Earth's Lower Atmosphere Is Warming, Review of Four Decades of Scientific Literature Concludes

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101116080321.htm

The troposphere, the lower part of the atmosphere closest to the Earth, is warming and this warming is broadly consistent with both theoretical expectations and climate models, according to a new scientific study that reviews the history of understanding of temperature changes and their causes in this key atmospheric layer.

Scientists at NOAA, the NOAA-funded Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites (CICS), the United Kingdom Met Office, and the University of Reading in the United Kingdom contributed to the paper, "Tropospheric Temperature Trends: History of an Ongoing Controversy," a review of four decades of data and scientific papers to be published byWiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, a peer-reviewed journal.

In the 1990s, observations did not show the troposphere, particularly in the tropics, to be warming, even though surface temperatures were rapidly warming. This lack of tropospheric warming was used by some to question both the reality of the surface warming trend and the reliability of climate models as tools. This new paper extensively reviews the relevant scientific analyses -- 195 cited papers, model results and atmospheric data sets -- and finds that there is no longer evidence for a fundamental discrepancy and that the troposphere is warming.

"Looking at observed changes in tropospheric temperature and climate model expectations over time, the current evidence indicates that no fundamental discrepancy exists, after accounting for uncertainties in both the models and observations," said Peter Thorne, a senior scientist with CICS in Asheville, N.C., and a senior researcher at North Carolina State University. CICS is a consortium jointly led by the University of Maryland and North Carolina State University.

Mountain Ranges May Act as 'Safe Haven' for Species Facing Climate Change

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109102718.htm

Swiss researchers studying the projected effects of climate change on alpine plant species have discovered that mountain ranges may represent a 'safer' place to live during changing climate conditions. The research, published in the Journal of Biogeography, finds that the habitat diversity of mountain ranges offer species 'refuge habitats' which may be important for conservation.

The research, led by Daniel Scherrer and Christian Körner from the University of Basel, Switzerland, was carried out over two seasons in the Swiss Central Alps at 2500m. The authors used a high resolution infrared camera and hundreds of soil sensors to monitor the actual temperature experienced by plants in alpine landscapes.

The authors used known 'indicator values' for thermal preferences of plant species permitted to link microhabitat life conditions with biodiversity, the number and abundance of species.

"In this study we examined if different vegetation types and plant species occur under different micro-habitat temperatures," said Körner. "We also estimated the potential loss and shift in abundance of micro-habitat temperatures under a warming climate scenario."

"Comparing various slopes, the study made it obvious that slope exposure and ruggedness of terrain produce a broad spectrum of life conditions not seen over similar areas in forests or in the forelands and plains," said Scherrer. "While it was known from measurements with thermometers that plant and air temperatures can differ substantially in alpine terrain, the high degree of sustained thermal contrasts among habitats still came as a surprise."

Depending on exposure, low stature alpine vegetation warms up dramatically when the sun is out, but under cloudy weather part of that warmth remains stored in the soil, which also makes nights cosier for roots in many places.

"We found that the occurrences of plant species across these mosaics of warmth match with their known temperature preferences," explained Körner. "This means that rugged alpine terrain offers refuge habitats -- or at least stepping stones to these -- at short distance, for both small plants and animals that prefer cool life conditions."

The authors simulated the frequency of certain temperatures for a 2 degrees warmer climate with a computer, and found that only 3% of all types of temperature conditions will disappear. So, while the extent of some of the cooler habitats will shrink, importantly, they will not be lost altogether.

Satellites Provide Up-to-Date Information on Snow Cover

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101112141122.htm

The European Space Agency´s (ESA) GlobSnow project, led by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, can map the extent and volume of snow cover especially on the northern hemisphere. Launched at the beginning of November, the service provides almost real-time data on snow cover and snow depth.

Snowfall impedes transport but also causes floods in many countries. The seasons affect snow cover the most on the northern hemisphere. The average snow cover in winter extends over an area of 20-40 million square kilometers; in other words, the snow contains as much water as one billion Olympic swimming pools.

