Climatechange - Blog Posts
The worst nightmare I ever had was about global warming. At first, it was like hell on earth. Fire, fire everywhere. One could barely breathe through the smoke and the heat had people dropping like flies. Then, the flooding came; the water reached as high as the top of houses. I remember watching the news on a malfunctioning tv while sitting on a floating mattress that was becoming heavier with water by the second. I was scared and my family was long gone. The last thing I remember seeing before I choked on the water in my lungs and woke up was the sad blue eyes of an old man sitting on a rooftop, watching the world drown. #climatechangeisreal #climatechange #globalwarming @save_earth_ https://www.instagram.com/p/BnSUVUznRlp/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1spawy35br3es
Seeing El Niño…From Space
First, What is El Niño?
This irregularly occurring weather phenomenon is created through an abnormality in wind and ocean circulation. When it originates in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. El Niño has wide-reaching effects. In a global context, it affects rainfall, ocean productivity, atmospheric gases and winds across continents. At a local level, it influences water supplies, fishing industries and food sources.
What About This Year’s El Niño
This winter, weather patterns may be fairly different than what is typical — all because of unusually warm ocean water in the east equatorial Pacific, aka El Niño. California is expected to get more rain while Australia is expected to get less. Since this El Niño began last summer, the Pacific Ocean has already experienced an increase in tropical storms and a decrease in phytoplankton.
How Do We See El Niño?
Here are some of El Niño’s key impacts and how we study them from space:
Rainfall:
El Niño often spurs a change in rainfall patterns that can lead to major flooding, landslides and droughts across the globe.
How We Study It: Our Global Precipitation Measurement mission (GPM), tracks precipitation worldwide and creates global precipitation maps updated every half-hour using data from a host of satellites. Scientists can then use the data to study changes in rain and snow patterns. This gives us a better understanding of Earth’s climate and weather systems.
Hurricanes:
El Niño also influences the formation of tropical storms. El Niño events are associated with fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic, but more hurricanes and typhoons in the Pacific.
How We Study It: We have a suite of instruments in space that can study various aspects of storms, such as rainfall activity, cloud heights, surface wind speed and ocean heat.
Ocean Ecology:
While El Niño affects land, it also impacts the marine food web, which can be seen in the color of the ocean. The hue of the water is influenced by the presence of tiny plants, sediments and colored dissolved organic material. During El Niño conditions, upwelling is suppressed and the deep, nutrient-rich waters aren’t able to reach the surface, causing less phytoplankton productivity. With less food, the fish population declines, severely affecting fishing industries.
How We Study It: Our satellites measure the color of the ocean to derive surface chlorophyll, a pigment in phytoplankton, and observe lower total chlorophyll amounts during El Niño events in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
Ozone:
El Niño also influences ozone — a compound that plays an important role in the Earth system and human health. When El Niño occurs, there is a substantial change in the major east-west tropical circulation, causing a significant redistribution of atmospheric gases like ozone.
How We Study It: Our Aura satellite is used to measure ozone concentrations in the upper layer of the atmosphere. With more than a decade of Aura data, researchers are able to separate the response of ozone concentrations to an El Niño from its response to change sin human activity, such as manmade fires.
Fires:
El Niño conditions shift patters of rainfall and fire across the tropics. During El Niño years, the number and intensity of fires increases, especially under drought conditions in regions accustomed to wet weather. These fires not only damage lands, but also emit greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
How We Study It: Our MODIS instruments on Aqua and Terra satellites provide a global picture of fire activity. MODIS was specifically designed to observe fires, allowing scientists to discern flaming from smoldering burns.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Carbon and Our Changing Climate
Carbon is the backbone of life on Earth. We are made of carbon, we eat carbon and our civilizations are built on carbon. We need carbon, but that need is also entwined with one of the most serious problems facing us today: global climate change.
Forged in the heart of aging stars, carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the Universe. Most of Earth’s carbon – about 65,500 billion metric tons – is stored in rocks. The rest is in the ocean, atmosphere, plants, soil and fossil fuels.
Over the long term, the carbon cycle seems to maintain a balance that prevents all of Earth’s carbon from entering the atmosphere, or from being stored entirely in rocks. This balance helps keep Earth’s temperature relatively stable, like a thermostat.
