Volcán de Fuego from Earth and space

February 1, 2018, satellite image – in natural color – of a burst from Volcán de Fuego. Ash in a volcanic plume typically appears brown or gray in space images, while steam appears white. Image via Landsat 8 and NASA Earth Observatory.

Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego began a new round of explosive activity on January 31, 2018. This volcano – located about 40 miles (70 km) west of Guatemala City – is known for its explosive activity, spreading ash plumes, and spectacular lava flows. This eruption was its first of 2018. It ended after about 20 hours of activity.

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured the natural-color image above of the eruption. Click here for a wider view.

Meanwhile, photographers on the ground were busy as well, taking in the dramatic show this volcano provides.

As the eruption of Volcán de Fuego progressed, lava poured down the slopes of the volcano. This view is from the municipality of Alotenango, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, on February 1, 2018. Image via Esteban Biba (EFE)/ El País.

NASA said:

According to the Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED), the plume reached an altitude of 21,300 feet (6,500 meters) above sea level and was carried 25 miles (40 km) to the west and southwest by the winds. Falling ash affected tens of thousands of people, primarily in the provinces of Escuintla and Chimaltenango. Lava from two active conduits flowed through four ravines, leading officials to preemptively close National Route 14 to vehicles.

In addition to ash, the plume contains gaseous components invisible to the human eye, including sulfur dioxide SO2. The gas can affect human health—irritating the nose and throat when breathed in—and reacts with water vapor to produce acid rain. It also can react in the atmosphere to form aerosol particles, which can contribute to outbreaks of haze and influence the climate.

This map shows concentrations of SO2 detected on February 1, 2018, by the Ozone Mapper Profiler Suite (OMPS) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) satellite. Image via NASA Earth Observatory.

Another natural-color space view of the outburst of Volcán de Fuego on February 1, 2018. Image via Landsat 8 and NASA Earth Observatory.

Bottom line: Images of the first eruption of 2018 of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala.

Read more from NASA Earth Observatory

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2EfpAgz

February 1, 2018, satellite image – in natural color – of a burst from Volcán de Fuego. Ash in a volcanic plume typically appears brown or gray in space images, while steam appears white. Image via Landsat 8 and NASA Earth Observatory.

Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego began a new round of explosive activity on January 31, 2018. This volcano – located about 40 miles (70 km) west of Guatemala City – is known for its explosive activity, spreading ash plumes, and spectacular lava flows. This eruption was its first of 2018. It ended after about 20 hours of activity.

The Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured the natural-color image above of the eruption. Click here for a wider view.

Meanwhile, photographers on the ground were busy as well, taking in the dramatic show this volcano provides.

As the eruption of Volcán de Fuego progressed, lava poured down the slopes of the volcano. This view is from the municipality of Alotenango, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, on February 1, 2018. Image via Esteban Biba (EFE)/ El País.

NASA said:

According to the Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED), the plume reached an altitude of 21,300 feet (6,500 meters) above sea level and was carried 25 miles (40 km) to the west and southwest by the winds. Falling ash affected tens of thousands of people, primarily in the provinces of Escuintla and Chimaltenango. Lava from two active conduits flowed through four ravines, leading officials to preemptively close National Route 14 to vehicles.

In addition to ash, the plume contains gaseous components invisible to the human eye, including sulfur dioxide SO2. The gas can affect human health—irritating the nose and throat when breathed in—and reacts with water vapor to produce acid rain. It also can react in the atmosphere to form aerosol particles, which can contribute to outbreaks of haze and influence the climate.

This map shows concentrations of SO2 detected on February 1, 2018, by the Ozone Mapper Profiler Suite (OMPS) on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi-NPP) satellite. Image via NASA Earth Observatory.

Another natural-color space view of the outburst of Volcán de Fuego on February 1, 2018. Image via Landsat 8 and NASA Earth Observatory.

Bottom line: Images of the first eruption of 2018 of Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala.

Read more from NASA Earth Observatory

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2EfpAgz

See the Double Cluster in Perseus

Tonight, find the gorgeous Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus. It’s a wonderful sight to see, assuming your sky is dark. To see it at this time of year, face north to northwest as darkness falls. The Double Cluster consists of two open stars clusters, known as “H” and “Chi” Persei (also called NGC 884 and 869).

How to find them? First, you really do need that dark sky. Second, you might need binoculars, as the Double Cluster is only faintly visible to the unaided eye – even on an inky black night. Look for the famous constellation Cassiopeia in the northwest, forming a backwards “3,” or perhaps an “E,” or the letter “M” or “W” turned on its side.

Just above Cassiopeia, assuming your sky is dark enough, you’ll see a faint fuzzy patch. This is the Double Cluster, which blooms into a sparkling array of stars through binoculars or a small backyard telescope.

