Conventional thinking on climate change holds that human emissions of carbon dioxide have been the major contributor to global warming, but an intriguing new study that examined data going back to the Industrial Revolution indicates that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) conspiring with cosmic rays are the real culprit. The research, by Professor Qing-Bin Lu at the University […]
Archive | Climate Change
Climate change, not humans, wiped out megafauna, say Aussie scientists
Most species of gigantic animals that once roamed Australia had disappeared by the time people arrived, a major review of past studies has concluded. The new research challenges the claim that humans were primarily responsible for the demise of the megafauna in a proposed “extinction window” between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago, and points the […]
Rising CO2 giving fish super-hearing
Ocean acidification is known to negatively impacta wide variety of marine animals, but new research indicates that a huge increase in hearing sensitivity for fish could also be one of the effects. In the new study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report on the potential effects of acidification on […]
Greening of Arctic will be dramatic, say scientists
New computer models based on observations of plant growth in the Arctic suggest that rising temperatures will lead to a massive increase in plant and tree cover over the next few decades. The research, appearing in Nature Climate Change, suggests that wooded areas in the Arctic could increase by as much as 50 percent. “Such […]
Volcanoes keeping a lid on global warming
Climatologists in the U.S. say that dozens of active volcanoes spewing sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere have been offsetting about a quarter of the greenhouse warming on Earth over the last decade. Study leader Ryan Neely, from the University of Colorado Boulder, explained that sulfur dioxide emissions from Earth’s surface eventually rise 12 – 20 […]
Antarctic ice sheet warming much faster than previously thought
Remote monitoring equipment on the western part of the massive West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) is showing an increase of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius) in average annual temperature since 1958 – around three times faster than average global temperature rises. A study detailing the temperature record from Byrd Station, appearing in the journalNature […]
30ft sea level rise may be unavoidable
Climatologists examining the relationship between sea level and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations over the last 40 million years have found that present day greenhouse gas concentrations (around 400 parts per million) have historically been associated with sea levels at least 30 feet above current levels. The study, appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of […]
Oops. Greenhouse gas levels appear to be significantly underestimated
Measuring greenhouse gas emissions has traditionally relied on estimating emissions from all the activities and processes that might generate the gases, but Berkeley Lab scientists who instead took actual atmospheric measurements found that levels of nitrous oxide (N2O) may be up to 3 times greater than previous estimates. Their paper, “Seasonal variations in N2O emissions […]
Tree plumbing stress approaching tipping point
The hydraulic system of trees is so finely-tuned that predicted increases in drought due to climate change may lead to catastrophic failure in many species. That’s according to a new study that found many plants around the globe are already operating at the top of their drought-stress safety threshold. The new work is based on […]
Wild Arabica coffee facing extinction
Scientists who have predicted the possible extinction of wild Arabica coffee (Coffea Arabica) within 70 years say urgent conservation measures are needed to future-proof Arabica’s genetic diversity and ensure the long-term sustainability of Arabica coffee production. The new insights into the second most traded commodity after oil have been compiled by scientists in the UK […]