Today, changes in the carbon cycle are happening because of people. We disrupt the cycle by burning fossil fuels and clearing land. Our Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite is providing our first detailed, global measurements of CO2 in the atmosphere at the Earth’s surface. OCO-2 recently released its first full year of data, critical to analyzing the annual CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
The above animation shows carbon dioxide released from two different sources: fires and massive urban centers known as megacities. The animation covers a five day period in June 2006. The model is based on real emission data and is then set to run so that scientists can observe how greenhouse gas behaves once it has been emitted.
All of this extra carbon needs to go somewhere. So far, land plants and the ocean have taken up about 55 percent of the extra carbon people have put into the atmosphere while about 45 percent has stayed in the atmosphere. The below animation shows the average 12-month cycle of all plant life on Earth (on land and in the ocean). Eventually, the land and oceans will take up most of the extra carbon dioxide, but as much as 20 percent may remain in the atmosphere for many thousands of years.
Excess carbon in the atmosphere warms the planet and helps plants on land grow more. Excess carbon in the ocean makes the water more acidic, putting marine life in danger. Forest and other land ecosystems are also changing in response to a warmer world. Some ecosystems -- such as thawing permafrost in the Arctic and fire-prone forests -- could begin emitting more carbon than they currently absorb.
To learn more about NASA’s efforts to better understand the carbon and climate challenge, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/carbonclimate/.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
Sea Level Rise
For thousands of years, sea level has remained relatively stable. But now, Earth’s seas are rising. Since the beginning of the 20th century, they have risen about eight inches, and more than two inches in the last 20 years alone!
As water warms, it expands and takes up more space. That means that when oceans warm, the sea level rises. This summer, we’ve been researching exactly how global warming has impacted Greenland’s ice sheet. Our ICESat-2 mission will use a laser to measure the height of the planet’s surface. Over time, we will be able to provide a record of elevation change, and estimate how much water has melted into the ocean from land ice change.
So how much ice are we actually losing? Great question, but the answer might shock you. In Greenland alone, 303 gigatons of ice was lost in 2014!
Since we know that ice is melting, we’re working to gain a better understanding of how much and how fast. We’re using everything from planes, probes and boats, to satellites and lasers to determine the impact of global warming on the Earth’s ice.
Follow along for updates and information: http://climate.nasa.gov/
"What if we are wrong about climate change, and we create a better world for nothing?" - Anonymous
#environment #nature #lockdown2020 #sustainability #climatechange #ecofriendly #savetheplanet #zerowaste #sustainable #gogreen #earth #green #recycle #eco #plasticfree #globalwarming #pollution #reuse #climate #sustainableliving #environmentallyfriendly #art #love #photography #water #conservation #naturephotography #vegan #recycling #plastic https://www.instagram.com/p/CBSQHzujftm/?igshid=1alb7fzx0wz12
Grist: 3 expert tips on how to spot bullshit. Very fitting for April Fool's Day
Help Nature Breathe Again
We call ourselves the best of creatures,
Yet what have we done?
Except lead destruction and chaos,
And blindly kill with our gun,
The world was once a beautiful place,
Where wild animals roamed free,
And the plants didn’t require permission to grow,
For Earth to be paradise this is key,
Yet the human’s urge for more is too strong,
So they chain up the helpless animal souls,
And chop down their precious dwellings,
We fill their joy with gaping holes,
The world was once a beautiful place,
Where constant was the climate,
And the sky shone clear and blue,
This was before the human’s heart began to split,
Into worthless pairs of two,
We continue our trail of murder,
From the plants and animals to the atmosphere,
With weapons such as our cars or litter,
We tightly suffocate the Earth year by year,
If this isn’t enough,
We mercilessly kill our own kind,
With wars over pointless wealth,
Or plots constructed by cunning minds,
We continue to crowd every acre of nature,
And add on our pressure to Earth’s fragile land,
But we never feel remorse,
We should no longer be considered grand,
With all the problems we have caused,
With all the animals we have imprisoned,
With all the plants we have cursed to thrive,
With all of our hideous crimes,
Do we still live in the illusion that we are great, and continue to remain oblivious to the suffering we have caused, or do we step up our game, and rid the Earth and its eldest inhabitants of our heavy burden? Together, we can make a difference, and help the Earth breathe again.
