Abrupt global warming can cause a shift in monsoon patterns

September 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have warned that increasingly powerful "supertyphoons" will strike Japan if global warming continues to affect weather patterns in the western Pacific Ocean. According to a report in National Geographic News, supercomputer simulations show there will be more typhoons with winds of 179 miles (288 kilometers) per hour-considered an F3 on the five-level Fujita Scale-by 2074.

September 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have determined that El Nino, the periodic eastern Pacific phenomenon credited with shielding the US and Caribbean from severe hurricane seasons, may be overshadowed by its brother in the central Pacific due to global warming. "There are two El Ninos, or flavors of El Nino," said Ben Kirtman, co-author of the study and professor of meteorology and physical oceanography at the University of Miami's Rosentstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

September 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - What do abrupt changes in ocean circulation and earth's climate, shifts in wildlife populations and ecosystems, global finance market and epileptic seizures have in common? All of them share generic early-warning signals that indicate a critical threshold of change, or tipping points dead ahead, says a new study. That tipping point may be as tiny as the alveoli in human lungs or as large as the global climate.

August 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, scientists have determined that subtle connections between the 11-year-solar cycle, the stratosphere and the tropical Pacific Ocean work in sync to generate periodic weather patterns that affect much of the globe, an understanding which would help in predicting the intensity of the Indian monsoon. "It's been long known that weather patterns are well-correlated to very small variations in total solar energy reaching our planet during 11-year solar cycles," said Jay Fein, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Atmospheric Sciences, which funded the research.

August 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of physicists at the University of Rochester, US, has found evidence that in the last 50 years, the net flow of heat into and out of the oceans has changed direction three times, which correlate well with past climate anomalies. According to the researchers, these shifts in the balance of heat absorbed from the sun and radiated from the oceans correlate well with past anomalies that have been associated with abrupt shifts in the earth's climate.

July 22nd, 2009 Study calculates warming threat to Colorado RiverBOULDER, Colo. — University of Colorado researchers say global warming increases the chances that the Colorado River system's reservoirs could be depleted by mid-century.

June 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama said Friday that he hopes Washington will soon be able to match Germany's commitment to tackling climate change and boosting clean energy. After a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the White House, Obama said he was "impressed" with Germany's "foresight and commitment to clean energy".

June 24th, 2009 Rural, urban lawmakers strike agreement on climateWASHINGTON — Rural members of Congress have won key concessions from urban lawmakers to limit the pollution blamed for global warming. Democratic leaders can now move forward with the legislation this week.

June 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, a team of scientists has found a direct relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and global warming. The study was done by Damon Matthews, a professor in Concordia University's Department of Geography, Planning and the Environment, along with colleagues from Victoria and the UK.

May 27th, 2009 LONDON - US President Barrack Obama's energy adviser has suggested that as part of efforts to slow global warming, all the world's roofs should be painted white. According to a report in the Telegraph, Professor Steven Chu, the US Energy Secretary, said that the unusual proposal would mean homes in hot countries would save energy and money on air conditioning by deflecting the sun's rays.

May 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, it has been determined that monsoon drives long-term cyclicity of the carbon reservoir in the global ocean. For over 300 years, monsoon has been considered as a gigantic land-sea breeze of regional scale, but now it is considered as a global system over all continents but Antarctica.

April 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by an international team of scientists has determined that an expansion of wetlands and not a large-scale melting of frozen methane deposits is the likely cause of a spike in atmospheric methane gas that took place some 11,600 years ago. The international research team was led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC (University of California) San Diego.

April 23rd, 2009 Ashley Judd urges Congress to fight global warmingWASHINGTON — Actress Ashley Judd and TV personality Jeff Corwin are urging Congress to spend $7 billion a year to help safeguard America's wildlife from the impact of global warming. Judd is a longtime environmental activist.

March 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Carbon dioxide released from the Antartic Ocean due to shifting wind patterns may drastically increase global warming, say scientists. Many scientists think that the end of the last ice age was triggered by a change in earth's orbit that caused the northern part of the planet to warm.

January 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Seasons are already arriving 48 hours ahead of schedule, even as the globe gets hotter, according to a new study by California Berkeley (UC-B) and Harvard Universities. Besides global warming, human activity may have also hastened the cycle of seasons, said Alexander R.