# research: climate tipping-points can be abrupt + unpredicted



## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Climate 'Tipping Points' May Arrive Without Warning, Says Top Forecaster 


> EXCERPT -
> _ Scientists widely agree that global climate change is already causing major environmental effects,
> such as changes in the frequency and intensity of precipitation, droughts, heat waves and wildfires;
> rising sea level; water shortages in arid regions; new and larger pest outbreaks afflicting crops
> ...


i am going to make 3 predictions about tropical-diseases: 
* Dengue fever will become an eruptive disease in Texas, New Mexico, southern Calif, and possibly the Gulf states - La, Fla, etc.

* malaria will return to the southern-USA, beginning in Texas

* the hemorragic version of Dengue-fever will become more common


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

World saw warmest March on record - Climate Change- msnbc.com 


> EXCERPT -
> _ Contributing to the record month was *El Nino, a periodic warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that, combined with changes in winds and air pressure, can affect weather worldwide.*
> 
> El Nino "contributed significantly to the warmth in the tropical belt and the overall ocean temperature," NOAA stated, and "*is expected to continue its influence in the Northern Hemisphere at least through the spring.*"
> ...


Warming could wake up volcanoes - Climate Change- msnbc.com

2 more glaciers gone from national park - Climate Change- msnbc.com

investigation reveals Climate-Gate was hype 
'Climategate' inquiry largely clears scientists - Climate Change- msnbc.com 


> EXCERPT -
> _ ...the committee found no evidence of anything beyond "*a blunt refusal to share data*," adding that the idea that Jones was part of a conspiracy to hide evidence that weakened the case for global warming was clearly wrong. _


Climate link found in strange Arctic bird deaths - Science- msnbc.com


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Deep ocean current off Antarctica found - Climate Change- msnbc.com


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

the population bomb... 
YouTube - Are We Flucked ?


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

China drought highlights future climate threats : Nature News

the region has always had periodic droughts, but human-practices have massively worsened this. 


> EXCERPT - *bold and underline added - *
> 
> _ Climate change is not the only factor affecting the drought. Deforestation in mountainous Yunnan is also being blamed. *"Natural forests are a key regulator of climate and hydrological processes,"* says Xu, who is also China's representative at the World Agroforestry Centre, an international think tank headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.
> 
> ...


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Some Iowa cicadas make unexpected appearance four years ahead of schedule

Climate change forces major vegetation shifts


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Canada cuts greenhouse gas emissions target for 2010-2012


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

A mountain bird's survival guide to climate change 
*vertical distribution is the best prognosticator for species survival - * 
the deeper the band of natural tolerance, the better the prognosis; *birds who use narrow biomes are likely 
candidates for total extinction, at least in the wild - * a few specimens may survive in captivity.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

NASA Icebreaker Voyage To Probe Climate Change Impact On Arctic 
they will be sampling the Chukchi + Beaufort Seas


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

What caused the Leamington tornado? UWO professor has a theory 
WRONG term - _the Prof has a hypothesis as yet unproven._ a *theory* has been tested extensively, 
and is widely accepted as fact.

Ontario greenhouse industry assesses tornado damage (mobile)

Tornadoes hit Leamington, U.S. Midwest - thestar.com

wind + water damage claims to top $75-M-Canadian in 2 counties 
Windsor and Essex County storm damage could reach $75M

CTV Edmonton - Suspected tornado, wind storm strike south of Windsor - CTV News


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Global warming spells doom for Asia's rivers

1 in 7 ppl in Asia depends upon Himalayan glacial-melt rivers for water.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Poll: American opinion on climate change warms up

the think-tanks + PSA-generating *coalitions* and other non-guv-orgs funded by Big-Oil, Big-Energy (massey et al), 
and other vested-interests have done a wonderful job of keeping the *controversy* about science 
and climate-change alive, :thumbdown: even after it should have been off life-support and nailed in a plain pine-box, 
filled with compost to speed its decay.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Climate changes in the Atlantic can affect drought in distant regions

Do Atlantic currents affect Alpine glacier melting?

