[TheClimate.Vote] December 20, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest

Thu Dec 20 10:41:32 EST 2018

/December 20, 2018/

*China And Russia Have Run Controversial Experiments That Modified 
Earth's Atmosphere*
https://www.sciencealert.com/china-and-russia-conducted-controversial-experiments-that-modified-earth-s-atmosphere
PETER DOCKRILL 19 DEC 2018
China and Russia have jointly conducted a controversial series of 
experiments to modify Earth's atmosphere with high-frequency radio waves.
 From a Russian installation called the Sura Ionospheric Heating 
Facility near the town of Vasilsursk, east of Moscow, scientists emitted 
high-frequency radio waves to manipulate the ionosphere, while the China 
Seismo Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) measured the effects on plasma 
disturbance from orbit.
It's not the first time research like this has been conducted, but news 
of the China-Russia developments - conveyed via a published paper on the 
experiments, and a recent article in the South China Morning Post - has 
ignited concerns over the potential military applications of this kind 
of science.

That's because the ionosphere, and the ionised gas (plasma) that 
inhabits it, is crucial to radio communication. By selectively 
disturbing the charged particles that make up this part of the upper 
atmosphere, scientists or even governments could theoretically boost or 
block long-range radio signals.
Even these preliminary experiments - conducted in June, and ostensibly 
designed as a test-case for future related ionosphere research - had 
extreme effects.
In one of the experiments, the affected area of ionosphere disturbance 
reportedly covered 126,000 square kilometres (49,000 square miles). In 
another test, ionised gas in the atmosphere increased in heat by 100 
degrees Celsius (212 degrees Fahrenheit).
For their part, those involved claim the research is purely scientific, 
and harmless to the atmosphere.
"We are not playing God," an unidentified researcher who asked to remain 
nameless told the South China Morning Post.
- -
Still, we need to be careful here; as many researchers have said, this 
field of science has too long been plagued by conspiracy theories 
drummed up by a paranoid blogosphere.
That said, even some in the ionosphere manipulation research community 
have found the recent announcements about the June experiments a little 
strange.
"Such international cooperation is very rare for China," physicist and 
engineer Guo Lixin from China's Xidian University, who was not involved 
in the experiments, told the Post.
"The technology involved is too sensitive."
The findings are reported in Earth and Planetary Physics.
https://www.sciencealert.com/china-and-russia-conducted-controversial-experiments-that-modified-earth-s-atmosphere
- - -
[Source material from Earth and Planetary Physics]
The first joint experimental results between SURA and CSES
Kazan Federal University, Kazan 420008, Russia
*Abstract*

In June 2018, for the first time, the SURA heating facility in
Russia , together with the in-orbit China Seismo-Electromagnetic
Satellite (CSES), carried out a series of experiments in emitting
high frequency (HF) O-mode radio waves to disturb the ionosphere.
This paper reports data from those experiments, collected onboard
CSES, including electric field, in-situ plasma parameters, and
energetic particle flux. Five cases are analyzed, two cases in local
daytime and three in local nighttime. We find that the pumping wave
frequencies f0 in local daytime were close to the critical frequency
of the F2 layer foF2, but no pumping waves were detected by the
electric field detector (EFD) on CSES even when the emitted power
reached 90 MW, and no obvious plasma disturbances were observed from
CSES in those two daytime cases. But on June 16, there existed a
spread F phenomena when f0 was lower than foF2 at that local daytime
period. During the three cases in local nighttime, the pumping waves
were clearly distinguished in the HF-band electric field at the
emitted frequency with the emitted power only 30 MW; the power
spectrum density of the electric field was larger by an order of
magnitude than the normal background, with the propagating radius
exceeding 200 km. Due to the small foF2 over SURA in June at that
local nighttime period,f0 in these three cases were significantly
higher than foF2, all belonging to under-dense heating conditions.
As for the plasma parameters, only an increase of about 100 K in ion
temperature was observed on June 12; in the other two cases (with
one orbit without plasma data on June 17), no obvious plasma
disturbances were found. This first joint SURA-CSES experiment
illustrates that the present orbit of CSES can cross quite close to
the SURA facility, which can insure an effective heating time from
SURA so that CSES can observe the perturbations at the topside
ionosphere excited by SURA in the near region. The detection of
plasma disturbances on June 12 with under-dense heating mode in
local nighttime provides evidence for likely success of future
related experiments between CSES and SURA, or with other HF facilities.

http://www.eppcgs.org//article/doi/10.26464/epp2018051?pageType=en

[decades of disinformation]
*Next to Probe Exxon Climate Deception: European Parliament*
Members of the European Parliament will seek to question ExxonMobil for 
the first time for allegedly hiding the dangers of climate change from 
the public through a misinformation campaign that lasted decades...
https://www.climateliabilitynews.org/2018/12/19/exxon-climate-deception-european-parliament/ 

[video interview]
*Thom Hartmann on Climate Change: How Bad Will It Get?*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6g-3v14Txk

[in the Washington Post $ opinion ]
*Climate-change deniers are a danger to our security*
- -
On what basis do they deny climate change? President Trump says he knows 
a lot about science, so believe him instead of all the scientists who 
work for the federal government. Others seek refuge in the fantasy that 
there is reasonable doubt as to the existence of climate change or the 
severity of the problem, citing fringe characters without expertise on 
the subject. Those who know better or suspect climate-change denial is 
irrational (but are too cowardly to confront know-nothings who dominate 
the party) are willing to string along with the mob, even at the expense 
of endangering the country and the planet. Republican senators from 
Florida and Texas, where their constituents' lives and property are 
threatened by the rising sea levels that result from rising 
temperatures, won't admit the origin of the problem. They simply want 
bailout money each time another disaster strikes.
In both the Cold War and the debate over climate change, ideology has 
won out over empirical reality, and those opposed to spending any time 
or money on either problem have preferred to wish it away rather than 
engage in good-faith arguments that entail policy trade-offs. Deniers 
have disqualified themselves from holding power since willful blindness 
puts Americans at risk, and their propensity to disregard reality makes 
one question both their judgment and honesty.
That's where we are on the climate-change debate...
Washington Post $