Finding the Double Cluster with the constellation Cassiopeia. Image credit: madmiked

These two open star clusters reside an estimated 7,400 light years away. Each contains 300 to 400 stars. These stars are thought to be approximately three million years old … babies in star time! The stellar gas and the myriad stars that compose the flat disk of our Milky Way galaxy pass right through Cassiopeia and Perseus – and in front and behind the Double Cluster. If your sky is dark enough, you’ll see the hazy pathway of the winter Milky Way crossing this part of the sky.

The Double Cluster was charted by skywatchers as early as 150 B.C. Hipparchus saw it, and Ptolemy named it as one of seven “nebulosities” in the Almagest, an ancient astronomy text used for over a millennium. The Double Cluster in Perseus ranks as a favorite among stargazers, a bejeweled place in the heavens to zoom in on with binoculars.

Read more: Double Cluster in Perseus

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The Double Cluster in Perseus. Photo by Fred Espenak. More details about the cluster and this photo.

Bottom line: Face the northwestern horizon as darkness falls on winter evenings to find the Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus.

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1IJcQeR

Tonight, find the gorgeous Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus. It’s a wonderful sight to see, assuming your sky is dark. To see it at this time of year, face north to northwest as darkness falls. The Double Cluster consists of two open stars clusters, known as “H” and “Chi” Persei (also called NGC 884 and 869).

How to find them? First, you really do need that dark sky. Second, you might need binoculars, as the Double Cluster is only faintly visible to the unaided eye – even on an inky black night. Look for the famous constellation Cassiopeia in the northwest, forming a backwards “3,” or perhaps an “E,” or the letter “M” or “W” turned on its side.

Just above Cassiopeia, assuming your sky is dark enough, you’ll see a faint fuzzy patch. This is the Double Cluster, which blooms into a sparkling array of stars through binoculars or a small backyard telescope.

Finding the Double Cluster with the constellation Cassiopeia. Image credit: madmiked

These two open star clusters reside an estimated 7,400 light years away. Each contains 300 to 400 stars. These stars are thought to be approximately three million years old … babies in star time! The stellar gas and the myriad stars that compose the flat disk of our Milky Way galaxy pass right through Cassiopeia and Perseus – and in front and behind the Double Cluster. If your sky is dark enough, you’ll see the hazy pathway of the winter Milky Way crossing this part of the sky.

The Double Cluster was charted by skywatchers as early as 150 B.C. Hipparchus saw it, and Ptolemy named it as one of seven “nebulosities” in the Almagest, an ancient astronomy text used for over a millennium. The Double Cluster in Perseus ranks as a favorite among stargazers, a bejeweled place in the heavens to zoom in on with binoculars.

Read more: Double Cluster in Perseus

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter today!

The Double Cluster in Perseus. Photo by Fred Espenak. More details about the cluster and this photo.

Bottom line: Face the northwestern horizon as darkness falls on winter evenings to find the Double Cluster in the constellation Perseus.

Donate: Your support means the world to us

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1IJcQeR

Scientists solve a methane puzzle

The video above – released in January 2018 – is based on data from NASA satellites and shows global patterns and cycles of biomass burning. According to NASA, emissions from both wildfires and prescribed burning turned out to be a key in solving the puzzle of the sharp increase in methane in Earth’s atmosphere in recent years. John Worden of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory led the new analysis of satellite and ground-based data, with the goal of more accurately pinpointing the sources of methane.

The study is published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications.

Methane is a greenhouse gas. It absorbs the sun’s heat and helps warm Earth’s atmosphere. The amount of methane in Earth’s air has sharply increased since 2006, and scientists want to understand why. NASA explained that various teams of scientists have had different explanations for the puzzling increase in methane:

Some teams have published evidence showing that emissions from biogenic [living] sources is driving the increase. Wetlands, ruminants, and rice paddies — all home to methane-producing microbes — are some of the major sources of biogenic methane.

Other teams have argued that a simultaneous increase in atmospheric ethane, a key component of natural gas, implies that fossil fuels are the culprit. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels add both ethane and methane to the atmosphere via leaks in wells, pipes, and other infrastructure.

Worden’s new analysis suggests that both fossil fuels and biogenic sources (wetlands and agriculture) are the primary drivers of the increase.

View larger. | Sources of methane in Earth’s air, via GlobalCarbonProject.org.

The key to this new understanding by Worden and team was a new calculation of the role played by emissions from global biomass burning. NASA explained:

Worden’s team calculated that fossil fuels have contributed about 12 to 19 teragrams of methane to the atmosphere each year since 2006. They found biogenic sources contributed 12 to 16 teragrams per year. At the same time, emissions from biomass burning — wildfires and prescribed burning — decreased by 4 to 5 teragrams per year.

The key to pinpointing these numbers was the calculation of a new estimate of emissions from biomass burning.

