New research has discovered what one researcher labelled an “accounting error” in the current calculations of how much carbon is absorbed by continents. According to the new research to be published in the journal Science, the amount of greenhouse gas currently taken in by forests and other carbon sinks is less than has previously been assumed, thanks to the failure to calculate the methane emissions from freshwater areas.
“Methane is a greenhouse gas that is more potent than carbon dioxide in the global change scenario,” said John Downing, an Iowa State University professor in the ecology, evolution and organismal biology department. “The bottom line is that we have uncovered an important accounting error in the global carbon budget. Acre for acre, lakes, ponds, rivers and streams are many times more active in carbon processing than seas or land surfaces, so they need to be included in global carbon budgets.”
The new research studied methane fluxes from 474 freshwater areas and found that the methane release changes the total amount of greenhouse gasses absorbed by natural continental environments – the most obvious being the forest – by at least 25 percent.
This new study will help scientists create a better understanding of the balance between carbon sequestration – the storing of carbon in biomass across our planet – and the greenhouse gasses released from fresh water areas.
Methane emissions occur continuously in small measures from the surface of water bodies all over the planet, says David Bastviken, principal author and professor in the department of water and environmental studies, at Linköping University in Sweden. However, “greater emissions occur suddenly and with irregular timing, when methane bubbles from the sediment reach the atmosphere, and such fluxes have been difficult to measure,” Bastviken added.
Source: Iowa State University
Friday, January 7, 2011
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
New EPA Water Nutrient Requirements Draw Ire of Business
The months-long battle between Florida and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over freshwater nutrient standards reached a turning point Monday.
During a morning conference call, the EPA announced it will give Florida officials, including the Department of Environmental Protection, 15 months to comply with new numeric nutrient standards for freshwater lakes, streams and rivers.
In 2008, the Florida Wildlife Federation filed a lawsuit against the EPA for the federal agency's neglect to enforce water purity standards in the Clean Water Act. Since a judge's ruling in 2009, the EPA has been working to come up with more stringent standards for regulating levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in freshwater lakes and streams.
Environmental groups have blamed the high levels of nutrients for algae blooms that can kill fish and create skin irritations for swimmers. Representatives from the Sierra Club, Earthjustice and other environmental groups defended the EPA, saying the standards are necessary.
"Sewage, manure and fertilizer are killing the St. Johns River," said Neil Armingeon, a St. Johns riverkeeper. "We believe that these numeric standards are the beginning of the saving of the St. Johns River."
But state elected officials and business leaders say the new standards go too far.
U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Florida, who recently won the election for commissioner of agriculture, released a statement saying the EPA essentially ignored concerns about the effect implementation would have on Florida's economy, and the bipartisan effort to back up the new rules with sound science.
"While the EPA heeded our calls for additional time to implement numeric nutrient criteria in Florida by setting an effective date 15 months beyond the date of promulgation," said Putnam, "the issue remains unresolved, and regardless of when implemented, the federal mandate will have a dramatic impact on our state’s economy.”
Putnam was among several newly elected officials who signed a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson Friday calling for a delay. He, along with Gov.-elect Rick Scott and incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi said the new standards could cost more than $20 billion.
Gwen Fleming, regional EPA administrator, says those figures are vastly exaggerated and based on the assumption that all wastewater treatment facilities would have to use the expensive reverse osmosis system to meet the new demands.
"That's simply not the case," said Fleming. "Prior to now, the only thing that has been out there is a lot of speculation and guesswork."
While the EPA's estimate is significantly south of $20 billion, they still expect the new regulation to cost the state between $135 and $206 million.
Associated Industries of Florida President Barney Bishop cites estimates from municipalities and wastewater plants and says implementation will cost far more than the EPA thinks.
"Those numbers are out of fantasy land," he said. "They have no basis in fact."
In a testimony before the EPA, Bishop offered to write a $130 million check to the EPA if they would agree to pay anything over that.
"They didn't take the deal, and they won't take the deal," said Bishop. It'll cost us way more than that. It'll cost us billions of dollars."
