PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

A new research report shows effects of climate change in the Arctic are more extensive than expected

2011-05-04
(Press-News.org) Together with Terry Callaghan, a researcher at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Margareta is the editor of the two chapters on snow and permafrost.

"The changes we see are dramatic. And they are not coincidental. The trends are unequivocal and deviate from the norm when compared with a longer term perspective", she says.

The Arctic is one of the parts of the globe that is warming up fastest today. Measurements of air temperature show that the most recent five-year period has been the warmest since 1880, when monitoring began. Other data, from tree rings among other things, show that the summer temperatures over the last decades have been the highest in 2000 years. As a consequence, the snow cover in May and June has decreased by close to 20 per cent. The winter season has also become almost two weeks shorter – in just a few decades. In addition, the temperature in the permafrost has increased by between half a degree and two degrees.

"There is no indication that the permafrost will not continue to thaw", says Margareta Johansson.

Large quantities of carbon are stored in the permafrost.

"Our data shows that there is significantly more than previously thought. There is approximately double the amount of carbon in the permafrost as there is in the atmosphere today", says Margareta Johansson.

The carbon comes from organic material which was "deep frozen" in the ground during the last ice age. As long as the ground is frozen, the carbon remains stable. But as the permafrost thaws there is a risk that carbon dioxide and methane, a greenhouse gas more than 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, will be released, which could increase global warming.

"But it is also possible that the vegetation which will be able to grow when the ground thaws will absorb the carbon dioxide. We still know very little about this. With the knowledge we have today we cannot say for sure whether the thawing tundra will absorb or produce more greenhouse gases in the future", says Margareta Johansson.

Effects of this type, so-called feedback effects, are of major significance for how extensive global warming will be in the future. Margareta Johansson and her colleagues present nine different feedback effects in their report. One of the most important right now is the reduction of the Arctic's albedo. The decrease in the snow- and ice-covered surfaces means that less solar radiation is reflected back out into the atmosphere. It is absorbed instead, with temperatures rising as a result. Thus the Arctic has entered a stage where it is itself reinforcing climate change.

The future does not look brighter. Climate models show that temperatures will rise by a further 3 to 7 degrees. In Canada, the uppermost metres of permafrost will thaw on approximately one fifth of the surface currently covered by permafrost. The equivalent figure for Alaska is 57 per cent. The length of the winter season and the snow coverage in the Arctic will continue to decrease and the glaciers in the area will probably lose between 10 and 30 per cent of their total mass. All this within this century and with grave consequences for the ecosystems, existing infrastructure and human living conditions.

New estimates also show that by 2100, the sea level will have risen by between 0.9 and 1.6 metres, which is approximately twice the increase predicted by the UN's panel on climate change, IPCC, in its 2007 report. This is largely due to the rapid melting of the Arctic icecap. Between 2003 and 2008, the melting of the Arctic icecap accounted for 40 per cent of the global rise in sea level.

"It is clear that great changes are at hand. It is all happening in the Arctic right now. And what is happening there affects us all", says Margareta Johansson.

The report "Impacts of climate change on snow, water, ice and permafrost in the Arctic" has been compiled by close to 200 polar researchers. It is the most comprehensive synthesis of knowledge about the Arctic that has been presented in the last six years. The work was organised by the Arctic Council's working group for environmental monitoring (the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme) and will serve as the basis for the IPCC's fifth report, which is expected to be ready by 2014.

INFORMATION:

Besides Margareta Johansson, Torben Christensen from Lund University also took part in the work.

For more information, please contact:
Margareta Johansson, Division of Physical Geography and Ecosystems Analysis, Lund University, telephone: 046-2224480, mobile: 070-6842965, email: Margareta.Johansson@nateko.lu.se

Terry Callaghan, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, email: terry_callaghan@btinternet.com

More information on the report and the conference in Copenhagen where it is being presented today: http://amap.no/Conferences/Conf2011/

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Blood test for Alzheimer's

2011-05-04
Montreal May 4, 2011 – A new blood test that will diagnose Alzheimer's disease may soon hit the market, thanks to an innovative study from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Their findings have characterized a unique biochemical diagnosis, which identifies patients with this devastating disorder. This research, published in the month's issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, has implications for the half-a-million Canadian sufferers and many millions more worldwide. "Until now, there has been no definitive diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's, ...

Stx Golf Broadens its Retail Distribution to Include Golf Town

2011-05-04
STX Golf, world-renowned as an industry pioneer in putter innovation, and for its patented Soft Face Insert Technology, announced today that the company continues to strengthen its retail network and its partnership with Golf Town demonstrates that. Golf Town, with stores across Canada and now the U.S., has grown to become one of the world's largest golf retail chains. Its big box stores average close to 18,000 square feet and carry an unprecedented selection of top brand names in golf, including STX. The STX partnership with Golf Town began with a regional test in Canada. ...

Natural protection against radiation

2011-05-04
In the midst of ongoing concerns about radiation exposure from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, scientists are reporting that a substance similar to resveratrol — an antioxidant found in red wine, grapes and nuts — could protect against radiation sickness. The report appears in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Michael Epperly, Kazunori Koide and colleagues explain that radiation exposure, either from accidents (like recent events in Japan) or from radiation therapy for cancer, can make people sick. High doses can even cause death. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ...

