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USGS-NOAA: Climate Change Impacts to U.S. Coasts Threaten Public Health, Safety and Economy

By Guest PostJanuary 29, 2013Environmentalaskan coastal zone, climate change, coastal ecosystems, coastal watershed, coastal zone, congress, current environmental stresses, currents, ecological changes, economic, effects, erosion, flooding, flooding related hazards, great lakes, gulf of mexico, hawaii, Health, heat related morbidity, island territories, low lying parts, margaret davidson, mid atlantic, national climate assessment, natural systems, new jersey shore, noaa, northern alaska, permafrost, public hazard, sandy and katrina, scientific data, sea ice, sea-level rise, social, southern california beach, species, storm surge flooding, storms, sunset, threaten, u.s economy, U.S. Geological Survey, united states, us coast, us coastal communities, usgs, virginia burkett, vitality

According to a new technical report, the effects of climate change will continue to threaten the health and vitality of U.S. coastal communities’ social, economic and natural systems.

The report, Coastal Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerabilities: a technical input to the 2013 National Climate Assessment, authored by leading scientists and experts, emphasizes the need for increased coordination and planning to ensure U.S. coastal communities are resilient against the effects of climate change. (more…)

Study Shows Rapid Warming on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

By Guest PostDecember 25, 2012Environmentandrew monaghan, Antarctic, Antarctica, below sea level, byrd station, climate change, contribution, data, david bromwich, discovery, earth, greenland, ice sheet, ice shelf, ice shelves, julien nicolas, larsen b, meteorological observation, ocean, ohio state university, polar night, sea-level rise, solar panels, southern hemisphere, surface melting, temperature, wais, wais glaciers, warming, west antarctic

COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a discovery that raises further concerns about the future contribution of Antarctica to sea level rise, a new study finds that the western part of the ice sheet is experiencing nearly twice as much warming as previously thought.

The temperature record from Byrd Station, a scientific outpost in the center of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), demonstrates a marked increase of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4 degrees Celsius) in average annual temperature since 1958—that is, three times faster than the average temperature rise around the globe. (more…)

New Research Underscores Vulnerability of Wildlife in Low-Lying Hawaiian Islands

By Guest PostDecember 7, 2012Environment, Natureblack footed albatross, bonin petrel, climate change, crystal m krause, curt storlazzi, global sea level, habitat loss, island biodiversity, jamie carter, karen n courtot, kure atoll, laysan albatross, laysan island, low lying island, michelle h reynolds, migratory wildlife species, model, multifaceted assessment, national wildlife refuge, northwestern hawaiian islands, nwhi, over fished ocean, pacific ocean, paul berkowitz, prediction, sea-level rise, topographic data, trend, tropical seabird rookery, U.S. Geological Survey, wave action, World Heritage Site

HONOLULU, Hawaii — If current climate change trends continue, rising sea levels may inundate low-lying islands across the globe, placing island biodiversity at risk. A new U.S. Geological Survey scientific publication describes the first combined simulations of the effects of sea-level rise and wave action in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, offering the most detailed and multifaceted assessment available of how island biodiversity may be affected by climate change.

The publication, “Predicting Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability of Terrestrial Habitat and Wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands,” by Michelle H. Reynolds, Paul Berkowitz, Karen N. Courtot, Crystal M. Krause, Jamie Carter, and Curt Storlazzi is available online. (more…)

International Study Provides More Solid Measure of Shrinking in Polar Ice Sheets

By Guest PostNovember 30, 2012Environmentcontinental ice sheets, glaciers in greenland, ice sheet, ice sheet loss, polar ice sheets, sea-level rise, west antarctic

The planet’s two largest ice sheets have been losing ice faster during the past decade, causing widespread confusion and concern. A new international study provides a firmer read on the state of continental ice sheets and how much they are contributing to sea-level rise. (more…)

Hawaiian Seabirds Vulnerable to Sea-Level Rise on Low-Lying Atoll

By Guest PostJune 24, 2012Environmentclimate change, french frigate shoals, habitat for seabirds, hawaiian seabirds, sea-level rise, seabird colonies

HAWAI’I ISLAND, Hawai’i — The Hawaiian Islands’ largest atoll, French Frigate Shoals, is key to understanding how seabird nesting habitat will change with predicted rising sea levels, according to a team of U.S. Geological Survey biologists. (more…)

Increasing Speed of Greenland Glaciers Gives New Insight for Rising Sea Level

By Guest PostMay 6, 2012EnvironmentAntarctica, benjamin smith, climate change, Germany, glaciologist, greenland glaciers, ian howat, ian joughin, ice, icebergs, Japan, meltwater, ocean, rising sea level, scenario, sea-level rise, terrasar x satellite, twila moon, university of washington

Changes in the speed that ice travels in more than 200 outlet glaciers indicates that Greenland’s contribution to rising sea level in the 21^st century might be significantly less than the upper limits some scientists thought possible, a new study shows.

“So far, on average we’re seeing about a 30 percent speedup in 10 years,” said Twila Moon, a University of Washington doctoral student in Earth and space sciences and lead author of a paper documenting the observations published May 4 in Science. (more…)

Global Warming Refuge Discovered Near At-Risk Pacific Island Nation of Kiribati

By Guest PostApril 29, 2012Environmentanne cohen, chlorophyll level, climate change, climate model, climate scientist, coral, coral reef, david garrison, eastern pacific, ecosystem, equatorial pacific, equatorial undercurrent, euc, fish, galapagos islands, gilbert islands, global ocean, global warming, islands, kiribati, kristopher karnauskas, nutrient, ocean temperature, pacific islands, pacific reefs, regional model, satellite map, scylla, sea-level rise, tropical pacific, whoi

Ocean currents may mitigate warming near handful of equatorial islands

Scientists predict ocean temperatures will rise in the equatorial Pacific by the end of the century, wreaking havoc on coral reef ecosystems.

But a new study shows that climate change could cause ocean currents to operate in a way that mitigates warming near a handful of islands right on the equator.

Those islands include some of the 33 coral atolls that form the nation of Kiribati. This low-lying country is at risk from sea-level rise caused by global warming. (more…)

New Research Lowers Past Estimates of Sea-Level Rise

By Guest PostMarch 17, 2012EnvironmentBangladesh, bermuda, bil haq, coral reef, east antarctic, fossil coral, geophysics, glaciers, greenhouse gas emissions, greenland, ice sheet, maureen raymo, national science foundation, North America, paleoceanography, projection, reef, sea, sea level projection, sea-level rise, seashells, seawater, sub tropical islands, the bahamas, thermal expansion, united nations, warm period, west antarctica

*Projections for the future still loom large*

The seas are creeping higher as the planet warms. But how high could they go?

Projections for the year 2100 range from inches to several feet, or even more.

The sub-tropical islands of Bermuda and the Bahamas are two seemingly unlikely places scientists have gone looking for answers. (more…)

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