 |
|
Marine fossils improve predictions of climate change
June 06, 2002A study of the ancient Mediterranean Sea will help to produce more accurate predictions of climate change.
A team led by Royal Holloway geologist Dr Michal Kucera will map sea-surface temperature of the Mediterranean over past millennia. The data will provide a new target to test the computer models on which our predictions of climate change are based.
We currently make climate change predictions using mathematical models developed using climate records of the last two centuries. The trouble is, the global climate was fairly static during this period, so it is difficult to know how accurate these models are in predicting climates very different from the current state. The Earth has experienced large shifts in climate in the past and if a snapshot of the Earth surface at one of these intervals was available, we could use it to test the reliability of our mathematical models.
During the last 150,000 years the Mediterranean experienced several episodes of oceanographic conditions markedly different from today. So it can serve as an ideal testing ground for models. By looking at abundances of species of planktonic foraminifera recovered from marine sediments, Dr Kucera is developing a new tool to reconstruct sea-surfaces temperatures in the past. This technique is based on an artificial intelligence algorithm learning the relationship between temperature and abundances of planktonic foraminifer species in the modern ocean.
The research, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, will generate high-resolution maps of Mediterranean sea-surface temperature for several time-slices in the past in order to provide targets for testing of numerical models of ocean circulation.
Dr Kucera said: "A coherent set of reconstructions is urgently needed in order to test ocean circulation models. This would also provide an important step towards an integrated effort to reconstruct past climate variability with the high precision and reliability that is needed to support the long-range strategic management of our society and its resources."
Royal Holloway, University of London
Climate Change Current Events and Climate Change News RSSMost US organizations not adapting to climate change
Organizations in the United States that are at the highest risk of sustaining damage from climate change are not adapting enough to the dangers posed by rising temperatures, according to a Yale report.
Rivers are carbon processors, not inert pipelines
Microorganisms in rivers and streams play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle that has not previously been considered.
Foretelling a major meltdown
By discovering the meaning of a rare mineral that can be used to track ancient climates, Binghamton University geologist Tim Lowenstein is helping climatologists and others better understand what we're probably in for over the next century or two as global warming begins to crank up the heat - and, ultimately, to change life as we know it.
Ice beetles impacted by climate change
In the summer of 1968, Dave Kavanaugh set off on a hike that would change the course of his life. As a second-year medical student at the University of Colorado, he had joined a climbing club with a few members of the biophysics department, and the group had set their sights on Gray's Peak-the ninth highest mountain in Colorado.
Estrogen therapy could be dangerous for women with existing heart risk
Hormone therapy could accentuate certain pre-existing heart disease risk factors and a heart health evaluation should become the norm when considering estrogen replacement, new research suggests.
Ocean growing more acidic faster than once thought
University of Chicago scientists have documented that the ocean is growing more acidic faster than previously thought. In addition, they have found that the increasing acidity correlates with increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Getting Warmer? Prehistoric Climate Can Help Forecast Future Changes
The first comprehensive reconstruction of an extreme warm period shows the sensitivity of the climate system to changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels as well as the strong influence of ocean temperatures, heat transport from equatorial regions, and greenhouse gases on Earth's temperature.
Sea level rise alters bay's salinity
While global-warming-induced coastal flooding moves populations inland, the changes in sea level will affect the salinity of estuaries, which influences aquatic life, fishing and recreation.
The Flash Before the Flood
Flash floods are the most common natural disaster in the United States, and because of their unpredictability they're the leading weather-related cause of death for Americans.
Global warming predictions are overestimated, suggests study on black carbon
A detailed analysis of black carbon -- the residue of burned organic matter -- in computer climate models suggests that those models may be overestimating global warming predictions.
More Climate Change Current Events and Climate Change News Articles
 | The Rough Guide to Climate Change, 2nd Edition by Robert Henson The Rough Guide to Climate Change gives the complete picture of the single biggest issue facing the planet. Cutting a swathe through scientific research and political debate, this completely updated 2nd edition lays out the facts and assesses the options- global and personal- for dealing with the threat of a warming world. The guide looks at the evolution of our atmosphere over the last 4.5... |
 | The Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge (Atlas Of... (University of California Press)) by Kirstin Dow, Thomas Downing Today's headlines and recent events reflect the gravity of climate change. Heat waves, droughts, and floods are bringing death to vulnerable populations, destroying livelihoods, and driving people from their homes. Rigorous in its science and insightful in its message, this atlas examines the causes of climate change and considers its possible impact on subsistence, water resources, ecosystems,... |
 | The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A Guide to the Debate by Andrew E. Dessler, Edward A. Parson Climate variability has become the primary environmental concern of the 21st Century. Yet, despite the scientific community's warnings of the imminent dangers of global warming, politicians world-wide have failed to agree on what to do about this potentially devastating environmental problem. This introductory primer informs scientists, policy makers and the general public by clarifying the... |
 | Climate Change 2007 - The Physical Science Basis: Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The Climate Change 2007 volumes of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provide the most comprehensive and balanced assessment of climate change available. This IPCC Working Group I report brings us completely up-to-date on the full range of scientific aspects of climate change. Written by the world's leading experts, the IPCC volumes will again... |
 | Financing Education in a Climate of Change (10th Edition) by Vern Brimley, Rulon R. Garfield This classic text on school finance contains the most comprehensive and current information that affects school finance, including historical, economic, technological/mathematical, and legal points of view. This book is both scholarly and engaging, and is practical, easy-to-read and comprehend; appealing to a diverse audience of students, educational leaders, parents, and legislators. School... |
 | What We Know About Climate Change (Boston Review Books) by Kerry Emanuel The vast majority of scientists agree that human activity has significantly increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere—most dramatically since the 1970s. In February 2007 the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that global warming is "unequivocal" and that human-produced carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are chiefly to blame, to a certainty of more than 90 percent. Yet... |
 | Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy? (Memo to the CEO) by Andrew J. Hoffman, John G. Woody Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing the world today. And increasingly, it's become a crucial business issue. How will you and your company respond?In Climate Change: What's Your Business Strategy? Andrew Hoffman and John Woody provide concise and reliable advice to help you answer this question. Drawing from their extensive experience working with organizations to address... |
 | The Ethics of Climate Change: Right and Wrong in a Warming World (Think Now) by James Garvey The debate about the existence of climate change seems finally at an end. We now have to decide what to do about it. Here, James Garvey argues that the ultimate rationale for action on climate change cannot be simply economic, political, scientific or social, though no doubt our decisions should be informed by such things. Instead, climate change is largely a moral problem. What we should do... |
 | Climate Change and Biodiversity Leading researchers discuss what is now known about the effects of climate change on the natural world. They examine recent trends in and projections about climate change; ways that particular organisms are responding to climate change; conservation challenges, including social and policy issues; and more. "This book will be a milestone in the emerging discipline of climate change biology. No... |
 | Climate Change 2007 - Mitigation of Climate Change: Working Group III contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC (Climate Change 2007) by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The Climate Change 2007 volumes of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provide the most comprehensive and balanced assessment of climate change available. This IPCC Working Group III volume is a state-of-the-art assessment of the scientific, technical, environmental, economic, and social aspects of the mitigation of climate change. Written by the... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |