“New observations from ICESat-2 show remarkable Arctic sea ice thinning in just three years.
“Over the past two decades, the Arctic has lost about one-third of its winter sea ice volume, largely due to a decline in sea ice that persists over several years, called multiyear ice, according to a new study. The study also found sea ice is likely thinner than previous estimates.”
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-icesat-remarkable-arctic-sea-ice.html
“Thawing Permafrost Could Leach Microbes, Chemicals Into Environment.
“Infrastructure is already affected… Research has looked at how chemicals like DDT and microbes – some of which have been frozen for thousands, if not millions, of years – could be released from thawing permafrost.”
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/thawing-permafrost-could-leach-microbes-chemicals-into-environment
“As Russia-Ukraine war spurs race for wheat, world has limited room to grow more…
“Russia’s war in Ukraine has effectively choked off over 25% of the world’s supply of a grain used in everything from bread to noodles to livestock feed. This puts the market on track for the “sharpest shock” since the Great Grain Robbery in the 1970s…”
“Plants humans don’t need are heading for extinction, study finds…
“Researchers have categorised more than 80,000 plant species worldwide and found that most of them will “lose” in the face of humanity – going extinct because people don’t need them.”
“Climate change fundamentally affecting European birds, study shows…
“Researchers have found that garden warblers, for example, are having a quarter fewer chicks, which has huge implications for the species. Chiffchaffs are laying their eggs 12 days earlier. Some birds are decreasing in size, while others, such as redstarts, are getting larger.”
“Low rainfall pushes parts of southern Africa into food insecurity.
“Low rainfall has pushed southern Madagascar, south-western Angola, north-western Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe further into food insecurity. As such, governments are moving ahead with plans to open avenues for maize imports, in order to alleviate hunger.”
“Tropical Cyclone Gombe is due to rapidly intensify before bringing parts of Mozambique several months’ worth of rain over just a few days.
“Gombe is forecast to soak northern Mozambique from Friday through Sunday with as much as 250 to 350 mm (10 to 14 inches) of rain, which could lead to flash flooding.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/10/weather/gombe-tropical-cyclone-forecast-mozambique/index.html
“Harsh heat in Arabian Peninsula with record temperatures so early in the year: 42.0C [107.6F] in the United Arab Emirates, 40.2C in Qatar, 38.3C in the Saudi capital Riyadh (614m asl).
“Cool air is entering the West of the Peninsula and will squeeze the heat in the SE (UAE and Oman) next days.”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1502012676645564419
“Why Baghdad will be one of the cities hardest hit by global warming…
“A report from the European Union Institute of Security Studies projects that the number of days when temperatures in Baghdad hit 120 degrees will go from roughly 14 per year to more than 40 over the next two decades.”
“Too Hot to Handle: How Climate Change May Make Some Places Too Hot to Live…
“Extreme levels of heat stress have more than doubled over the past 40 years. That trend is expected to continue, says Colin Raymond of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Raymond is lead author of a 2020 study on extreme heat and humidity, published in Science Advances.”
“Research reveals decrease in water volume of Ganga [River, India] due to retreating Glaciers…
“Scientists from IISc and IIT have discovered that 59 square miles of glaciers have decreased in this region in the last 50 years by exploring the Alaknanda basin, which gives the most water to the Ganges. That is, between 1968 and 2020, the area of glacier has decreased by about 8 percent.”
“Highest Glacier On Mount Everest Melting Rapidly Due To Climate Change…
“According to a new study led by the University of Maine, the ice on the South Col glacier has shrunk drastically in last three decades. The researchers found that the glacier has already lost more than 180 feet (54 metres) of thickness in the last 25 years.”
https://sambadenglish.com/highest-glacier-on-mount-everest-melting-rapidly-due-to-climate-change/
“Weather conditions disrupted the para Alpine skiing at the Winter Paralympics on Thursday as warm temperatures meant that, even with an earlier-than-planned start time, the artificial snow at the Yanqing National alpine Skiing Centre was melting…
“Temperatures had been forecast to rise to as high as 23C (73F).”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/mar/10/winter-paralympics-melting-snow-warm-beijing-weather
“Four people were killed after a massive landslide triggered by “unusual” heavy rains buried their homes in a township outside the Malaysian capital, a senior rescue official said.
“Malaysia has been experiencing heavy rain over the past few weeks, which officials and environmentalists say is unusual at this time of year and could be the result of climate change.”
https://www.ucanews.com/news/four-killed-in-malaysia-landslide-due-to-unusual-heavy-rain/96460
“Lingering western Queensland heatwave and drought forces axing of stock.
“Farmers across northern and central Queensland have been forced to sell their stock early as unrelenting heatwave conditions continue across parts of the state. The conditions have left some graziers struggling to see a long-term future in the industry.”
“Parts of Australia suffer drought and low rainfall as La Niña and climate change create weather extremes.
“The wet season is unusually dry in northern Australia while other parts of the country struggle through the effects of drought, as climate change means more extreme heatwaves and floods simultaneously.”
“Sydneysiders urged to ‘avoid swimming’ as torrential rain, sewage overflow turn beaches and harbour water brown.
“All swimming sites across Sydney have been impacted by stormwater pollution following extreme weather conditions. Shocking images posted online show Sydney Harbour’s water turned into a murky shade of brown with debris floating on the surface.”
“Australia Coal Export Terminal Declares Force Majeure on Flood.
“Australia’s Port Kembla Coal Terminal declared a force majeure after destructive floods disrupted loading, curbing supply to a global market already grappling with a shortage of cargoes.”
“Insured loss from flooding in Australia nears $1.8bn: ICA.
“The Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) has reported that estimated insurance industry losses from damages caused by floods in Queensland alone have now exceeded $1.1 billion, while claims from New South Wales increased by 18% on yesterday’s figure.”
https://www.artemis.bm/news/insured-loss-from-flooding-in-australia-nears-1-8bn-ica/
“One in 1,000 years? Old flood probabilities no longer hold water.
“…the probability of a severe flood changes over time as the relationship between the components that make up the weather system change. Whether a flood has occurred gives us evidence about that change.
https://phys.org/news/2022-03-years-probabilities-longer.html
“Drought robs Amazon communities of ‘life-giving’ river…
“Historically, the dry season in the region runs from July to December. While the river level goes down during this time, it almost always remains deep enough for boats to travel… But over the past five years, the droughts have gradually worsened. This year, it has stretched for months longer than normal.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-60601711
“Argentina’s corn 2021/22 crop has now been estimated at less than the 48 million tons of just a few weeks ago, according to the Rosario grains exchange, because a severe drought has slashed yields. Likewise with soybeans first estimate of 40,5 million tons…
“The exchange also said that further reviews are not yet ruled out… ““The harvest is confirming just how violent the unusual weather impact has been.””
“Powerful storm bringing snow to central US expected to become bomb cyclone as it moves east…
“”All model guidance has surface wave (the storm) rapidly intensifying as it tracks somewhere between the I-95 corridor to Cape Cod, then along or just off the Maine coast as a sub 970 millibar low,” the National Weather Service in Boston said. A 970 millibar low would be equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/10/weather/winter-storm-bomb-cyclone-thursday/index.html
“Millions suffering in deadly pollution ‘sacrifice zones’, warns UN expert.
“A UN expert has warned of the creation of pollution “sacrifice zones” across the world, where tens of millions of people are suffering strokes, cancers, respiratory problems and heart disease as a result of toxic contamination of the environment.”
You can read the previous ‘Climate’ thread here. I’ll be back over the weekend with an ‘Economic’ thread.
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