In the past, researchers relied on ‘bottom up” estimates of methane emissions based on output from the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED), a model that estimates emissions based on satellite observations of burnt area, vegetation type, and other factors.

Worden’s group supplemented the GFED estimates by incorporating satellite measurements of methane and carbon monoxide actually in the atmosphere. The “top-down” observations came from the Measurements of Pollutants in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor on the Terra satellite and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) sensor on Aura.

Because methane is a powerful, heat-trapping greenhouse gas, scientists want to understand exactly why it’s been increasing in Earth’s atmosphere since 2006. Image via NASA.

The video at the top of this article – based on data from GFED – shows land fires burning around the world between 2000 and 2015. The data show that the area burned each year decreased by about 12 percent between the early 2000s and the more recent period of 2007 to 2014.

The logical assumption would have been that methane emissions from fires would decrease by roughly the same percentage as the change in burned area. But, NASA said, that’s not what happened. Instead:

… the observations from TES and MOPITT made clear that the decrease in methane emissions was almost twice as much as that assumption would suggest.

Armed with this new understanding, Worden’s team was able to point with confidence both to fossil fuels and to biogenic sources (wetlands and agriculture) as primary drivers of the methane increase since 2006. Worden commented:

A fun thing about this study was combining all this different evidence to piece this puzzle together.

John Worden of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Bottom line: Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. A new study lets scientists understand with better precision the sources of the increase in methane in Earth’s air since 2006.

Source: Reduced biomass burning emissions reconcile conflicting estimates of the post-2006 atmospheric methane budget

Via NASA Earth Observatory

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2nHW498

The video above – released in January 2018 – is based on data from NASA satellites and shows global patterns and cycles of biomass burning. According to NASA, emissions from both wildfires and prescribed burning turned out to be a key in solving the puzzle of the sharp increase in methane in Earth’s atmosphere in recent years. John Worden of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory led the new analysis of satellite and ground-based data, with the goal of more accurately pinpointing the sources of methane.

The study is published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications.

Methane is a greenhouse gas. It absorbs the sun’s heat and helps warm Earth’s atmosphere. The amount of methane in Earth’s air has sharply increased since 2006, and scientists want to understand why. NASA explained that various teams of scientists have had different explanations for the puzzling increase in methane:

Some teams have published evidence showing that emissions from biogenic [living] sources is driving the increase. Wetlands, ruminants, and rice paddies — all home to methane-producing microbes — are some of the major sources of biogenic methane.

Other teams have argued that a simultaneous increase in atmospheric ethane, a key component of natural gas, implies that fossil fuels are the culprit. Extracting and transporting fossil fuels add both ethane and methane to the atmosphere via leaks in wells, pipes, and other infrastructure.

Worden’s new analysis suggests that both fossil fuels and biogenic sources (wetlands and agriculture) are the primary drivers of the increase.

View larger. | Sources of methane in Earth’s air, via GlobalCarbonProject.org.

The key to this new understanding by Worden and team was a new calculation of the role played by emissions from global biomass burning. NASA explained:

Worden’s team calculated that fossil fuels have contributed about 12 to 19 teragrams of methane to the atmosphere each year since 2006. They found biogenic sources contributed 12 to 16 teragrams per year. At the same time, emissions from biomass burning — wildfires and prescribed burning — decreased by 4 to 5 teragrams per year.

The key to pinpointing these numbers was the calculation of a new estimate of emissions from biomass burning.

In the past, researchers relied on ‘bottom up” estimates of methane emissions based on output from the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED), a model that estimates emissions based on satellite observations of burnt area, vegetation type, and other factors.

Worden’s group supplemented the GFED estimates by incorporating satellite measurements of methane and carbon monoxide actually in the atmosphere. The “top-down” observations came from the Measurements of Pollutants in the Troposphere (MOPITT) sensor on the Terra satellite and the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) sensor on Aura.

Because methane is a powerful, heat-trapping greenhouse gas, scientists want to understand exactly why it’s been increasing in Earth’s atmosphere since 2006. Image via NASA.

The video at the top of this article – based on data from GFED – shows land fires burning around the world between 2000 and 2015. The data show that the area burned each year decreased by about 12 percent between the early 2000s and the more recent period of 2007 to 2014.

The logical assumption would have been that methane emissions from fires would decrease by roughly the same percentage as the change in burned area. But, NASA said, that’s not what happened. Instead:

… the observations from TES and MOPITT made clear that the decrease in methane emissions was almost twice as much as that assumption would suggest.

Armed with this new understanding, Worden’s team was able to point with confidence both to fossil fuels and to biogenic sources (wetlands and agriculture) as primary drivers of the methane increase since 2006. Worden commented:

A fun thing about this study was combining all this different evidence to piece this puzzle together.

John Worden of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Bottom line: Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. A new study lets scientists understand with better precision the sources of the increase in methane in Earth’s air since 2006.

