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Section 5 – Science Diplomacy in the 21st Century

Science Diplomacy
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Years Of Living Dangerously

See as well the National Geographic Channel for information:

Further information from Wikipedia.

Yes, a Warmer Arctic Means Cold Winters Elsewhere. Here’s How. | InsideClimate News

Climate change manifests in snowier winters in places like Boston, thanks to a warmer Arctic. Credit: Peter Enyeart, via Flickr

Rising Arctic temps are changing the jet stream, drawing cold air further south, showing climate change can drive extreme weather in unexpected ways.

By Katherine Bagley, InsideClimate News

Aug 31, 2015

Melting sea ice and warmer temperatures in the Arctic are to blame for the brutal cold snaps that have plagued parts of Asia and North America in recent years, according to new research by Korean and European scientists released Monday.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Geoscience, adds to the growing evidence linking rising Arctic temperatures to changing weather patterns across the globe. It also helps further debunk one of climate deniers‘ favorite arguments: cold weather proves the world isn’t warming from the buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Deniers reveled in their theory last winter as a record-breaking 110.6 inches of snow fell on Boston and temperatures as low as minus-35 degrees Fahrenheit chilled wide swaths of the Central Plains and Northeast. Republican Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe famously brought a snowball onto the Senate floor to “prove” his point and Republican Presidential frontrunner and businessman Donald Trump tweeted in February, “Record low temperatures and massive amounts of snow. Where the hell is GLOBAL WARMING?“

“This research blasts enormous holes in that argument, if the deniers choose to pay attention to these findings,” said Jennifer Francis, a climate scientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey who was not involved in the research.

…(read more).

Ice Loss and the Polar Vortex: How a Warming Arctic Fuels Cold Snaps | InsideClimate News

 

A strong polar vortex (left, from December 2013) is centered over the Arctic. A weakened polar vortex (right, from January 2014) allows cold air to dip farther south. Credit: NOAA

The loss of sea ice may be weakening the polar vortex, allowing cold blasts to dip south from the Arctic, across North America, Europe and Russia, a new study says.

By Bob Berwyn, InsideClimate News Sep 28, 2017

When winter sets in, “polar vortex” becomes one of the most dreaded phrases in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s enough to send shivers even before the first blast of bitter cold arrives.

New research shows that some northern regions have been getting hit with these extreme cold spells more frequently over the past four decades, even as the planet as a whole has warmed. While it may seem counterintuitive, the scientists believe these bitter cold snaps are connected to the warming of the Arctic and the effects that that warming is having on the winds of the stratospheric polar vortex, high above the Earth’s surface.

Here’s what scientists involved in the research think is happening: The evidence is clear that the Arctic has been warming faster than the rest of the planet. That warming is reducing the amount of Arctic sea ice, allowing more heat to escape from the ocean. The scientists think that the ocean energy that is being released is causing a weakening of the polar vortex winds over the Arctic, which normally keep cold air centered over the polar region. That weakening is then allowing cold polar air to slip southward more often.

…(read more).

Sea Level Rise Is Creeping into Coastal Cities. Saving Them Won’t Be Cheap . | InsideClimate News

 

Norfolk and Miami frequently see nuisance flooding now. The cost to protect them and other coastal cities in the future is rising with the tide.

By Nicholas Kusnetz Dec 28, 2017

To get a sense of how much it will cost the nation to save itself from rising seas over the next 50 years, consider Norfolk, Virginia.

In November, the Army Corps released a proposal for protecting the city from coastal flooding that would cost $1.8 billion. Some experts consider the estimate low. And it doesn’t include the Navy’s largest base, which lies within city limits and likely needs at least another $1 billion in construction.

Then consider the costs to protect Boston, New York, Baltimore, Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, Houston and the more than 3,000 miles of coastline in between.

Rising seas driven by climate change are flooding the nation’s coasts now. The problem will get worse over the next 50 years, but the United States has barely begun to consider what’s needed and hasn’t grappled with the costs or who will pay. Many decisions are left to state and local governments, particularly now that the federal government under President Donald Trump has halted action to mitigate climate change and reversed nascent federal efforts to adapt to its effects.

…(read more).