Coral reefs have long been thought to be unusually sensitive to the effects of global warming — but as it turns out, they’re not as helpless as we thought. According to new research published in Nature, when they’re under stress, coral can emit a chemical that cools down the local climate.
The chemical is called dimethylsulfoniopropionate, or DMSP, and it can increase the production of clouds in the coral’s immediate area by seeding the atmosphere with sulfur aerosols, which water vapor condenses around. More clouds mean cooler temperatures — not overall, alas (we can’t rely on coral to clean up our messes), but in the local area and the short term.
Of course, that means that the more coral die from global warming, the fewer resources they’ll have. But maybe that will cause so much stress that they’ll pump out DMSP at an even faster rate! Man, if only we could all produce stress-related chemicals that temporarily alleviated whatever was bugging us.
By Jason Samenow
If you have any doubt the balance of the globe has warmed over the last century, view this chart:
Produced by NASA, the chart illustrates how temperatures have compared to “normal” (or the 1951-1980 average) from 1880 to present, from pole to pole (-90 latitude to 90 latitude).
From the 1880 to the 1920s, blue and green shades dominate the chart, signaling cooler than normal temperatures in that era. Then, from the 1930s to the 1970s, warmer yellow, oranges, and reds shades ooze in, balancing the cooler shades.
But since the 1970s, the blue and green shades rapidly erode and oranges and reds take over, dramatically.
The rapid warming at the northern high latitudes especially jumps out in recent decades, reflecting “Arctic amplification” or more intense warming in the Arctic. Although the warming is most pronounced up north, it is apparent at almost every latitude.
(And yes, you can even sense the much discussed slow-down in the rate of warming over the last 10-20 years as the coverage of oranges and reds has remained pretty static)
Of course, it is widely accepted the Earth has warmed in the last century. Or, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change put it in 2007, the warming of the climate system is “unequivocal.”
But even as the debate has moved on from whether warming has occurred to the effects, there remain some doubters. Show them this this chart – it packs an incredible amount of data into one tidy, irrefutable visual.
Reposted From The Washington Post
We are all fully aware of the impact of greenhouse gases upon global warming and climate change. Mankind is doing their part to reduce emissions by making energy saving choices, including recycling waste, buying energy efficient appliances, reducing heating bills and electricity usage and harnessing the power of renewable energy sources. But one factor that we’ve been unable to eliminate is the influence of agriculture, including cattle. Ground breaking research, however, aims to change this… using beetles.
Agriculture is one of the greatest sources of greenhouse gases, since we rear vast herds of cattle for harvesting meat and acquiring milk. Cows release methane gases, during flatulence and when burping. The amount of gas released is quite substantial, resulting from the slow digestive process within the ruminating beast. It is estimated that a cow can produce as much as 100 to 200 liters per day, leading a number of scientists to compare the polluting potential of cattle to that of vehicles.
Cattle Global Warming Methane Emissions
We are all fully aware of the impact of greenhouse gases upon global warming and
climatechange. Mankind is doing their part to reduce emissions by making energy saving choices, including recycling waste, buying energy efficient appliances, reducing heating bills and electricity usage and harnessing the power of renewable energy sources. But one factor that we’ve been unable to eliminate is the influence of agriculture, including cattle. Ground breaking research, however, aims to change this… using beetles.
Agriculture is one of the greatest sources of greenhouse gases, since we rear vast herds of cattle for harvesting meat and acquiring milk. Cows release methane gases, during flatulence and when burping. The amount of gas released is quite substantial, resulting from the slow digestive process within the ruminating beast. It is estimated that a cow can produce as much as 100 to 200 liters per day, leading a number of scientists to compare the polluting potential of cattle to that of vehicles.
Dung Beetle Involved In Reducing EmissionsIn addition, much of the methane is also derived from a cow’s excretions, worsening the methane-producers’ contribution to pollution and, therefore, global warming. Methane has a much higher impact upon global warming than carbon dioxide, as it is more effective at trapping radiation from the sun.
Once this methane is released, as with carbon dioxide, it becomes trapped within the Earth’s atmosphere and causes an elevation in the temperature.
Researchers from the University of Helsinki have identified a beetle that might just be the answer to our prayers. One of the scientists involved in the study during his Masters degree, Atte Penttilä, argues that dung beetles may serve a higher purpose than simply rolling around in the muck. Penttilä maintains that a dung beetle’s propensity towards tunneling through dung deposits may aid in reducing methane emissions. Methane is released under anaerobic conditions, where oxygen is scarce. A foraging beetle exposes much of the cow dung to oxygen and enhances aerobic decomposition, hence, reducing methane production. Theoretically, these beetles could help reduce global warming caused by cattle.
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