Global CO2 Update

Current Global Monthly Mean CO₂

Weekly average CO₂ at Mauna Loa

• Week of May 27, 2012:     396.46 ppm
• Weekly value from 1 year ago:     394.11 ppm
• Weekly value from 10 years ago:     376.20 ppm

The graph, updated weekly, shows as individual points daily mean CO₂ up to and including the week (Sunday through Saturday) previous to today.

Recent Mauna Loa CO₂

• April 2012:     396.18 ppm
• April 2011:     393.28 ppm

Recent Global CO₂ (ESRL/NOAA)

• March 2012:     393.87 ppm
• March 2011:     391.46 ppm

The graph shows recent monthly mean carbon dioxide globally averaged over marine surface sites, as measured by the Global Monitoring Division of NOAA/ESRL.  The dashed red line with diamond symbols represents the monthly mean values, centered on the middle of each month. The black line with the square symbols represents the same, after correction for the average seasonal cycle.

Other Global Disasters, Significant Events

• Virginia, USA.  City of Hampton declared a state of emergency after a tornado struck Petersburg and Hampton, destroying or damaging dozens of building and causing injuries to residents.
  • The tornado left several families displaced and caused millions of dollars in damage.

• U.K.   Britain has undergone a moral decline over the past six decades, the Bishop of London has decried.
  • Ironically, the period coincides with Queen Elizabeth’s 60 year reign on the throne.
  • Promiscuity has reached “epidemic” levels. “Literally millions of children grow up without knowing a stable, loving, secure family life …,” he said.
  • “Dr Chartres also called for action to tackle ‘depressingly high’ youth unemployment in Britain,” said a report.
  • “The extent of youth unemployment is appalling. The waste of human talent is unsustainable morally and economically,” he said.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Thailand Flooding at ‘Crisis Level’

Worst ever flooding in Thailand threatens capital Bangkok

Rising floodwaters which have killed or injured hundreds of people and destroyed thousands of homes across Thailand are now threatening the capital Bangkok.

READ THIS FIRST

Continued hacking and content censorship

In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.

FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.

WordPress is HACKING this blog!

WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs

The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

United States of Censorship

Even Twitter Counters are disabled when Blog posts criticize Obama, or contain “forbidden phrases.”  See also: Google’s Top 10 List of ‘Holy Cows’

Disaster Calendar 2011 – October 8

[October 8, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,621 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Bangkok, Thailand. Rising floodwaters have killed or injured hundreds of people, destroyed thousands of homes across Thailand and are now threatening the capital Bangkok, the Prime Minister has warned.
• Floodwater has also destroyed millions of acres of crops, toppled bridges, severed rail links, shut dozens of highways and inundated the city of Ayutthaya.
• Government may be unable to cope because “the water volume is extraordinary and is beyond expectations.” Thailand’s new Prime Minister said, “it is now going to have a direct impact on Bangkok.”
• The floods which have triggered massive mudslides have killed at least 253 people, injured scores more and affected more than 8 million people in 60 of the country’s 77 provinces since late July, Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said.

Other Disasters

• Philippines.  Combined toll from two deadly typhoons, NESAT and NALGAE, which struck the Philippines last week  have climbed to at least 95, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
• Some than 85 are injured and 34 missing, the agency reported.
• The heaviest flooding occurred in the three rice-producing provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac, affecting more than 3 million people.
• About 110,000 people have been displaced.
• The government had earlier declared several provinces as disaster areas.
• Central African Republic. A cholera outbreak in the Central African Republic has claimed 16 lives, with 57 other cases reported, AFP said.

Related Links

• 3 million Filipinos affected by 2 typhoons

• Up to 10 Million People Affected in Pakistan Floods
• Pakistan flood death toll tops 1,000
• Unprecedented flooding in SW China forces 300,000 to evacuate
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• Unprecedented flooding in SW China forces 300,000 to evacuate
• Mega Heatwaves Could Kill Tens of Thousands in the U.S.  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

U.S. Drought Getting Deadlier

Drought Conditions to Worsen: FIRE-EARTH

Drought Conditions in the Southern U.S. Continue to Fuel Wildfires

Drought conditions are destroying or causing extensive damage to crops in the southern United States, fueling wildfires that have consumed about 8 million acres, so far this year, killing wildlife and farm animals alike, destroying thousands of homes and leaving tens of thousands of people displaced in at least a dozen states.

