“Arctic ice has seen an ‘irreversible’ thinning since 2007, study says.
“New research suggests the loss was a fundamental change unlikely to be reversed this century, if ever — perhaps proof of the sort of climactic tipping point that scientists have warned the planet could pass as it warms…
“Walt Meier, a senior research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, likened the 2007 low to a boxer who gets a knockout punch. All the punches leading up to it weaken the fighter, but that biggest blow is too much for the boxer to overcome.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/03/15/artic-sea-irreversible-low/
“The Arctic Ocean is warming much faster than predicted by climate models used by United Nations experts, thus accelerating the melting of sea ice, two Swedish studies released on Tuesday warned.
“Relatively warm currents in the deep Arctic are actually warmer and closer to the surface than experts previously thought.”
“The Toxic Threat in Thawing Permafrost… Scientists are tracking neurotoxic methylmercury production in North America’s largest peatland…
“Covering nearly the same area as Norway, the Hudson Bay Lowlands in northern Ontario and Manitoba is home to the southernmost continuous expanse of permafrost in North America.”
https://hakaimagazine.com/news/the-toxic-threat-in-thawing-permafrost/
“Why Nova Scotia’s warm winter might not be cause for celebration…
“People in Halifax just experienced their warmest January on record, and it wasn’t even close. Temperatures were five to six degrees above a 30-year average of past Januaries. While a warm winter’s day may feel like a relief for residents who pay to heat their homes, the long-term implications are nothing to celebrate.”
“Niagara Falls boat tours to break record for earliest opening due to mild winter.
“The after-effects of the winter that wasn’t in the Northeast are continuing to reveal themselves, as another recreational activity opens early due to mild weather conditions. The Niagara City Cruises, the famed boat tours that take tourists to the falls, is opening for the season on Thursday, the company announced.”
https://abcnews.go.com/US/niagara-falls-boat-tours-break-record-earliest-opening/story?id=97880518
“Allergy season starts earlier now thanks to climate change.
“Spring seemed to come early in much of the United States this year, and nearly everyone with seasonal allergies noticed. As climate change causes winters to be warmer and plants begin blooming earlier, studies have shown that the pollen that causes allergy symptoms has been arriving earlier than in past decades.”
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/allergy-season-starts-earlier-now-thanks-to-climate-change-171913889.html
“North Carolina: Freeze threatens Triad fruit crops…
“After being fooled by a “false spring,” the Triad now finds itself bracing for bitter cold temperatures that could damage some fruit crops after they were awakened early from their winter slumber by record warmth in January and February of 2023.”
https://www.freshplaza.com/europe/article/9511723/north-carolina-freeze-threatens-triad-fruit-crops/
“Drought, population growth spur Dust Bowl fears [Oklahoma]…
“Norman Mayor Larry Heikkila [has] joined a chorus of experts who are sounding alarms against complacency because another devastating drought could be on the horizon and fast-growing communities in central Oklahoma and to the west could be caught flat-footed.”
https://journalrecord.com/2023/03/14/drought-population-growth-spur-dust-bowl-fears/
“Two hikers were found dead and one has been rescued after authorities believe they were caught in a flash flood while trekking the popular Buckskin Gulch slot canyon in southern Utah…
“The flash flood may have been triggered by an atmospheric river that has drenched the West this week and is producing high water flows in streams, rivers and slot canyons across southwest Utah.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/16/us/buckskin-gulch-hiker-death-utah/index.html
“California’s snowpack is now an absurd 215% of the peak April 1 average.
“With more storms coming next week, the state could have its largest snowpack in recorded history by late March, beating out 1982-1983.”
https://twitter.com/US_Stormwatch/status/1636074446711840768
“Niño3 (eastern equatorial Pacific) SSTs are already in El Niño territory, exceeding 0.5°C above normal.
“Recent warming has been dramatic, caused by westerly winds associated with a record-breaking Madden–Julian oscillation.”
https://twitter.com/WorldClimateSvc/status/1636055996672901120
“Peru’s Desert Coast Braces for More Deadly Rains From Cyclone.
“Peruvian President Dina Boluarte announced that schools will suspend classes Wednesday in the capital city of Lima, as the desert metropolis expects the worst rains in recent memory. Peru’s coast is arid and cities by and large don’t have the drainage systems to deal with rain…”
“Shrinking glaciers upend lives across South America.
