formerly a microbiology blog, this will now be a science blog, in which I post science only material. enjoy! p.s. I no longer teach microbiology, so I'm all out of original content, but reblogs will be plenty!
Burning Up The Climate Record Books
328: The magic number
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has released their latest “State of the Climate” report. June 2012 marks the 328th month in a row that global surface temperatures – the temperatures that affect our local climate and weather - were above average. This unfortunate proof of the “new normal” is just the latest straw on the climate camel’s back, and you really have to wonder how many more it will take before more people start to view this as the serious situation that it is.
Some other high/lowlights:
- The Northern Hemisphere was more than 2˚F above normal for June, an all-time record.
- Globally, June 2012 was the warmest on record (for land temps).
- Ocean temperatures, whose rise is perhaps more dangerous than land (feeding extreme weather and ice melt), were at their 10th highest level on record.
There’s hope, however. A new poll from Stanford University and The Washington Post says that 6 in 10 Americans now agree that the climate is changing, and two-thirds want the U.S. to lead the world in fighting climate change. They can’t yet agree on what that means, exactly. More interesting tidbits from that poll here.
Previously: Record highs to record lows ratio at 10:1 in 2012! Ack!
(via realfakescientist)
Fire Devastation in the Western U.S. Seen From Space
Here’s the Fort Collins area before the fire (left) and after 60,000 acres had burned (right, fire scar in red) as seen through the Landsat satellites. This has been an unbelievably active week for wildfires in the U.S., with high winds, dry conditions, and a possible look at what long-term climate change could mean for our forests and homes.
Many more pictures at the link. Our thoughts are with all of them.
(via Wired Science)
