It's Climate Change I tell'ya!! IT'S CLIMATE CHANGE!!
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Block heater extension cord. I collect them. Wheel weights too.
Parts of tundra releasing more carbon than they absorb: Study
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Jan 21, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Parts of the Arctic tundra are now releasing more planet-warming gases than they absorb, an international study published Tuesday suggests, upending a millennia-old trend and raising concerns about a climate change feedback loop.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change, said the change appeared to have taken place in “many tundra regions” and called it a “noteworthy shift in carbon dynamics.”
Large swaths of the fast-warming Arctic are covered in continuously frozen ground, called permafrost, that in some cases has remained below 0 C for hundreds of thousands of years. Once it thaws, scientists warn long-dead plant matter can decompose and release massive amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide and methane, generating a feedback loop that further contributes to global warming.
The authors suggest one of the main drivers of the tundra’s shift from CO2 absorber to emitter could be thawing permafrost, which covers almost half of Canada’s land mass.
“This is not something we can or should ignore,” said Sue Natali, a co-author of the study and senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, a Massachusetts-based non-profit.
The study says the region comprised of the boreal forest and the Arctic increased how much carbon it can hold in its plants and soils from 2001 to 2020. The uptake appeared to take place at lower latitudes of the boreal forest, where warmer temperatures extended the growing season, Natali said.
Still, about one-third of that area had become a net source of carbon dioxide, mostly in northern permafrost regions. When emissions from wildfires were accounted for, the authors suggested the Arctic-boreal zone, taken as a whole, no longer absorbed a statistically significant amount of carbon emissions.
Of the regions releasing more carbon than they absorb, the study suggests about 20 per cent are in Canada.
While scientists have expected human-caused climate change to thaw permafrost and release CO2, Natali said it’s surprising to already see signatures of that change.
“I think to be able to see it over such a large area — to detect it, to monitor it — is quite surprising, and it represents a shift in how this system is functioning,” she said in an interview.
“And how this system is functioning is important, both for folks who live on permafrost, but also because these greenhouse gas emissions have global implications.”
The study notes the timing of the shift, from a carbon sink to source, is uncertain and may have started prior to 1990.
Human-caused climate change has already increased global temperatures, but that warming is happening several times faster in the Arctic, in part due to another feedback loop: melting sea ice. As sea ice melts, the exposed darker ocean water can absorb more heat, which causes more ice to melt and warms the planet.
As the Arctic warms, permafrost thaws. A 2021 report by an international group of scientists suggested that on humanity’s current emissions trajectory, thawing permafrost could release emissions by the end of the century on par with some of the biggest greenhouse-gas emitting nations, such as the United States and China.
Yet those emissions often go unaccounted for, Natali said. It could mean countries are underestimating how quickly they need to cut their direct emissions, such as from burning fossil fuels, in order to meet warming targets and avert some of climate change’s most serious effects.
“If you’re not doing the math properly … and you’re ignoring permafrost emissions essentially the size of another nation, then you’re not going to be able to stay well below two degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius,” she said.
Research has found that thawing permafrost poses major direct risks to Arctic communities, including in Canada.
Houses, roads, airstrips, communication towers and other infrastructure built on permafrost are at risk of collapse or erosion-related damage, a separate study published last week in Communications Earth and Environment says.
Accelerating erosion rates in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., have already contributed to the need for planned home relocation, the study notes.
Other risks identified by that study include a decrease in water quality, food insecurity, supply chain disruptions and exposure to infectious diseases and contaminants trapped in permafrost, including large amounts of mercury.
The findings outlined in Tuesday’s study underscored the importance of monitoring CO2 changes in the far north, where observation stations are limited, Natali said.
“This is an amazing study because of the amount of data that went into it, but there’s still so many gaps in our observation network for the north,” she said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Jan 21, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Parts of the Arctic tundra are now releasing more planet-warming gases than they absorb, an international study published Tuesday suggests, upending a millennia-old trend and raising concerns about a climate change feedback loop.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Climate Change, said the change appeared to have taken place in “many tundra regions” and called it a “noteworthy shift in carbon dynamics.”
Large swaths of the fast-warming Arctic are covered in continuously frozen ground, called permafrost, that in some cases has remained below 0 C for hundreds of thousands of years. Once it thaws, scientists warn long-dead plant matter can decompose and release massive amounts of planet-warming carbon dioxide and methane, generating a feedback loop that further contributes to global warming.
