week of heat not seen in modern measurements, the World Meteorological Organization said Monday, using data from Japan’s weather agency to confirm unofficial records reported nearly daily last week by the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer. Japan reported the global average temperature on Friday was half a degree (0.3 degrees Celsius) warmer than its past record hottest day in August 2016.


Global sea surface temperatures have been record high since April and the North Atlantic has been off-the-charts hot since mid-March, meteorologists report as climate change is linked to more extremeand deadly events.

“We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall,” said WMO director of climate services Christopher Hewitt. “This is worrying news for the planet.”

Now it’s Florida’s turn.

Water temperature near Johnson Key came close to 97 degrees (36.1 degrees Celsius) Monday evening, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy. Another buoy had a reading close to 95 (35 Celsius) near Vaca Key a day earlier. These are about 5 degrees warmer than normal this time of year, meteorologists said.



“That’s incredible,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Orrison. “The water is so warm you really can’t cool off.”

While the 95- and 96-degree readings were in shallow waters, “the water temperatures are 90 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit around much of Florida, which is extremely warm,” said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. He said his 95-degree pool doesn’t cool him — it just leaves him wet.

Water temperatures across the Gulf of Mexico and Southwest Atlantic are 4 to 5 degrees (2 to 3 degrees Celsius) warmer than normal, Orrison said. Because the water is so warm, the air in Florida gets more humid and “that’s making things tougher or more oppressive for people who are going to be out and about,” he said.


The heat dome that baked Texas and Mexico for much of the early summer has oozed its way to Florida with sunshine, little to no cooling clouds or rain, but humidity worsened by the hot oceans, Orrison and McNoldy said.

Not only will it stick around for a while as weather patterns seem stuck — a sign of climate change, some scientists contend _ “it may actually tend to get a little bit worse,” Orrison said, with extra heat and humidity that has NOAA forecasting a heat index around 110 by weekend.

It could be worse. Air temperatures of 110 are forecast for the U.S. Southwest, including Arizona, New Mexico and southeast California, Orrison said. Death Valley should see highs of 120 to 125 by the end of the week, and possibly a highly unusual 130.


At Hollywood Beach, south of Fort Lauderdale, Monday’s 91 degrees were about average and Glenn Stoutt said the breeze made him fine to do lunges with a 15-pound weighted ball and calisthenics — though he wore shoes on the blazing sand.

“It’s funny to watch the new people and the tourists get about halfway out and realize their feet are getting scorched,” Stoutt said. “They start running, but it doesn’t matter how fast you run, you need to get them in the water.”

Scientists worry about the coral in that warmed-up water.

“There’s a good chance of heat stress accumulating very early in the season so we could be looking at nasty bleaching,” said International Coral Reef Society’s Mark Eakin, a retired top NOAA coral reef scientist. Bleaching weakens coral; it takes extended heat to kill it.


“We are already receiving reports of bleaching from Belize, which is very alarming this early in the summer,” said scientist Liv Williamson of the University of Miami’s Coral Reef Futures Lab. She said global projections give a 90% chance for major bleaching on many reefs, including in Pacific Islands along the Equator, the eastern tropical Pacific in Panama, the Caribbean coast of Central America, and in Florida.

“This is only July, this heat will just keep accumulating and these corals will be forced to deal with dangerously warm conditions for much longer than is normal,” Williamson said in an email.

Coral bleaching and die-offs are becoming more frequent with climate change, especially during an El Nino, with Australia’s Great Barrier Reef losing half its coral during the last supersized El Nino in 2016, Williamson said.


Scientists say a new El Nino is part of the reason for the current heat, along with ever-increasing warming from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas.

Then there’s that Sahara dust.

With little rain to keep the soil grounded, it’s common this time of year for plumes of dust particles from the Sahara Desert to blow across the Atlantic on upper-level winds. It takes strong winds to push them all the way to Florida so it doesn’t happen often.

One plume settled over South Florida on Monday, and the next plume was expected later in the week, said Sammy Hadi, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Miami. The plumes typically stay two to three days, and dry the atmosphere so there are fewer of the afternoon rains that are typical for Florida summers.

One plus: sunlight bouncing off those dust particles produces more vivid sunrises and sunsets.