In the past 3 days States of Emergency have been declared in at least 87 counties spanning three states of Kansas, Oklahoma and North Carolina.

Kansas Drought

Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) designated 25 more Kansas counties as disaster areas due to crop damage caused by the ongoing drought.

Oklahoma Drought

Drought conditions and raging wildfires in Oklahoma prompted the Lt Gov to declare a state of emergency for 33 counties in that state.

North Carolina Drought

On Friday, N.C. Gov. declared a state of emergency in 29 counties due to drought conditions and raging wildfires.

• State of Emergency Declared in 29 North Carolina Counties
• State of Emergency Declared for 33 Oklahoma Counties
• Disaster Declared in 25 More Kansas Counties

U.S. Drought Map for June 21. Compared with the previous week (see below) the latest drought map show worsening drought conditions, in all categories (C0 -C4) throughout the stricken areas.

Note: US Drought Monitor defines drought as “a protracted period of deficient precipitation resulting in extensive damage to crops, resulting in loss of yield.”

U.S. Drought Map for June 14, 2011 included for comparison. (See above).

The Drought Monitor Report

According to the Drought Monitor report, 70 percent of Texas experienced “exceptional drought,” the worst level of drought, over the period June 17 – June 24, 2011.

Also 91 percent of the sate was stricken by either exceptional or “extreme” drought, the second-worst category.

Arizona was experiencing exceptional or extreme drought in 70 percent of its land up by 3 percent from the previous period.

Louisiana saw exceptional drought rising to 65 percent of the state, a near three-fold increase, and Oklahoma 35 percent, up from about 8 percent previously.

Drought Monitor Maps showing classification changes for selected time periods. Source: National Drought Mitigation Center/UNL. Click images to enlarge.

Drought Conditions to Worsen

FIRE-EARTH Climate Models show an exceptional worsening of drought conditions in the southern and western United States through October/November 2011.

External Links

• Texas Wildfires Could Cost $500 Million 
• The cost of wildfires in Arizona soars to more than $100 million
• “Right now, Georgia can’t afford any more wildfires”
• Cost to battle Duckett Fire estimated at $5.2 million

Related Links

• Massive Pender Fire Killing Many Animals
• U.S. Wildfires News and Blame Games
• WARNING: Global Disasters – June 21, 2011

• North America Fire and Smoke Hazards – June 20
• Wildfires Raging in Arizona, Alaska, NC, Georgia, Texas …
• U.S. Wildfires – June 21 Update
• U-S Drought: Mega Disaster Unfolding

• VEGETATION
• Weather
• Wildfires
• World Now

Mega Disasters:

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom

• 2010 Disasters
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion

U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather

Brace for the Worst Ever

Climatic  Extremes, Primeval Geophysical Activities and WILD Weather to Wreak Mega Havoc in 2011/2012 and Beyond …

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO POWER DOWN AND START THINKING HARD.

 Encourage your folks, friends and neighbors to join in!! BECAUSE  for most of us the GAME would be OVER soon.

Flooding and fires, earthquakes and eruptions, deadly tornadoes and strong storms … are just some of the items you’ve ordered from the climate change quick menu!

US Weather Warnings. Click image to enter NWS portal.

Spring-Like Storm System Targets Mississippi, Ohio Valleys Today

Kansas City, Mo., Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 – NOAA forecasters said a strong spring-like storm system will move from the Lower Mississippi River Valley into the Ohio River Valley today, bringing widespread precipitation to the eastern third of the country. The system will draw warm, moist, unstable air from the Gulf of Mexico, setting the stage for strong to severe thunderstorms over a large area of the southern Plains and Southeast. Up to 1-2 inches of rain can be expected over a sizeable area of the Midwest that had to contend with heavy rain and severe weather through the weekend.