At the same time, the snow cover is one of the most important factors affecting the global climate, meteorology and water systems. Long distances between observation stations, especially in the sparsely-populated regions of Eurasia and North America, have made it difficult to chart snow and its volume at global level.

Access to satellite data enables researchers to monitor and analyse climatic trends. It has been discovered, for instance, that the snow cover has shrunk globally; this is one indicator of climate change. The database also provides increasingly accurate input data for climate models, thereby further improving the quality and accuracy of climate models.

Weather Affects Children's Injury Rate: Each 5-Degree Temperature Rise Boosts Kids' Hospital Admissions for Serious Injury by 10 Percent

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101124214724.htm

Every 5 degree Celsius rise in maximum temperature pushes up the rate of hospital admissions for serious injuries among children, reveals one of the largest studies of its kind published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.

Conversely, each 5°C drop in the minimum daily temperature boosts adult admissions for serious injury by more than 3%, while snow prompts an 8% rise, the research shows.

The authors base their findings on the patterns of hospital treatment for both adults and children in 21 emergency care units across England, belonging to the Trauma Audit and research Network (TARN), between 1996 and 2006.

But an even stronger pattern was seen among admissions for children, with equivalent temperature rises prompting a 10% increase in admissions and extra sunshine a 6% increase.

The authors calculate that the rate of children's admissions between the months of April and September may be up to 50% higher than average.

They conclude that this analysis could be used to predict daily admission rates, and therefore staffing levels and the planning of other resources.

New Way Found of Monitoring Volcanic Ash Cloud

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101209202037.htm

The eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in April this year resulted in a giant ash cloud, which -- at one point covering most of Europe -- brought international aviation to a temporary standstill, resulting in travel chaos for tens of thousands.

New research, to be published December 10, in IOP Publishing'sEnvironmental Research Letters, shows that lightning could be used as part of an integrated approach to estimate volcanic plume properties.

The scientists found that during many of the periods of significant volcanic activity, the ash plume was sufficiently electrified to generate lightning, which was measured by the UK Met Office's long range lightning location network (ATDnet), operating in the Very Low Frequency radio spectrum.

The measurements suggest a general correlation between lightning frequency and plume height and the method has the advantage of being detectable many thousands of kilometres away, in both day and night as well as in all weather conditions.

Threshold Sea Surface Temperature for Hurricanes and Tropical Thunderstorms Is Rising

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101108102612.htm

Scientists have long known that atmospheric convection in the form of hurricanes and tropical ocean thunderstorms tends to occur when sea surface temperature rises above a threshold. The critical question is, how do rising ocean temperatures with global warming affect this threshold? If the threshold does not rise, it could mean more frequent hurricanes.

According to a new study by researchers at the International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM), this threshold sea surface temperature for convection is rising under global warming at the same rate as that of the tropical oceans.

In order to detect the annual changes in the threshold sea surface temperature, Nat Johnson, a postdoctoral fellow at IPRC, and Shang-Ping Xie, a professor of meteorology at IPRC and UHM, analyzed satellite estimates of tropical ocean rainfall spanning 30 years. They find that changes in the threshold temperature for convection closely follow the changes in average tropical sea surface temperature, which have both been rising approximately 0.1°C per decade.

The change in tropical upper atmospheric temperatures has been a controversial topic in recent years because of discrepancies between reported temperature trends from instruments and the expected trends under global warming according to global climate models. The measurements from instruments have shown less warming than expected in the upper atmosphere. The findings of Johnson and Xie, however, provide strong support that the tropical atmosphere is warming at a rate that is consistent with climate model simulations.

Measuring Air-Sea Exchange of Carbon Dioxide in the Open Ocean

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101206101244.htm

A team led by scientists at the National Oceanography Centre have measured the air-sea exchange of carbon dioxide in the open ocean at higher wind speed then anyone else has ever managed. Their findings are important for understanding how interactions between the oceans and the atmosphere influence climate.

