RSS Feed
Archive for April 10th, 2015
Dry, warm winter leaves Western U.S. snowpack at record low levels
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 10th, 2015
Reuters: Meager precipitation and a premature spring thaw caused by unusually mild temperatures last month have left the U.S. Western mountain snowpack, a key source of fresh surface water for the region, at record low levels, the government reported on Friday.
Melting of winter snows began much earlier than usual this year, from the Sierra Nevada range in California to the lower elevations of Colorado's Rockies, leaving much of the Western snowpack greatly diminished or gone by early April, when it is...
Posted in Water Conservation 
Comments Off on Dry, warm winter leaves Western U.S. snowpack at record low levelsResearchers say permafrost carbon release will be gradual
Posted by Associated Press: Dan Joling on April 10th, 2015
Associated Press: Frozen Arctic and sub-Arctic soil that thaws from global warming will add substantial amounts of carbon to the atmosphere in the form of greenhouse gases, accelerating climate change the rest of the century, but it won't come in a sudden burst, researchers say in a new paper.
A review by government and academic experts concludes that harmful carbon dioxide and methane generated by microbes digesting thawed plant and animal material will instead enter the atmosphere gradually. But it's a carbon...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Researchers say permafrost carbon release will be gradualFraming the End: Extinction as Art
Posted by LiveScience: Paulette Beete on April 10th, 2015
LiveScience: It is tricky to measure the number of species going extinct each year on our planet -- it all depends on how many species of flora and fauna exist, a difficult number to pin down. What most scientists can agree on, however, is that the extinction rate is 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than it would be if people weren't around.
While those changes don't appear to impact our everyday lives -- the extinction of a little-known tree frog doesn't change how long we wait in line for our morning coffee...
Toxic Weed Killer Glyphosate Found Breast Milk, Infant Formula
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on April 10th, 2015
EcoWatch: The widely-used herbicide glyphosate, now classified as probably carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organization (WHO), has been found in a number of items, including honey, breast milk and infant formula, according to media reports. “When chemical agriculture blankets millions of acres of genetically engineered corn and soybean fields with hundreds of millions of pounds of glyphosate, it’s not a surprise babies are now consuming Monsanto’s signature chemical with breast milk and infant...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Toxic Weed Killer Glyphosate Found Breast Milk, Infant FormulaUnitarian Universalists: ‘Climate Justice Is a Moral Issue … It Is Our Obligation to Act’
Posted by EcoWatch: None Given on April 10th, 2015
EcoWatch: In a call for spiritual action in the fight against climate change, Unitarian Universalists and other faith groups have joined together to participate in Climate Justice Month. This time of reflection and spiritual grounding started on World Water Day March 22 and will culminate with the worldwide celebration of Earth Day on April 22.
The faith groups hope that Climate Justice Month will inspire meaningful action on climate change. They hope the month of reflection gives participants a chance...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Unitarian Universalists: ‘Climate Justice Is a Moral Issue … It Is Our Obligation to Act’Increase in frequency & intensity of heat waves in Malta projected
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on April 10th, 2015
Independent: Increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves in Malta… Increase in frequency and intensity of heat waves in Malta projected Kevin Schembri Orland Friday, 10 April 2015, 09:13 Last update: about 2 days ago In an issue that is of concern to Malta, the European Union has highlighted a possible increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, through its European Environment State and Outlook Report 2015. “The likely increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, particularly in southern...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Increase in frequency & intensity of heat waves in Malta projectedRapid global warming may be coming sooner than you think
Posted by Mashable: None Given on April 10th, 2015
Mashable: A new study bolsters the case that a period of much faster global warming may be imminent, if not already beginning. The study, published Wednesday in Geophysical Research Letters, uses climate records gleaned from coral reefs in the South Pacific to recreate sea surface temperatures and ocean heat content dating back to 1791. The corals examined were from Fiji, Tonga and Rarotonga.
Information from the geochemistry of coral reef core samples reveals how ocean surface temperatures have varied...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Rapid global warming may be coming sooner than you thinkFixing ‘bugs’ in climate models: Accounting for melting permafrost
Posted by ClimateWire: Gayathri Vaidyanathan on April 10th, 2015
ClimateWire: Abrupt climate change within a decade triggered by runaway melting of Arctic permafrost is extremely unlikely, according to a study published in Nature yesterday. Rather, the permafrost, or frozen ground, in the Northern Hemisphere will take decades or centuries to melt and release the carbon stored in the soil. The release will not trigger a catastrophe per se but will exacerbate global warming. "These are large and significant releases, so, over a century, we are going to release 100 billion...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Fixing ‘bugs’ in climate models: Accounting for melting permafrostCalifornia orders emergency standards cut water use by toilets, showers
Posted by ClimateWire: Debra Kahn on April 10th, 2015
ClimateWire: California regulators passed emergency efficiency standards for toilets, faucets and other water-using appliances yesterday, a move aimed at stemming water waste as the state's historic drought grows worse.
Starting in January 2016, retailers will not be allowed to sell showerheads, toilets, urinals, bathroom and kitchen faucets and other appliances that violate the new standards. Toilets can use no more than 1.28 gallons per flush, down from 1.6 gallons, and kitchen faucets will not be permitted...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on California orders emergency standards cut water use by toilets, showersCalif faces ‘Dust Bowl’-like conditions, says climate tracker
Posted by LA Times: Chris Megerian on April 10th, 2015
LA Times: With a slew of statistics projected on the slideshow behind him, California's state climatologist had a stark warning during a Thursday presentation on the severity of the drought.
"You’re looking on numbers that are right on par with what was the Dust Bowl," said the climatologist, Michael Anderson.
The presentation was part of a briefing organized by the Assn. of California Water Agencies and attended by top state officials.
Gov. Jerry Brown has been criticized for not doing enough to...
Posted in Water Conservation Comments Off on Calif faces ‘Dust Bowl’-like conditions, says climate tracker