Source: Reduced biomass burning emissions reconcile conflicting estimates of the post-2006 atmospheric methane budget

Via NASA Earth Observatory

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2nHW498

Locate Cassiopeia the Queen

Erick wrote:

Do you have any information on Cassiopeia’s Chair?

Erick, you’ve used the lovely old-fashioned name for this constellation. In the 1930s, the International Astronomical Union gave this constellation the official name of Cassiopeia the Queen. But sky watchers still see the chair, and speak of it.

The official borders of the constellation Cassiopeia (and all 88 constellations) were drawn up by the International Astronomical Union in the 1930s. Read more.

For much of the Northern Hemisphere, Cassiopeia is out all night long every day of the year. At present, Cassiopeia appears in the northwest at nightfall, and rather low in the north-northeast before dawn, as depicted above. Image credit: AlltheSky.com

Cassiopeia was an Ethiopian queen in ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, she boasted she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs called the Nereids. Her boast angered Poseidon, god of the sea, who sent a sea monster (Cetus the Whale) to ravage the kingdom. To pacify the monster, Cassiopeia’s daughter, Princess Andromeda, was left tied to a rock by the sea. Cetus was about to devour her when Perseus the Hero happened by on Pegasus, the Flying Horse. Perseus rescued the princess, and all lived happily . . . and the gods were pleased, so all of these characters were elevated to the heavens as stars.

Only Cassiopeia suffered an indignity. At nightfall, this constellation has more the shape of the letter M, and you might imagine the Queen reclining on her starry throne. But, at other times of year or night – as in the wee hours between midnight and dawn in February and march – Cassiopeia’s Chair dips below the celestial pole. And then this constellation appears to us on Earth more like the letter W. It’s then that the Lady of the Chair, as she is sometimes called, is said to hang on for dear life. If Cassiopeia the Queen lets go, she will drop from the sky into the ocean below, where the Nereids must still be waiting.

Back in stock! Order your 2016 EarthSky Lunar Calendar today!

W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia on left side of photo, above mountains. Meteor to far left, above Cassiopeia. Photo taken on the morning of April 19, 2013, by John Bozzell of Las Cruces, NM. Thank you John! View larger.

Bottom line: This post tells you how to find the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen on winter evenings, and it explains the mythology of this constellation.

A planisphere is virtually indispensable for beginning stargazers. Order your EarthSky Planisphere.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1A9eGQF

Erick wrote:

Do you have any information on Cassiopeia’s Chair?

Erick, you’ve used the lovely old-fashioned name for this constellation. In the 1930s, the International Astronomical Union gave this constellation the official name of Cassiopeia the Queen. But sky watchers still see the chair, and speak of it.

The official borders of the constellation Cassiopeia (and all 88 constellations) were drawn up by the International Astronomical Union in the 1930s. Read more.

For much of the Northern Hemisphere, Cassiopeia is out all night long every day of the year. At present, Cassiopeia appears in the northwest at nightfall, and rather low in the north-northeast before dawn, as depicted above. Image credit: AlltheSky.com

Cassiopeia was an Ethiopian queen in ancient Greek mythology. According to legend, she boasted she was more beautiful than the sea nymphs called the Nereids. Her boast angered Poseidon, god of the sea, who sent a sea monster (Cetus the Whale) to ravage the kingdom. To pacify the monster, Cassiopeia’s daughter, Princess Andromeda, was left tied to a rock by the sea. Cetus was about to devour her when Perseus the Hero happened by on Pegasus, the Flying Horse. Perseus rescued the princess, and all lived happily . . . and the gods were pleased, so all of these characters were elevated to the heavens as stars.

Only Cassiopeia suffered an indignity. At nightfall, this constellation has more the shape of the letter M, and you might imagine the Queen reclining on her starry throne. But, at other times of year or night – as in the wee hours between midnight and dawn in February and march – Cassiopeia’s Chair dips below the celestial pole. And then this constellation appears to us on Earth more like the letter W. It’s then that the Lady of the Chair, as she is sometimes called, is said to hang on for dear life. If Cassiopeia the Queen lets go, she will drop from the sky into the ocean below, where the Nereids must still be waiting.

Back in stock! Order your 2016 EarthSky Lunar Calendar today!

W-shaped constellation Cassiopeia on left side of photo, above mountains. Meteor to far left, above Cassiopeia. Photo taken on the morning of April 19, 2013, by John Bozzell of Las Cruces, NM. Thank you John! View larger.

Bottom line: This post tells you how to find the constellation Cassiopeia the Queen on winter evenings, and it explains the mythology of this constellation.

A planisphere is virtually indispensable for beginning stargazers. Order your EarthSky Planisphere.

Enjoying EarthSky so far? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1A9eGQF

Where’s the moon? Waning gibbous

Waning gibbous moon – February 3, 2018 – from Deirdre Horan in Dublin, Ireland.

