Charts: The water at the tip of Florida is reaching hot tub-level highs
Come on in, the water’s fine — if you like hot tubs. The water temperature on the tip of Florida hit 100 degrees two days in a row this week. Experts say that could potentially be the hottest seawater ever measured, although there are some issues with the reading.
The buoy collecting data on water temperature in shallow Manatee Bay, which is off the Everglades and blocked off from the ocean by North Key Largo, recorded a temperature of 100.2 degrees Sunday night and 101.1 degrees Monday evening.
Continue reading on The Boston Globe.
Google teams up with climate scientists to monitor permafrost with AI
Scientists are partnering with Google’s philanthropic arm to create a first of its kind, near-real-time way to monitor thawing permafrost across the Arctic.
Why it matters: The Arctic is warming about three to four times faster than the rest of the world, causing areas of permanently-frozen soil to thaw. This could release huge quantities of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Woodwell Senior Scientist Dr. Rich Birdsey has contributed his decades-long expertise in forestry and climate issues to two new U.S.-based forest policy initiatives. Working on both the state and federal level, Dr. Birdsey is helping to expand the influence of science in policy planning.
Federal forest policy
On July 20, Woodwell Climate submitted a response to the U.S. Forest Service’s request for public input into how they can adapt current policies and develop new ones to support the conservation of the country’s forests and increase their resilience in the face of climate change. The push for new rulemaking within the agency is a direct response to President Biden’s recent executive order: Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies.
Protecting forests is a crucial emissions mitigation strategy both within the US and globally. Forests, particularly mature and old-growth stands, contain centuries-worth of stored carbon and continue to sequester more each year. Loss of these precious forests releases stored carbon and reduces future carbon sequestration.
In the public comment, Dr. Birdsey, who led the drafting effort, emphasizes the importance of protecting mature and old-growth forests, stating, “When climate benefits are explicitly considered, the research points strongly to letting these forests grow—protecting and expanding the massive portion of sequestered carbon they represent. One of the largest threats facing mature and old-growth forests in the US is logging, which is a threat that humans can reduce instantly, simply by changing policy.”
Forest protection on the state level
Dr. Birdsey has also been named a scientific expert on a committee charged with helping draft Massachusetts’ forest policies. A new state initiative, called “Forests as Climate Solutions” looks to expand existing forest conservation activities and develop new forest management guidelines that can help Massachusetts meet its climate goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The science committee will be responsible for providing input into the state’s proposals and assessing their effectiveness as climate solutions.
“Forests have to be at the forefront of our climate strategy,” said Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer. “Trees can sequester carbon for centuries—we have a responsibility to use the best science to ensure that their potential for carbon sequestration and storage is reflected in our approach.
Dr. Birdsey’s hope is that the policies developed by the new initiative will help Massachusetts take full advantage of its naturally carbon-rich forests.
“Massachusetts forests have some of the highest carbon stocks in the Eastern U.S., and I hope that policies enacted through this initiative will strengthen protection of older forests and large trees and foster management of younger forests to attain old-growth characteristics, while maintaining the current level of timber supplies,” says Dr. Birdsey.
Both policy initiatives present an important opportunity to set forest management on the right track towards achieving emissions reductions in years to come.
“Massachusetts’ forests have the potential to accumulate and store enough additional carbon to compensate for as much as 10% of the State’s current emissions from burning fossil fuels,” says Dr. Birdsey. “With climate-smart forests, Massachusetts can be a national climate leader.”
A scientist proved climate change 170 years ago. Google is honoring her.
A $5-million grant continues legacy of “grandmother of climate science” Eunice Foote.
The fight against climate change is much older than you might think, with the seed of modern climate science snaking its way through the annals of academic history to a name you might not have even heard of: Eunice Newton Foote.
Foote was a women’s rights activist. She was the first woman to be published in a physics journal. She hypothesized what would later be the general public’s leading touchstone for measuring climate change. She was also born — perhaps shockingly — in 1819.
Most importantly, Foote’s work is strong proof that we’ve long known the Earth’s climate is sensitive to human actions.
A map of Alaska created by Senior Geospatial Analyst Greg Fiske garnered two awards—the International Cartographic Association and International Map Industry Association Recognition of Excellence in Cartography, and Cartography Special Interest Group Excellence—at the Esri User Conference in San Diego this week.
Esri is the industry leader in mapping software and the Esri User Conference brought together more than 20,000 geospatial professionals including cartographers, software developers, students, end users, and policymakers. Woodwell Climate has an ongoing partnership with Esri and has attended the conference for more than two decades.
“These awards mean a great deal as the recognition comes from two very highly acknowledged cartographic organizations and the map pool at the Esri User Conference was immense,” Fiske said. “In the case of this map, not only did I share a basemap that we’re using widely in our Permafrost Pathways project, but I also shared a high-level overview of how I created the map and the resources (in the format of data, software, tutorials, and people) needed to do the same anywhere on the planet.”
The map that won the awards shows the topography of Alaska. To the average viewer, it is beautiful, informative, and not overly complicated. But Fiske also created a storymap that breaks down the data layers, and analytical and design steps required to create the map—and it is anything but simple.
Fiske has been creating maps at Woodwell Climate for more than 20 years, and is known among colleagues—at the Center and across the mapping community—for his analytical skill, creativity and artistry, and dedication to quality.
“People are drawn to a beautiful map,” Fiske said. “Putting our work on a map takes advantage of that scenario and gives us an opportunity to spotlight our research.”
6 women leading the fight against climate change
Following in the footsteps of climate pioneer Eunice Newton Foote, these six women are making strides in the fight against climate change with support from Google.org.
Eunice Newton Foote was the first woman to publish in a physics journal. Her article, titled “Circumstances Affecting the Heat of Sun’s Rays,” laid the foundation for the discovery of the greenhouse effect. This groundbreaking paper, written more than 150 years ago, drew a direct link between carbon dioxide and the warming of our climate, and helped define climate science as we know it. Today, on her 204th birthday, we’re honoring her achievements with a Doodle on the Google homepage.
We’re also celebrating the work of six women walking in Eunice’s footsteps and making important contributions to our understanding of climate change. With funding and support from Google.org, these innovators are working to educate the public, building solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change and advocating for policies that will help protect our planet.