Faecal attraction: Whale poop fights climate change

Robot submarine patrols Lake Michigan for climate-change study


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Farmers, livestock, crops suffered through sizzling weather

Staggering tree loss from 2005 Amazon storm

Greenland: 
7 sq-km/2.7 sq-mi outfeed of glacier collapsed over July 6 and 7 
Researchers witness overnight breakup, retreat of Greenland glacier

Fungi's genetic sabotage in wheat discovered


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Surprisingly regular patterns in hurricane energy discovered 


> _...hurricanes follow this power-law, as do other natural
> phenomena where large amounts of energy are released,
> e.g. earthquakes; [this] questions the ability to predict
> the evolution of [cyclonic] intensity. In these... processes,
> ...




what does it mean?

that it will be even HARDER than we thought to predict intensity.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Hot town, summer in the city

June Earth's hottest ever: US monitors 


> EXCERPT - *bold added - *
> 
> _ Last month was the hottest June ever recorded on Earth, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday...
> 
> ...


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Photos 'show Himalayan glaciers receding'

Scientific coral reef survey to be conducted in Bonaire

Global warming slows coral growth in Red Sea


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Kentucky fried planet | Greenpeace International


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Massive 40% decline in ocean's phytoplankton puts entire food chain under threat | Mail Online

* warmer surface-temps, less mixing = fewer nutrients from cold deep water 
* declining phytoplankton = fewer zooplankton = less food for small crustaceans, hatchling fish, etc.

opinion alert!
perhaps this is part of the answer to the starving Grey Whales in the Pacific... 
but in any case, this has bad-implications for global fisheries, as we fish further + further down the food-web. 
we wipe-out local popns or reduce pelagic fisheries of one species past their commercial-tipping-point, 
and then we re-focus on something smaller, and pursue that to the bitter end.

the Atlantic sardine-popn off Africa has already collapsed, due to fishing-pressure; jellyfish are now swarming there, 
eating what once fed sardines. 
anyone like a steamed-jellyfish? special of the day...


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Tiny marine microbes exert influence on global climate (w/ Video)


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Scientists say global warming is continuing

More frequent, more intense heat waves in store for New York


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

'Blocked' jetstream to blame for freak weather in Russia and Pakistan | Mail Online

several humps and troughs in the jetstream are stationary - the usual eastward flow has stopped. 
this MAY be related to a fading El-Ni~no and a strengthening La Ni~na.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

evidently it is popular to use the data from this geo-period to undermine the current belief that human-industrial activity, 
and millions of tons of added CO2 per year, are strongly connected to the rise in average-global temps, over the past 
100-years, and most-markedly over the past-20...

here is one oft-quoted source on high-CO2 / Ordovician period: 
http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/PageMill_Images/image277.gif

here is one rebuttal - 
http://droyer.web.wesleyan.edu/PhanCO2(GCA).pdf

and a summary as published in 'Science' magazine:

EXCERPT: *bold added - * 
One argument used against the warming effect of carbon dioxide is that millions of years ago, CO2 levels were higher during periods where large glaciers formed over the Earth's poles. This argument fails to take into account that *solar output was also lower during these periods*. 
The combined effect of sun and CO2 show good correlation with climate (Royer 2006). 
The one period that until recently puzzled paleoclimatologists was the late Ordovician, around 444 million years ago. At this time, CO2 levels were very high, around 5600 parts per million (in contrast, current CO2 levels are 389 parts per million). However, glaciers were so far-reaching during the late Ordovician, it coincided with one of the largest marine mass extinction events in Earth history. 
How did glaciation occur with such high CO2 levels? Recent data has revealed CO2 levels at the time of the late Ordovician ice age were not that high after all.

Past studies on the Ordovician period calculated CO2 levels at *10 million year intervals*. The problem with such coarse data sampling is the *Ordovician ice age lasted only half a million years*.

To fill in the gaps, a 2009 study examined strontium isotopes in the sediment record (Young 2009). Strontium is produced by rock weathering, the process that removes CO2 from the air. Consequently, the ratio of strontium isotopes can be used to determine how quickly rock weathering removed CO2 from the atmosphere in the past. Using strontium levels, Young determined that during the late Ordovician, rock weathering was at high levels while volcanic activity, which adds CO2 to the atmosphere, dropped. This led to CO2 levels falling below 3000 parts per million which was low enough to initiate glaciation - the growing of ice sheets.