The authors suggest one of the main drivers of the tundra’s shift from CO2 absorber to emitter could be thawing permafrost, which covers almost half of Canada’s land mass.
“This is not something we can or should ignore,” said Sue Natali, a co-author of the study and senior scientist at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, a Massachusetts-based non-profit.
The study says the region comprised of the boreal forest and the Arctic increased how much carbon it can hold in its plants and soils from 2001 to 2020. The uptake appeared to take place at lower latitudes of the boreal forest, where warmer temperatures extended the growing season, Natali said.
Still, about one-third of that area had become a net source of carbon dioxide, mostly in northern permafrost regions. When emissions from wildfires were accounted for, the authors suggested the Arctic-boreal zone, taken as a whole, no longer absorbed a statistically significant amount of carbon emissions.
Of the regions releasing more carbon than they absorb, the study suggests about 20 per cent are in Canada.
While scientists have expected human-caused climate change to thaw permafrost and release CO2, Natali said it’s surprising to already see signatures of that change.
“I think to be able to see it over such a large area — to detect it, to monitor it — is quite surprising, and it represents a shift in how this system is functioning,” she said in an interview.
“And how this system is functioning is important, both for folks who live on permafrost, but also because these greenhouse gas emissions have global implications.”
The study notes the timing of the shift, from a carbon sink to source, is uncertain and may have started prior to 1990.
Human-caused climate change has already increased global temperatures, but that warming is happening several times faster in the Arctic, in part due to another feedback loop: melting sea ice. As sea ice melts, the exposed darker ocean water can absorb more heat, which causes more ice to melt and warms the planet.
As the Arctic warms, permafrost thaws. A 2021 report by an international group of scientists suggested that on humanity’s current emissions trajectory, thawing permafrost could release emissions by the end of the century on par with some of the biggest greenhouse-gas emitting nations, such as the United States and China.
Yet those emissions often go unaccounted for, Natali said. It could mean countries are underestimating how quickly they need to cut their direct emissions, such as from burning fossil fuels, in order to meet warming targets and avert some of climate change’s most serious effects.
“If you’re not doing the math properly … and you’re ignoring permafrost emissions essentially the size of another nation, then you’re not going to be able to stay well below two degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius,” she said.
Research has found that thawing permafrost poses major direct risks to Arctic communities, including in Canada.
Houses, roads, airstrips, communication towers and other infrastructure built on permafrost are at risk of collapse or erosion-related damage, a separate study published last week in Communications Earth and Environment says.
Accelerating erosion rates in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., have already contributed to the need for planned home relocation, the study notes.
Other risks identified by that study include a decrease in water quality, food insecurity, supply chain disruptions and exposure to infectious diseases and contaminants trapped in permafrost, including large amounts of mercury.
The findings outlined in Tuesday’s study underscored the importance of monitoring CO2 changes in the far north, where observation stations are limited, Natali said.
“This is an amazing study because of the amount of data that went into it, but there’s still so many gaps in our observation network for the north,” she said.
Parts of tundra releasing more carbon than they absorb: Study
A new study suggests regions of the Arctic tundra are now releasing more planet-warming gases than they absorb.
How did Florida just 'out-snow' some of Canada's biggest snow-making cities? - The Weather Network
Would you ever guess that Florida recorded more snowfall in January than St. John's, N.L.? It just happened
www.theweathernetwork.com
At least 10 dead after record-breaking snowstorm swept across the South
The Gulf Coast is digging out from a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm that struck from Texas to Florida, closing airports and crippling roadways.
Meanwhile where I am:
We should NOT be having above 0 temps this time of month.
Up until last week, we had no real snow that lasted.
Don't tell me Climate Change isn't real.
Too late. I bet they already bred.At least 10 dead after record-breaking snowstorm swept across the South
The Gulf Coast is digging out from a once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm that struck from Texas to Florida, closing airports and crippling roadways.abcnews.go.com
Study projects millions of European heat deaths as world warms
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein
Published Jan 27, 2025 • 3 minute read
Extreme temperatures — mostly heat — are projected to kill as many as 2.3 million people in Europe by the end of the century unless countries get better at reducing carbon pollution and adapting to hotter conditions, a new study says.
Currently, cold temperatures kill more people in Europe than heat by large margins. But a team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used climate simulations of different scenarios and looked at death rates in 854 cities. They found as it warms cold deaths lessen slowly, but heat deaths soar rapidly.