Related Links:

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2011-2012 MegaDisasters

• FEWW Volcano Links
• Volcanoes
• FEWW Earthquake Links

Climate Forcing: Positive Feedback Mega Loop

Melting Snow and Ice Warm Northern Hemisphere by Allowing Earth to Soak Up More Energy

Click image to enlarge. Source: NASA-EO – Images acquired 1979 – 2008

• Download large Forcing image (601 KB, PDF)
• Download large Change in Forcing image (599 KB, PDF)

Climate Forcing

Mark Flanner of University of Michigan and his colleagues have reportedly been measuring the impact of climate forcing using satellite data collected over  the last 30 years.  “On average, the Northern Hemisphere now absorbs about 100 PetaWatts [10^17 Watts] more solar energy because of changes in snow and ice cover,” according to Flanner. [FIRE-EARTH cannot confirm the accuracy of Flanner’s  calculations. Moderator]

“The left image shows how much energy the Northern Hemisphere’s snow and ice—called the cryosphere—reflected on average between 1979 and 2008. Dark blue indicates more reflected energy, and thus more cooling. The Greenland ice sheet reflects more energy than any other single location in the Northern Hemisphere. The second-largest contributor to cooling is the cap of sea ice over the Arctic Ocean. The right image shows how the energy being reflected from the cryosphere has changed between 1979 and 2008. ” Source: NASA-EO

From: Earth’s Climate: A Solar Powered System

Of the 340 watts per square meter of solar energy that falls on the Earth, 29% is reflected back into space, primarily by clouds, but also by other bright surfaces and the atmosphere itself. About 23% of incoming energy is absorbed in the atmosphere by atmospheric gases, dust, and other particles. The remaining 48% is absorbed at the surface. (NASA illustration by Robert Simmon. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-8948.)

The surface absorbs about 48% of incoming sunlight. Three processes remove an equivalent amount of energy from the Earth’s surface: evaporation (25%), convection (5%), and thermal infrared radiation, or heat (net 17%). (NASA illustration by Robert Simmon. Photograph ©2006 Cyron.)

The atmosphere radiates the equivalent of 59% of incoming sunlight back to space as thermal infrared energy, or heat. Where does the atmosphere get its energy? The atmosphere directly absorbs about 23% of incoming sunlight, and the remaining energy is transferred from the Earth’s surface by evaporation (25%), convection (5%), and thermal infrared radiation (a net of 5-6%). The remaining thermal infrared energy from the surface (12%) passes through the atmosphere and escapes to space. (NASA illustration by Robert Simmon. Astronaut photograph ISS017-E-13859.)

On average, 340 watts per square meter of solar energy arrives at the top of the atmosphere. Earth returns an equal amount of energy back to space by reflecting some incoming light and by radiating heat (thermal infrared energy). Most solar energy is absorbed at the surface, while most heat is radiated back to space by the atmosphere. Earth’s average surface temperature is maintained by two large, opposing energy fluxes between the atmosphere and the ground (right)—the greenhouse effect. NASA illustration by Robert Simmon, adapted from Trenberth et al. 2009, using CERES flux estimates provided by Norman Loeb.)

Climate Forcings and Global Warming

(Source: Earth’s Energy Budget)

Any changes to the Earth’s climate system that affect how much energy enters or leaves the system alters Earth’s radiative equilibrium and can force temperatures to rise or fall. These destabilizing influences are called climate forcings. Natural climate forcings include changes in the Sun’s brightness, Milankovitch cycles (small variations in the shape of Earth’s orbit and its axis of rotation that occur over thousands of years), and large volcanic eruptions that inject light-reflecting particles as high as the stratosphere. Manmade forcings include particle pollution (aerosols), which absorb and reflect incoming sunlight; deforestation, which changes how the surface reflects and absorbs sunlight; and the rising concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which decrease heat radiated to space. A forcing can trigger feedbacks that intensify or weaken the original forcing. The loss of ice at the poles, which makes them less reflective, is an example of a feedback.

Things that change the balance between incoming and outgoing energy in the climate system are called forcings. Natural forcings include volcanic eruptions. Manmade forcings include air pollution and greenhouse gases. A climate forcing, such as greenhouse gas increases, may trigger feedbacks like the loss of sunlight-reflecting ice. (Photographs ©2008 antonio, ©2008 haglundc, and courtesy Mike Embree/National Science Foundation.)

For a list of references see original article:

• Climate and Earth’s Energy Budget

Related Blog Links:

• Energy Index
• Earth’s Terminal Energy – ETE

Related Links:

• 14% Less Solar Energy Reflected Back to Space
• Global Climate Extremes INTENSIFYING
• Earth’s Climate: A Solar Powered System
• Separate Records Confirm Warming Trend
• 2010 Tied For Warmest Year on Record: NOAA

Mega Disasters:

• Earth: Wounded and Feverish

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom

• 2010 Disasters
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2010 Disaster Calendar
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion