Rate Of Ocean Warming Quadrupled Since Late 20th Century, Study Reveals
Source: CarbonBrief.org The buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases is warming the upper ocean four times faster than during the period 1960-1990, according to new research. The paper, published today in the journal Science Advances, is the latest effort to piece together current and historical measurements from ships, self-propelled floats, satellites and even seals to get a global picture of how the oceans are faring under rising temperatures. Since the 1990s, more heat is finding its way to the deep ocean and there has been no change of pace in ocean warming since 1998, compared with the previous decade, the paper notes. The study marks a step forward, but the authors say they are concerned about the future of ocean science, given the political climate in the US. Dr John Abraham, professor of thermal sciences at the University of St Thomas in Minnesota and co-author on the paper, tells Carbon Brief: “We are seeing dramatic cuts planned for climate science. There is every reason to expect these cuts will include ocean-sensing systems.”
The Great Greenland Meltdown
Source: ScienceMag.org From a helicopter clattering over Greenland's interior on a bright July day, the ice sheet below tells a tale of disintegration. Long, roughly parallel cracks score the surface, formed by water and pressure; impossibly blue lakes of meltwater fill depressions; and veiny networks of azure streams meander west, flowing to the edge of the ice sheet and eventually out to sea. The scientists flying over the world's largest thawing chunk of ice have selected a particularly auspicious summer to be studying the melt. The edges of Greenland's 1.7-million-km2 ice sheet regularly melt in summer, even in years when the ice sheet as a whole grows because of snowfall in its higher, colder center. But in 2016, the melting started early and spread inland fast. By April, 12% of the ice sheet's surface was melting; in an average year the melt doesn't reach 10% until June. And just before the scientists' journey, a violent river of meltwater, one of hundreds coursing out from the ice sheet, swept away a sensor, bolted to a bridge to measure the water's turbidity. It was the second time in 4 years such a device had fallen victim to the liquid fury of the glaciers. "I've been doing these trips for years, but I've never seen so much water," the helicopter pilot told the researchers.
HAARP, A Short Summary Video