“In general, it makes the sunrises and sunsets more vibrant and beautiful,” Hadi said.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1678733905589940227

'WORRYING NEWS': Florida in hot water as ocean temperatures rise along with humidity

Water temperatures in the mid-90s (mid-30s Celsius) are threatening delicate coral reefs and depriving swimmers of cooling dips

torontosun.com

What sort of cockamamie bullshit did they use to contrive this gibberish? I've said it before... -39° is HOTTER than -40°. For something to be hotter or warmer it needs to be hot or warm in the first fucking place.

So how? Counting a few days in that werent as cold as the week before In Antarctica as "heat" created a false result.

There is nothing warm or hot below 0°C

 

[petros]

If there were any hills in Florida they could head to them . Or they could ignore the latest doom and glum and go to the beach .

The dust from Africa is nutrient and mineral rich treats for corals, plants and crustaceans.

 

[Ron in Regina]

 

[Dixie Cup]

Why am I not surprised.

 

[spaminator]

Fireflies facing threats from climate change and light pollution
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Jul 15, 2023 • 4 minute read

Aaron Fairweather remembers seeing fireflies as a child for the first time, a swarm of twinkles flashing across the surface of a lake near Saint John, N.B., illuminating a summer’s night.


Fairweather, who uses they/them pronouns, was fly-fishing with their father at the time. Now, the research associate at the University of Guelph fears that threats such as climate change and light pollution could snuff out these luminescent insects, depriving future generations of the “magic” they experienced as a child.


“It’s really sad to see that one of these childhood marvels — these insects that make us say, ‘Isn’t the world incredible? These organisms can produce their own light and see how beautiful the natural world is’ — we’re losing them.”

While the number of fireflies has remained steady this summer compared with last year, overall numbers of these bugs have decreased by about 35 per cent over the last five decades, Fairweather said.


There are 173 species of fireflies in North America that have been identified by scientists, and 29 are found in Canada, said Candace Fallon, a senior biologist with the American conservation group Xerces Society, which is lobbying the United States government to extend endangered status to fireflies.

Fallon is the lead author of a study published in 2021 in the journal PLOS One, suggesting that up to one in three firefly species may be threatened with extinction and that some species might disappear before they are even discovered.

Wingless firefly females — and sometimes larvae — are known as glow worms, while the flying beetles — usually male — are known as fireflies.

Among the 173 known species of fireflies is a type of glow worm called the black ghost, found in British Columbia. It measures between five and seven millimetres but not much else is known about this creature, Fallon said.


“(Glow worms) are more cryptic animals,” she said. “(Black ghost) is data deficient. We don’t know anything about its habitat associations other than it’s been found in a forest along a river.”

Fairweather said insect populations worldwide are declining, and fireflies are seeing a similar fate. What people don’t realize, they said, is the benefits that fireflies have for gardens and waterways. The fireflies that people see in their summer garden are the adults of the species with a lifespan of a few weeks; the bugs spend up to two years underground as larvae.

“(Firefly) larvae are quite ferocious predators,” Fairweather said. “They’ll feed on worms and slugs and snails, and especially mosquito larvae in some ecosystems.”


The larvae are unsung and unseen heroes of gardens and waterways because they keep the ecosystems clean, they said. So it worries scientists when a warming planet dries out the earth and scorches forests, or when human activity fills swamps to create buildings _ the homes of these tiny animals are destroyed.

In the village of Nanacamilpa, fireflies are helping save the towering pine and fir trees on the outskirts of Mexico City. Thousands of them light up a magical spectacle at dusk in the old-growth forests on reserves such as the Piedra Canteada park, about 75 kilometres east of the Mexican capital.

Piedra Canteada in Tlaxcala state isn’t a government-run park, but a rural co-operative that has managed to emerge from poverty and dependence on logging with the help of the fireflies. For years, economic forces, including low prices for farm produce, forced rural communities like Piedra Canteada to cut down trees and sell the logs.


Then in 2011, community members realized the millions of fireflies that appear between June and August could draw tourists from larger cities where few people have seen them in significant numbers. Camp spaces are now sold out weeks in advance to families who come from all over the world.

“Fireflies could be a huge source of ecotourism,” Fairweather said. “From May to June, within Canada, you can go out to most bogs or fields and see thousands of them. I think it’s just an incredible model that’s untapped.”

Light pollution, Fallon said, is one of the biggest threats to firefly populations, especially since 75 per cent of these bugs are active at dusk or after dark. Fireflies use their light to find a mate, she said.

Firefly species have various twinkling patterns: some emit fast bursts of flashing light, others have a burst of light and go dark; female glow worms, meanwhile, emit a soft shimmer while the male swoops in to find a mate, she said.