Both Putnam and Bishop said the mandate was born of litigation and not scientifically based.
Continuing in his written statement, Putnam said the regulation "not only unfairly treats Florida differently than the other 49 states, it jeopardizes jobs throughout the state."
Fleming says the reason Florida is the only state they're imposing these standards on is because of the 2008 lawsuit. She also mentioned the DEP's well-kept data on nutrient levels as another reason.
"It just happened to be, with the lawsuit and everything else in terms of the great database from which to work, that we were able to put these rules in place," said Fleming.
The EPA does provide for some flexibility. Fleming says they wanted to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to implementing the standards, allowing for case-by-case adjustments depending on local environmental factors.
While some officials cited studies by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a spokesperson from the DEP says those cost estimates were based on a hypothetical. Still, with the actual numeric standards now available from the EPA, the DEP is being cautious to pass judgment on the costs.
The department released a written statement saying, “[The] DEP will now analyze and address the remaining legal and scientific issues, as well as the policy considerations associated with moving forward on nutrients, to assure that the benefits are worth the costs to Floridians.”
Efforts to push back against the federal government-imposed standards are already under way.
“I urge my colleagues, as well as other state and federal leaders, to continue to press on for Floridians against this federal overreach and let sound science prevail to sustain our state’s economy and natural resources,” said Putnam.
Incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon said the House and Senate are planning to override a bill vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist that might limit the EPA's power as well.
"Pushing back on the new nutrient rules and the EPA is something I'm very interested in. I think it's a very big overreach by the federal government."
If the veto is overridden Tuesday in the special session, HB 1516 would require legislative approval for new rules that cost more than $1 million over five years.
Incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos added his voice to the chorus.
"Clearly, the Florida-only water standards will cost Floridians jobs and I will do everything I can not just to delay this unneeded federal intervention but to permanently stop (the new standards) from taking effect,” he said.
After the 15-month implementation period is up, the DEP will serve as the primary enforcement agency. There will be no direct enforcement for noncompliance, but over time, the EPA may refuse to renew permits to industrial businesses and municipalities that discharge nutrient-rich water into the environment.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/new-epa-water-nutrient-requirements-draw-ire-business-state-leaders
During a morning conference call, the EPA announced it will give Florida officials, including the Department of Environmental Protection, 15 months to comply with new numeric nutrient standards for freshwater lakes, streams and rivers.
In 2008, the Florida Wildlife Federation filed a lawsuit against the EPA for the federal agency's neglect to enforce water purity standards in the Clean Water Act. Since a judge's ruling in 2009, the EPA has been working to come up with more stringent standards for regulating levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in freshwater lakes and streams.
Environmental groups have blamed the high levels of nutrients for algae blooms that can kill fish and create skin irritations for swimmers. Representatives from the Sierra Club, Earthjustice and other environmental groups defended the EPA, saying the standards are necessary.
"Sewage, manure and fertilizer are killing the St. Johns River," said Neil Armingeon, a St. Johns riverkeeper. "We believe that these numeric standards are the beginning of the saving of the St. Johns River."
But state elected officials and business leaders say the new standards go too far.
U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Florida, who recently won the election for commissioner of agriculture, released a statement saying the EPA essentially ignored concerns about the effect implementation would have on Florida's economy, and the bipartisan effort to back up the new rules with sound science.
"While the EPA heeded our calls for additional time to implement numeric nutrient criteria in Florida by setting an effective date 15 months beyond the date of promulgation," said Putnam, "the issue remains unresolved, and regardless of when implemented, the federal mandate will have a dramatic impact on our state’s economy.”
Putnam was among several newly elected officials who signed a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson Friday calling for a delay. He, along with Gov.-elect Rick Scott and incoming Attorney General Pam Bondi said the new standards could cost more than $20 billion.
Gwen Fleming, regional EPA administrator, says those figures are vastly exaggerated and based on the assumption that all wastewater treatment facilities would have to use the expensive reverse osmosis system to meet the new demands.