With few reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and little adaptation like air conditioning and cooling centres, Italy, southern Spain and Greece should see massive increases in the rate of heat deaths due to climate change. On the flip side, much of Scandinavia and the United Kingdom will see fewer temperature-related deaths, mostly due to moderating cold temperatures, the study in Monday’s journal Nature Medicine found.
But even in the most optimistic scenarios — with carbon dioxide emissions from coal, oil and gas cut sharply and massive increases in adaptation — there’s a net increase in temperature-related deaths as the world warms, said study lead author Pierre Masselot, an environmental epidemiologist and statistician.
The drop in cold deaths up north are in places not as populated as places further south, where the heat really kicks in and hurts, Masselot said.
“The Mediterranean is a so-called climate hotspot,” Masselot said. “It’s a region that is warming much quicker than the rest of the world. And Malta is right in the middle of it.”
The study projects Malta’s temperature-related death rate to increase by 269 people for every 100,000 by the end of the century. By contrast, Ireland’s will go down slightly, 15 per 100,000 people.
In general, western Europe being wealthier fares better than eastern Europe, Masselot said.
Several heat waves have killed thousands of people in the last few years in Europe, but one in 2003 is the biggest with about 70,000 deaths.
Big cities with lots of people near the Mediterranean can see the bodies pile up through the rest of the century. The study says in the worst case they studied Barcelona could see nearly a quarter million extra temperature-related deaths, while Rome and Naples get close to 150,000 deaths.
In a scenario with carbon pollution only slightly worse than current trends and no extra adaptation to heat, Masselot’s team found more than 5.8 million excess heat deaths just from climate change, but nearly 3.5 million fewer cold deaths too. The team has a interactive website where cities and different factors can be adjusted.
Masselot’s team was also able to isolate out climate change, removing a major factor of an aging population which made the study even more useful and impressive, said University of Washington public health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi, who wasn’t part of the study.
“This very much lines up with what we would expect,” said Dr. Courtney Howard, a Canadian emergency room physician and vice chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. She was not part of the study. “When you think about summertime daytime temperatures in places like Rome — they start to get up into the 40s (104 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit)…. That’s very heat stress/heat stroke territory for healthy young people and very dangerous for older people, particularly if they don’t have air conditioning.”
Europe having older housing stock and not much air conditioning needs massive amount of adaptation, such as central air, more green space and cooling centres, to lower the projected death rates, Masselot said. North America is less likely to have such a strong trend, he said.
Another factor is the aging of Europe makes its population more vulnerable, Masselot said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein
Published Jan 27, 2025 • 3 minute read
Extreme temperatures — mostly heat — are projected to kill as many as 2.3 million people in Europe by the end of the century unless countries get better at reducing carbon pollution and adapting to hotter conditions, a new study says.
Currently, cold temperatures kill more people in Europe than heat by large margins. But a team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used climate simulations of different scenarios and looked at death rates in 854 cities. They found as it warms cold deaths lessen slowly, but heat deaths soar rapidly.
With few reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and little adaptation like air conditioning and cooling centres, Italy, southern Spain and Greece should see massive increases in the rate of heat deaths due to climate change. On the flip side, much of Scandinavia and the United Kingdom will see fewer temperature-related deaths, mostly due to moderating cold temperatures, the study in Monday’s journal Nature Medicine found.
But even in the most optimistic scenarios — with carbon dioxide emissions from coal, oil and gas cut sharply and massive increases in adaptation — there’s a net increase in temperature-related deaths as the world warms, said study lead author Pierre Masselot, an environmental epidemiologist and statistician.
The drop in cold deaths up north are in places not as populated as places further south, where the heat really kicks in and hurts, Masselot said.
“The Mediterranean is a so-called climate hotspot,” Masselot said. “It’s a region that is warming much quicker than the rest of the world. And Malta is right in the middle of it.”
The study projects Malta’s temperature-related death rate to increase by 269 people for every 100,000 by the end of the century. By contrast, Ireland’s will go down slightly, 15 per 100,000 people.
In general, western Europe being wealthier fares better than eastern Europe, Masselot said.
Several heat waves have killed thousands of people in the last few years in Europe, but one in 2003 is the biggest with about 70,000 deaths.
Big cities with lots of people near the Mediterranean can see the bodies pile up through the rest of the century. The study says in the worst case they studied Barcelona could see nearly a quarter million extra temperature-related deaths, while Rome and Naples get close to 150,000 deaths.