But this courtship is interrupted by bright, artificial lights such as those from buildings, porches or even passing vehicles, which can drown out the signals these insects use to communicate and find each other, ultimately affecting reproduction for the species, Fallon said.

In Muskoka, Ont., Fairweather said the local government asked residents this year to turn off porch lights when not in use, to help fireflies.

There is a painful lack of baseline data on fireflies, Fallon said.

“They’re so well known, there’s so much nostalgia around them . … But they’re kind of othered,” she said.

“People just think of them as these magical creatures that light up the night. But then don’t connect it to the fact they’re part of our biodiversity.”

Fairweather said funding for research into fireflies is hard to come by because of an “absence of thought.”

“It’s ‘oh, this is just a staple from my childhood. It’s always going to be there,”‘ they said.

“Who knows? Maybe in another 20 to 50 years, we won’t be able to show any examples of fireflies. We have these stories, but where are these organisms now? Or are they a myth?”

— With files from The Associated Press.

Fireflies facing threats from climate change and light pollution

Fireflies numbers have decreased by about 35 per cent over the last five decades, a researcher said.

torontosun.com

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Fairweather, who uses they/them pronouns,

How is this relevant to the story? Not sure because at this point I stopped reading.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

How is this relevant to the story? Not sure because at this point I stopped reading.

More importantly, wouldn't "fair weather" use "it" as its pronoun?

I can hear it now. "My name is Smith, and my pronouns are "drill sergeant" and "the drill sergeant."

 

[petros]

Did climate change cause Canada's wildfires?

Did climate change cause Canada's wildfires? Isabella Kaminski digs into the science on the role climate change and other factors play in wildfires.

www.bbc.com

Interesting.

Zero mention of the age of the forests that are burning or that we have several types of forests in several regions with each having different climates. They all have one thing in common, they need fire and violent storms to survive. They are all (except 2) brand spanking new ecosystems only 12,000 years old.

 

[Serryah]

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

While I don't agree with Mrs. Smith-McCrossin on much or most of her stances, on this I do have to tend her way.

I also have other thoughts on it but... overall, this says it all.


And ironically, all it would take is one good hurricane to flood a large chunk of the land around us, including the highway and rail line. It's come close, especially the past few years; hell, the only way the highway has been protected has been because the rail bed is as high as it is. A good system and it'd be done.

 

[spaminator]

Ilhan Omar roasted for claiming Earth broke heat record set 120,000 years ago
Author of the articleostmedia News
Published Jul 19, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 1 minute read

U.S. Democratic politician Ilhan Omar is feeling the heat after claiming the planet “broke the record for the hottest day in 120,000 years.”

On Monday, the Minnesota Congresswoman also called for the U.S. government to declare a “climate emergency now” in a Twitter post.



The first week of July saw the Earth set heat records three times, according to the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, which analyzes historical weather data and “should NOT be taken as ‘official’ observational records.”

Critics pointed out the absurdity of Omar’s claim, as daily weather records were not kept until the 1800s.

“If you believe that we have precise daily temperature records dating back 120 thousand years, then this claim may seem credible,” Daily Wire host Matt Walsh said on Twitter. “But if you are approximately smarter than a sea sponge then you know that this is hysterical bullsh—.”

Conservative commentator Dinesh D’Souza also cast doubt on her claim.

“OK, let’s test this claim,” he wrote. “What was the Earth’s temperature in July 20,000 years ago? Or 60,000 years ago? Or 119,000 years ago? Please provide evidence to substantiate your answers.”


Former White House adviser Stephen Miller under President Donald Trump also asked what the temperature was “at 12 p.m. GMT on July 1st, 116,539 BC?”

Benji Backer, founder of the American Conservation Coalition, didn’t think her calls for a national climate emergency wouldn’t do much if anything.

“Declaring a ‘national emergency’, especially for an international problem, doesn’t solve a thing,” he wrote on Twitter. “Just look at COVID. It might do well on Twitter, but it sure isn’t a solution.”

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1681113338799960069

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1681105683733700609

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1681120374673534977

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1681139645198004224

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1681086126138748941

Ilhan Omar roasted for claiming Earth broke heat record set 120,000 years ago

U.S. Democratic politician Ilhan Omar is feeling the heat after claiming the planet "broke the record for the hottest day in 120,000 years."

torontosun.com