Problems, Predicaments, and Technology

  Philpott Lake, Virginia, as seen from the Visitor Center of Philpott Dam

  This wasn't on my to-do list for today, but I couldn't resist opening it. Professor Will Steffen presents The Anthropocene - Where on Earth Are We Going? As this video unfolded, I noticed how it really does point out precisely where we are as a species. The picture below helps me to keep in mind the cycle of life . The land doesn't belong to us, we belong to the land: It is a rather stark warning about what is unfolding, and the tipping points of several other systems have also now been added to the information in the video including the Amazon Rainforest turning from a sink into a source of carbon . More evidence that the rainforest can no longer be depended upon for help converting carbon dioxide into oxygen and/or sequestering carbon from the atmosphere is also in several new articles: Researchers investigate mining-related deforestation in the Amazon Tipping elements can destabilize each other, leading to climate domino effects Unchecked climate change will cause seve...

What is hydrogen sulfide and what does it have to do with extinction events? In my last entry where I discussed James G. Anderson, I pointed out how the current behavior of the climate system will be interrupted and inherently changed by the loss of Arctic ice and the cryosphere in general. This loss of ice in sea ice, permafrost, glaciers, and frozen lakes and rivers will dramatically speed up the process of warming not only in the Arctic, but the entire Northern Hemisphere and beyond. As it does this, eventually, the temperature difference between the poles and the tropics will disappear. Without the large temperature difference, winds will be diminished, causing the world's oceans to mix less. This will cause hypoxic conditions due to less circulation and less circulation will lead to stagnation, and general anaerobic conditions will lead to the production of hydrogen sulfide leading to sulfidic oceans, also known as the Canfield Ocean .  Understanding that the cryosphere ...

  Recently, I had an opportunity to repost a video which I viewed several years ago from Harvard Professor James G. Anderson regarding climate change. I have actually watched the video two or three times in the past, but there are certain parts that have now become more interesting as time has moved forward.  In the video, Anderson reveals why the term "global warming" is very inappropriate and doesn't accurately describe what is really happening. Then he describes what will happen as times moves forward with warmth and moisture entering the stratosphere as a result of climate change - as ice continues being removed from both poles, eventually the temperature difference between the tropics and the poles will disappear. This is a hugely important distinction, as the global climate system today utterly depends on those temperature differences for the way it behaves. I will go into more detail regarding this phenomenon in my next article and how it will affect the planet...

Naples Beach and Pier, Florida It really requires some true grit to begin making the determination that one needs to move to avoid serious consequences from any particular predicament; and the older one is, the more difficult it is to leave a loved area. Almost no area will be left untouched by climate change and all the other predicaments caused by ecological overshoot, but one predicament in particular, Sea Level Rise (SLR), brings forth a whole host of issues that many don't know about. Sadly, I had the experience of attempting to explain this to a friend who got mad at me for posting scientific articles regarding the situation. Many people are suffering from denial of reality  surrounding these issues, which doesn't help. Overwhelmingly, the easiest issue that almost everyone can see is street flooding caused by high tides (sunny day flooding). This makes the situation impossible to ignore, and building streets higher doesn't resolve the issue of water coming UNDERNEAT...

  Sea Level Rise Antarctica's 'doomsday' glacier: How its collapse could trigger global floods and swallow islands La Niña just raised sea levels in the western Pacific by up to 20cm. This height will be normal by 2050 Satellite data points to land subsidence in Cartagena Rivers play key role in destructive coastal flooding, new research shows Why sea level will rise for decades after we reach net zero carbon Climate change might mean several of Indonesia's small islands have no future Almost 4,000 people displaced by tidal surge in Ghana As climate change arrives in Connecticut, coastal towns face a precarious future Enormous cost of relocating US climate refugees from coastal town a stark example for the whole world, researchers warn Extreme Greenland ice melt raised global flood risk: study When global warming stops, seas will still rise: study Lake formation and expansion due to sea-level rise causes freshwater resource depletion on small islands New Jersey's ti...