“The tropical glaciers of the Andes, which feed many of the rivers in the Amazon basin, are some of the fastest retreating ice packs in the world. Their disappearance is not only upending lives in mountain communities, it is also sparking water shortages and hampering hydro-electric power generation…”
https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/shrinking-glaciers-upend-lives-across-south-america
“Manaus: Landslide leaves at least eight dead after heavy rains [Brazil].
“Authorities said that at least eight people, including four girls, had been killed after a landslide caused by heavy rains in Manaus, in the Brazilian State of Amazonas. The event occurred late Sunday in the precarious Nova Floresta neighborhood in Manaus.”
https://en.mercopress.com/2023/03/15/manaus-landslide-leaves-at-least-eight-dead-after-heavy-rains
“‘Endless, brutal heat’: Argentina’s late-season heatwave has ‘no similarities in history’…
“The country’s summer, which technically runs from December to February, was by far the hottest on record, according to Maximiliano Herrara, a climatologist who tracks extreme temperatures across the globe. And, so far, March has offered no relief.”
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/15/americas/argentina-record-heatwave-climate-intl/index.html
“Argentina: Wildfires torch swathes in Northeast region, burning since March 12.
“Since the 12th of March, fires are raging in a forest area in Argentina. According to media reports, about 150 firefighters, police and three water bombing planes are working in unison to tame the huge fire that has been raging in country’s Northeastern region in a midst of a major drought affecting the entire province.”
“More than 9,500 lightning strikes hit France on Monday (March 13), a figure not seen on a single day in March since records began 35 years ago.
“Monitoring service Météorage recorded the strikes, which numbered 9,549, beating the previous record of 9,134 in March 2001.”
“Warm weather, drought and fires: why it may feel like summer in France.
“Higher-than-normal temperatures, droughts and even forest fires – features we normally associate with the height of the summer. But France has experienced all three so far this year and we are only halfway through March. It has sparked fears the summer months will only worsen the situation further.”
“Germany introduces national water strategy as climate change forces action.
“Germany is a water-rich country, but weeks of high temperatures and scant rainfall in recent years have drained the water levels of the Rhine river, the country’s commercial artery, and hit farmers’ crops in many parts of the country.”
“Ruins resurface due to drought in Spain.
“The village of Sant Romà de Sau in Vilanova de Sau, Spain, is usually submerged underwater in the Sau reservoir, but extreme drought has lowered the water level enough to give locals the bittersweet experience of witnessing ruins they’ve never seen before.”
https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2182446659848
“Italy’s winter drought ravaging rivers and crops…
“The Po is currently 3.3 meters below normal levels, threatening a third of the country’s Made in Italy produce, including crops and key products, such as parmesan cheese and parma ham. Last year’s drought caused $5.5 billion worth of damage.”
“Turkish floods inundate two cities hit by quakes killing 14.
“Fourteen people have died and several others are missing after floods swept through the streets of two cities in south-east Turkey devastated by last month’s earthquakes. Among the victims were quake survivors who had been living in container homes since the quakes.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-64968972
“More extraordinary record heat from Matam, Senegal. On 14th March the village rose to 46.4C [115.5F] ,which is the highest temperature ever recorded in the Northern Hemisphere in the first half of March.
“We need to go to 19 March (in 1985) to find a higher temperature (Renk, South Sudan).”
https://twitter.com/extremetemps/status/1636051489780121618
“The devastation caused by a tropical storm that ripped through Malawi, killing 225 people is a “national tragedy”, the president has said.
“Lazarus Chakwera promised to intensify search and rescue operations, as he attended the funeral of some victims. Tropical Storm Freddy led to people being swept away by raging waters, or being buried under landslides.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-64954430
“Four children killed in a vehicle washed away by torrential rain in Saudi Arabia.
“Several areas in Saudi Arabia have been witnessing, for days, a state of unstable weather, storms and heavy rains, which led to the formation of torrential rains. The General Directorate of Civil Defense has also advised people to avoid going down into flooded valleys, puddles and torrential runoff in order to avoid dangers.”