"That's simply not the case," said Fleming. "Prior to now, the only thing that has been out there is a lot of speculation and guesswork."
While the EPA's estimate is significantly south of $20 billion, they still expect the new regulation to cost the state between $135 and $206 million.
Associated Industries of Florida President Barney Bishop cites estimates from municipalities and wastewater plants and says implementation will cost far more than the EPA thinks.
"Those numbers are out of fantasy land," he said. "They have no basis in fact."
In a testimony before the EPA, Bishop offered to write a $130 million check to the EPA if they would agree to pay anything over that.
"They didn't take the deal, and they won't take the deal," said Bishop. It'll cost us way more than that. It'll cost us billions of dollars."
Both Putnam and Bishop said the mandate was born of litigation and not scientifically based.
Continuing in his written statement, Putnam said the regulation "not only unfairly treats Florida differently than the other 49 states, it jeopardizes jobs throughout the state."
Fleming says the reason Florida is the only state they're imposing these standards on is because of the 2008 lawsuit. She also mentioned the DEP's well-kept data on nutrient levels as another reason.
"It just happened to be, with the lawsuit and everything else in terms of the great database from which to work, that we were able to put these rules in place," said Fleming.
The EPA does provide for some flexibility. Fleming says they wanted to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to implementing the standards, allowing for case-by-case adjustments depending on local environmental factors.
While some officials cited studies by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, a spokesperson from the DEP says those cost estimates were based on a hypothetical. Still, with the actual numeric standards now available from the EPA, the DEP is being cautious to pass judgment on the costs.
The department released a written statement saying, “[The] DEP will now analyze and address the remaining legal and scientific issues, as well as the policy considerations associated with moving forward on nutrients, to assure that the benefits are worth the costs to Floridians.”
Efforts to push back against the federal government-imposed standards are already under way.
“I urge my colleagues, as well as other state and federal leaders, to continue to press on for Floridians against this federal overreach and let sound science prevail to sustain our state’s economy and natural resources,” said Putnam.
Incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon said the House and Senate are planning to override a bill vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist that might limit the EPA's power as well.
"Pushing back on the new nutrient rules and the EPA is something I'm very interested in. I think it's a very big overreach by the federal government."
If the veto is overridden Tuesday in the special session, HB 1516 would require legislative approval for new rules that cost more than $1 million over five years.
Incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos added his voice to the chorus.
"Clearly, the Florida-only water standards will cost Floridians jobs and I will do everything I can not just to delay this unneeded federal intervention but to permanently stop (the new standards) from taking effect,” he said.
After the 15-month implementation period is up, the DEP will serve as the primary enforcement agency. There will be no direct enforcement for noncompliance, but over time, the EPA may refuse to renew permits to industrial businesses and municipalities that discharge nutrient-rich water into the environment.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/new-epa-water-nutrient-requirements-draw-ire-business-state-leaders
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
DEP instructed to revise proposed regulations for protecting freshwater
After five years, what's another month or so?
Proposed regulations that would set the first comprehensive standards for water flow levels for the state's rivers and streams, called for in a law passed by the state legislature five years ago, were "rejected without prejudice" last week by the legislative panel charged with approving them.
The Regulation Review Committee directed the state Department of Environmental Protection to revise and resubmit the regulations, meant to manage and protect the state's freshwater resources.
The revisions would respond to concerns raised by legislative staff attorneys and a coalition of public water companies, agriculture, municipal and business groups concerned that the new rules would be overly strict and restrictive of public water supplies. The DEP contends it wrote ample flexibility into the rules to ensure public water needs can be met.
Betsey Wingfield, bureau chief of the water protection and land reuse bureau of the state DEP, said her office is still analyzing the technical and substantive issues raised by the Legislative Commissioners Office in its report to the committee.
"It's a legal analysis of the regulations, and I don't see them as pushing for them to be more or less protective of the environment," Wingfield said. "It's raising legal issues."
For example, among 10 "substantive concerns," the report said the regulations need to clarify the basis for a decision to change the classification of river or stream, and to more clearly define natural and sufficient flow variations.