The ONE gateway to the SOLUTION to the problems of humanity. (A.k.a. vlog attempt n2)
Hehe I put this filter that makes it slook so weird lol 😂 enjoy
Whether you want your health to be better, the social and hunger problems of the world to be over, to avoid future pandemics like this one from occurring, reduce smog emissions, soil depletion, environmental pollution and climate change, or you want to stop the inhumane cruelties happening to animals on a daily basis...there is an easy solution that will help immensely to tackle them all...(spoiler alert: a #wholefoodsplantbaseddiet and a plant based lifestyle)
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This THE solution that will lubricate and help the efficacy of all other solutions that need to be initiated. More on this in future posts (maybe)
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#theplantsolution #plantpure #wholefoodsplantbased #plantbaseddiet #plantbasedliving #veganism #vegetarian #reducitarian #climatechange #savetheplanet #planetbased
How Climate Change is threatening Culture's Worldwide
NO.1
Mass relocations are a thing that is set to happen thanks to climate change. And as more natural disasters happen that circuits the need for climate change education, more doomsday scenarios appear instead of healthy solutions to help save the planet--with the water rising from melting ice caps, it is destroying island and southern communities, and producing record number droughts in different sides of the planet. Why then does the media frame climate change as something inevitable, and how does that produce apathy, not just in regular people, but in these companies as well?
NO. 2
The research about climate change is all about education; informing the public about counter-options to reduce carbon levels in the air. I know this could benefit one person, if not the whole group, and that is what’s important. So how do we define apathy toward climate change? Well, the definition of apathy first is a lack of feeling or emotion towards something. It is based on a variety of subjects, like race, sex, education, age, food, culture, groups of people, etc. How does apathy relate to other negative concepts like indifference, and how are those emotions dangerous? ‘’How does apathy come to exist? Through ignorance of a toxic and uncoordinated action. Framing is used as an institution and illustrates how it shapes media framing in a toxic event. Even in systems who are supposed to help the average person, are people seen to have a ‘tendency to behave in accordance with what they see as being in their own interests.’’
NO. 3
From “Climate Change and Planned Relocation in Oceania.” Sicherheit Und Frieden (S+F) / Security and Peace, vol. 34, no. 1, 2016, pp. 60–65: ‘‘The sinking islands have become a symbol of the consequences of manmade global warming. The foreshadowing of climate change-related environments and social developments that will affect other parts of the world sooner rather than later. In the current academic and political discourse, migration figures prominently among the social effects of climate change, and climate change-induced migration-conflict nexus, and research and findings have become ever more complex and sophisticated, trying disentangle the ‘long and uncertain casual chains from climate change to social consequences like conflict.’’
NO. 4
In conclusion, the Guna Yala tribe will not be the last island community to relocate because of the rising sea level, thanks to climate change. In fact, billions of people are going to be fleeing, and forced to relocate because of the threatening climate, and the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change understands (UNFCCC). From Climate Change and Planned Relocation: HOW CLIMATE RESETTLEMENT CAN WORK FOR COMMUNITIES. Danish Institute for International Studies, 2017: Entire cultures and societies will have to cope with the ‘‘ability to foster broader resilience-oriented solutions driven by the livelihood needs and strategies of the communities in question. When relocation is found to be necessary, [like in the Guna Yala tribe’s case], it should be approached as an expansion of existing livelihood strategies and mobility patterns, not an end to them.’’
Rail Outlook In Australia for April-June 2021 By Entegra
Check the blog by Entegra Signature Structures to know the rain outlook in Australia for April-June 2021. The rainfall is expected to be higher than average in the country while some areas will probably see less rainfall.
Read the blog to know how global warming has affected the seasonal climate change in Australia in recent years. In most of the Australian areas, the temperature between April-June 2021 is expected to be higher than normal.
In the late 1970s, NASA climate scientists discovered growing holes in the ozone layer and linked them to the widespread use of CFCs. Thanks to their advocacy, CFCs were banned in 1987. The holes in ozone layer are closing and should be fully repaired by the end of the 21st century. Had CFC use continued, it was on track to destroy the ozone layer by 2030 at which point, we would not have been able to grow plants outside. Thanks to NASA scientists we have nifty things like Velcro and microprocessors, and also, a chance of grandchildren. Thanks again to NASA for letting The World's Most Fashionable Paperdoll visit last fall for the Osiris Rex launch! It was phenomenal to sit and listen to the scientists who work there. We have since adopted the NASA protocol "avoid known risks" as a personal motto. (Especially for former crushes) #nasasocial #nasa #science #climatechange #drawntoadventure #illo #instaart (at Cape Canaveral, Florida)