Extreme weather

[RSL]

Careful, Les. If you say things like that the "me too"ers will be on your case.

[LesPalenik]

Careful, Les. If you say things like that the "me too"ers will be on your case.

Good point, Russ.
I'd better stick to regular news. All stations here are now reporting about the recently announced Jimmy Kimmel's candidacy to run for mayor's office in Dildo, Newfoundland.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/jimmy-kimmel-responds-to-premier-ball-s-official-invite-to-dildo-n-l-1.4545936

[RSL]

Well, I certainly hope Jimmy does a good job in Dildo. Their women will appreciate it.

[LesPalenik]

A new study finds that microplastics are being carried around the planet in atmospheric winds, and that we’re breathing them in.

Microplastics, those pervasive relics of modern times, have invaded seemingly every part of the planet today, including the most remote reaches of the Arctic. Scientists have been puzzling over how this flood of pollution makes its way to such distant locations far from the urban centers where it’s generated. A new study finds a surprising route for the tiny particles—they’re ferried aloft to fall in the Arctic as snow.

“Basically microplastic is everywhere,” says Bergmann. “Aerial transport is the pathway to transport microplastic to the remotest parts of our planet.” And this means the atmosphere may be a key source of exposure for humans and animals. “Microplastic is in the air, and it's not unlikely that we also inhale some of it,” says Bergmann.” And part of this may actually make it into our lungs."

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/microplastics-found-in-arctic-snow/

[LesPalenik]

Heavy storm with a tornado in Hessen in central Germany caused serious problems in the rush hour. Many persons were injured, trees uprooted, highways closed for days.

Update, 19 August, 8:53am:
After the heavy storm over Hessen there are numerous injured. According to information from the Hessenschau at least 23 people were injured. Particularly affected was the district of Offenbach and above all Dietzenbach and Langen. According to the police, 17 people were slightly injured and four seriously injured in the Offenbach district, including one child. There was also an injured man in the Main-Kinzig district.

I used to live in that area and visited it just  a few months ago. AFAIK, this is the first time that they experienced a tornado.

https://www.fr.de/rhein-main/sturm-ueber-hessen-schwere-schaeden-verletzte-tornado-zr-12924225.html?fbclid=IwAR3C3RjAt5pnqrudiANdoaLn-yNZ5wb6VuNXG0ugo1GBxwrPGoDJw95fLeE  (in German)

[Alan Klein]

They're picking on the royals again.  So what if their carbon emissions doubled in the last year.  They say they are interested in climate change.  And they make such a nice couple. Don't they realize they're grandchildren will suffer 50 years from now?  Anyway, my (American)wife thinks they're adorable.

"Elton John tries and fails to defend Prince Harry on climate change"
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/elton-john-tries-and-fails-to-defend-prince-harry-on-climate-change


"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are being criticized in the British media for their extensive use of private jets for vacations, including flying on Elton John's private jet to Nice, France, despite their support for environmental charities."[/font][/size]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WOKac4ZBoY

[Alan Klein]

A new study finds that microplastics are being carried around the planet in atmospheric winds, and that we’re breathing them in.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/microplastics-found-in-arctic-snow/

A new thing to worry about.  Maybe we can start another thread.   PS I don;t know why they don't know if we're breathing these things in for sure or not.  All they would have to do is have some "breather" device sucking in the air against a filter.  It would be nice to know what's up?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... this is the first time that they experienced a tornado...

What did they think all those wind turbines would do?

[faberryman]

A new thing to worry about.  Maybe we can start another thread.   PS I don;t know why they don't know if we're breathing these things in for sure or not.  All they would have to do is have some "breather" device sucking in the air against a filter.  It would be nice to know what's up?

You wouldn't believe the scientific research anyway, so what's the point?

[LesPalenik]

What did they think all those wind turbines would do?

Actually, the construction of wind turbines there slowed down, but the summer temperatures and the Greens are on the rise.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/28/europe-greens-on-fire-and-not-just-because-of-sweltering-heat

[Alan Klein]

You wouldn't believe the scientific research anyway, so what's the point?

Well, the first thing that would happen is that some zealot would have a bill before Congress banning plastics.  Then I wouldn't be able to use straws or plastic shopping bags.  Wait, I think those are already banned. 

[faberryman]

Well, the first thing that would happen is that some zealot would have a bill before Congress banning plastics.  Then I wouldn't be able to use straws or plastic shopping bags.  Wait, I think those are already banned. 

You could change your behavior without the necessity of passing any law or regulation. Your behavior is up to you. If you like your plastic straws and plastic bags, you could save and re-use them.

[Alan Klein]

You could change your behavior without the necessity of passing any law or regulation. Your behavior is up to you. If you like your plastic straws and plastic bags, you could save and re-use them.

Thanks for the tip.

[Alan Klein]

Wrong thread.  Sorry.

[LesPalenik]

At least four people died and more than 100 were injured in lightning strikes during a sudden thunderstorm in Tatra Mountains in Poland. A fifth person was killed in neighbouring Slovakia.

