Tag: climate change

The global average temperature over land and ocean surfaces for September 2014 was the highest for the month since record keeping began according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). January-September tied with 1998 as the warmest such period on record. NOAA said the combined average temperature over global land and ocean surfaces for September 2014 was about 15.72°C (60.30°F) or 0.72°C (1.30°F) above the 20th century average of 15.0°C (59.0°F). Temperatures were warmer than average in most parts of the world. It also marked the 38th consecutive September with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average global temperature for September occurred in 1976, according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center. With the exception of February, every month to date in 2014 has been among its four warmest on record, with May, June, August and September all record warm. High ocean surface temperatures played a major role, in advance of the anticipated development of the warming El Niño event later this year. NOAA said that if 2014 maintains the current temperature departure from average for the remainder of the year, 2014 will be the warmest year on record. On September 17, Arctic sea ice ...

Scientists and engineers of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) are currently starting work on a long-term observatory with observation stations from the Norwegian Sea to the Arctic Ocean. In the coming years, the AWI researchers intend to upgrade their existing long-term observatories along this key climatological interface into a comprehensive research infrastructure and deploy a wide range of modern marine technologies. The overriding objective is to be able to observe the changes in the ocean and its ecosystems from the surface to the deep sea with the aid of the new FRAM observatory. The Helmholtz Association has approved this strategic expansion investment and the German government and the state of Bremen are financing the establishment of this new platform for the first five years with € 25 million. “The Arctic is changing faster than we thought – and the changes we’re finding in the ice cover, weather and use by humans is concurrently affecting life in the ocean. One of our primary goals is to observe the changes in the Arctic Ocean in all its facets and understand the causes and effects down to the deep-sea level,” says project coordinator Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius. ...

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) announced that has been recognized as a leader for the depth and quality of climate change data it has disclosed to investors and the global marketplace through CDP1 global environmental disclosure system for independent assessment. MOL achieved a position in CDP’s Japan 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) 2. At the same time, MOL has been award with a position on The A List: The CDP Climate Performance Leadership Index (CPLI) 3 2014 for its actions to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the business risks of climate change. It is 15 companies out of Japan 500 that was recognized for both CDLI and CPLI. Given the increasing demand for global environmental protection, MOL Group has been aware of the environmental impact of its business activities and regards the global warming countermeasures as an important management issue.MOL has set a new environmental activities policy and targets, proactively utilize technologies to reduce environmental impact and actively disclose environmental data in the new midterm management plan "STEER FOR 2020" for the three years starting in fiscal 2014. From this point, as a responsible corporate citizen, MOL will continue its aggressive stance in terms of protecting the global environment. Source ...

Nearly 500 climate experts, policy makers and representatives from space agencies and industry will join in the debate to identify how observations from current and future satellites will address the grand research challenges identified by the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). EUMETSAT Director-General Alain Ratier said, “After the publication of the Fifth Assessment Report of the IPCC and one year before the next Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, our purpose is to bring together scientists and space agencies to connect satellite observations to the climate challenges we are facing. This means not only to understand climate change but also to establish on the best possible scientific foundation the climate information services expected by decision makers.” The symposium will provide new inputs to the design of the global architecture for climate monitoring from space being established by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites, in response to the needs of the World Meteorological Organization, the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) and the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).A number of high level speakers will open the symposium, including Ms Brigitte Zypries, German State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Energy, Mr Klaus-Peter Willsch, Chairman of the ...

A paper published in Environmental Research Letters by NOC scientist Dr Svetlana Jevrejeva provides valuable new information about the probability of a sea-level rise reaching of 180cm by 2100. In this study Dr Jevrejeva and colleagues explore the range of possible sea level rise by 2100 and add vital new data to the estimates currently available. Previously an upper limit, or ‘worst case scenario’, has not been possible to calculate, but this new study now looks beyond the previous data available to provide a more complete picture. The estimate of 180cm as the upper limit is thought to be a low probability, only a 5% chance, but this worst case scenario sea level rise projection cannot be ruled out, given past climate proxy observations and current model limitations. With sea levels continuing to rise in the 21st century, the impact assessment, risk management, adaptation strategy and long-term decision making in coastal areas depend on up to date future projections of sea levels. This work is important step forward, with the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment report indicating sea level projections spanning a likely range (66% increase) only, which means a 1/3 of future sea level rise may ...

In the last two decades, natural gas has become the fuel of choice for power generation, because electricity produced with gas has half the carbon dioxide emissions of coal power. Many see it as a "bridge" to a low-carbon energy future; in 30 countries, it already fuels more than half the electricity. But to the extent that gas isn't burnt for power, but escapes into the atmosphere, it harms the climate. That's because it's mostly methane, one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, 84 times as potent as CO2 over a 20-year period. While the extent of these emissions is not well known - a problem in itself - it is clear that they must be stopped. That is the goal of the new CCAC Oil & Gas Methane Partnership, launched last week at UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Climate Summit. The founding members include some of the world's top oil and gas companies: ENI of Italy, PEMEX of Mexico, PTT of Thailand, and Statoil of Norway, along with BG Group in the UK and Southwestern Energy in the US. "As a significant source of methane emissions, the oil and gas industry must take a leading role in addressing this issue," ...

The total Green House Gas emissions from global maritime transport are estimated to have been over 20% lower in 2012 than in 2007, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the global shipping industry's trade association. The global shipping industry, which transports by sea around 90% of all world trade, is thought to have produced only about 2.2% of the world's total GHG emissions during 2012 compared to 2.8% in 2007. The estimates are contained in the latest comprehensive study of the shipping industry's Green House Gas emissions prepared by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which will be considered by its Marine Environment Protection Committee next month.  The IMO is the shipping industry's global regulator. Speaking at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York today, convened by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, to give impetus to the negotiations on a new global climate change agreement, ICS Secretary General, Peter Hinchliffe remarked: "The latest IMO study, which uses satellite tracking, suggests there's been a significant reduction in absolute CO2 emissions from ships due to the introduction of operational efficiency measures across the whole fleet.  This includes operating at slower speeds, combined with more fuel efficient designs on board the ...

Scientists take sea ice samples out of Polarstern's mummy chair, which is used to investigate sea ice without actually setting a foot on it. (Image Credit: Alfred-Wegener-Institute) The area of sea ice in the Arctic fell to a summer minimum of around 5.0 million square kilometres this year, which is about 1.6 million square kilometres more than the record low in 2012. According to sea ice physicist Marcel Nicolaus from the Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) and Lars Kaleschke from the Hamburg Cluster of Excellence for Climate Research (CliSAP) this confirms the long-term downward trend in the Arctic. On the other hand, the winter ice sheet in the South Polar Ocean has expanded to an area of 20.0 million square kilometres, as the researchers report, which exceeds the 30-year-maximum from the previous year. This Thursday, September 18, Marcel Nicolaus, Lars Kaleschke and other leading sea ice experts will be available for discussions and interviews at an international sea ice symposium in Hamburg. "The current minimum sea ice in the Arctic illustrates the continuation of a long-term downward trend. With an area of 5.0 million square kilometres, the 2014 minimum approximately equals last year's minimum. This by no means represents a trend ...

A global report released this week on changing carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere, oceans, and land environment draws heavily from data and observations by NOAA

The total Green House Gas emissions from global maritime transport are estimated to have been over 20% lower in 2012 than in 2007, according to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the global shipping industry's trade association.