Climate: NASA satellites see thinning forest cover

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Study says mid-Atlantic region most affected

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A spruce beetle infestation is thinning forests in southwestern Colorado, and in some cases, wiping out huge stands of mature trees. Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Between mountain pine beetles, sudden aspen decline, spruce beetles and ips beetles that attacked southwest Colorado piñon pines in early 2000s, a significant chunk of the state’s forests have changed significantly in the past decade.

But climate change is also driving more subtle changes in forests around the country, and on the ground, those changes may not be as easy to see as a stand of dead lodgepoles.

Using satellite images, to track vegetation patterns, NASA scientists say warmer temperatures and changes in precipitation have resulted in a significant decline in forest canopy cover.The changes were most striking in the mid-Atlantic region, where the researchers estimate that 40 percent forests have been affected. (more…)

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NASA scientists eye asteroid fly-by

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Russian meteor unrelated to today’s close call

Russian seismographs show the magnitude of the blast from the meteor that exploded over Siberia. Graph courtesy Helmholtz Centre, Potsdam.

Russian seismographs show the magnitude of the blast from the meteor that exploded over Siberia. Graph courtesy Helmholtz Centre, Potsdam.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — NASA scientists say the trajectory of the meteor over Russia was completely opposite of the asteroid expected to shave Earth’s orbit today, emphasizing that the pair of celestial close-calls is an unrelated coincidence.

The meteor over Russia likely exploded as it heated up from the friction generated as it encountered Earth’s atmosphere. Smaller pieces may have hit the ground as meteorites, but most of the reported damage and injuries in Siberia were the result of the pressure wave generated by the blast. (more…)

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Record-breaking NASA balloon flight over Antarctica gathering data on high energy cosmic rays

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

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Giant balloon has circumnavigated Antarctica three times

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Somewhere out in deep space, an as-yet unknown source is producing high-energy cosmic rays that bombard the Earth on a regular basis. After gathering data from a record-setting unmanned balloon flight over Antarctica, NASA scientists hope to  better understand where these energetic atomic nuclei are produced and how they achieve their very high energies.

The record-breaking balloon carried an instrument with a name that’s straight out of science fiction comic book, the Super Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder. So far, the balloon has been aloft for 46 days. Taking advantage of the unbroken circumpolar winds, the balloon is on its third orbit around the South Pole.

You can track the balloon on its flight by visiting this page: http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/antarctica/ice.htm and learn more about NASA’s balloon programs here: http://www.wff.nasa.gov/balloons. (more…)

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Global warming hits Amazon rainforest

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

More frequent droughts take a toll on forest canopy

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A megadrought starting in 2005 resulted in widespread damaged to the canopy of the Amazon rainforest. Photo courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — With climate scientists warning that droughts are likely to become more frequent and severe as global temperatures continue to climb, a recent study led by NASA scientists shows what that could mean for the Amazon rainforest.

After analyzing more than 10 years worth of satellite data collected from over the Amazon region, the researchers said rainforest damage first observed during the start of a megadrought in 2005 persisted the next several years, even as rainfall gradually rose back to average levels. But another dry period that started in 2010 may exacerbate the impacts, suggesting that the Amazon rainforests may be showing the first signs of potential large-scale degradation due to climate change. (more…)

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Climate: 2012 ends up as 10th-warmest year on record

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Warmest La Niña year ever for planet Earth

Large parts of northern hemisphere land areas were cooler than average in December, but most of the southern hemisphere reported above-average readings. Graphic courtesy NOAA's National Climatic Data Center.

Large parts of northern hemisphere land areas were cooler than average in December, but most of the southern hemisphere reported above-average readings. Graphic courtesy NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center.

FRISCO — Despite a significant cool-down in December, 2012 ended up as the 10th-warmest year on record for the planet, at 1.03 degrees above the 20th century average.

2012 will also go down as the warmest-ever La Niña year, and marks the 26th consecutive year with temps running above the 20th century average. The last time the annual average temperature was below the 20th century average was in 1976, according to the National Climatic Data Center’s global state of the climate report.