Wingfield expects the DEP will resubmit a new version to the legislative committee in time for its November or December meeting.
She added it is typical for the committee to send new regulations back for revision after the first submittal, as was the case with the streamflow rules. The committee could have voted to reject the regulations altogether, but that would leave the state out of compliance with the law passed five years ago.
"Rejection without prejudice" was expected, Wingfield said, given the complexity of the regulations.
David Sutherland, director of government relations for the Nature Conservancy, also didn't see the committee's action as a major setback. The conservancy and several other environmental and outdoor sportsman groups have been advocating for the regulations to ensure water companies and others that divert from rivers and streams maintain water levels that can adequately support fish and other aquatic life.
Elizabeth Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Water Works Association, said her group and others in the coalition opposed to the last version of the regulations are looking forward to a new version "that will protect aquatic life and make sure public water suppliers have sufficient water to meet customer needs."
The regulations should also be narrowed so that they do not apply to groundwater supplies that were not covered in the original law, she said.
"I don't believe the Legislative Commissioners Office report went far enough," she said. "Certainly the committee identified concerns that went beyond."
http://www.theday.com/article/20101102/NWS01/311029883/1019&town=
Proposed regulations that would set the first comprehensive standards for water flow levels for the state's rivers and streams, called for in a law passed by the state legislature five years ago, were "rejected without prejudice" last week by the legislative panel charged with approving them.
The Regulation Review Committee directed the state Department of Environmental Protection to revise and resubmit the regulations, meant to manage and protect the state's freshwater resources.
The revisions would respond to concerns raised by legislative staff attorneys and a coalition of public water companies, agriculture, municipal and business groups concerned that the new rules would be overly strict and restrictive of public water supplies. The DEP contends it wrote ample flexibility into the rules to ensure public water needs can be met.
Betsey Wingfield, bureau chief of the water protection and land reuse bureau of the state DEP, said her office is still analyzing the technical and substantive issues raised by the Legislative Commissioners Office in its report to the committee.
"It's a legal analysis of the regulations, and I don't see them as pushing for them to be more or less protective of the environment," Wingfield said. "It's raising legal issues."
For example, among 10 "substantive concerns," the report said the regulations need to clarify the basis for a decision to change the classification of river or stream, and to more clearly define natural and sufficient flow variations.
Wingfield expects the DEP will resubmit a new version to the legislative committee in time for its November or December meeting.
She added it is typical for the committee to send new regulations back for revision after the first submittal, as was the case with the streamflow rules. The committee could have voted to reject the regulations altogether, but that would leave the state out of compliance with the law passed five years ago.
"Rejection without prejudice" was expected, Wingfield said, given the complexity of the regulations.
David Sutherland, director of government relations for the Nature Conservancy, also didn't see the committee's action as a major setback. The conservancy and several other environmental and outdoor sportsman groups have been advocating for the regulations to ensure water companies and others that divert from rivers and streams maintain water levels that can adequately support fish and other aquatic life.
Elizabeth Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Water Works Association, said her group and others in the coalition opposed to the last version of the regulations are looking forward to a new version "that will protect aquatic life and make sure public water suppliers have sufficient water to meet customer needs."
The regulations should also be narrowed so that they do not apply to groundwater supplies that were not covered in the original law, she said.
"I don't believe the Legislative Commissioners Office report went far enough," she said. "Certainly the committee identified concerns that went beyond."
http://www.theday.com/article/20101102/NWS01/311029883/1019&town=
Monday, October 18, 2010
South Jersey Report FRESH TAKE ON FRESHWATER
The Fall Run is gaining steam as more keeper stripers are hitting the docks, weakfish and croaker schools are amassing the inshore waters, and bottom fishing for wreck beasties such as sea bass, blackfish and triggerfish is a solid lock. Water temperatures are dropping into the mid 60s now, which should usher in more schools of stripers with each passing day. Remember, the sea bass season is now closed until Nov. 1.
