The record loss of Arctic sea ice this summer will echo throughout the weather patterns affecting the U.S. and Europe this winter, climate scientists said on Wednesday, since added heat in the Arctic influences the jet stream and may make extreme weather and climate events more likely. [Climate Central]
The “astounding” loss of sea ice this year is adding a huge amount of heat to the Arctic Ocean and the atmosphere, said Jennifer Francis, an atmospheric scientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “It’s like having a new energy source for the atmosphere.”
… Peter Wadhams, the head of the polar ocean physics group at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., told BBC News on September 6 that the added heat from sea ice loss is equivalent to the warming from 20 years of carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas that is causing manmade global warming.
For more detail, see Arctic Warming Favors Extreme, Prolonged Weather Events “Such As Drought, Flooding, Cold Spells And Heat Waves.”
The Agriculture Department on Wednesday slightly lowered its forecast of corn and soybean yields as record heat continued to batter crops in the Midwest, making it likely that farmers will bring in one of the lowest harvests in years. [New York Times]
Firefighters battled stubborn blazes that kept residents from homes in Montana, Wyoming and Washington as authorities worried the weather could worsen the volatile situation. [San Francisco Gate]
Health officials say they’re convinced this will be the worst year for West Nile virus deaths and severe illnesses since the disease hit America’s shores in 1999. [Washington Post]
A recent study done by the Natural Resources and Defense Council highlights the best and worst states equipped with plans to combat water shortage and other problems expected to occur from globally increasing temperatures due to climate change. One of only nine, California was given top awards for an integrated and comprehensive preparedness plan that addresses all relevant water sectors and state agencies. [Huffington Post]
Growing installations of rooftop solar panels are increasing concern that U.S. utilities may refuse to buy power generated by the systems, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. [Bloomberg]
After raising more than $100 million over the past seven years, GreenVolts, a California startup that makes concentrating photovoltaic systems, has closed its doors after a major investor abruptly withdrew financial support for the company. [Forbes]
Back in August, the Obama administration announced strict new fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks. By 2025, passenger vehicles sold in the United States are supposed to get, on average, 54.5 miles per gallon. So how does these rules stack up internationally? [Wonk Blog]
European officials signaled on Tuesday that they may recommend the suspension of the continent’s carbon emission fees for airlines to avert a trade war with major economic powers such as China and the United States, allowing time to forge a global agreement on climate charges for the aviation industry. [Guardian]
Previous in TP Climate Progress
Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
Additional energy and climate headlines for 9/13 are posted at http://www.marcaccicomms.com/news/energy-and-environment-news-roundup-9-13-12/
The story is that we have a new ocean on earth. When you add one ocean to a planet, things change.
How about earth’s gyro getting out of balance.
With 9000 km3 ice in freeze phase disappearing in summer, that is a redistribution of 14 trillion tons of ice transported, as melt water, around the globe.
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/SPI-2012-Solar-Celebrates-then-Readies-for-an-Attack-From-Consumer-Report/
Resch then turned to more sobering news. “Our industry is under direct attack on multiple fronts,” he told the audience of solar professionals. Funded, Resch said, by the fossil industries generally and the Koch brothers specifically, 81 percent of negative conservative Super PAC attack ads have assaulted renewables
When the dead souls are out to get you, you must be doing something right.
As you didn’t include Eduardo Porter’s piece in the New York Times on carbon tax versus emission standards, I hope this means a more extensive comment might be in the works.
Taxes Show One Way to Save Fuel
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/business/fuel-efficiency-standards-have-costs-of-their-own.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Drought dries up 200 miles of Arkansas River
Farmers in Kansas depend on water from the Arkansas River to irrigate their crops. Jim Axelrod reports the devastating drought has dried up 200 miles of the river leaving no water to divert causing profits to be cut in half.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7421528n
#2 in a 3 part series
Fresh Wave of Insects Attack Sawtooths
The Sawtooth National Recreational Area is currently experiencing a spruce budworm outbreak first spotted in 2004. The insect is known for defoliating Douglas-fir, spruce and many other tree species. Once stripped of their foliage, trees are at a greater risk of reduced growth, dead tops and mortality.
The outbreak is part of the forest’s long line of insect infestations that have wreaked havoc on the SNRA.
http://magicvalley.com/news/local/fresh-wave-of-insects-attack-sawtooths/article_637110fd-1ce9-565e-8d0d-28293c9b86d8.html
This is a deadly serious story, but be careful about relying on the figure from Prof Wadhams, as he has not shown his calculations and one blog by an associate of his that purported to show the working was riddled with strange assumptions (clouds ignored; seasons ignored; angle of incidence ignored) making the claim dubious.
Considerable smoke from the Dixie, ID, fire here today.
http://lar.wsu.edu/airpact/
predicts tomorrow will be much worse.
Super Typhoon Sanba forecast for 9/14 is for 150 knots/180 mph with gusts to 172 knots/206 mph. [Well above the 137 knot threshold for a Category 5.]
The typhoon is headed for landfall in Korea in a few days, by which time it it is expected to slow to 95 knots (Cat 2) with gusts to 115 knots (Cat 4).
http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/warnings/wp1712.gif