Are you looking for the moon and not finding it? That’s because the moon is now in a waning gibbous phase: less than full but more than half-lighted. It’s rising later at night and appearing in the predawn sky and in the sky after sunrise. Last quarter moon will come on February 7, 2018 at 15:54 UTC; translate to your time zone.

A waning gibbous moon can surprise you if you happen to be out late in the evening. It rises eerily some hours after sunset, glowing red like a full moon when it’s near the horizon.

Sometimes it looks like a misshapen clone of a full moon.

A waning gibbous moon can be seen in a blue daytime sky. Look west after sunrise. This photo is from February 2, 2018, by Jenney Disimon in Sabah, North Borneo.

A waning gibbous moon also initiates a rash of questions about seeing the moon during the day.

If it rises late at night, you know the waning gibbous moon must set after sunrise.

In fact, in the few days after full moon, you’ll often see the waning gibbous moon in the west in early morning, floating against the pale blue sky.

As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow these links to understand the various phases of the moon.

Four keys to understanding moon phases

Where’s the moon? Waxing crescent
Where’s the moon? First quarter
Where’s the moon? Waxing gibbous
What’s special about a full moon?
Where’s the moon? Waning gibbous
Where’s the moon? Last quarter
Where’s the moon? Waning crescent
Where’s the moon? New phase

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1gESgg1

Waning gibbous moon – February 3, 2018 – from Deirdre Horan in Dublin, Ireland.

Are you looking for the moon and not finding it? That’s because the moon is now in a waning gibbous phase: less than full but more than half-lighted. It’s rising later at night and appearing in the predawn sky and in the sky after sunrise. Last quarter moon will come on February 7, 2018 at 15:54 UTC; translate to your time zone.

A waning gibbous moon can surprise you if you happen to be out late in the evening. It rises eerily some hours after sunset, glowing red like a full moon when it’s near the horizon.

Sometimes it looks like a misshapen clone of a full moon.

A waning gibbous moon can be seen in a blue daytime sky. Look west after sunrise. This photo is from February 2, 2018, by Jenney Disimon in Sabah, North Borneo.

A waning gibbous moon also initiates a rash of questions about seeing the moon during the day.

If it rises late at night, you know the waning gibbous moon must set after sunrise.

In fact, in the few days after full moon, you’ll often see the waning gibbous moon in the west in early morning, floating against the pale blue sky.

As the moon orbits Earth, it changes phase in an orderly way. Follow these links to understand the various phases of the moon.

Four keys to understanding moon phases

Where’s the moon? Waxing crescent
Where’s the moon? First quarter
Where’s the moon? Waxing gibbous
What’s special about a full moon?
Where’s the moon? Waning gibbous
Where’s the moon? Last quarter
Where’s the moon? Waning crescent
Where’s the moon? New phase

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1gESgg1

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #5

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives

While the West Coast was being inundated, on the other side of the Alps, there were fires.  Photo: Iain McGregor/Stuff

Analysis: January 2018 was officially the hottest month ever recorded in New Zealand.

Niwa made the announcement on Friday afternoon, as communities on the West Coast were mopping  up the mess created by a powerful storm that descended over eroding coasts; as some in Dunedin settled into their homes after a sweeping fire while others in low-lying parts of the city clear up after yet another flood; as it was snowing in Cromwell during the hottest summer in many years, after a month where the mean air temperature was 3C warmer than usual, based on the country's century-old seven-station record.

Earlier in the week, the news was filled with fan shortages, wildfires and mountains shedding rock because of a lack of snow; at its end, it was 14C in parts of central Otago, multiple areas near Christchurch were on fire, and homes throughout the South Island had been damaged by the sea. An ominous super blood moon part way through the week, whilst unrelated, summed up the vibe: unsettled, bordering on Biblical. 

Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives, Analysis by Charlie Mitchell, Stuff (New Zealand), Feb 2, 2018 

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Jan 28, 2018

• Latin Americans Take Climate Change Seriously by Yessenia Funes, Earther, Jan 26, 2018
• Can Drought Be Prevented? Slovakia Aims to Try by Ed Holt, Inter Press Service (IPS), Jan 22, 2018
• Paris remains on flood alert as Seine rises by Laura Smith-Spark & Eva Tapiero, CNN, Jan 28, 2018
• UCS Sues to Stop EPA from Kicking Independent Experts Off Advisory Boards by John Goldman, Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Jan 23, 2018
• There's a 'crisis looming' for Canadian climate research, scientists warn by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Jan 22, 2018
• Donald Trump appears to misunderstand basic facts of climate change in Piers Morgan interview by Josh Gabbatiss, The Independent, Jan 27, 2018
• Monthly Messenger: Could Inoculation be the Cure to Climate Denial?,   National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), Jan 26, 2018
• Is this the end of civilisation? We could take a different path, Opinion by George Monbiot, Environment, Guardian, Jan 24, 2018