Most of North and South America, along with Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia reported well above-average temperatures for the year. Below average readings were reported from Alaska and far western Canada, central Asia, parts of the eastern and equatorial Pacific, southern Atlantic, and parts of the Southern Ocean. Including 2012, the first 12 years of the 21st century all rank among the 14 warmest in the 133-year period of record. (more…)

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Global warming to shift timing of North American monsoon

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Bob Berwyn

Greenhouse gas-induced heating inhibits early monsoon precipitation

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The North American monsoon usually starts in mid-July in Colorado.

graph showing monsoon changes

The North American monsoon will dry up in June and July and become wetter in September and October. Graphic courtesy NASA and the Coumbia University Earth Observatory.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY —Global warming result in a significant shift of the North American monsoon, with less rain during the early part of the season, in June and July, and more rain later in the summer and early autumn. The trend toward a later start to summer precipitation has already started, but will become more pronounced — and easier to distinguish from the background “noise” of natural variability — during the next few decades, according to researchers with NASA and Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

“We expect that increased greenhouse gases will make the atmosphere more stable and more difficult for precipitation to occur … When the warming is strong enough, it effectively delays the start of the monsoon,” said NASA researcher Benjamin Cook. “One way to overcome that is when the air near the surface is really moist. That’s what happens at the end of the monsoon season. At that point, it leads to an increase in rainfall,” Cook said, explaining that the study points to big change in the total amount of monsoon precipitation, but that the change in timing is still likely to have significant ecological societal impacts. (more…)

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NASA debunks 2012 end-of-the-world myths

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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Odds are good that the world will keep on turning after Dec. 21. Image courtesy NASA.

No meteors, mysterious planets or polar reversals coming

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — When my son started questioning whether he should be studying for his geometry final — set for the same day that the world is supposed to end — I knew that I needed some strong ammunition to keep him motivated.

It’s one thing for an impressionable teenager to pay attention to far-fetched internet myths about a mysterious planet on collision course with the Earth, or a sudden reversal of our planet’s magnetic field, but it’s a bit more disturbing to realized that even some adults that could otherwise be considered fairly intelligent and reasonable attach some sort of special significance to Dec. 21, 2012, but I suppose people will believe what they want to believe. (more…)

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NASA releases stunning nighttime satellite views of Earth

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

‘Black Marble’

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Find your town in this composite night view of North America. Image courtesy NASA.

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — One of the feeds that I eagerly look for in my social media streams each day is from NASA, mainly due to the stunning images the space agency posts on a regular basis. The pictures of Earth, from the melting ice caps to animated satellite loops of incoming weather systems, help keep things in perspective. It’s good to step back from  day to day events and realize how small this planet really is.

NASA is calling its latest images the Black Marble series because they are night shots, put together as composites from images captured on cloudless nights. Here’s part of NASA’s description of the new images. Visit this website for the full story. (more…)

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Climate: NASA study reinforces grim wildfire projections

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Bob Berwyn
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Continuing drought in Colorado allowed the Fern Lake Fire in Rocky Mountain National Park to flare up in late November. Photo courtesy NPS/Dennis Geving.

Frequency of high wildfires expected to double by mid-century

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — This past summer’s drought and destructive wildfires in Colorado showed how just a short period of hot, dry weather intensifies fire conditions, and there’s more and more research suggesting that global warming will make things worse in the next few decades.

In one of the most recent studies, NASA scientists reported this week that wildfire activity is likely to increase significantly by the middle of the century, putting natural resources and human developments at even greater risk.

“Climate models project an increase in fire risk across the U.S. by 2050, based on a trend toward drier conditions that favor fire activity and an increase in the frequency of extreme events,” said Doug Morton, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. (more…)

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Climate: Arctic and Antarctic ice melt are accelerating

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Greenland and Antarctica are now losing more than three times as much ice as they were in the 1990s

Antarctic sea ice may be growing, but ice sheets on the frozen continent’s edge are losing mass and contributing to sea-level rise. Bob Berwyn photo.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Climate scientists say they’re closer to pinpointing exactly how much of Greenland’s and Antarctica’s ice is melting, and after producing the most accurate assessment of ice losses to-date, a team of satellite experts say they’ve ended 20 years of uncertainty about how much that melting ice contributes to global sea level rise.

According to the landmark study, published on Nov. 30 in the journal Science, the that melting has contributed 11.1 millimeters to global sea levels since 1992. This amounts to 20 percent of all sea level rise during the survey period. About two thirds of the ice loss was from Greenland, and the remainder was from Antarctica.

Together, Greenland and Antarctica are now losing more than three times as much ice (equivalent to 0.95 mm of sea level rise per year) as they were in the 1990s (equivalent to 0.27 mm of sea level rise per year). The rate of melting increased dramatically in the late 1990s. (more…)

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