The transfer of carbon dioxide across the sea surface depends on many factors and has been difficult to study over extended periods at sea. Understandably, therefore, there has been a lot of uncertainty about actual oceanic carbon dioxide fluxes, especially at high wind speeds.

To address this issue, Prytherch and his collaborators measured carbon dioxide fluxes in the North Atlantic during the High Wind Air-Sea Exchanges (HiWASE) experiment (September 2006-December 2009).

Using an autonomous system called 'Autoflux' installed on the Norwegian weather ship Polarfront, they made nearly 4,000 flux measurements, each one lasting 20 minutes. They also recorded wind speed and other variables such as seawater salinity.

"Our results support the hypothesis that bubbles in whitecaps play a significant role in the global exchange of carbon dioxide and other climatically important gases between the oceans and the atmosphere," said Prytherch.

Greenland Ice Sheet Flow Driven by Short-Term Weather Extremes, Not Gradual Warming, Research Reveals

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101208172318.htm

Sudden changes in the volume of meltwater contribute more to the acceleration -- and eventual loss -- of the Greenland ice sheet than the gradual increase of temperature, according to a University of British Columbia study.

The ice sheet consists of layers of compressed snow and covers roughly 80 per cent of the surface of Greenland. Since the 1990s, it has been documented to be losing approximately 100 billion tonnes of ice per year -- a process that most scientists agree is accelerating, but has been poorly understood. Some of the loss has been attributed to accelerated glacier flow towards ocean outlets.

Now a new study, published in the journal Nature, shows that a steady meltwater supply from gradual warming may in fact slow down glacier flow, while sudden water input could cause glaciers to speed up and spread, resulting in increased melt.

A steady increase of temperature and short-term extreme weather conditions have both been attributed to global climate change. According to the European Environment Agency, ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet has contributed to global sea-level rise at 0.14 to 0.28 millimetres per year between 1993 and 2003.

Primates Are More Resilient Than Other Animals to Environmental Ups and Downs

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101201124347.htm

What sets humankind's closest relatives -- monkeys, apes, and other primates -- apart from other animals? According to a new study, one answer is that primates are less susceptible to the seasonal ups and downs -- particularly rainfall -- that take their toll on other animals. The findings may also help explain the evolutionary success of early humans, scientists say.

"Primates appear to be well buffered against fluctuations in weather and food availability relative to a lot of other animals," said co-author Susan Alberts, a biologist at Duke University and associate director at NESCent.

A number of traits may help shield primates from seasonal ups and downs. "For one thing, they're social," said co-author Karen Strier, an anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Primates live in groups and share information with each other, so they're better able to find food and water in times of scarcity, Strier explained.

"Modern humans have all the same traits these primate species have: we're smart, we have social networks, and we have a broad diet," said Morris. "Modern humans also arose during a period when Africa's climate was changing," Morris added. "So the same traits that allow non-human primates to deal with unpredictable environments today may have contributed to the success of early humans as well."

NYC Workers Clear Debris in Aftermath of Fierce Storm

In a briefing on Friday night, Gary Conte, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said there had been two tornadoes — one that reached up to 80 miles an hour in Park Slope, and a second near Flushing that reached 100 miles an hour — as well as a macroburst in Middle Village and Forest Hills, Queens, that generated winds up to 125 miles an hour.

From the air, some neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens looked like Lego masterpieces that angry children had done their best to sweep aside. Trees remained sprawled along the stately streets of Forest Hills, Queens. Two telephone-pole-thick pieces of one storm-ruined tree still blocked a street, pinning a blue sedan to the pavement.

One person was killed in the storm, a woman in a car that was hit by a tree as she was changing places with her husband. The woman, identified as Aline Levakis, 30, of Mechanicsburg, Pa., had pulled to the side of the Grand Central Parkway near Jewel Avenue in Queens