Corcentric to Exhibit at International Accounts Payable Professionals' Fusion 2011 Conference

2011-05-04
Corcentric, a leading provider of Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable automation solutions, today announced they will host booth #213 at the International Accounts Payable Professionals' (IAPP) 2011 Fusion Conference. This conference will take place May 8-12, 2011 in Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida. Corcentric is a leader in financial process automation, specializing in Accounts Payable automation, PO requisitioning and imaging, and workflow solutions. By creating a paperless conduit between Procurement, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and suppliers, Corcentric ...

Rob DeVincent of Corcentric to Speak on Changing the Face of AP through E-invoicing and Cloud Automation at Fusion 2011

2011-05-04
Corcentric, a leading provider of Accounts Payable automation solutions, today announced Rob DeVincent will be speaking at the International Accounts Payable Professionals' (IAPP) 2011 Fusion Conference. 'Changing the Face of AP through E-invoicing and Cloud Automation', will take place on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 10:45 AM EDT. Rob DeVincent, Vice President of Product Marketing for Corcentric will co-host the presentation along with Bill Hoffman, Manager of AP Process & Design for International Specialty Products. By attending this presentation, AP professionals ...

Go Back to School and Get a Degree - in Spread Betting

Go Back to School and Get a Degree - in Spread Betting
2011-05-04
In response to the recent demand for quality educational material, Spread-Betting.com is announcing the release of its brand new spread betting website which now features new reports and easier navigation. The trading guide offers in-depth information on financial spread trading and the workings of the financial markets. "Our ultimate aim is to build a trading community for individuals to interact and learn from one another" According to recent research by specialist company Investment Trends, the demand for online spread betting is growing at an exponential ...

Academy of Coaching and NLP Receives Highest Level Certification

2011-05-04
The Academy of Coaching and NLP was recently approved at the highest level of certification offered by the International Coach Federation (ICF). As a fully approved Accredited Coach Training Program, (ACTP), the Academy of Coaching and NLP (ACN) now offers its coaching students a streamlined route to getting the professional certification they need to become fully certified coaches. According to Helen Attridge, Director of ACN: "I recently received the exciting news that ACN is now a fully approved ICF ACTP Coach training program, and we are very excited to share ...

Celebrate Secret Garden Party Festival in Huntingdon by Booking Your Accommodation at a1tourism.com

2011-05-03
Secret Garden Party Festival was founded in 2004 and is now very famous because it has since increased in popularity and size. It is an independent arts and music festival where everyone joins in and brimming with ideas and creativity that takes place at Mill Hill Field, at Huntingdon, in Cambridgeshire. It is a beautiful festival which also comprises many events. There are several types of events conducted during the festival day to add more interest to the festival. Moreover, Huntingdon hotels would provide you a better accommodation and would make you to feel as if you ...

Opportunity for Low Power Embedded WiFi Eclipses ZigBee Market Potential

2011-05-03
The study, "WTRS Low Power Embedded WiFi Emerging Technology Q2 2011", now updated to reflect current market conditions. "The opportunity for Low Power Embedded WiFi is substantial and eclipses that of ZigBee, given the existing infrastructure that WiFi-based networks can leverage and the lack of generalized demand for complex mesh networking among the majority of WSN applications", said Kirsten West, Principal Analyst with WTRS. "If proponents of this WSN technology can stimulate the WiFi Alliance to place attention on the WSN sector, with ...

InCommons Bank's New "Kasasa Cash Back" Checking Account Rewards Consumers with Cash

2011-05-03
InCommons Bank, one of the first financial institutions in the country to make Kasasa available to its account holders, today announced that it is offering the Kasasa Cash Back checking account. Kasasa Cash Back is a free checking account that rewards account holders with cash back on everyday debit card purchases, and without points or category restrictions like other programs. The cash back amount is based on how much is spent on each debit card transaction as well as the consumer's average daily balance. Like all Kasasa accounts, Kasasa Cash Back has no minimum ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

High-quality nanodiamonds for bioimaging and quantum sensing applications

New clinical practice guideline on the process for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease or a related form of cognitive impairment or dementia

Evolution of fast-growing fish-eating herring in the Baltic Sea

Cryptographic protocol enables secure data sharing in the floating wind energy sector

Can drinking coffee or tea help prevent head and neck cancer?

Development of a global innovative drug in eye drop form for treating dry age-related macular degeneration

Scientists unlock secrets behind flowering of the king of fruits

Texas A&M researchers illuminate the mysteries of icy ocean worlds

Prosthetic material could help reduce infections from intravenous catheters

Can the heart heal itself? New study says it can

Microscopic discovery in cancer cells could have a big impact

Rice researchers take ‘significant leap forward’ with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer

Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp

How everyday activities inside your home can generate energy

Inequality weakens local governance and public satisfaction, study finds

Uncovering key molecular factors behind malaria’s deadliest strain

UC Davis researchers help decode the cause of aggressive breast cancer in women of color

Researchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus

SNU researchers develop the world’s most sensitive flexible strain sensor

Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication

Neutrality has played a pivotal, but under-examined, role in international relations, new research shows

Study reveals right whales live 130 years — or more

Researchers reveal how human eyelashes promote water drainage

Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows

DFG to fund eight new research units

Modern AI systems have achieved Turing's vision, but not exactly how he hoped

Quantum walk computing unlocks new potential in quantum science and technology

Construction materials and household items are a part of a long-term carbon sink called the “technosphere”

First demonstration of quantum teleportation over busy Internet cables

Disparities and gaps in breast cancer screening for women ages 40 to 49

[Press-News.org] A new research report shows effects of climate change in the Arctic are more extensive than expected