Last week, another study headed by Seth Young further examined this period by extracting sediment cores from Estonia and Anticosti Island, Canada (Young 2010). The cores were used to construct a sequence of carbon-13 levels from rocks formed during the Ordovician. This was used as a proxy for atmospheric CO2 levels, at a much higher resolution than previous data. What they found was consistent with the strontium results in Young 2009 - *CO2 levels dropped at the same time that sea surface temperatures dropped and ice sheets expanded*. As the ice sheets grew to cover the continent, rock weathering decreased. This led to an increase in atmospheric CO2 which caused global warming and a retreat of the glaciers. Thus arguments that Ordovician glaciation disproves the warming effect of CO2 are groundless."


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

so it's been proven valid by the repeated study. IOW - it's no longer in doubt; 
it is, indeed, correct.

Part four: Climate change debate overheated after sceptics grasped 'hockey stick' | Environment | guardian.co.uk

OR - tiny, in case they archive it: 
Part four: Climate change debate overheated after sceptics grasped 'hockey stick' | Environment | guardian.co.uk


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

An âice islandâ four times the size of Manhattan breaks off from Greenland

this is the biggest loss of Arctic ice in one piece, since 1962 - 
the berg may hang-up in a channel, break up, or freeze onto a land-mass again... 
but eventually the remainder will be in the northern Atlantic, in the Labrador current.

to give an idea of its sheer volume, it would supply all the tapwater used across the USA for 4-months.


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

13 campers airlifted after melting glacier triggers avalanche

approx 40M cubic-meters of rock, mud + soil went across a river valley, and blocked a river's course; some people were stranded, thousands more were evacuated.

Residents return home amid renewed fears over landslide

evacuees return home, but floods or more rock-fall are still real possibilities

Flooding averted after landslide blocked Meager Creek

Meager Creek goes over the earthen dam and erodes the blockage safely - but tons of sediment and stone will change the water's course, over the next decades

40-million-cubic-metre Pemberton avalanche second only to Hope Slide

40M cubic-meters at 30-meters per second


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

August 2010 | Issue #44
Quick Links: Maryland | DC | Virginia | Students

FROM DIRECTOR MIKE TIDWELL

Who needs satellite photos of melting Arctic ice when we have so many personal stories of extreme weather now? 
Trees falling in our neighborhoods. Power outages. Flash flooding. 
My friend Albert survived a tornado in Fauquier County, Virginia, last week. He was huddled in his car as 60 trees fell around him.

My friend Carl Henn, a great community activist from Rockville, Maryland, was tragically struck and killed by lightning three weeks ago at a Sunday picnic. He was only 48 years old.

A few days later, on August 5th, *Dominion Virginia Power announced that its electric system had experienced an astonishing 180,000 lightning strikes in an eight-hour period. That's six strikes per second! "Phenomenal" is how Dominion described it.*

All across our region these patterns of extreme weather are consistent with what climate scientists have warned for years would occur with global warming. Now we're living the results. 
And not just here: heat waves and fires in Russia, mudslides in China, severe droughts in sub-Saharan Africa.

The problem seems so big and out of control. What can one person do?

See full note from director >>
CCAN: August 2010 Virginia

*Windmills, Not Oil Spills*
In the wake of the Gulf Coast oil disaster, the choice between offshore wind and offshore drilling along Virginia's coasts is clear. Just one mistake could replicate the Gulf spill with devastating consequences for the environment and the economy. Yet this same Virginia coastline could create enough wind energy to provide 10 percent of Virginia's electricity use. 
Tell the Obama Administration that Virginians demand windmills, not oil spills. 
Sign the petition>>

*Fight the BP spin machine*
If you have been following the offshore wind versus oil debate in the media as closely as we have, you know that the mainstream media is buying BP and the federal government's talking points hook, line, and sinker. The most dubious recent claim? That best estimations show that 75 percent of the spilled oil in the Gulf "has been accounted for." Even if this fact were true (and we all find it incredibly hard to believe), this would still be four times the amount of oil spilled TOTAL in the devastating Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. Join our Media Truth Squad and write letters to the editor of your local newspaper, urging them to resist BP's spin machine. Join the squad >>

*"Get to Work" with CCAN and 350.org on 10/10/10*
Circle 10/10/10 on your calendar. That's the date. The place is wherever you live. And the point is to do something that will help deal with global warming in your city or community. CCAN is working closely with 350.org to help make the 10/10/10 Global Work Party a success. Help us motivate Congress to get to work on real climate solutions by pledging to "get to work" on steps to reduce your climate impact by 10/10/10. Find an event in your area: Baltimore; Howard County; Montgomery County.

