Climate Change News

[ZinWhit]

1

[ZinWhit]

1

[RTH10260]

BUT... But... but.. those are only fractions of degrees. Just wait until the ice shield melts off and temperatures will slide back to normal in no time

[ZinWhit]

1

[ZinWhit]

1

[ZinWhit]

1

[AndyinPA]

It's terrifying.

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Looking at the graph of sea surface temps, I noted that there seemed to be fairly distinct bands. Assuming the lighter the blue, the more recent the year, it looks like there have been several distinct step changes in sea-surface temps in the last four decades. Going to the source, my assumption is correct, and there is in fact several distinct bands. Using the mean temp daily value line from 1982-2011, and setting boundaries at the + and - 2 sigma trendlines, there are three bands, with very little excursions except at the transition year. From 1981 to 2000, excluding the El Nino period from May 1997 to September 1998, the daily temps fall within the -2sigma and mean trendlines. From 2001 through early 2014, the daily temps fall almost entirely within the mean and +2sigma boundaries. And finally, from mid-2014 on, everything is above the +2sigma boundary, except a few months in late 2017-early 2018. There's quite a bit of bouncing around within the bands, but very little excursion out of the bands.

[RTH10260]

Massachusetts town grapples with sea rise after sand barrier fails
A $500,000 sand dune collapsed in days after being erected, and residents are looking for help to protect their homes

Erum Salam
Sun 17 Mar 2024 12.00 CET

On the border with New Hampshire and Massachusetts – about 35 miles north of Boston – is Salisbury, a coastal town and popular summer destination for tourists. But for those who live in the town year round, especially those who live on the coastline, life’s not a beach.

Last month, after a series of storms battered the area, local citizens came together to take the necessary steps to protect their homes. Volunteer organization Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change raised more than $500,000 to erect a 15,000-ton sand dune – a formidable barrier that would hopefully protect at least 15 beach houses from destruction.

Or so they thought. The sand dune was completed after one month in early March, but just three days later, the dune – and nearly half a million dollars – was wiped away.

The tragic incident made the project a laughingstock to some and angered others.

But Tom Saab, the president of the organization, doubled down on the dune.

“The dunes we built were sacrificial. They sacrificed themselves to protect the properties. Water didn’t go into people’s living rooms, destroy houses, destroy decks, patios and so on. So the dunes worked,” Saab said. “However, now we’re vulnerable to another nor’easter because we need to somehow replenish what we lost.”

On the Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change’s Facebook page, one person commented on a post about the sand dune debacle: “Your houses sit right on an ever rising and ever violent sea. Do you really think any amount of money will stop what’s inevitable?”

As weather patterns get more extreme and oceans get warmer, sea levels rise due to thermal expansion and weather patterns get more extreme, boosting coastal erosion. This climate crisis is now on the doorstep of Salisbury beach homeowners, as they suffer the consequences of rising sea levels, stronger winds and severe storms in recent months, including two in January.

“It was devastating,” Saab said about the recent storms. “Water went from the ocean into people’s living rooms and kitchens. Patios were destroyed. And at least one home was deemed uninhabitable.”

It’s a problem which Saab said should now officially be the responsibility of the government, as Salisbury is a public state beach and the area is susceptible to nor’easters and hurricanes due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. So now his group is pushing for state assistance.



https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -sand-dune

[AndyinPA]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/ ... m-climate/

Exceptionally warm March weather propelled Washington’s cherry blossoms to their second-earliest peak bloom in more than a century of records Sunday, reflecting the growing influence of human-caused climate change on the famed trees.

“PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! Did we say PEAK BLOOM?!,” the National Park Service wrote on X at 4 p.m. Sunday. “The blossoms are opening & putting on a splendid spring spectacle.”

Sunday’s peak bloom at the Tidal Basin tied with 2000 as the second earliest on record; only the March 15, 1990, bloom came sooner in observations that date to 1921. This year’s peak bloom was so early, it preceded the official start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20 to April 14, and was also ahead of the earliest projections.
Skip to end of carousel

Peak bloom, the last phase of a six-stage bud development cycle, occurs when 70 percent of the cherry trees are flowering. The buds sped through this cycle in just 15 days, faster than any other year in at least the past two decades.

The early bloom fits right into recent trends.

[sugar magnolia]

The wisteria here is in bloom. It doesn't usually show up until April/May so it was a surprise a couple of weeks ago to see it showing out around town.

[AndyinPA]

Yes. I've seen magnolias in full bloom. That never happens here in March. Mine hasn't, though, as it's in a woody setting and always blooms later and without much exuberance.

[sugar magnolia]

Yes. I've seen magnolias in full bloom. That never happens here in March. Mine hasn't, though, as it's in a woody setting and always blooms later and without much exuberance.