In a scenario with carbon pollution only slightly worse than current trends and no extra adaptation to heat, Masselot’s team found more than 5.8 million excess heat deaths just from climate change, but nearly 3.5 million fewer cold deaths too. The team has a interactive website where cities and different factors can be adjusted.
Masselot’s team was also able to isolate out climate change, removing a major factor of an aging population which made the study even more useful and impressive, said University of Washington public health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi, who wasn’t part of the study.
“This very much lines up with what we would expect,” said Dr. Courtney Howard, a Canadian emergency room physician and vice chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. She was not part of the study. “When you think about summertime daytime temperatures in places like Rome — they start to get up into the 40s (104 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit)…. That’s very heat stress/heat stroke territory for healthy young people and very dangerous for older people, particularly if they don’t have air conditioning.”
Europe having older housing stock and not much air conditioning needs massive amount of adaptation, such as central air, more green space and cooling centres, to lower the projected death rates, Masselot said. North America is less likely to have such a strong trend, he said.
Another factor is the aging of Europe makes its population more vulnerable, Masselot said.
Study projects millions of European heat deaths as world warms
Extreme temperatures are projected to kill as many as 2.3 million people in Europe by the end of the century.
Hopes and dreams.Study projects millions of European heat deaths as world warms
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Seth Borenstein
Published Jan 27, 2025 • 3 minute read
Extreme temperatures — mostly heat — are projected to kill as many as 2.3 million people in Europe by the end of the century unless countries get better at reducing carbon pollution and adapting to hotter conditions, a new study says.
Currently, cold temperatures kill more people in Europe than heat by large margins. But a team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine used climate simulations of different scenarios and looked at death rates in 854 cities. They found as it warms cold deaths lessen slowly, but heat deaths soar rapidly.
With few reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases and little adaptation like air conditioning and cooling centres, Italy, southern Spain and Greece should see massive increases in the rate of heat deaths due to climate change. On the flip side, much of Scandinavia and the United Kingdom will see fewer temperature-related deaths, mostly due to moderating cold temperatures, the study in Monday’s journal Nature Medicine found.
But even in the most optimistic scenarios — with carbon dioxide emissions from coal, oil and gas cut sharply and massive increases in adaptation — there’s a net increase in temperature-related deaths as the world warms, said study lead author Pierre Masselot, an environmental epidemiologist and statistician.
The drop in cold deaths up north are in places not as populated as places further south, where the heat really kicks in and hurts, Masselot said.
“The Mediterranean is a so-called climate hotspot,” Masselot said. “It’s a region that is warming much quicker than the rest of the world. And Malta is right in the middle of it.”
The study projects Malta’s temperature-related death rate to increase by 269 people for every 100,000 by the end of the century. By contrast, Ireland’s will go down slightly, 15 per 100,000 people.
In general, western Europe being wealthier fares better than eastern Europe, Masselot said.
Several heat waves have killed thousands of people in the last few years in Europe, but one in 2003 is the biggest with about 70,000 deaths.
Big cities with lots of people near the Mediterranean can see the bodies pile up through the rest of the century. The study says in the worst case they studied Barcelona could see nearly a quarter million extra temperature-related deaths, while Rome and Naples get close to 150,000 deaths.
In a scenario with carbon pollution only slightly worse than current trends and no extra adaptation to heat, Masselot’s team found more than 5.8 million excess heat deaths just from climate change, but nearly 3.5 million fewer cold deaths too. The team has a interactive website where cities and different factors can be adjusted.
Masselot’s team was also able to isolate out climate change, removing a major factor of an aging population which made the study even more useful and impressive, said University of Washington public health and climate scientist Kristie Ebi, who wasn’t part of the study.
“This very much lines up with what we would expect,” said Dr. Courtney Howard, a Canadian emergency room physician and vice chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance. She was not part of the study. “When you think about summertime daytime temperatures in places like Rome — they start to get up into the 40s (104 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit)…. That’s very heat stress/heat stroke territory for healthy young people and very dangerous for older people, particularly if they don’t have air conditioning.”
Europe having older housing stock and not much air conditioning needs massive amount of adaptation, such as central air, more green space and cooling centres, to lower the projected death rates, Masselot said. North America is less likely to have such a strong trend, he said.
Another factor is the aging of Europe makes its population more vulnerable, Masselot said.
Study projects millions of European heat deaths as world warms
Extreme temperatures are projected to kill as many as 2.3 million people in Europe by the end of the century.