Mon Jan 29, 2018

• New research, January 15-21, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Scince, Jan 25, 2018
• 'Global weirding' to blame for west coast flooding, says MUN research scientist by CBC News, Jan 19, 2018
• Colorado governor releases state’s electric vehicle plans, saying “we know that we can have a cleaner option” by Jesse Paul, The Denver Post, Jan 24, 2018
• Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic? by Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR Morning Edition, Jan 24, 2018
• State of the Union: What Trump won't say about climate change by Sammy Roth, The (Palm Springs, CA) Desert Sun/USA Today Network, Jan 29, 2018
• A Lifetime in Peru’s Glaciers, Slowly Melting Away by Nicholas Casey, Americas, New York Times, Jan 27, 2018
• How the Trump Administration Distorts Analysis of Key Environmental Rules by Matthew Kotchen, Yale Environment 360, Jan 29, 2018
• Natural gas killed coal – now renewables and batteries are taking over by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Jan 29, 2018

Tue Jan 30, 2018

• How to Get Evangelicals to Care About Climate Change by Elaine Howard Ecklund & Christopher P. Scheitl, Nautilus, Jan 28, 2018
• New Wave of Mini Satellites Could Boost Climate Research by John Fialka, ClimateWire/Scientific Amerian, Jan 29, 2018
• Debunking the claim ‘they’ changed ‘global warming’ to ‘climate change’ because warming stopped by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Jan 29, 2018
• Greenland’s recent temperature drop does not disprove global warming by Charlotte Price Persson, Science Nordic, Jan 29, 2018
• New Jersey to Rejoin East Coast Carbon Market, Virginia May Be Next by Phil McKena, InsideClimate News, Jan 29. 2018
• How Sensitive Is Earth’s Climate to Carbon Dioxide Pollution? by Matt Smith, Seeker, Jan 30, 2018
• Dissolving stereotypes and seeking climate 'solutions' by Karin Kirk, Yale Climate Connections, Jan 30, 2018

Wed Jan 31, 2018

• We can’t rely on corporations to save us from climate change by Christopher Wright & Daniel Nyberg, LSE Business Review, London School of Economics & Political Science, Jan 30, 2018
• Scientists Pinpoint How Ocean Acidification Weakens Coral Skeletons, News Release, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Jan 29, 2018
• We’re climate researchers and our work was turned into fake news by Michael Grubb, The Conversation UK, Jan 25, 2018
• State of the Union: Trump Glorifies Coal, Shuts Eyes to Climate Risks by John Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News, Jan 31, 2018
• As Paris mops up, warning of more floods in Europe's future, Agence France Presse (AFP), Jan 29, 2018
• ‘Big Five’ in Alberta’s oilpatch suspected of sitting on a $2 trillion liability by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Jan 31, 2018
• White House seeks 72 percent cut to clean energy research, underscoring administration’s preference for fossil fuels by Chris Mooney & Steven Mufson, Business, Washington Post, Jan 31, 2018
• Trump Says Climate Is Both ‘Cooling’ and ‘Heating.’ He’s Only Half Right. by John Schwartz, Climate, New York Times, Jan 29, 2018

Thu Feb 1, 2018

• The temperature in Siberia rose 100 degrees. The northern U.S. may pay a frigid price. by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Jan 31, 2018
• German parties agree on climate as coalition talks progress by Andreas Rinke & Markus Wacket, Reuters, Jan 31, 2018
• UN makes open call for ideas on fighting climate change by Megan Darby, Climate Home, Jan 30, 2018
• It's not okay how clueless Donald Trump is about climate change by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 1, 2018
• Rainforests: Scientists concerned climate change is altering the tropical life cycle by 8Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Jan 30, 2018
• The 10 most ridiculous things media figures said about climate change and the environment in 2017 by Kevin Kalhoefer, Media Matters, Dec 26, 2017
• Trump’s Top Environment Pick, a Fossil Fuels Evangelist, May Be in Trouble by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Jan 29, 2018
• Science 1, Gobbledygook 0: Debunking Trump’s Climate Claims by Brenda Ekwurzel, Union of Concerned Scientists, Jan 31, 2018

Fri Feb 2, 2018

• Five-year forecast indicates further warming, News Release, Met Office, Jan 31, 2018
• Has Trump Killed More Regulations Than Any Other President? by Zack Colman, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Feb 1, 2018
• What Global Warming?: Unmasking a proxy war strategy by online climate change denialists. by Paul Rosenberg, Salt Lake City Weekly, Jan 31, 2019
• Polar Bears Really Are Starving Because of Global Warming, Study Shows by Stephen Leahy, National Geographic, Feb 1, 2018
• Climate change is impacting some women’s decisions to have children by Julie Unruh, WGN9 (Chicago), Jan 31, 2018
• At Climate Feedback, scientists encourage better science reporting. But who is listening? by Cassandra Willyard, Columbia Journalism Review, Feb 1, 2018
• The EU got less electricity from coal than renewables in 2017 by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Jan 30, 2018
• Energy guarantee protects coal sector from renewable competition – analysis by Katharine Murphy, AU News, Guardian, Feb 1, 2018

