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Post by Mumsey on Dec 11, 2016 10:56:18 GMT -5
Interesting. And depressing. And scary. And most likely true.
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Post by desertwoman on Dec 11, 2016 11:00:43 GMT -5
yep. Here we are.
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Post by brownrexx on Dec 11, 2016 13:50:46 GMT -5
I think that it less that the Earth is attacking us than the Earth is ridding itself of a destructive species.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Dec 11, 2016 16:00:56 GMT -5
Maybe the earth did the same with the dinisaurs? I remember an article along these lines, estimating the biomass of the soil microorganisms, and how much of the CO2 is coming from that. However, there was no mention of the end of the human species.
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Post by lisaann on Dec 11, 2016 18:39:56 GMT -5
Sea Level Rise,"Superstorm" Sandy
The Earth Itself Is Now Accelerating The Demise Of The Human Species
Dec 07, 2016 6:10pm EST by Dartagnan Comment large456 325
You read that right. The Earth is now going to help us kill ourselves.
In a massive new study published Wednesday in the influential journal Nature, no less than 50 authors from around the world document a so-called climate system “feedback” that, they say, could make global warming considerably worse over the coming decades.
That feedback involves the planet’s soils, which are a massive repository of carbon due to the plants and roots that have grown and died in them, in many cases over vast time periods (plants pull in carbon from the air through photosynthesis and use it to fuel their growth). It has long been feared that as warming increases, the microorganisms living in these soils would respond by very naturally upping their rate of respiration, a process that in turn releases carbon dioxide or methane, leading greenhouse gases.
It’s this concern that the new study validates.
Without a doubt, an imposing scientific study titled Quantifying Global Soil Carbon Losses In Response To Warming is likely to receive far fewer clicks than“What Susan Dey Looks Like Now is Absolutely Jaw-Dropping."
But this is a big one, folks.
Most prior models of climate change left out the impact of carbon “feedback” from the planet’s soils and the microorganisms that inhabit them because the science was not sufficiently developed. As a result, the Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change, the universally-recognized body for addressing the catastrophic effects of global warming, has been relying on estimates that may be and probably are far too optimistic in setting its goals for greenhouse gas reductions.
This new study, led by Yale University and conducted by researchers at thirty different institutions, is based on 49 empirical studies over twenty years examining soil carbon emissions from various points around the world, including, notably, the Arctic regions where soils have been warming rapidly. The data were then extrapolated for the globe, projecting a probable release of 55 Billion tons of carbon (converting to 200 billion tons of CO2) by Calendar Year 2050—the equivalent of adding an entire United States economy to the global warming picture, or 17% more global emissions than had been previously projected for that time frame if we continue on our current course. This type of “positive feedback"—positive meaning forward, not in a “good” way—would accelerate the planet’s warming into unprecedented levels:
“By taking this global perspective, we’re able to see that there is a feedback, and it’s actually going to be massive,” said Thomas Crowther, a researcher with the Netherlands Institute of Ecology who led the research published Wednesday.
But even these estimates may be too small. The extrapolation described above relied on a base analysis of the upper permafrost regions in the Arctic, to a depth of only about 10 cm. Assuming that warming also will impact deeper permafrost, then the release of carbon would increase by factors of magnitude, particularly in areas such as Siberia, which has massive layers of deep permafrost. Most of the previous research had been conducted in lower, warmer latitudes and reflected a smaller carbon loss. That is why this particular study—of higher latitudes—is so alarming.
The increased carbon emissions could conceivably be offset by increased vegetation—or thoughtful agricultural management—to “suck up” the CO2. However the study’s lead researcher, Thomas Crowther, and other experts quoted in the article don’t think that’s likely in our deforesting, frantically over-developing world:
“Our analysis provides empirical support for the long-held concern that rising temperatures stimulate the loss of soil C to the atmosphere, driving a positive land C–climate feedback that could accelerate planetary warming over the twenty-first century,” the paper reports.
This, in turn, may mean that even humans’ best efforts to cut their emissions could fall short, simply because there’s another source of emissions all around us. The very Earth itself.”
Crowther himself says the election of someone like Trump who denies the reality of man-made climate change is simply catastrophic at this point in time:
Dr Crowther, speaking to The Independent, branded Donald Trump’s sceptical stance on climate change as “catastrophic for humanity”.
“It’s fair to say we have passed the point of no return on global warming and we can’t reverse the effects, but certainly we can dampen them,” said the biodiversity expert.
But while Donald Trump and his entire cabinet may scoff at the idea of man-made climate change, the Earth doesn’t really care what Trump thinks. The Earth knows what's happening, and is reacting to it like a living organism under acute heat stress, literally gasping for breath.
For those that want to pluck this..........I might pluck it myself..........
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Post by johnrf on Dec 14, 2016 11:37:26 GMT -5
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Post by reuben on Dec 14, 2016 17:05:13 GMT -5
If you have a splinter you try to get it out, right? If you get food poisoning you puke it up, right? That's what the planet is starting to do.
The planet will win. We'll inflict horrible scars on it, but it will win.
We are killing ourselves. I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to explain to my grandson how we managed to fu*& up the planet so bad. In the past we did a lot of bad things out of ignorance - we just didn't know any better. Those are forgivable sins. But now we do know better. Well, at least some of us.
We reap what we sow. We no longer have a valid excuse for our behavior.
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Post by reuben on Dec 14, 2016 17:10:52 GMT -5
First, Rick Perry was going to abolish the Department of Energy. Then he couldn't remember that it existed (the famous debate "Oops"). Now he's going to run it. ArticleThen there's the witch hunt. Things that make ya go "Hmmm..."
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Post by johnrf on Dec 15, 2016 5:08:53 GMT -5
Couldn't agree more. All for profit.
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Post by desertwoman on Dec 15, 2016 12:32:37 GMT -5
The planet will win. We'll inflict horrible scars on it, but it will win. ...... In the past we did a lot of bad things out of ignorance - we just didn't know any better. Those are forgivable sins. But now we do know better. Well, at least some of us. We reap what we sow. We no longer have a valid excuse for our behavior. So true. Along with this I am also reeling from all that I am learning about Tillerson as Sec of State nominee. His tenure at Exxon has been purely for profit at the expense of the environment, human rights and the US government (not to mention his ties to Putin). I just want to shake people and say Pay Attention. This potential cabinet is not friends to the vast majority of ordinary citizens. What boggles my mind is how ill informed most people are, even seemingly educated people. They seem to be picking and choosing what they want to be informed about. That is disturbing to me.
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Post by octave1 on Dec 16, 2016 10:06:18 GMT -5
I love how Trump will be the agent of doom. He will certainly gain his place in history, like many others I am not going to mention.
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Post by lisaann on Dec 17, 2016 21:51:52 GMT -5
Doom? Who started DOOM? Who ends Doom?
I read and read, and hmmmmmmm..............
Well, NO haiku happening there.............
And well.......I wish I'd live long enough to see the end...........but maybe it's best if no one does?
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Post by octave1 on Dec 17, 2016 21:57:16 GMT -5
I don't know who started it, but he will perfect it.
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