[TheClimate.Vote] September 9, 2018 - Daily Global Warming News Digest
Richard Pauli
richard at theclimate.vote
Sun Sep 9 09:21:25 EDT 2018
/September 9, 2018/
[SF activism]
*Rise for Climate: thousands march across US to protest environment
crisis
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/08/rise-for-climate-protests-san-francisco-new-york>*
Protests spearheaded by march in San Francisco ahead of climate change
summit in the city next week
Tens of thousands of people took part in marches and other events across
the US on Saturday, calling for a swift transition to renewable energy
in order to stave off the various perils of climate change.
The Rise for Climate protests was spearheaded by what organizers called
the largest ever climate march on the US west coast. The march, which
snaked through the heart of San Francisco, came ahead of a climate
change summit in the city next week that will gather mayors and business
leaders from around the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/08/rise-for-climate-protests-san-francisco-new-york
[Clinton awoke]
*While Trump rejects science, Obama and Clinton warn of climate change's
urgent danger
<https://grist.org/article/while-trump-rejects-science-obama-and-clinton-warn-of-climate-changes-urgent-danger/>*
By Greta Moran - Sep 7, 2018
The Democratic Party VIPs offered sobering remarks on the immediacy of
climate change on Friday. Former President Obama and former presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton warned separately that climate change is not
an intangible, future threat, but one that is at this moment devastating
the planet and its inhabitants.
During a "State of Democracy" speech at the University of Illinois,
Obama offered a science-backed reminder: "We know that climate change
isn't just coming. It is here."
Clinton issued a similar sentiment on Twitter. "We're not fighting for
the planet in some abstract sense here," she said. "We're fighting for
our continued ability to live on it." She pointed to record-high
temperatures across the world, the biggest wildfire in California
history, and an unprecedented red tide in Florida - all visible signs
that climate change is something to be contending with right now...
- - - -
Both Obama and Clinton saw political engagement as part of the way out
of this quagmire. "The antidote to a government controlled by a powerful
few, a government that divides, is a government by the organized,
energized, inclusive many," said Obama.
https://grist.org/article/while-trump-rejects-science-obama-and-clinton-warn-of-climate-changes-urgent-danger/
[buzz, slap, buzz]
*Invasive mosquitoes are 'spreading like wildfire' in California
<https://grist.org/article/invasive-mosquitoes-are-spreading-like-wildfire-in-california/>*
By Nathanael Johnson on Sep 7, 2018
Invasive mosquitoes of the Aedes genus - /Aedes aegyptai/ and /Aedes
albopictus/, which thrive throughout tropical regions - are moving
farther and farther north into California, according to the Los Angeles
Times.
As Susanne Kluh, a public disease-control officer, told the paper: "They
are spreading like wildfire. Our phones are exploding."
Why are health officials getting involved? Because Aedes aegyptai is the
primary spreader of awful diseases: dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and
chikungunya. Together, dengue and yellow fever kill some 50,000 people a
year.
So far, Aedes mosquitoes in the United States have spread only a few
cases of dengue and chikungunya, and only in Florida. But they caused a
major Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico.
For decades, researchers have predicted that as mosquitoes move north we
will see more disease. And it's not just mosquitoes. Grist's Zoya
Teirstein detailed the (horrific, swarming) spread of ticks that are
making people allergic to meat.
Diseases spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and other vermin more than tripled
between 2004 and 2016, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
The dangers of Aedes mosquitoes aren't limited to death and disease;
they're also freaking annoying. They prefer humans to any other species
for their blood meal and will pursue people into their homes. They are
sip feeders, which means they may bite you multiple times (producing
multiple welts) before they are done.
These new mosquitoes are also harder to control because their eggs can
survive in as little as an eighth of an inch of water. That means they
can find tiny pools to reproduce in overwatered lawns, or a discarded
coffee cup lid.
https://grist.org/article/invasive-mosquitoes-are-spreading-like-wildfire-in-california/
[Police info precedes police state]
*ACLU Fears Protest Crackdowns, Surveillance Already Being Planned for
Keystone XL
<https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07092018/protester-surveillance-anti-terrorism-training-keystone-xl-pipeline-aclu-lawsuit-federal-law-enforcement>*
As more states consider harsh anti-protest laws, law enforcement
trainings are raising red flags. The ACLU accuses U.S. agencies of
trying to hide the extent of it.
BY NICHOLAS KUSNETZ
The Keystone XL pipeline is expected to draw protests from indigenous
and environmental activists when construction begins, and many activists
are worried law enforcement agencies may be planning surveillance and a
militarized response. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union is
accusing federal agencies of trying to hide the extent of these
preparations, which the group says are clearly underway.