Dave Showell, Absecon Bay Sportsman, Absecon, said he's been finding stripers in the Brigantine ICW channels. "The 6-inch Gulp twister tail grubs put on jigheads are scoring bass averaging 26 inches or so. There are definitely more bass showing up each day, a lot of 24- to 28-inchers." The waters are now at 63 degrees in the back, perfect to bring those bass inside the bay. Rob Switzer lucked into a 13.5-pound striper on Brigantine Beach. Showell also noted that the huge bait schools seemed to have moved out after the recently passed new moon.
"Fishing was good on all fronts this past week," said John Gryzmko, Fin-Atics, Ocean City. "Blackfishing has been prime, especially by the Longport Bridge, Beasily's Point bridge, and 9th street bridge where tog were weighed in the likes of which went 8.69, 7.79 and a few others over the 6-pound mark." Green crabs have been best baits to hook a whitechin, but you can get away with using bits of fresh clam too. A solid presence of weakfish up to 16 inches long have shown up and they have been stacked at the Great Egg Reef and off the Ferris Wheel in about 40 feet of water. Croakers are also mixed in with the weakfish and larger model hardheads have been hanging out deeper in the 70-foot depths.
"Small spike caliber weakfish have been loaded up in the waters from 1 to 5 miles off," said Wes Bandy, Gibson's Bait and Tackle, Sea Isle City. "Chopper bluefish of 3 to 4 pounds are also mixed in with the weakfish, and both species are hitting jigged thin profile metals. Some of the weakfish are coming up bitten in half by the blues, it's pretty nasty." Bandy also reported that savvy anglers are heading to the Sea Isle backwaters around the Ludlam's Bay area to set up on anchor to clam up stripers as well as kingfish.
Captain Jim Cicchitti, Starlight Fleet, Wildwood, reported that the Starlight's 6-Hour trips are catching plenty of big porgies to 3 pounds and over. The big fish for the week were caught by Hank Lisotto, who had a pool-winning 3-pound 14-ounce porgy -- along with a mix of 20 sea bass and porgies.Wilma Birchmeier, Cherry Hill, counted a 7-pound blue in her day's catch. The vessel also has the special sea bass permits, which are good until January 1st, or when the quota is filled.This week's pools were claimed by Isabel Helfrich, Essex Junction, Vt., for her 4-3/4-pound sea bass and 18 others.Also with a big day was Emmet Jensen, Fairbanks, Ark., with a 3-pound humpback along with 20 other keepers.
"Sea bass fishing was excellent over the weekend at the reefs, before the temporary shutdown took affect," said Cathy Algard, Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle, Wildwood. Meantime, anglers can focus on tog fishing, which has been excellent off the jetties, bridges, and inshore wrecks according to Algard. Green crab has been the bait of choice to tempt tog. The Delaware Bay has been holding weakfish up to 20 inches long, especially near the No. 1 Buoy. Try dropping Deadly Dick or Ava 007 metals and jigging them off the bottom.
Matt Slobodjian, Jim's Bait and Tackle, Cape May, reported thatsea bass were biting very well at Reef Site 11 and even thoughthe season is closed for now,they should be there when it opens back up on the 1st. Big bluefish were also hanging around the area, snapping off a lot of the sea bass as they were being reeled in.Those aggressive chopper blues can be taken on jigs or bucktails. Croakers began to move in strong to the Delaware Bay and also at the Wildwood Lump, and they can be caught on squid strips or small pieces of clam dropped down on top and bottom rigs. Striped bass haven't shown up in any real numbers yet according to Slobo, except way up in the Delaware Bay,at Reef site No. 1 and No. 2.Slobodjian warns, "Down in the lower bay, the dogfish sharks are killers and it's hard to keep a clam or bunker bait on the bottom."A bit offshore, the 19th Fathom Lump was the spot to find false albacore on the troll as well as a handful of bluefin tuna that hit metal jigs dropped to the bottom. Offshore, the Wilmington canyon is holding a few yellowfin in the 80-pound class.