A lightning bolt is thought to have struck the 15m structure at a time when a large number of hikers were at the summit, and the current then travelled along a metal railing.
"We heard that after (the) lightning struck, people fell. The current then continued along the chains securing the ascent, striking everyone along the way."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49439619

[LesPalenik]

A doubling of CO2 levels results in approximately a 1/3rd increase in rice yields, all else remaining the same. If you were living in a poverty stricken community where people were starving and undernourished, and someone offered you a choice of 90 Kg of polished white rice grown in preindustrial CO2 levels of 280 ppm, or 133 Kg of brown rice grown in twice the levels of CO2 (560 ppm), which would you choose? (I've used the figure 90 instead of 100, for the white rice, on the assumption that about 10% of the mass is thrown away during polishing).

Ray, doubling of CO2 levels causes not only 30% increase of rice yields, but potentially also a 300% increase of air turbulence for airplanes. Warming temperatures create larger storms and as the jet stream shifts northward, we get more frequent and stronger instances of air turbulence which affect air traffic.

“The best scientific evidence is that there is a strong link between climate change and clear air turbulence,” said Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the U.K. “When someone says global warming, we think about the fact that it’s getting warmer,” he said. “And that’s true, it is, but the climate is changing in the upper atmosphere as well.”

According to research conducted by Williams, the type of “severe clear air turbulence” experienced by passengers aboard Air Canada flight AC33 in July 2019 – which resulted in an emergency landing at Honolulu’s international airport and sent 37 people to hospital – could double or even triple as carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere rise. That’s because more C02 means warmer temperatures, which means shifting wind patterns with stronger and less predictable airflow, Williams said. This also means occurrences of severe clear air turbulence will become more common.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5489393/frequency-of-severe-air-turbulence-could-triple-due-to-climate-change/

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

Ray, doubling of CO2 levels causes not only 30% increase of rice yields, but potentially also a 300% increase of air turbulence for airplanes. Warming temperatures create larger storms and as the jet stream shifts northward, we get more frequent and stronger instances of air turbulence which affect air traffic.

And not only that. In order for more biomass to grow due to the increased CO2 levels, the soil must provide nutrients and there must be the right amount of water. Both are not guaranteed as a result of climate change (droughts vs increased precipitation). In addition, harmful (sometimes exotic) insects usually thrive at higher temperatures and weeds can also compete with the more desirable plant growth. This may also increase the need to use herbicides, insecticides and additional fertilizer, and if a runoff is caused by heavy rainfall, the aquatic life may also suffer from algae blooms in a competition for oxygen.

Climate change deniers usually cherry-pick one specific benefit, but deliberately ignore the (more) negative effects that are almost inevitable in a closed-loop ecosystem. We do not live in a controlled laboratory, sheltered from the outside world, but we live as part of a large system that struggles to adapt to the unprecedented pace of change.

BTW, talking about extreme weather, we are experiencing our third heatwave in 3 months time this year, temperatures have never been this high in the respective months since they were first formally recorded more than 100 years ago. The numbers of excess deaths for this run are not known yet (we have another day and a half to go before normal temperatures set in), but the National Heatplan is in effect again.

Cheers,
Bart

[Alan Goldhammer]

And not only that. In order for more biomass to grow, the soil must provide nutrients and there must be the right amount of water. Both are not guaranteed as a result of climate change (droughts vs increased precipitation). In addition, harmful (sometimes exotic) insects usually thrive at higher temperatures and weeds can also compete with the more desirable plant growth. This may also increase the need to use herbicides and insecticides, and if runoff is caused by heavy rainfall, the aquatic life may also suffer from algae blooms in a competition for oxygen.

Cheers,
Bart

I've tried making this point to some of Ray's previous comments as well.  Plant breeders will have to change their approach.  The big problem with higher levels of CO2 is biomass production which is what weeds do really well.  We don't know if the dwarf wheat varieties that revolutionized that crop will be best adapted to higher CO2 levels or not.  The system is complex and arguments that enhanced CO2 will lead to increased crop yields may not be accurate.  there are also environmental and energy impacts (the latter reflected in the energy needed for fertilizer production) that are likely to increase.  TNSTAAFL!!!  (There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)

[Alan Klein]

As I've been saying, climate change has negative and positive consequences. I think there are more positive consequences as it gets warmer and as most species have done much better in the warming up since the Ice Age. So another couple of degrees will just be better for us. I'm glad we're talking about both sides of the equation now. We've only been hearing the negative side.

[LesPalenik]

As I've been saying, climate change has negative and positive consequences. I think there are more positive consequences as it gets warmer and as most species have done much better in the warming up since the Ice Age. So another couple of degrees will just be better for us. I'm glad we're talking about both sides of the equation now. We've only been hearing the negative side.

Or in other words, one man's problems are another man's opportunities. Although the pest exterminators will definitely benefit from the onslaught of harmful insects and rodents which thrive at hot temperatures, I am witnessing more negative effects than positive consequences. Now, if you get all heavily sprayed produce from the supermarket, you wouldn't be aware of all the harmful insects which proliferate in the hot weather. 

But because I like my home grown tomatoes and kale better than the ones from the store, I have been fighting those pests all summer long, and that impacts not only my stress levels but also my free time. And while the CO2 may hypothetically increase the rice yield in some faraway country, those bugs and caterpillars are reducing significantly my own garden harvest. If those leaf eating pests are not kept in check, they would effectively destroy the entire plants and even mature berry bushes which require several years to get to a proper and fruit-bearing size. In addition, the higher temperatures and drier weather have increased also the need for water consumption to keep my little farm operation alive. So, I vote for two degrees cooler summers.