#TROUBLE AHEAD AS #ICE SHELF DEVASTATED IN #ANTARCTIC

 REUTERS

Thinning Antarctic ice shelf finally crumbles after heatwave

By Isla Binnie

March 25 (Reuters) - An East Antarctica ice shelf disintegrated this month following a period of extreme heat in the region, according to scientists.

Satellite images show the 1,200 square-kilometre Conger Ice Shelf collapsed completely on or around March 15.

"Possible it hit its tipping point following the #Antarctic #AtmosphericRiver and heat wave too?" asked NASA Earth and Planetary Scientist Catherine Colello Walker on Twitter on Friday, sharing images of a white expanse crumbling into shards over the dark ocean.

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EXTREME HEAT WAVE STRIKES BOTH POLES

CLIMATE CHANGE ACCELERATING BEYOND BELIEF

California Water #Crisis May Be Impossible To Fix

A guide to California's water crisis — and why it's so hard to fix

California saw this drought coming. Even if people in the state didn't know it would be this bad — now the worst in recorded history — they've known that dry years are inevitable and had all sorts of ideas for how to deal with them.

But for all that planning, California's current drought has been a disaster. Reservoirs are drying up. Crops are wilting in the fields. For the first time ever, towns and cities will face a mandatory 25 percent cut in their water use.

The problem isn't that no one foresaw the drought. The problem is that no one has been able to solve an underlying issue that is simultaneously less scary and also much harder than a dry spell: California's convoluted water system and intractable water politics. Read More

More Facts And Figures

Dr. Kinesa's - Global Edge

California is fast becoming the stage for one of the biggest climate related disasters; begging the obvious question - who in their right minds would be thinking about growing the state further in any economic  or physical way. The by-product consequences will also drive food costs everywhere to unprecedented heights.

Is this what happens when you put bone-head celebrities in key leadership positions? For sure, this  is not the only reason for the years of short -sightedness.

International Offices
April 28, 2015

Water Crisis: Will #California Soon Close Its Golf Courses?

California regulators urge 35 percent reduction in water use for some areas

Future Farmland?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In an aggressive push to reduce water usage statewide, California regulators are proposing that the biggest urban water users cut consumption by as much as 35 percent over the next year.

The State Water Resources Control Board's plan, unveiled Tuesday, would place the heaviest conservation burden on cities and towns with the highest rates of per-capita water consumption, which would include small rural communities as well as affluent enclaves like Newport Beach and Beverly Hills.

Cities that have the lowest per-capita water use — including East Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and Seal Beach — would be required to cut just 10 percent.

Agencies that don't comply with the rules could face fines of up to $10,000 a day. Read More.

Golf Courses Under Pressure

DEAD SEA Is Truly Dying As #Sinkholes Grow

Sinkholes as Deep as Eight-Story Buildings Form Along Shoreline of the Disappearing Dead Sea

Sinkholes Litter Shorelines Spelling Doom For Sea

The Dead Sea is disappearing at an alarming rate, leaving behind thousands of sinkholes that are chipping away at the coastline's vibrant and touristy atmosphere.

The Dead Sea - which is actually a lake - is known for being almost 10 times as salty as the ocean and for having the lowest elevation on Earth. However, over the last few decades, the shoreline has become known for sinkholes that appear to just pop up out of nowhere.

Grand Canyon II?

More than 3,000 sinkholes exist along the banks of the Dead Sea, ABC News reported. And some of these craters dive 80 feet into the ground - the equivalent of about an eight-story building. Read More.

Dead Sea Is Drying Up

#Oregon Stars Are Dying - No More Twinkle, Twinkle...

Sea star disease epidemic surges in Oregon, local extinctions expected

 Contact: David Stauth, 541-737-0787; Kristen Milligan, 541-737-8862



CORVALLIS, Oregon (OSU) – Just in the past two weeks, the incidence of sea star wasting syndrome has exploded along the Oregon Coast and created an epidemic of historic magnitude, one that threatens to decimate the entire population of purple ochre sea stars.

Prior to this, Oregon had been the only part of the West Coast that had been largely spared this devastating disease.

The ochre sea star, which is the species most heavily affected by the disease in the intertidal zone, may be headed toward localized extinction in Oregon, according to researchers at Oregon State University who have been monitoring the outbreak. As a “keystone” predator, its loss could disrupt the entire marine intertidal ecosystem.

Researchers say this is the first time that die-offs of sea stars, more commonly known as starfish, have ever been identified at one time along such a wide expanse of the West Coast, and the sudden increase in Oregon has been extraordinary.
The best information is from the intertidal zone, which is easier to access for monitoring. In this area, less than 1 percent of the ochre sea stars in Oregon were affected in April, and only slightly more than that by mid-May.

Baffling Scientists?

Watch!

Today, an estimated 30-50 percent of the Oregon populations of this sea star species in the intertidal zone have the disease. The highest losses are at Fogarty Creek, where about 60 percent are affected. Researchers project that the epidemic will intensify and, at some sites, nearly 100 percent of the ochre sea stars could die.


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"Say Dad, did you hear the news about Oregon?"