Sat Feb 2, 2018

• Australia cops UN investor slap on climate policy as 'green paradox' looms by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 1, 2018
• The Wired Guide To Climate Change by M. Palmer & Matt Simon, Wired, Feb 1, 2018
• Activism and talking climate: The power of normal by Kate Heath, Transition Network, Feb 1, 2018
• Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives, Analysis by Charlie Mitchell, Stuff (New Zealand), Feb 2, 2018
• Climate Impact Lab: measuring the social cost of climate change by Erica Chen, Research IT, University of California Berkeley, Jan 31, 2018
• Negative emissions have ‘limited potential’ to help meet climate goals by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Jan 31, 2018

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2s3AOjp

A chronological listing of news articles posted on the Skeptical Science Facebook page during the past week. 

Editor's Pick

Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives

While the West Coast was being inundated, on the other side of the Alps, there were fires.  Photo: Iain McGregor/Stuff

Analysis: January 2018 was officially the hottest month ever recorded in New Zealand.

Niwa made the announcement on Friday afternoon, as communities on the West Coast were mopping  up the mess created by a powerful storm that descended over eroding coasts; as some in Dunedin settled into their homes after a sweeping fire while others in low-lying parts of the city clear up after yet another flood; as it was snowing in Cromwell during the hottest summer in many years, after a month where the mean air temperature was 3C warmer than usual, based on the country's century-old seven-station record.

Earlier in the week, the news was filled with fan shortages, wildfires and mountains shedding rock because of a lack of snow; at its end, it was 14C in parts of central Otago, multiple areas near Christchurch were on fire, and homes throughout the South Island had been damaged by the sea. An ominous super blood moon part way through the week, whilst unrelated, summed up the vibe: unsettled, bordering on Biblical. 

Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives, Analysis by Charlie Mitchell, Stuff (New Zealand), Feb 2, 2018 

---

Links posted on Facebook

Sun Jan 28, 2018

• Latin Americans Take Climate Change Seriously by Yessenia Funes, Earther, Jan 26, 2018
• Can Drought Be Prevented? Slovakia Aims to Try by Ed Holt, Inter Press Service (IPS), Jan 22, 2018
• Paris remains on flood alert as Seine rises by Laura Smith-Spark & Eva Tapiero, CNN, Jan 28, 2018
• UCS Sues to Stop EPA from Kicking Independent Experts Off Advisory Boards by John Goldman, Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), Jan 23, 2018
• There's a 'crisis looming' for Canadian climate research, scientists warn by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Jan 22, 2018
• Donald Trump appears to misunderstand basic facts of climate change in Piers Morgan interview by Josh Gabbatiss, The Independent, Jan 27, 2018
• Monthly Messenger: Could Inoculation be the Cure to Climate Denial?,   National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), Jan 26, 2018
• Is this the end of civilisation? We could take a different path, Opinion by George Monbiot, Environment, Guardian, Jan 24, 2018

Mon Jan 29, 2018

• New research, January 15-21, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki, Skeptical Scince, Jan 25, 2018
• 'Global weirding' to blame for west coast flooding, says MUN research scientist by CBC News, Jan 19, 2018
• Colorado governor releases state’s electric vehicle plans, saying “we know that we can have a cleaner option” by Jesse Paul, The Denver Post, Jan 24, 2018
• Is There A Ticking Time Bomb Under The Arctic? by Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR Morning Edition, Jan 24, 2018
• State of the Union: What Trump won't say about climate change by Sammy Roth, The (Palm Springs, CA) Desert Sun/USA Today Network, Jan 29, 2018
• A Lifetime in Peru’s Glaciers, Slowly Melting Away by Nicholas Casey, Americas, New York Times, Jan 27, 2018
• How the Trump Administration Distorts Analysis of Key Environmental Rules by Matthew Kotchen, Yale Environment 360, Jan 29, 2018
• Natural gas killed coal – now renewables and batteries are taking over by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Jan 29, 2018

Tue Jan 30, 2018

• How to Get Evangelicals to Care About Climate Change by Elaine Howard Ecklund & Christopher P. Scheitl, Nautilus, Jan 28, 2018
• New Wave of Mini Satellites Could Boost Climate Research by John Fialka, ClimateWire/Scientific Amerian, Jan 29, 2018
• Debunking the claim ‘they’ changed ‘global warming’ to ‘climate change’ because warming stopped by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Jan 29, 2018
• Greenland’s recent temperature drop does not disprove global warming by Charlotte Price Persson, Science Nordic, Jan 29, 2018
• New Jersey to Rejoin East Coast Carbon Market, Virginia May Be Next by Phil McKena, InsideClimate News, Jan 29. 2018
• How Sensitive Is Earth’s Climate to Carbon Dioxide Pollution? by Matt Smith, Seeker, Jan 30, 2018
• Dissolving stereotypes and seeking climate 'solutions' by Karin Kirk, Yale Climate Connections, Jan 30, 2018

