A lot of attention in Canada has been focused recently on the Kyoto Agreement to limit the emission of greenhouse gases. But scientifically, the goal for preventing possibly catastrophic global warming has been set far higher than Kyoto’s modest reductions. An article in the November 1 issue of Science sets out the challenges. Entitled “Advanced …
Tag: climate change
Paleoclimatology
This week an international expedition set out for Mt. Logan, Canada’s highest mountain (and yes, it’s still Mt. Logan, not Mt. Trudeau) to attempt to travel through time: to look back 10,000 years to see how climate has changed over the millennia–and how human activities are affecting climate now. Two Canadian scientists will climb to …
Global warming update
What with all the talk about the greenhouse effect recently, I decided it’s time for a quick review… The term “greenhouse effect” is usually used today in reference to a predicted gradual warming of the Earth caused by an increase in various gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to human activity. Really, however, the greenhouse …
Melting ice in Antarctica
Considering how cold it’s been around here recently, global warming sounds not so much like an environmental problem as it does something devoutly to be wished for–but as someone once said, “Be careful what you wish for–you may get it.” While it’s true that science has yet to come flat out and say that global …
Ice ages
I like ice. When I order a drink at the movie theatre, I always ask for “more ice than you think anyone can possibly want.” At home, I drink iced tea. When I finish my drink, I eat the ice. But I prefer that ice keep to its proper place–which is not on the roads, …
The greenhouse effect
Presumably, by now, you’ve heard of something called the “greenhouse effect.” (If you haven’t, we’ll pause briefly while your next-of-kin checks to see if you’re still breathing.) The term “greenhouse effect,” as usually used today, refers to the predicted gradual warming of the Earth due to an increase in various gases in the atmosphere, primarily …