The ACLU and its Montana affiliate sued several federal agencies this
week, including the Departments of Justice, Defense and Homeland
Security, saying the agencies are withholding documents that discuss
planning for the expected protests and any coordination among state and
local authorities and private security contractors.
Fears about the law enforcement response follow the 2016 armed crackdown
on people protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, where authorities used
tear gas and turned water cannons on protesters in freezing
temperatures. Since then, dozens of bills and executive orders have been
introduced in at least 31 states to clamp down on protests. Activists
say the bills are part of a concerted campaign by energy companies and
their allies in government to suppress these protests by increasing
criminal penalties for minor violations and in some cases trying to use
anti-terrorism laws against activists.
The ACLU says documents it obtained from state agencies in Montana
suggest law enforcement agencies have begun extensive trainings in
preparation for the Keystone XL project, and that federal agencies are
involved...
- - - - -
The records obtained by the ACLU in Montana echo others in Oklahoma,
Louisiana, Virginia and other states that have shown law enforcement
agencies focusing anti-terrorism resources on environmental activists
and, in some cases, cooperating with private security companies employed
by pipeline companies to surveil and arrest protesters.
In a blog post announcing the organization's lawsuit, Jacob Hutt of the
ACLU said the organization hopes to determine from the documents its
requested how and whether federal agencies are "thwarting, surveilling,
and otherwise engaging with indigenous and environmental activists"
opposed to Keystone XL.
"The First Amendment protects political speech from the threat of undue
government scrutiny, and the extent of such scrutiny is currently
unknown," he wrote. "If the government is planning to prevent or monitor
indigenous and environmental protests, the activists involved have a
right to know about it."
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/07092018/protester-surveillance-anti-terrorism-training-keystone-xl-pipeline-aclu-lawsuit-federal-law-enforcement
- - - -
[ACLU says]
*Is the Government Planning to Surveil Keystone XL Protesters?
<https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/government-planning-surveil-keystone-xl-protesters>*
By Jacob J. Hutt, William J. Brennan Fellow, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and
Technology Project
SEPTEMBER 4, 2018
The First Amendment protects political speech from the threat of undue
government scrutiny, and the extent of that scrutiny, in this case, is
unknown. If the government is planning to prevent or monitor indigenous
and environmental protests, the activists involved have a right to know
about it.
https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/government-planning-surveil-keystone-xl-protesters
[never before like this]
*New map of Antarctica shows the icy continent in 'stunning detail'
<https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/09/07/antarctica-new-map-shows-icy-continent-stunning-detail/1224078002/>*
Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
Scientists from Ohio State University and the University of Minnesota
have created what they say is the best, most complete and accurate map
ever made of the frozen continent at the bottom of the world (see
example, below).
"Up until now, we've had a better map of Mars than we've had of
Antarctica," Ian Howat, earth science professor at Ohio State, said in a
statement. "Now it is the best-mapped continent on Earth."
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/science/2018/09/07/antarctica-new-map-shows-icy-continent-stunning-detail/1224078002/
- - - -
- - - -
[Here it is - read instructions first]
*REMA - Reference Elevation Model of Antarctic
<https://www.pgc.umn.edu/data/rema/>*
The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) is a high resolution,
time-stamped Digital Surface Model (DSM) of Antarctica at 8-meter
spatial resolution.
https://www.pgc.umn.edu/data/rema/
- - - -
[Public HTTP Data Repository]
*Polar Geospatial Center <http://data.pgc.umn.edu/>*
data.pgc.umn.edu
By downloading data from this site or FTP, you agree to adhere to PGC's
Data Acknowledgement Policy and will appropriately cite data used.
For more information on ArcticDEM visit the main ArcticDEM page or read
the documenation guides
This data can also be accessed via FTP (File Transfer Protocol) by using
ftp.data.pgc.umn.edu as the host name (no authentication required).
http://data.pgc.umn.ed
*
The Colorado River is evaporating, and climate change is largely to
blame
<https://mashable.com/article/colorado-river-drought-global-warming/#HfOPbL3SRZqI>*
BY MARK KAUFMAN
An hour's drive from Las Vegas stands America's Hoover Dam, a commanding
barrier of concrete holding back the trillions of gallons of Colorado
River water held inside Lake Mead.
The dam is a proud place, built by thousands of hands and with 5 million
barrels of concrete. Its golden elevator doors, Gotham-esque pillars,
and stoic guardian angel statues line the lofty walkways atop the
structure. A U.S. flag beating patriotically over the desert gets
swapped out every few days, and then put out for sale in the visitor
center.
Yet, in the 80 years since the great dam's completion, the 1,450-mile
Colorado River - which sustains some 40 million Americans in places like
Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles - has been gradually growing weaker,
and the water level beyond the noble dam has fallen considerably over
the last two decades. The writing is easily spotted on the steep rocky
walls of the Lake Mead reservoir, where a bathtub-like ring shows where
the water once sat during more fruitful times.