"Very sad, son"

Add caption

HUGE FOOD PRICE SHOCKS AHEAD

California drought to cause fruit and veggie sticker shock




By Adam Shell   


 
 



(America’s Markets) – The price of  fruits and veggies is going up, causing possible sticker shock at the grocery store checkout. Blame one of California’s worst droughts ever for the rising prices.    Crop shortages, ranging from 10% to 20% depending on the type of crop, will lead to the higher prices, says professor Timothy Richards of the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, citing recently completed research on which crops will likely be most affected.    “You’re probably going to see the biggest produce price increases on avocados, berries, broccoli, grapes, lettuce, melons, peppers, tomatoes and packaged salads,” says Richards. “We can expect to see the biggest percentage jumps in prices for avocados and lettuce – 28% and 34%, respectively.” Richards estimates the following possible price increases due to the drought:

• Avocados likely to go up 17  to 35 cents to as much as $1.60 each.
• Berries likely to rise 21 to 43 cents to as much as $3.46 per clamshell container.
• Broccoli likely to go up 20 to 40 cents to a possible $2.18 per pound.
• Grapes likely to rise 26 to 50 cents to a possible
• 
  $2.93 per pound.
• Lettuce likely to rise 31 to 62 cents to as much as $2.44 per head.
• Packaged salad likely to go up 17 to 34 cents to a possible $3.03 per bag.
• Peppers likely to go up 18 to 35 cents to a possible $2.48 per pound.
• Tomatoes likely to rise 22 to 45 cents to a possible $2.84 per pound.

Industry estimates range from a half-million to 1 million acres of agricultural land likely to be affected by the current California drought. Richards believes 10% to 20% of the supply of certain crops could be lost. California is the biggest national supplier of several of those crops. For avocados, the state is the only major domestic source. […]  

   “We predict the increased prices will change consumer purchasing behavior,” says Sherry Frey, vice president of Nielsen Perishables Group. [more]




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Climate leads to Higher Food Costs. "Period."

 

End of Story.

 

Comments

 

This is when climate change really starts to hit home - when it actually shows up at the dinner table. In the price that is. But what is more concerning is that there is much more to come. - then what?

 

Maybe we should start to think about what we really mean by economics?

 

Dr Peter G Kinesa

April 24,2014

 

Climate Putting More Cities Underwater

Floods leave half of Solomon Islands' capital without access to water

Authorities say it could be weeks before water supplies to the capital of Solomon Islands are restored.

9 April 2014 (Radio Australia) – Authorities say it could be weeks before water supplies to the capital of Solomon Islands are restored.

Last week, unprecedented flooding in the Pacific island nation claimed the lives of 23 people and left 9,000 homeless.

It also wreaked havoc on Honiara's water mains, with around 50 per cent of the city now unable to access water, and pipes to one of the main water supply depots broken.

Solomon Water General Manager Richard Austin said parts of the water system have been completely destroyed.

"We have two levels of problem," he told the ABC.

"We're dealing with the amount of water available in Honiara, generally, but also … provid[ing] safe basic quantities of drinking water to the evacuation centres."

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced a $3 million aid package to help the flood recovery.

Australia will also boost the number of personnel in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

There are now 16 Australian Defence Force personnel deployed in the country.

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More News Reports

Global Warming is Worse - Real Climate Scientists

 
RealClimate 
Twice as Warm

Real Climate Scientists Say Global Warming Much Worse

 Read More Here

Some Like It Hot! 

That was a great movie title with some fabulous stars, but it was never intended to be applied to how we set our global thermostat. Or maybe it has another meaning?  

From the outset one should realize that there are two distinct categories of scientist: Media-Scientists and Real-Scientists. The former are the ones you often see in  the media, on talk shows and print, promoting a favoured point of view that is consistent with those of their benefactors. Very little credibility can be given to these media hucksters for obvious reasons. Real-Scientists, however, labour quietly behind the scenes seeking little public attention for their work; being most happy with their quiet professional achievements and peer approvals. They do not significantly benefit in any other ways from their work, and hence are afforded a much higher degree of trust.

So that is why when these real climate scientist tell us that global warming is double what many  believed for the past fifteen years - we believe them. But we do not do so blindly and look to other corroborating evidence to confirm their assertion. Other supporting evidence includes rising sea levels, more wildfires and floods, extreme weather turbulence, animal migrations, declining insect populations and rapidly melting glaciers and icecaps. Almost overwhelming support!

On the other hand, we also recognize that measuring the global temperature is not so simple. It is a complex process and metric because of the numerous ranges and areas that need to be measured and observed.There is no one absolute measurement or device. Therefore, some form of mathematical averaging and modelling requiring assumptions are needed, but these are also  subjective and open to influence and change. Despite this shortcoming, the integrity of the Real-Scientists who perform these complex calculations is a substantial and positive over-riding persuasion in their favour.

Read the above-attached (linked ) RealScientist  report for yourself; read other source links, go over their site and think about what else supports the report's climate temperature assertion. Then draw your own conclusions.  We did. Things are much hotter than we thought. 

And Some Don't Like It Hot!

Dr Peter G Kinesa

November 20, 2013

Who Should we Believe?
Hmm...