Marine Dumping

What does dumping several hundred tons of industrially-produced synthetic urea in the sea or ocean do? The as-yet untested geoengineering experiment is supposed to promote phytoplankton,which is CO2 absorbent,sequester carbon in the ocean depths. This is apparently,in a bid,to reduce global warming and consequent climatic changes. However, its effects on marine life and other plant life residing on the ocean bed has not been studied up until now. International scientific bodies, including the International Panel on Climate Change(IPCC)have warned that toxic tides and lifeless oceans might instead result from such activities.

The government of Philippines has recently approved an Australian company's plan to absorb excess CO2 by dumping massive amounts of urea in the Sulu Sea which is situated to the south-west of the Philippines.The global south is slowly becoming a dumping ground for such risky technologies by the for-profit organisations. Such a trend disguised as a humanitarian one could do more damage than good and is turning the fight of global warming into a commerical enterprise.

Study of Sunsets to help in understanding global warming

A novel method of studying the effects of global warming with the help of old paintings of celebrated artists is being worked on.

The team, at the National Observatory of Athens, is using the works of old masters to work out the amount of natural pollution spewed into the skies by eruptions such as Mount Krakatoa in 1883. Reports from the time describe stunning sunsets for several years afterwards, as the retreating light was scattered by reflective particles thrown high into the atmosphere. By studying the colour of sunsets painted before and after such eruptions, the researchers say they can calculate the amount of material in the sky at the time.

The team found 181 artists who had painted sunsets between 1500 and 1900. The 554 pictures included works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Hogarth. They used a computer to work out the relative amounts of red and green in each picture, along the horizon. Sunlight scattered by airborne particles appears more red than green, so the reddest sunsets indicate the dirtiest skies. The researchers found most pictures with the highest red/green ratios were painted in the three years following a documented eruption. There were 54 of these "volcanic sunset" pictures.

Amazing!

Can we reduce our aviation carbon footprint

With people getting more and more mobile and air connectivity getting better and in many cases,cheaper, we are all jumping onto aircrafts more than ever before.
Consider the following facts:

Global air passenger traffic will double by 2025.

Over the next 20 years, more than 27,000 new aircrafts will be delivered to various airlines globally.

Airplane emissions are extremely harmful to the environment due to the altitude at which they are released. In additon to carbon dioxide, aircraft engines also spit out nitrogen oxide which creates ozone high in the atmosphere.

Aviation industry’s share of global CO2 production is forecast to rise from 2-3% now to 5-6%.

Air travel is a big way of leaving our carbon footprint on our earth.Even if we cannot reduce our air travels, we can try to lighten the environmental load that air travelling causes.

Here are few ways to go about it:

Check to see if the airline you are travelling in is flying the latest models of jets.Newer aircrafts are more energy efficient than the older ones. Today's jets guzzle 70% less fuel than their older, fuel-guzzling predecessors.This is due to better aerodynamic designs which reduce drag and the energy efficiency of the engines themselves. The latest models of Boeing,the 787 Dreamliners burn 27 per cent less fuel than the Airbus A340s.

Where possible, try to fly non stop to a destination. Arrival and departure of aircrafts guzzle up lot of fuel.

It is better to stick by airlines which have a discipline for timed travel and are not constantly running late. This reduces their wait time,if any, in arrival and take off queues on runways and circling in air due to lack of permit to land.

Check whether the airlines offers carbon offsets. By volunteering to donate to the carbon neutral schemes you can mitigate the climatic impacts of the flights though ofcourse this is not a decidedly perfect solution to the problem.

Arctic Thaw

Soot or carbon black is the natural and industrial ash like substance. It has now been proved that soot emissions from U.S. coal burning may have significantly contributed and been a primary culprit for the fast melt-down of the arctic ice sheet. According to new research, an eight-fold increase in soot in the Arctic snow had taken place during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Soot reduces the reflectivity of snow and ice allowing the surface to absorb more energy from the sun.

When the United States switched to oil and gas and instituted air pollution controls, the amount of soot falling in the Arctic dropped substantially. However, soot is still a factor in Arctic warming because of coal emissions from the booming economies of Asia.

Global Warnings

The warming of the earth's crust and atmosphere is fast changing the climate,topography and the biota of the world. I have listed a few of the horror stories we may have to face in future.This list is by no means exhaustive.

Arctic ice is fast melting.Dwindling ice floes have also resulted in reducing the polar bear population.

The snow on Africa's highest peak,Mount Kilimanjaro,could entirely disappear by 2020.The same is the case with the Glacier National Park in Northwestern Montana whose glaciers are fast disappearing.

The warming up of the earth's crust is speeding up the gigantic ocean waves which could wreak havoc by eroding shorelines.

As to what climate change can really mean,we need look no further than Australia which is fast running out of water. Southern and eastern Australia have lost about 20% of its rainfall and there is a great decline in the flow of the rivers there in the past couple of years.The coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef are also believed to be threatened.

Increasingly hot summers will proportionately increase the death rate toll.

We will be seeing more of hurricanes and floods.

Wildlife is fast disappearing. Many species will be extinct by the end of this century.

Rise in sea levels could spell disaster for some places. Maldives in the Indian Ocean will be uninhabitable in the next 100 years.

There is so much at stake and no escape from the consequences of the global warming.It is certainly too late to stop all climate changes. But certainly by reducing our carbon footprint, we may be able to reduce the impact of oncoming calamities.

Unusual Weather Patterns Worldwide

What is wrong with the weather everywhere?
Storms and floods in Britain, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. Forest fires in Greece due to extreme heat...
Here in the United States,Summer has never quite managed to settle in for more than a few days leaving in its wake intermittent overcast conditions and storms fit for autumn. Torrential rainfall was seen across the southern states of continental US. Around 211 tornadoes have been have been seen in the past 8 days.Reportedly, even Alaska which is warming more quickly than any other place on the planet right now,is experiencing forest fires.This year is on track to be the world's second warmest on record since records began in the 1860s.The warmest was 1998.
Are these wake-up calls for us ? The earth can take the greed of a population only upto a point.It wont be a surprise if we might actually see the effects of global climatic changes in our lifetimes rather than way off in the distant future.

Stop Global Warming