*Help CCAN Kick Some Coal Ash!*
Please take a moment to submit comments to tell the EPA that toxic coal ash should be regulated as the hazardous waste that it is! EPA should not treat coal ash as common household trash. They should stand up to the polluters and regulate coal ash the right way, once and for all. Learn more about coal ash regulation. If you are in the D.C. metro area on August 30, please consider testifying on this important issue at an EPA hearing at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington. CCAN will provide draft testimony for those who would like to participate. Find out more >>

*Offshore wind = New Jobs and a Climate Solution for Maryland*
While we continue to fight for national climate legislation, Maryland can show that climate solutions work. Delaware is moving forward with building wind turbines off its coast and Maryland is considering joining the clean energy party! Hurdles remain, including federal regulations, and we need to show our leaders we support offshore wind as a job creator and clean energy solution. Please sign our online petition asking the Obama Administration to reform the offshore wind permitting process and check our website soon for more ways you can help make Maryland a leader in offshore wind! Sign the petition >>

*Appalachia comes to Washington*
Join CCAN and our partners at Appalachia Rising, a mass mobilization calling for an end to the devastating practice of mountaintop removal mining. Mountaintop removal has already destroyed over 500 of the world's oldest mountains and more than 2,000 miles of streams, and has contaminated our nation's waters. Together, we will bring Appalachia's cry to our nation's capital: We must end mountaintop removal and transform the economies of Appalachia away from destructive mining practices and toward clean-energy jobs and a sustainable and healthy future. Find out more >>

*Congress loves dirty energy money*
How much dirty energy money lines the pockets of your Congressional representatives? This month, CCAN joined forces with other green groups to provide voters with detailed information about oil, gas, and coal industry contributions to members of Congress. Dirty energy has funneled more than $14.8 million to federal lawmakers during the current Congress. Find out how much your lawmakers have taken >>

*Join other students to get dirty energy money out of politics!*
Dirty energy companies are spending millions in this fall's midterm elections to buy off politicians and stall the transition to a clean energy economy. Now is our time to get dirty energy out of our communities and out of politics. That's why we're banding together to run Power Vote, an Energy Action Coalition campaign to clean up our political system and get on course for a clean energy economy. For more information, contact [email protected] or sign up to be part of Power Vote >>

Get to know one of our departing fellows, Justin Klecha, who was an instrumental part of our summer campaign to fight a proposed coal plant in Hampton Roads. More>> 
MEET JUSTIN KLECHA, CCAN FELLOW

*Your name:*
Justin Klecha

*Your age:*
25

*Your work and/or education background:*
Field Organizer for Equality Maine; Field Organizer for the "No on 1" Campaign; Grassroots Field Manager for a RePower America campaign;
B.A. Sociology with a concentration in Race, Class and Gender - University of Maine, Orono

*Where you live:*
Bethesda, MD

*Why are you a CCAN volunteer?*
Fighting climate change is and will continue to be one of my generation's greatest challenges. It's part of our duty to each other to pitch in on this problem. Volunteering with CCAN gives me the opportunity to do my part.

*What has inspired you most working with CCAN?*
Seeing the development of the other student fellows this summer. They signed up to do something they really, really cared about and worked extremely hard at it. Having the opportunity to be part of that was fantastic.

*What have you contributed to bringing about a clean energy revolution that you are most proud of?*
This past summer, I was able to raise awareness about an unnecessary and expensive coal plant. The more people question where we get our energy from, the more people will start pushing for better energy generation. The conversations, I am most proud of are the ones with people that started off thinking coal is a great idea, but by the end of the conversation they were signing the petition and agreeing to vote for Rob Marmet (a clean energy candidate we supported for the Board of a local electric cooperative, Rappahanock Electric Cooperative).