“Forest fires rage across India…
“According to the the Forest Survey of India website, there are 337 large active forest fires in the country as of March 14. As summer comes early and rain seems a distant dream, the country gears up for more wildfires — that can be both natural or manmade.”
“India Landfill Fire Spewing Methane, Choking Residents.
“India’s climate challenges are piling up as the Brahmapuram landfill in Kerala state is the latest to catch fire. The “trash mountain” in Kerala state is choking nearby residents with methane emissions.”
https://www.waste360.com/landfill/india-landfill-fire-spewing-methane-choking-residents
“Images reveal the scale of catastrophic flooding in the Gulf of Carpentaria [northern Australia].
“Just weeks ago, residents and graziers in Queensland’s Gulf of Carpentaria were celebrating one of the strongest wet seasons in a decade. They are now preparing for a massive clean-up after unprecedented floods devastated infrastructure and livestock and caused the evacuation of entire towns.”
“Town to break 150-year-old heat record as temperatures soar.
“The NSW town of Bourke, not far from Queensland border, is predicted to hit a record-breaking four-day streak of 40C [104F] days from Thursday to Sunday… Four consecutive days of 40C temperatures have not been reported so far into autumn in more than 150 years of records.”
“Fire near Crookwell in the NSW Southern Tablelands upgraded to emergency level.
“Some people are being told it is too late to leave as the Curraweela blaze, about 40 kilometres north-east of Crookwell, grows rapidly. The now-633-hectare out-of-control fire is being fanned in an easterly direction by strong winds.”
You can read the previous “Climate” thread here. I’ll be back tomorrow with an “Economic” thread.
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Hello Panopticon
People who live ‘in the city’ have only a limited view of what has changed in nature and especially mountainous areas over the past decades.
They complain when the pistes are iced up and about long queues at the lifts. They rely on snow cannons at night to pretend it’s snowing and in summer they climb Mont Blanc en masse!!! and leave their rubbish on the ‘ mer de glace’, Europe’s largest glacier which is disappearing at a truly rapid pace. Ah yes….
Something about glaciers… I know of many in Europe.
For two years I ‘guided tourists’ in Norway in summer. Then we went up the glacier of the highest mountain the Galdhoppigen. I don’t think there’s much left of that either, but in the link you can sort of see how it was all done rather massively.
Fun time… On July 20, 1969 we saw there (can you check how long ago that is;;;;but I was young 🙂 ) Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the moon…. Fake or not it was the time of the great’ step forward’ and …. Of melting Glaciers.
For 20 years in the Pyrenees afterwards, I watched the glaciers disappear and the ski resorts where I taught my children to ski close.
And now over the past few decades now that I live permanently here in Auvergne next to a ski resort, it’s all the rage. The farmers who operated their own ski lifts on their whites have long since quit and the ‘ ski resort’ is turning into a ‘ nature total experience! mountain bike trials with all the trimmings, paragliding, you name it.
Everywhere the same from the Outer Hebrides with its ‘ unforgettable’ sailing trips and its menhir rock formations pointing to another era….
Ah yes we plan our trips and experiences on ‘ this lonely planet’, just a little longer and the glaciers will have disappeared in Europe. In the Pyrenees another decade or so! In the Alps a bit longer.
But beautiful they were.
Experience the highest mountain in Norway! check out the link! Wonderful species, ‘man’ 🙂
https://www.visitnorway.nl/activiteiten-in-noorwegen/in-de-natuur/wandelen/hoogste-berg-van-noorwegen/
Zip, we can’t compete with Norway or the Alps but Scotland does have a few ski resorts. There is a well known patch of snow called The Sphinx in the Cairngorms, which usually lasts all year round, but that has been disappearing of late, of course:
“Scotland is completely snow-free again after a well-known patch melted for the fourth time in six years.” [Oct 2022]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-63184780
I love your sharings, Zip! Never heard of it before but yes gorgeous! And I can read the Norwegian! 🙂 “DE HOOGSTE PIEK VAN NOORD-EUROPA”
Yes, many of us have been blessed to have visited some gorgeous natural places. Too bad it’s all being destroyed.
This list continues to get longer. Deniers reasons get shorter.
They do. If this El Nino takes off I’m going to be very busy in 2024.