News from the Arctic: 21 November 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in a series of diaries on the state of Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted) in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

This diary will be relatively short; not the Climate Change News Digest, but just news from the Arctic last week.  Headlines:

• Ice extent increased more slowly than usual last week.
• The general circulation set up in something like what's called a positive Arctic Oscillation, with stronger-than-normal cyclonic circulation at high latitudes, and higher than normal pressures toward the south.
• Sea ice extent is less than it was after the record melt of 2007.

Here's a picture of the scene from the Barrow AK Arctic sea ice web camera taken last weekend.

More below the fold.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate Change News Roundup: 10|10|10

by billlaurelMD

We apologize for this being two days late, but hopefully not a dollar short :-/.

Same as last time, I'll multitask with the usual Arctic Sea Ice diary, with Climate Change news links appearing afterward.  

News From the Arctic: September 2010 Summary

The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) issued its summary of the mean September sea ice for 2010, including a discussion of the 2010 sea ice minimum and implications for the future  of Arctic sea ice.  Below you'll find the graphic that tells the story over the past 32 years.

More below the fold, then the Climate Change News Roundup.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate News: Weekend of 26 September 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in a series of diaries on the state of Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted) in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

Arctic sea ice reached its minimum extent (the area covered 15% or more  sea ice) last week on 18 September 2010, according to the International Arctic Research Center (IARC) at University of Alaska Fairbanks. Since the minimum, sea ice extent in the Arctic Basin has increased by almost 300,000 km² to about 5.1 million km² as of 24 September.  

Here's a the Barrow AK Arctic Sea Ice webcam at 14:36 Alaska Time on 25 September.  There's a trace of snow on the ground, but no sea ice as yet.  Conditions at photo time are annotated.

More below.

continued at Daily Kos....

Feeding America #2 - nutrition in schools

by teacherken

I admit it.  For a lot of issues the first thing that comes to my mind is how it affects the kids I teach.  If I meet a famous journalist or a Member of Congress, someplace in in that conversation I will ask if they will come out and talk to my students.  More often than not they are willing.

Nutrition in schools is an important issue.  Why?  Because a hungry, malnourished child will learn less than if s/he has had breakfast, gets lunch during the day.  Because in school we have an opportunity to help establish and/or reinforce patterns of healthy eating.  Because we have a responsibility to the young people in our care to care for them, and not just their minds.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate News: Week of 5 September 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in a series of diaries on the state of Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted) in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

This week, the climate news diary I usually do will be out a little early, since I'm writing up the more general one for Patriot News Clearinghouse today. So the latest news may be a bit briefer than usual. First, the Barrow AK Arctic Sea Ice webcam from this a.m. (5:17 Alaska Time). Weather is nasty as one would expect ... but actually a shade warmer than normal.

The rest of the Arctic story this week below.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate News: Week ending 21 August 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in a series of diaries on the state of Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted) in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

We're heading toward the end of the Arctic sea ice melt season as the sun descends toward the horizon in the polar latitudes. Speaking of polar latitudes, here's a picture from Barrow AK from yesterday morning, annotated with the weather at the time.  Foggy and gloomy, par for the course in August.

Barrow AK web cam photo, 23 August 2010 at 5:36 a.m. Alaska Time

More below the fold.

continued at Daily Kos....

Climate News: Week ending 14 August 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in a series of diaries on the state of Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted) in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

I'm expanding this diary series a bit to include more than just Arctic topics, though that will continue to be my major emphasis. In that vein, here are the headlines for the week ending 14 August:

1. Arctic sea ice continued to retreat at an average pace.

Weather in European Russia continued to be very hot, but the smoke from burning peat and forest fires was cleared by a shift in the wind.

Yet more flooding occurred in Pakistan, with at least 13 14 20 million people displaced. This is the worst flooding in the history of that country.

The National Climate Data Center in Asheville NC issued its July 2010 global climate summary. Short description:  HOT, but not quite a record if you count land and ocean.

Hurricane season in the Northern Hemisphere, surprisingly, has had its slowest start on record.

Discussion below the fold.

continued at Daily Kos...

News from the Arctic: July summary edition

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in a series of diaries on the state of Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted) in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center NSIDC issued its July 2010 report on 4 August 2010.  I'll start with the news therein.  Then, I'll show you what's been happening since 31 July in weather and sea ice, hopefully through 6 or 7 August, if the data is updated promptly.  Finally, I'll have a few comments on how I expect things to pan out for the rest of the melt season.

More below.

continued at Daily Kos...

News from the Arctic: 25 July 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in an occasional series of diaries on the state of Northern Hemisphere Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted), written in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

HEADLINES:

• Steady decline in Arctic sea ice, about par with 1979-2000 average rate.
• National Snow and Ice Data Center post a press release on the slowdown in Arctic sea ice loss
• Pressure and wind anomalies make a warm Siberia and cold northeast Europe

The obligatory Arctic web cam picture, this one from Barrow AK yesterday morning, is shown below.  
Barrow AK in the Fog

Barrow AK at 7:09 a.m. Alaska Time, 24 July 2010

More after the fold.

continued at Daily Kos...

News from the Arctic: 18 July 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in an occasional series of diaries on the state of Northern Hemisphere Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted), written in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

Headlines:

• The decrease noted in sea ice melt noted in the last few diaries continued last week.
• Record heat has been going on across Russia and Siberia for the last week; readings in the 90s°F in northeastern Siberia were noted yesterday afternoon local time (map below the fold
• The Arctic Ocean basin has been rather cool over the past week, particularly on the North American and Asian side.

More after the jump.

continued at Daily Kos....

News from the Arctic: 11 July 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in an occasional series of diaries on the state of Northern Hemisphere Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted), written in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

Loss of sea ice has slowed sharply in the last week, from 80-120 km² per day to 30-70 km² per day (numbers approximate and from the joint International Arctic Research Center -- Japan Aeronautical Exploration Agency Information System (IJIS). The recent rate of sea ice extent loss is below the long term 1979-2000 average as you will see in the chart below from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

continued at Daily Kos....

News from the Arctic: Record low ice in June 2010 (Update at bottom)

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in an occasional series of diaries on the state of Northern Hemisphere Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted), written in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

The National Snow and Ice Data Center has just issued its June 2010 report, and it isn't pretty. Headlines:

• Record low mean June Arctic sea ice extent
• A return of the sea level pressure and wind patterns that brought us the record Arctic sea ice minimum extent in September 2007
• Arctic sea ice loss may decrease for a time because of reaching thicker second- and third-year sea ice

Details below.

continued at Daily Kos....

News from the Arctic: 27 June 2010

by billlaurelMD

This is the next in an occasional series of diaries on the state of Northern Hemisphere Arctic sea ice (and other topics as warranted), written in memory of Johnny Rook, who passed away in early 2009. He was the author of the Climaticide Chronicles.

In my diary last week, I neglected to put the header acknowledging Johnny Rook's contributions to the environmental diaries here at Daily Kos.  I apologize for the oversight.

Okay, now on to this week's news.  The international study of the Arctic still goes on, despite our economic troubles.  At the North Pole in April 2010, two buoys with weather instruments were launched.  They're currently drifting south toward an area between Greenland and Svalbard called the Fram Strait; the green and red lines in the map below show their path through 11 June. At 26 June their locations were about a third of a degree or so further south than shown in the map.

More below.

continued at Daily Kos....