I had to go look at mine, and sure enough, blooms at the top. Mine only ever blooms at the very top, and not a huge number of blooms, but there are a few up there. My Japanese magnolia did something weird this year too. Completely budded out and we were looking forward to a massive number of blooms this year, but the buds fell off and it leafed out without blooming. The one around the corner was beautiful when it bloomed. We haven't had blooms in about 5 years due to our annual February freeze that turns the buds black before they fall off, but that didn't happen this year. My bridal wreath is going nuts with the blooms (early) though and the grandfather's beard is full of sprouts. I love when that one blooms. Fingers crossed I get at least one of my gardenias to bloom this year. We'll get nothing, maybe not even leaves, on the camellia because my husband's idea of "trimming back" is to take a saw after the trunk of a 15' tall camellia to make it about 3' tall. I cried when I pulled up in the driveway and saw the remnants of it by the curb for pickup. We'll give it this year to see if it's completely dead before replacing it.

[much ado]

It’s a problem which Saab said should now officially be the responsibility of the government, as Salisbury is a public state beach and the area is susceptible to nor’easters and hurricanes due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. So now his group is pushing for state assistance.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -sand-dune

The only long-term solution the state could provide would be to buy out all the property holders and condemn all the properties.

There is no other long-term solution.

Anyone who has spent much time around the ocean knows how easily the ocean moves sand. We've seen a large sandy beach turned into bare rock during the winter storms only to have the beach completely restored by the spring. This happens repeatedly. Spending half a million dollars on sand was a stupid waste.

[raison de arizona]

It’s a problem which Saab said should now officially be the responsibility of the government, as Salisbury is a public state beach and the area is susceptible to nor’easters and hurricanes due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. So now his group is pushing for state assistance.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... -sand-dune

The only long-term solution the state could provide would be to buy out all the property holders and condemn all the properties.

There is no other long-term solution.

Anyone who has spent much time around the ocean knows how easily the ocean moves sand. We've seen a large sandy beach turned into bare rock during the winter storms only to have the beach completely restored by the spring. This happens repeatedly. Spending half a million dollars on sand was a stupid waste.

Yup, exactly my thoughts. You gotta move folks.

[keith]

We'll get nothing, maybe not even leaves, on the camellia because my husband's idea of "trimming back" is to take a saw after the trunk of a 15' tall camellia to make it about 3' tall. I cried when I pulled up in the driveway and saw the remnants of it by the curb for pickup. We'll give it this year to see if it's completely dead before replacing it.

[NOTE IANAGOATS - I am not a gardener or a tree surgeon]

That was a bit drastic, sure, but I do hard prunes on our camelias every year to keep the height under control. Your Camelia "should" survive. You should see buds come up soon as the tree wants to replace the leaves it has lost quickly. LET THEM GROW ON FOR A YEAR. Then, remove about a third of the weakest looking ones. Flowers might come in the second year, consider removing them - flowers take a lot of energy and you are still in recovery. Next year remove a half of whats left. Start thinking about shape. Next year pick the strongest ones and get rid of the rest.

[RTH10260]

Scientists confirm record highs for three most important heat-trapping gases
Global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide climbed to unseen levels in 2023, underlining climate crisis

Oliver Milman
Sat 6 Apr 2024 23.01 CEST

The levels of the three most important heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere reached new record highs again last year, US scientists have confirmed, underlining the escalating challenge posed by the climate crisis.

The global concentration of carbon dioxide, the most important and prevalent of the greenhouse gases emitted by human activity, rose to an average of 419 parts per million in the atmosphere in 2023 while methane, a powerful if shorter-lasting greenhouse gas, rose to an average of 1922 parts per billion. Levels of nitrous oxide, the third most significant human-caused warming emission, climbed slightly to 336 parts per billion.

The increases do not quite match the record jumps seen in recent years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), but still represent a major change in the composition of the atmosphere even from just a decade ago.

Through the burning of fossil fuels, animal agriculture and deforestation, the world’s CO2 levels are now more than 50% higher than they were before the era of mass industrialization. Methane, which comes from sources including oil and gas drilling and livestock, has surged even more dramatically in recent years, Noaa said, and now has atmospheric concentrations 160% larger than in pre-industrial times.

Noaa said the onward march of greenhouse gas levels was due to the continued use of fossil fuels, as well as the impact of wildfires, which spew carbon-laden smoke into the air. Nitrous oxide, meanwhile, has risen due to the widespread use of nitrogen fertilizer and the intensification of agriculture.

“As these numbers show, we still have a lot of work to do to make meaningful progress in reducing the amount of greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere,” said Vanda Grubišić, director of Noaa’s global monitoring laboratory.

The increasing presence of greenhouse gases is spurring a rise in global temperature – last year was the hottest ever measured worldwide – and well as associated impacts such as floods, droughts, heatwaves and wildfires.

It is also pushing the world into a state not seen since prior to human civilization. Carbon dioxide levels today are now comparable to what they were around 4m years ago, Noaa said, an era when sea were around 75ft higher than they are today, the average temperature was far hotter and large forests occupied areas of the now-frozen Arctic.

Because of a lag between CO2 levels and their impact, as well as the hundreds of years that the emissions remain in the atmosphere, the timescale of the climate crisis is enormous. Scientists have warned that governments need to rapidly slash emissions to net zero, and then start removing carbon from the atmosphere to bring down future temperature increases.




https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ate-crisis

[raison de arizona]

BREAKING: We just shut down a gala honoring U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski is a murderer. She incinerates us to enrich her cronies. As Chevron's top lobbyist gave her an award, we stepped in and stopped the ceremony. Respect us or expect us.