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20101015/LIFESTYLE05/10150360
Dave Showell, Absecon Bay Sportsman, Absecon, said he's been finding stripers in the Brigantine ICW channels. "The 6-inch Gulp twister tail grubs put on jigheads are scoring bass averaging 26 inches or so. There are definitely more bass showing up each day, a lot of 24- to 28-inchers." The waters are now at 63 degrees in the back, perfect to bring those bass inside the bay. Rob Switzer lucked into a 13.5-pound striper on Brigantine Beach. Showell also noted that the huge bait schools seemed to have moved out after the recently passed new moon.
"Fishing was good on all fronts this past week," said John Gryzmko, Fin-Atics, Ocean City. "Blackfishing has been prime, especially by the Longport Bridge, Beasily's Point bridge, and 9th street bridge where tog were weighed in the likes of which went 8.69, 7.79 and a few others over the 6-pound mark." Green crabs have been best baits to hook a whitechin, but you can get away with using bits of fresh clam too. A solid presence of weakfish up to 16 inches long have shown up and they have been stacked at the Great Egg Reef and off the Ferris Wheel in about 40 feet of water. Croakers are also mixed in with the weakfish and larger model hardheads have been hanging out deeper in the 70-foot depths.
"Small spike caliber weakfish have been loaded up in the waters from 1 to 5 miles off," said Wes Bandy, Gibson's Bait and Tackle, Sea Isle City. "Chopper bluefish of 3 to 4 pounds are also mixed in with the weakfish, and both species are hitting jigged thin profile metals. Some of the weakfish are coming up bitten in half by the blues, it's pretty nasty." Bandy also reported that savvy anglers are heading to the Sea Isle backwaters around the Ludlam's Bay area to set up on anchor to clam up stripers as well as kingfish.
Captain Jim Cicchitti, Starlight Fleet, Wildwood, reported that the Starlight's 6-Hour trips are catching plenty of big porgies to 3 pounds and over. The big fish for the week were caught by Hank Lisotto, who had a pool-winning 3-pound 14-ounce porgy -- along with a mix of 20 sea bass and porgies.Wilma Birchmeier, Cherry Hill, counted a 7-pound blue in her day's catch. The vessel also has the special sea bass permits, which are good until January 1st, or when the quota is filled.This week's pools were claimed by Isabel Helfrich, Essex Junction, Vt., for her 4-3/4-pound sea bass and 18 others.Also with a big day was Emmet Jensen, Fairbanks, Ark., with a 3-pound humpback along with 20 other keepers.
"Sea bass fishing was excellent over the weekend at the reefs, before the temporary shutdown took affect," said Cathy Algard, Sterling Harbor Bait and Tackle, Wildwood. Meantime, anglers can focus on tog fishing, which has been excellent off the jetties, bridges, and inshore wrecks according to Algard. Green crab has been the bait of choice to tempt tog. The Delaware Bay has been holding weakfish up to 20 inches long, especially near the No. 1 Buoy. Try dropping Deadly Dick or Ava 007 metals and jigging them off the bottom.
Matt Slobodjian, Jim's Bait and Tackle, Cape May, reported thatsea bass were biting very well at Reef Site 11 and even thoughthe season is closed for now,they should be there when it opens back up on the 1st. Big bluefish were also hanging around the area, snapping off a lot of the sea bass as they were being reeled in.Those aggressive chopper blues can be taken on jigs or bucktails. Croakers began to move in strong to the Delaware Bay and also at the Wildwood Lump, and they can be caught on squid strips or small pieces of clam dropped down on top and bottom rigs. Striped bass haven't shown up in any real numbers yet according to Slobo, except way up in the Delaware Bay,at Reef site No. 1 and No. 2.Slobodjian warns, "Down in the lower bay, the dogfish sharks are killers and it's hard to keep a clam or bunker bait on the bottom."A bit offshore, the 19th Fathom Lump was the spot to find false albacore on the troll as well as a handful of bluefin tuna that hit metal jigs dropped to the bottom. Offshore, the Wilmington canyon is holding a few yellowfin in the 80-pound class.
http://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20101015/LIFESTYLE05/10150360
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Freshwater flow into oceans increasing rapidly
The amount of freshwater flowing into the Earth's oceans has increased at a rapid rate over the last decade and a half, according to research undertaken by the University of California. A team of natural scientists has pinned the blame on more frequent and more extreme storms in the tropics and at the poles, linked to climate change.