Wed Jan 31, 2018

• We can’t rely on corporations to save us from climate change by Christopher Wright & Daniel Nyberg, LSE Business Review, London School of Economics & Political Science, Jan 30, 2018
• Scientists Pinpoint How Ocean Acidification Weakens Coral Skeletons, News Release, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Jan 29, 2018
• We’re climate researchers and our work was turned into fake news by Michael Grubb, The Conversation UK, Jan 25, 2018
• State of the Union: Trump Glorifies Coal, Shuts Eyes to Climate Risks by John Cushman Jr, InsideClimate News, Jan 31, 2018
• As Paris mops up, warning of more floods in Europe's future, Agence France Presse (AFP), Jan 29, 2018
• ‘Big Five’ in Alberta’s oilpatch suspected of sitting on a $2 trillion liability by Carl Meyer, National Observer, Jan 31, 2018
• White House seeks 72 percent cut to clean energy research, underscoring administration’s preference for fossil fuels by Chris Mooney & Steven Mufson, Business, Washington Post, Jan 31, 2018
• Trump Says Climate Is Both ‘Cooling’ and ‘Heating.’ He’s Only Half Right. by John Schwartz, Climate, New York Times, Jan 29, 2018

Thu Feb 1, 2018

• The temperature in Siberia rose 100 degrees. The northern U.S. may pay a frigid price. by Jason Samenow, Capital Weather Gang, Washington Post, Jan 31, 2018
• German parties agree on climate as coalition talks progress by Andreas Rinke & Markus Wacket, Reuters, Jan 31, 2018
• UN makes open call for ideas on fighting climate change by Megan Darby, Climate Home, Jan 30, 2018
• It's not okay how clueless Donald Trump is about climate change by Dana Nuccitelli, Climate Consensus - the 97%, Guardian, Feb 1, 2018
• Rainforests: Scientists concerned climate change is altering the tropical life cycle by 8Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Jan 30, 2018
• The 10 most ridiculous things media figures said about climate change and the environment in 2017 by Kevin Kalhoefer, Media Matters, Dec 26, 2017
• Trump’s Top Environment Pick, a Fossil Fuels Evangelist, May Be in Trouble by Marianne Lavelle, InsideClimate News, Jan 29, 2018
• Science 1, Gobbledygook 0: Debunking Trump’s Climate Claims by Brenda Ekwurzel, Union of Concerned Scientists, Jan 31, 2018

Fri Feb 2, 2018

• Five-year forecast indicates further warming, News Release, Met Office, Jan 31, 2018
• Has Trump Killed More Regulations Than Any Other President? by Zack Colman, ClimateWire/Scientific American, Feb 1, 2018
• What Global Warming?: Unmasking a proxy war strategy by online climate change denialists. by Paul Rosenberg, Salt Lake City Weekly, Jan 31, 2019
• Polar Bears Really Are Starving Because of Global Warming, Study Shows by Stephen Leahy, National Geographic, Feb 1, 2018
• Climate change is impacting some women’s decisions to have children by Julie Unruh, WGN9 (Chicago), Jan 31, 2018
• At Climate Feedback, scientists encourage better science reporting. But who is listening? by Cassandra Willyard, Columbia Journalism Review, Feb 1, 2018
• The EU got less electricity from coal than renewables in 2017 by Simon Evans, Carbon Brief, Jan 30, 2018
• Energy guarantee protects coal sector from renewable competition – analysis by Katharine Murphy, AU News, Guardian, Feb 1, 2018

Sat Feb 2, 2018

• Australia cops UN investor slap on climate policy as 'green paradox' looms by Peter Hannam, Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 1, 2018
• The Wired Guide To Climate Change by M. Palmer & Matt Simon, Wired, Feb 1, 2018
• Activism and talking climate: The power of normal by Kate Heath, Transition Network, Feb 1, 2018
• Ice, fire, storms and heat: Climate change is now part of our everyday lives, Analysis by Charlie Mitchell, Stuff (New Zealand), Feb 2, 2018
• Climate Impact Lab: measuring the social cost of climate change by Erica Chen, Research IT, University of California Berkeley, Jan 31, 2018
• Negative emissions have ‘limited potential’ to help meet climate goals by Daisy Dunne, Carbon Brief, Jan 31, 2018

from Skeptical Science http://ift.tt/2s3AOjp

Is a major California earthquake overdue?