*What do you hope to see happen in terms of climate in the next year?*
I hope to see a federal bill that really forces the reduction of toxic emissions and implements clean, renewable energy sources.

*What do you like to do when you're not working on climate change?*
I enjoy reading, playing pool and walking in the woods.

*If you could high-five anyone, who would it be?*
Albert Camus

Mike on FOX 5 Morning News 
As extreme weather events continue to pop up around the globe, Mike draws the connection between these events, retreating arctic sea ice, and climate change. Watch the clip>> 
CCAN: Mike discusses extreme weather and retreating Arctic Ice with FOX 5

Mike discusses the potential lasting effects of the Gulf oil spill on the U.S. with FOX 5 Morning News. Watch the clip>> 
CCAN: BP Starts Using Cement To Finish Up 'Static Kill' in Gulf; Director Mike Tidwell joins FOX to discuss

Subscribe to our blog>> 
Chesapeake Climate Action Network

--VIRGINIA--

*Invasive Plant Removal* 
Saturday, August 21, 2010
10:00am - 12:00pm
Location: Tuckahoe Elementary School
6550 26th St. North
Arlington, VA 22213

For ages 9 to adult. Not all plants are good for the environment. Invasive plants crowd native ones out for space and light and some can even grow a "mile-a-minute"! 
Come learn what these troublesome beasts look like and help rescue our parks from these alien invaders! 
We meet monthly at Tuckahoe Park. If you have your own garden gloves and tools, please bring them along. 
Some supplies will be provided. Be sure to come dressed for work, wear sturdy shoes, long pants, 
long sleeves, and perhaps a hat. You may also want to bring along a reusable water bottle. Register by email or call 703-228-1862.
Contact: Mary Pierce
703-228-1862

*EPA Federal Coal Ash Hearing* 
Monday, August 30, 2010 - 10-am - 9-pm
Location: Hyatt Regency
2799 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22202

On June 21, 2010, EPA proposed to regulate the disposal of coal combustion residuals generated from the combustion of coal at electric utilities and by independent power producers. Given the significant public interest in this proposed rule and to further public participation opportunities, EPA is announcing five public hearings to be held in cities across the United States. The hearings will provide the public with an opportunity to present data, views or arguments concerning the proposed rule.

If you would like to testify at the hearing, please preregister here: Registration Form | Coal Combustion Residues (CCR) - Public Hearing | Industrial Waste | US EPA
Contact: Diana Dascalu-Joffe
240-396-1984

*Invasive Plant Removal*
September 11 - Lacey Woods, Arlington

--MARYLAND--

*Veteran's Park Concert Pledge Collecting*
August 19 - Veteran's Park, Bethesda

Baltimore: *Belvedere Square Pledge Collecting*
August 19

Baltimore: *Waverly Farmer's Market Pledge Collecting*
August 20

Takoma Park *Farmer's Market Pledge Collecting*
August 22 - Carroll Avenue and Laurel Avenue

Appalachia Rising *Phonebanking*
August 28
Takoma Park, CCAN Main Office

Glen Echo Park *Concert Pledge Collecting*
August 26

--DC--

Navy Memorial Summer Concert *Pledge Collecting*
August 17
Navy Memorial Plaza

Indian Summer Showcase *Pledge Collecting*
August 22 - Outdoor Welcome Plaza
Musuem of the American Indian

Columbia Heights Day *Pledge Collecting*
August 28 - Harriet Tubman Elementary School

Appalachia Rising
September 24-27 - Washington, D.C.

Home | Contact Us | Donate | Get Involved | Unsubscribe
Please send all replies to [email protected]
Chesapeake Climate Action Network | PO Box 11180 | Takoma Park, MD 20912 | 240.396.1981


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Let the EPA Do Its Job to Cut Global Warming Emissions - The Petition Site


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Dramatic climate change is unpredictable

There's a change in rain around desert cities


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## leashedForLife (Nov 1, 2009)

Melting Sea Ice Forces Walruses Ashore in Alaska - ABC News

EXCERPT - *bold added - * 


> _ *The walruses "stretch out for one mile or more. This is just packed shoulder-to-shoulder,"*
> U.S. Geological Survey biologist Anthony Fischbach said in a telephone interview from Alaska.
> He estimated their number at tens of thousands.
> 
> ...


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