Global Warming Crisis Nears
Michael T. Neuman, 22.03.2005 22:11
http://milwaukee.indymedia.org/en/2005/03/203052.shtml
Alarm bells should be going off all over the U.S. - at the federal,
state and local levels. Global warming is approaching the crisis
stage now as scientists the world over say we must reduce fossil
fuel burning significantly, TODAY, or all succeeding generations
will pay the price.
Global warming continued through the winter of 2005, with the U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reporting all states
having at or above average temperatures from December 2004 through
February 2005.
Meanwhile, the most recent scientific modeling studies conducted by
the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado
have reached the striking conclusion that, even if the world stopped
burning fossil fuels tomorrow, the greenhouse gas emissions which
have already accumulated in the atmosphere will cause global
temperatures to climb for the next hundred years, and sea level to
continue to rising even longer. The longer we delay in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, says the lead study author, "the worse
things will get".
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that the
global average combined land and sea surface temperature for
December 2004 - February 2005 tied 1999 as the 4th warmest boreal
winter on record. The average global temperature anomaly for
combined land and ocean surfaces during December-February was
0.9°F (0.5°C) above the 1880-2004 long-term mean.
Above average temperatures stretched from northern Europe into
Siberia and also covered large parts of southern Asia, Africa,
Australia and western Canada. Colder-than-average conditions
occurred in much of eastern Canada, northwest Africa, parts of
southern Europe and central Asia. Weak El Niño conditions
persisted into February, with sea-surface temperatures in much of
the central equatorial Pacific remaining warmer than average for the
season, and the December-February global ocean surface temperature
was second warmest on record.
The average temperature for the contiguous United States this winter
was 35.9°F (2.2°C), which was 2.8°F (1.6°C) above the
1895-2004 mean.
The mean temperature in 39 states was above average. No state was
cooler than average during the winter. Alaska was warmer than
average with a statewide temperature of 4.0°F (2.2°C) above the
1971-2000 mean.
JAN - FEB GLOBAL SURFACE MEAN TEMP (ABOVE THE 1880-2004 MEAN)
[GRAPH]
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/2005/feb/glob_dec-
feb_pg.gif
JAN - FEB LAND & OCEAN SURFACE MEAN TEMP (ABOVE THE 1880-2004 MEAN)
[GRAPH]
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/2005/feb/lo_hem_dec-
feb_pg.gif
SOURCE: NOAA, National Climate Data Center, February in Historical
Perspective, Including Boreal Winter, March 15, 2005
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2005/feb/feb05.html#Majo
r_highlights
METEOROLOGIST PAUL DOUGLAS AND ARCTIC EXPLORER WILL STEGER
PRESENTATIONS (WEB VIDEO)
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/media/archive/2005/committee/cmte_j
obs_022105.htm
IMC ARTICLE: STUDIES CONCLUDE MAJOR AND URGENT ACTIONS NEEDED TO
CONFRONT GLOBAL WARMING
http://madison.indymedia.org/newswire/display/22755/index.php
IMC ARTICLE: GLOBAL WARMING WRAP-UP FOR 2004
http://madison.indymedia.org/newswire/display/20960/index.php
IMC ARTICLE: 2004 TEN-YEAR GLOBAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE: HIGHEST OF
RECORD [GRAPH]
http://madison.indymedia.org/feature/display/21576/index.php
GLOBAL AND MIDWEST/GREAT PLAINS CLIMATE CHANGE
http://nyc.indymedia.org/newswire/display/144720/index.php
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