The researchers found that by 2006, 18 percent more water was pouring into the oceans from rivers and melting ice sheets than in 1994. The average annual rise over that period is 1.5 percent. "In general, more water is good," said Jay Famiglietti, the study's principal investigator. "But here's the problem: not everybody is getting more rainfall, and those who are may not need it."
It seems that precipitation is increasing rapidly in the tropics and in the Arctic Circle, but that already-arid regions are becoming desertified at an alarming rate. The findings match up perfectly with predictions made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about the effects of rising global temperatures.
The science behind the water cycle is relatively simple. Water evaporates from the oceans, forming clouds, which then rain as they pass over land. That water runs into rivers, then back down into the sea, and the whole process begins again. However, warmer global temperatures accelerate the evaporating process, meaning that the rest of the cycle has to increase its capacity.
While there's no global network of river discharge sensors, the scientists used data from satellites about sea level rise, precipitation and evaporation over certain areas to reach its conclusion. However, the authors of the study cautioned that while this is the longest such dataset ever recorded, 12 years is still a relatively short time frame and so it's tough to pull long-term trends out of it.
The implications could be problematic for human populations. 2010 has already witnessed catastrophic flooding in some areas contrasted with heatwaves and wildfires in others, and water stresses in some parts of the world could cause mass migration, which will be difficult to deal with from a political perspective.
Then there are the implications for the climate. Some scientists believe that the North Atlantic could be rapidly approaching a "tipping point" where flow of cold, salt-free water into the sea from melting icecaps displaces warm water currents from the tropics, potentially reversing them. Britain is at the same latitude as Newfoundland and Moscow, but enjoys relatively balmy weather due to these currents. If they disappear, expect temperatures to plunge.
The researchers plan to continue their monitoring, with the hope of divulging better information about the water cycle's intricacies, the eventual objective being to better predict long-term trends.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-10/05/freshwater-
The researchers found that by 2006, 18 percent more water was pouring into the oceans from rivers and melting ice sheets than in 1994. The average annual rise over that period is 1.5 percent. "In general, more water is good," said Jay Famiglietti, the study's principal investigator. "But here's the problem: not everybody is getting more rainfall, and those who are may not need it."
It seems that precipitation is increasing rapidly in the tropics and in the Arctic Circle, but that already-arid regions are becoming desertified at an alarming rate. The findings match up perfectly with predictions made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about the effects of rising global temperatures.
The science behind the water cycle is relatively simple. Water evaporates from the oceans, forming clouds, which then rain as they pass over land. That water runs into rivers, then back down into the sea, and the whole process begins again. However, warmer global temperatures accelerate the evaporating process, meaning that the rest of the cycle has to increase its capacity.
While there's no global network of river discharge sensors, the scientists used data from satellites about sea level rise, precipitation and evaporation over certain areas to reach its conclusion. However, the authors of the study cautioned that while this is the longest such dataset ever recorded, 12 years is still a relatively short time frame and so it's tough to pull long-term trends out of it.
The implications could be problematic for human populations. 2010 has already witnessed catastrophic flooding in some areas contrasted with heatwaves and wildfires in others, and water stresses in some parts of the world could cause mass migration, which will be difficult to deal with from a political perspective.
Then there are the implications for the climate. Some scientists believe that the North Atlantic could be rapidly approaching a "tipping point" where flow of cold, salt-free water into the sea from melting icecaps displaces warm water currents from the tropics, potentially reversing them. Britain is at the same latitude as Newfoundland and Moscow, but enjoys relatively balmy weather due to these currents. If they disappear, expect temperatures to plunge.
The researchers plan to continue their monitoring, with the hope of divulging better information about the water cycle's intricacies, the eventual objective being to better predict long-term trends.
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-10/05/freshwater-
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