[Chomsky video manifesto]
*Noam Chomsky - Political Betrayal, Mobilizing Action 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KU5YQeWtQ>*
UPFSI
Published on Dec 18, 2018
https://ScientistsWarning.org - We interviewed Noam Chomsky shortly 
before COP-24, the UN climate negotiations which took place in Katowice, 
Poland the first two weeks of December.  The COP itself ended as 
expected, with little progress and yet another kick of the can down the 
road. Noam's allusion to Nero in this video is quite apt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KU5YQeWtQ

[religion]
*What would Jesus do? Talking with evangelicals about climate change*
What would Jesus do? Illustration: Eiko Ojala
In our new column about the American south and climate change, we go 
towards Christians who have been resistant to ideas of environmental 
stewardship - perhaps it's a message they need to hear in their own terms
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/19/talking-with-evangelicals-about-climate-change-south

[video understanding jet stream changes]
*Why Jet Streams Get Stuck and Weather Goes Nuts: 1 of 2 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inH7B3HHXOo>*
Paul Beckwith - Dec 18, 2018
 From top-down, big-picture thinking on the climate system, it is clear 
that when Arctic temperatures increase much faster than lower latitude 
temperatures the jet streams must slow down and become wavier; in fact I 
have discussed this since 2010. Peer-reviewed science is finally 
catching up. In this video (plus next), I chat on jet streams (planetary 
waves; Rossby waves) get stuck in place, with large ridges and troughs, 
causing extreme weather events via Quasi-Resonant Amplification.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inH7B3HHXOo
- -
[2nd in a series]
*Crappy Weather From Stuck Jet Streams: 2 of 2* 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBqmI8HRzLc>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBqmI8HRzLc

[our first Zen exercise: lie on back, kick legs up into the air, cry and 
spit until exhausted. Then sit silently and breath. Repeat until it's 
too boring to continue]
https://youtu.be/tGCEB5dxj_o
*WEN STEPHENSON + ROY SCRANTON: WE ARE DOOMED. WHAT WOULD BUDDHA DO?*
RubinMuseum - Dec 14, 2018
If we are doomed no matter what, do our decisions matter? In this 
program, two self-proclaimed "bad Buddhists" try to answer the question 
of how to lose less badly and live ethically in the no-win situation of 
catastrophic climate change.

Wen Stephenson, author of What We're Fighting for Now Is Each Other, 
wrote in a recent essay for The Baffler: "[Climate] doomists are right 
that it's a no-win situation. [And yet] even at this late date, some 
versions of 'losing' could look far worse than others. We can still lose 
less badly!"

Echoing this sentiment, Roy Scranton, author of Learning to Die in the 
Anthropocene, wrote in a recent tweet:

"If we are not careful, we will waste our energy trying to convince 
zealots, arguing over who is to blame, attacking our allies, and 
preaching to the choir, and the seas will rise all the same. Is this the 
best use of what little time we have? Or can we do something different?"
https://youtu.be/tGCEB5dxj_o
Comment by Richard Pauli
Unlike any other time in history, humans now have an insight into the 
future - both near and far.  This is based on our technology and science 
that predicts forecasts and then scenarios.   Conversations are often 
tense and difficult because we are unsure of our reality. And so lets 
take note that the science is very understandable and open - think basic 
high school science.  First try Spencer Weart's "The Discovery of Global 
Warming" - it's free and is widely used in schools and beginning college 
courses - it's history of the science 
https://history.aip.org/climate/index.htm Next, of course is 
https://skepticalscience.com/ - it delivers in each of 3 levels of 
interest - beginning, intermediate and expert.   And also, Wikipedia 
seems well written for just about any topic you want to search. There is 
so much to learn, and a beginning understanding is pretty easy.  We can 
know enough to make plans for the future and set down action steps for 
the present  And all of this is ferociously interesting. Thanks for this 
nice discussion on the most difficult topic ever. [ our first exercise:  
lie on back, kick legs up into the air, cry and spit until exhausted. 
Then sit silently and breath. Repeat until it is boring to continue]
https://youtu.be/tGCEB5dxj_o

*Five Steps to Becoming a More Responsible Architect in the Age of 
Climate Change* 
<https://archinect.com/features/article/150099103/five-steps-to-becoming-a-more-responsible-architect-in-the-age-of-climate-change>
Gunnar Hubbard FAIA, LEED Fellow By Gunnar Hubbard FAIA, LEED Fellow - 
Dec 13, '18
The latest climate report by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel 
on Climate Change (IPPC) anticipates that the world will experience the 
more extreme effects and consequences of climate change much earlier 
than originally thought, all within most of the global population's 
lifetime. This news, paired with the ongoing world climate crisis, 
pushes us to maximize our efforts toward a more sustainable future.
As professionals in the AEC industry, we must first acknowledge the 
effect our work has on the environment and then focus on what steps can 
we take to mitigate those impacts...
https://archinect.com/features/article/150099103/five-steps-to-becoming-a-more-responsible-architect-in-the-age-of-climate-change

*This Day in Climate History - December 20, 1983 - from D.R. Tucker*
December 20, 1983: PBS airs "Climate Crisis: The Greenhouse Effect," a 
"NOVA" special on global warming featuring Tennessee Rep. Al Gore.
http://youtu.be/T8JlBkOe6HU
http://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/24/movies/earth-s-climatic-crisis-examined-by-nova.html
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