- - - -
New research published in the journal Water Resources Research argues
that over half of this decline is due to sustained and rising
temperatures in the region, which ultimately means more water is
evaporated from the river, diminishing the flow.
But it's really been in the last twenty years that matters have
deteriorated into a major drought, edging the region toward a potential
water-rationing crisis.
It's the worst drought in Colorado River history.
"The river since 2000 has been in an unprecedented decline," Brad Udall,
coauthor of the new study and senior water and climate research
scientist at Colorado State University, said in an interview.
"There's no analog, from when humans started gauging the river, for this
drought," said Udall.
https://mashable.com/article/colorado-river-drought-global-warming/#HfOPbL3SRZqI
- - - - -
[Water Resources Research]
*On the causes of declining Colorado River streamflows
<https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018WR023153>*
Mu Xiao Bradley Udall Dennis P. Lettenmaier
First published: 30 August 2018 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018WR023153
*Abstract*
The Colorado River is the primary surface water resource in the
rapidly growing U.S. Southwest. Over the period 1916‐2014, the Upper
Colorado River Basin naturalized streamflow declined by 16.5%,
despite the fact that annual precipitation in the UCRB over that
period increased slightly (+1.4%). In order to examine the causes of
the runoff declines, we performed a set of experiments with the
Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrology model. Our results
show that the pervasive warming has reduced snowpacks and enhanced
evapotranspiration (ET) over the last 100 years; over half (53%) of
the long‐term decreasing runoff trend is associated with the general
warming. Negative winter precipitation trends have occurred in the
handful of highly productive sub‐basins that account for over half
of the streamflow at Lee's Ferry. We also compared a mid‐century
drought with the (ongoing) post‐Millennium Drought, and find that
whereas the earlier drought was caused primarily by pervasive low
precipitation anomalies across UCRB, higher temperatures have played
a large role in the post‐Millennium Drought. The post‐Millennium
Drought has also been exacerbated by negative precipitation
anomalies in several of the most productive headwater basins.
Finally, we evaluate the UCRB April‐July runoff forecast for 2017,
which decreased dramatically as the runoff season progressed. We
find that while late winter and spring 2017 was anomalously warm,
the proximate cause of most of the forecast reduction was anomalous
late winter and early spring dryness in UCRB, which followed
exceptionally large (positive) early winter precipitation anomalies.
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018WR023153
[Beckwith video on Arctic ocean melt 15 min]
*Arctic Sea-Ice Loss as a Pivot Point for Humanity?
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN8htnwC6LU>*
Paul Beckwith
Published on Sep 8, 2018
Fourth video of a series of four on the changing dynamics of Arctic
Sea-Ice Loss (melt versus export) as we tease out clues as to when the
first blue-ocean event will occur. Also, what will happen after the
first blue-ocean event, both in the Arctic and elsewhere? How will
things proceed in subsequent years, and what impacts will humanity have
to face.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN8htnwC6LU
- - - -
[Zach Labe graphs]
*Arctic Sea Ice Figures - Zachary Labe
<http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/arctic-sea-ice-figures/>*
More real-time Arctic products are available:
Arctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentration
<http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/arctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/>
Antarctic Sea Ice Extent and Concentration
<http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/antarctic-sea-ice-extentconcentration/>
Arctic Sea Ice Volume and Thickness
<http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/arctic-sea-ice-volumethickness/>
Arctic Temperatures <http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/arctic-temperatures/>
http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/arctic-sea-ice-figures/
*- - - -
Arctic Sea Ice and Extreme Weather Events
<http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/graduate-research/>*
Surface temperatures across the Arctic are increasing at nearly twice
the rate of the global mean in response to natural and forced climate
change, known as "Arctic Amplification". This warming is further
magnified as a result of positive feedbacks in the climate system.
Evaluating the effects of melting sea ice as a result of Arctic
Amplification can affect planetary vertical wave propagation from the
troposphere into the stratosphere and have important implications on the
magnitude and location of the polar vortex. By understanding this
complex relationship, we may be able to better simulate and detect
changes in the prevalence of extreme weather events in the midlatitudes,
particularly across the northeastern United States.
http://sites.uci.edu/zlabe/graduate-research/
[likely never in the past, soon possible]
*Circumnavigating Greenland
<http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2018/08/circumnavigating-greenland.html#more>*
A quite spectacular event took place during the past two weeks, and if
it had continued for a while longer, I'm sure it would've been reported
widely. It's something I've semi-jokingly alluded to when setting up
this blog back in 2010, in my third blog post called Dire Straits, and a
partial answer to the question commenter fredt34* asked at the time:
The big hole opening in East Greenland re-activated my interest for this
question: will we see Greenland being circumnavigable this year? If not,
when?
