Atmospheric

Climate Model Says Arctic Surface Waters Will Warm 5 C Above Average Without Ice Cap

Record-breaking amounts of ice-free water have deprived the Arctic of more of its natural "sunscreen" than ever in recent summers. The effect is so pronounced that sea surface temperatures rose to 5 C above average in one place this year, a high ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 21 2007 - 7:22pm

Study: Carbon Sink Capacity Of Northern Forests Reduced By Global Warming

An international study investigating the carbon sink capacity of northern terrestrial ecosystems discovered that the duration of the net carbon uptake period (CUP) has on average decreased due to warmer autumn temperatures. Net carbon uptake of northern ec ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 2 2008 - 5:30pm

Next On The Endangered List: Helium?

Are we running out of helium? Lee Sobotka, professor of chemistry and physics at Washington University in St. Louis, says it is being depleted so rapidly in the world’s largest reserve, outside of Amarillo, Tex., that supplies are expected to be gone there ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 5 2008 - 3:42pm

James Hansen: 2007 Was Second Warmest Year And It Will Get Worse

Climatologists at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York City released an analysis showing that 2007 tied with 1998 for Earth’s second warmest year in a century. 2006 was fifth in that period. There will be some issue with accuracy ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 16 2008 - 11:43am

Radioactive Forcing Study Shows Shipping Best Transport For Global Warming

In transportation, road traffic contributes the most to global warming, aviation is second, railways are negligible and shipping actually has a net cooling effect on the earth’s climate, according to a study published recently. But we can't simply swi ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 26 2008 - 10:49am

El Nino Blamed For Intense Regional Storms In The US

It used to be that El Nino was a predictable phenomenon that explained odd weather changes but recent global warming studies minimized its impact- everything was global warming instead. Now, it seems, El Nino is back in atmospheric fashion. Scientists have ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 28 2008 - 3:13pm

Study: Pollution Explains Heavier Mid-Week Rainfall In Southeast US

Rainfall data from a NASA satellite show that summertime storms in the southeastern United States shed more rainfall midweek than on weekends. Why would that be? Thomas Bell, an atmospheric scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, says air pol ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 2 2008 - 10:17am

Scientists Succeed In Protecting The Green Lungs Of Europe

Research carried out by scientists from Earthwatch, the international environmental charity, has reinforced the urgent need to protect Europe’s remaining peat bogs. Dubbed the ‘rainforests of Europe’ as they are so diverse in wildlife, peat bogs contain mo ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 16 2008 - 5:31am

Study: Natural Variability Could Be Masking, Not Causing, Global Warming

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that natural variability in the earth’s atmosphere could be masking the overall effect of global warming in the North Atlantic Ocean. Scientists have said that surface temperatures around the globe have ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 7 2008 - 12:26pm

Catalysis Discovery For Nitrous Oxide Emissions May Help Greenhouse Gas Problems

A discovery in molecular chemistry may help remove a barrier to widespread use of diesel and other fuel-efficient "lean burn" vehicle engines. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have recorded the ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 22 2008 - 10:26am