Climate: Atmospheric CO2 reaches 400 ppm

Posted on May 11, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Concentration will wane from seasonal high point, but long-term trend is up

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Mauna Loa. Photo courtesy USGS.

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Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere this week reached a level last recorded 2 to 5 million years ago.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Climate scientists have been closely tracking atmospheric carbon dioxide levels for a long time, but this week, the colorless, odorless gas made big headlines.

An atmospheric observatory on Mauna Loa for the first time measured daily concentrations of CO2 at slightly above 400 parts per million, a dubious milestone which, better than any other number, captures the extent to which we are changing the world. (more…)

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Study suggests more intense hurricanes in coming decades

Posted on December 2, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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NOAA’s GOES-13 satellite captured this visible image of Hurricane Sandy battering the U.S. East coast on Oct. 29 Image courtesy of NASA GOES Project.

More CO2 equals more powerful st0rms

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — The combination of more atmospheric carbon dioxide and less particulate pollution could result in a steady increase in the intensity of North Atlantic hurricanes, according University of Iowa researcher Gabriele Villarini, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering

The study is a compilation of results from some of the best available climate computer models of climate, said Villarini, who is also an assistant research engineer at IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering. Villarini conducted the study with Gabriel Vecchi of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (more…)

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Study shows ocean acidification impacts to sea snails

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Corrosive waters in Southern Ocean destroying pteropod shells

Pteropods swimming in the Scotia Sea. Photo courtesy British Antarctic Survey.

By Bob Berwyn

FRISCO — Numerous lab experiments have already shown that some shell-forming ocean species will likely suffer as the ocean absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide and becomes increasingly acidic.

Now, a new study based on 2008 research in the Scotia Sea shows that the shells of tiny marine snails called pteropods are already being dissolved by ocean acidification where atmospheric CO2 being absorbed by the sea is exacerbating acidic conditions resulting from upwelling of cold water from deep below the surface.

The tiny animals are a valuable food source for fish and birds and play an important role in the oceanic carbon cycle. Pteropods are open-ocean animals, moving about by using water wings that evolved from their snail feet. (more…)

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Climate: Greenhouse gases hit new record high in 2011

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Greenhouse gas concentrations are increasing.

Increased concentrations add up to 30 percent more heating effect in just the past 20 years

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — With heat-trapping greenhouse gases rising to a new record high in 2011, the World Meteorological Organization calculated that there has been a 30 percent increase in radiative forcing  – the warming effect on our climate – just in the past 20 years.

In its annual greenhouse gas bulletin, the WMO estimated that humankind has released about 375 billion tons of carbon the atmosphere as CO2 since the start of the industrial era in 1750. About half of this carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere, with the rest being absorbed by the oceans and terrestrial biosphere. (more…)

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Climate: Heat-trapping CO2 also makes ice more brittle

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

New MIT research suggests carbon dioxide has direct impact on glaciers and ice caps

Cracks in the ice on Dillon Reservoir, Dec. 25, 2012. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Have you ever poured a can of warm coke into a glass full of ice cubes and listened to the cubes crack?

Something similar might be going on in the atmosphere, as MIT researchers have shown that direct exposure to carbon dioxide makes ice caps and glaciers more susceptible to cracking.

The study is the first to show this kind of a direct impact from increasing atmospheric CO2, which as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas is directly responsible for much of the increase in global temperatures during recent decades. (more…)

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Small fish make big splash in ocean carbon cycle

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Fish poop.

Research team studies role of forage fish in sequestering carbon

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — A still-popular first-grade book described the heroic efforts of a small fish to make a big splash. Now, it turns out that Arty’s dream wasn’t all that farfetched.

According to a new study by scientists with Rutgers University and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, forage fish like anchovies can play an important role as a biological pump in the cycle that moves carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into the depths of the ocean, where its sequestered without adding to heat-trapping woes of atmospheric greenhouse gases.

Dr. Grace Saba, of Rutgers University, and professor Deborah Steinberg, of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, shifted their focus away from their long-term studies of copepods to looking at anchovies in the Santa Barbara Channel, off the California coast. (more…)

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Climate: New warnings on ocean acidification

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Shellfish like these conchs in Belize are especially vulnerable to increasing ocean acidification.

Global warming likely to take a huge toll on marine life

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Sounding another dire warning about global warming impacts to the world’s oceans, researchers from universities and conservation groups say increasing levels of atmospheric carbon are likely to be fatal to many marine organisms.

When carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, a significant fraction is passively taken up by the ocean in a form that makes the ocean more acidic. This acidification has been shown to be harmful to many species of marine life, especially corals and shellfish.

“Our concern is that the specific actions to counter such impacts as identified in current policy statements will prove inadequate or ineffective,” wrote the authors of a new paper published in Nature Climate Change. “A much broader evaluation of marine management and mitigation options must now be seriously considered.” (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, coral reefs, Environment, global warming, Marine biology, ocean conservation, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Colorado: Coal still king in Summit County energy mix

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

The Four Corners coal power plant. Photo courtesy EcoFlight.org. Click to track Ecoflight state by state.

70 percent of the power for the local area derived from dirty fossil fuels

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Despite small-scale hyperlocal efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the local area still relies on coal to a much larger degree than the national average, according to an online EPA clean energy tracker.

The calculations, based on data from 2009, show that, for Frisco’s 80443 zip code, coal accounts for 67.8 percent of the energy used in the area. The national average is 44.5 percent. (more…)

Filed under: Colorado, energy, Environment, global warming, Summit County Colorado, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Global warming: Arctic seas becoming sources of CO2

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Swedish researchers pinpoint scary climate feedback loop

Arctic seas becoming carbon sources instead of carbon sinks. IMAGE COURTESY NASA.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Instead of absorbing heat-trapping gases, Arctic near-shore seas are becoming sources of carbon dioxide, accorindg to researchers from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg. With careful measurements, the scientists found that the amount of CO2 being absorbed by the oceans is decreasing.

That leads to an increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and an increased rate of warming in the Arctic in a self-reinforcing climate feedback loop that includes some unexpected factors. For example, increased coastal erosion carries more organic matter into the sea, where it breaks down and releases even more CO2. (more…)

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Climate: Volcanoes only a drop in the global CO2 bucket

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Mt. St. Helens. PHOTO COURTESY USGS.

USGS research quantifies emissions from eruptions

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Among the numerous red herrings thrown out by global warming deniers is the idea that it’s not worth reducing carbon dioxide emissions because volcanoes spew out so much more of the heat-trapping gas.

Scientists have known that’s not quite true — not even close to true, actually, and a recent study helps quantify and compare the emissions from the two different sources, showing that, globally, all volcanoes combined emit about as much CO2 annually as a mid-sized state like Pennsylvania.

“On average, human activities put out in just three to five days, the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide that volcanoes produce globally each year. (more…)

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