That was July 23rd 2010, and now a little over 8 years later, we have
almost seen it happen: a corridor of open water between Fram Strait and
the Lincoln Sea (where Nares Strait starts). Here's an animation of NASA
EOSDIS Worldview satellite images showing what has happened during the
past two weeks, ending yesterday (click for a slightly larger version):
Can you imagine that? It is almost possible to circumnavigate - love
that word - Greenland with a sailboat! You can charter a sailboat in
Iceland, sail past Cape Morris Jessup, Greenland's northernmost tip, and
almost into the Lincoln Sea, through Nares Strait, down Baffin Bay, and
be back in Reykjavík before the equinox. It's pretty crazy, when you
think about it.
- see animation
http://neven1.typepad.com/.a/6a0133f03a1e37970b022ad36248db200c-800wi
Still, it's difficult to say how unprecedented this is. Remember, a
similar event took place a couple of months ago, which in a way was more
spectacular, because it happened during winter. I wrote about it here,
and Dr Lars Kaleschke posted this tweet, showing the retreat:
- video address https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/967679640402874369
The cause of that event is the same as it is now: A high pressure area
positioned in such a way, for an extended period of time, that the
clockwise winds it engenders, pull away the ice from the North Greenland
coast. But the big difference is that these winds were much, much
stronger back in February than they are now. Another difference is that
there was ice in Fram Strait blocking an open passage towards Cape
Morris Jessup, but now the open water extends from Fram Strait to the
Lincoln Sea. And last but not least, the ice quickly froze over again
once the southerly winds died down. That will not happen here, not until
September. If it closes again, it will be because northerly winds push
the ice back towards the Greenland coast.
So, even though this massive retreat may not be unprecedented by itself
(it might be, I'm not sure), what is most probably unprecedented, is
that it takes a lot less extreme conditions for it to happen. Just one
extended period of winds blowing north or northwest, et voilà, one can
almost circumnavigate Greenland. It says something about the state of
the ice. Remember, this zone is supposed to be the last refuge for
thick(ish), multi-year sea ice.
Semi-jokingly or not, if Fram Strait and Nares Strait ever do get
connected, I stand by my right to name the corridor Knopfler Strait. ;-) ...
http://neven1.typepad.com/blog/2018/08/circumnavigating-greenland.html#more
[Exuberant future]
*UNLOCKING THE INCLUSIVE GROWTH STORY OF THE 21ST CENTURY
<https://newclimateeconomy.report/2018>*
Accelerating Climate Action in Urgent Times
The growth story of the 21st century can unlock unprecedented
opportunities of a strong, sustainable, inclusive economy. The benefits
of climate action are greater than ever before, while the costs of
inaction continue to mount. It is time for a decisive shift to a new
climate economy.
DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT
<https://newclimateeconomy.report/2018/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/09/NCE_2018_FULL-REPORT.pdf>
PDF
https://newclimateeconomy.report/2018/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2018/09/NCE_2018_FULL-REPORT.pdf
https://newclimateeconomy.report/2018
*This Day in Climate History - September 9, 2005
<http://web.archive.org/web/20050924210135/http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0912-32.htm>
- from D.R. Tucker*
September 9, 2005: At the National Sierra Club Convention in San
Francisco, Al Gore declares:
"There are scientific warnings now of another onrushing catastrophe.
We were warned of an imminent attack by Al Qaeda; we didn't respond.
We were warned the levees would break in New Orleans; we didn't
respond. Now, the scientific community is warning us that the
average hurricane will continue to get stronger because of global
warming. A scientist at MIT has published a study well before this
tragedy showing that since the 1970s, hurricanes in both the
Atlantic and the Pacific have increased in duration, and in
intensity, by about 50%. The newscasters told us after Hurricane
Katrina went over the southern tip of Florida that there was a
particular danger for the Gulf Coast of the hurricanes becoming much
stronger because it was passing over unusually warm waters in the
gulf. The waters in the gulf have been unusually warm. The oceans
generally have been getting warmer. And the pattern is exactly
consistent with what scientists have predicted for twenty years. Two
thousand scientists, in a hundred countries, engaged in the most
elaborate, well organized scientific collaboration in the history of
humankind, have produced long-since a consensus that we will face a
string of terrible catastrophes unless we act to prepare ourselves
and deal with the underlying causes of global warming. It is
important to learn the lessons of what happens when scientific
evidence and clear authoritative warnings are ignored in order to
induce our leaders not to do it again and not to ignore the
scientists again and not to leave us unprotected in the face of
those threats that are facing us right now."
http://web.archive.org/web/20050924210135/http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0912-32.htm
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