Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 2, 2018 Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 It gives me the shivers reading about melting ice-caps and the water rising on planet Earth. Isabella Steger 8 hrs ago © Provided by Atlantic Media, Inc. It isn’t only Japan’s population that’s shrinking. Its territory is too. Residents living in the village of Sarufutsu in Hokkaido—almost as far north (paywall) as one can go in Japan—noticed in October that a tiny island just off its coast had gone missing. Japans coast guard said that the last time a survey was conducted of the island three decades ago, it measured about 1.4 meters above sea level. Japanese officials gave a name to the rock, Esanbe Hanakita Kojima, four years ago. It’s part of 158 uninhabited islands (link in Japanese) that Japan named then in order to clarify that they belong to the country. The potential disappearance of Esanbe Hanakita Kojima has Japanese officials worried because the islet forms part of Japan’s maritime boundary, meaning that the size of Japan’s territorial waters may have shrunk. The coast guard says it plans to investigate what happened to the island, broadcaster NHK reported. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, an island is defined as “a naturally formed area of land, surrounded by water, which is above water at high tide.” https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/a-small-japanese-island-has-disappeared/ar-BBPeYvP?ocid=chromentp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber nudge+ Posted November 2, 2018 Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 I once considered moving to Kiribati, ruled it out after learning that it could be the first country to be wiped out due to climate change; and it might happen in less than 50 years... They are one of the few nations that already started relocating their citizens as their homeland becoming uninhabitable is inevitable; it's just a question of time. Most of us might not live to see the worst consequences of climate change, but those in the Pacific islands are already being hit hard... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azeem Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 It will come back till Monday ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 A small island in Hawaii has gone too. Luckily that one was uninhabited, but still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honey Honey Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 It's happening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 2, 2018 Author Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 3 hours ago, nudge said: I once considered moving to Kiribati, ruled it out after learning that it could be the first country to be wiped out due to climate change; and it might happen in less than 50 years... They are one of the few nations that already started relocating their citizens as their homeland becoming uninhabitable is inevitable; it's just a question of time. Most of us might not live to see the worst consequences of climate change, but those in the Pacific islands are already being hit hard... I had to Google Kiribati and find out where it was located, in years to come islands like that and others may just disappear, haunting really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Berserker Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 10 minutes ago, Harvsky said: It's happening Which movie is that, Ron?, looks decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 2, 2018 Author Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 1 hour ago, Blue said: A small island in Hawaii has gone too. Luckily that one was uninhabited, but still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 2, 2018 Author Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 2 minutes ago, Berserker said: Which movie is that, Ron?, looks decent. Waterworld with Kevin Costner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber nudge+ Posted November 2, 2018 Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 17 minutes ago, CaaC - John said: I had to Google Kiribati and find out where it was located, in years to come islands like that and others may just disappear, haunting really. Yeah...they even bought some land in Fiji already in order to relocate the whole population. The problem is, Fiji faces the same destiny within just a few decades too... Same with Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands, and even the Maldives. All of them have been very vocal about climate change in all those global summits; but obviously they're far too small and irrelevant to put pressure on big countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 2, 2018 Author Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 7 minutes ago, nudge said: Yeah...they even bought some land in Fiji already in order to relocate the whole population. The problem is, Fiji faces the same destiny within just a few decades too... Same with Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands, and even the Maldives. All of them have been very vocal about climate change in all those global summits; but obviously they're far too small and irrelevant to put pressure on big countries. I read a few years back that the Earth will change, the plates shifting and bringing the continents all back together again like they were in 200Ma early Jurassic times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 2, 2018 Share Posted November 2, 2018 16 minutes ago, nudge said: Yeah...they even bought some land in Fiji already in order to relocate the whole population. The problem is, Fiji faces the same destiny within just a few decades too... Same with Tuvalu, Vanuatu and the Marshall Islands, and even the Maldives. All of them have been very vocal about climate change in all those global summits; but obviously they're far too small and irrelevant to put pressure on big countries. Is Fiji really facing this issue? Or just certain islands? I've always had Fiji as larger than your Micronesia'a or your Kiribas' etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber nudge+ Posted November 2, 2018 Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 16 minutes ago, CaaC - John said: I read a few years back that the Earth will change, the plates shifting and bringing the continents all back together again like they were in 200Ma early Jurassic times. Yes, Nat Geo ran a story on it a while ago too! It's amazing how everything in nature seem to run in cycles. Too bad we won't be here to see it haha! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber nudge+ Posted November 2, 2018 Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 19 minutes ago, Blue said: Is Fiji really facing this issue? Or just certain islands? I've always had Fiji as larger than your Micronesia'a or your Kiribas' etc. Yes. Fiji might be a bit more stable and less vulnerable compared to other small island states, but their main island is already being threatened by the rise of sea levels. Their second largest island is even worse, with certain coastal villages already evacuated and relocated to higher grounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 2, 2018 Author Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 Funny how mankind has formed from this... To this (well, some of us anyway)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber nudge+ Posted November 2, 2018 Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Batard Posted November 2, 2018 Administrator Share Posted November 2, 2018 It is indeed cyclical, scientists have long theorized that the planet naturally incurs ice ages due to natural global warming. However as a species, we’re expediting that process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted November 2, 2018 Author Subscriber Share Posted November 2, 2018 Science & Environment Climate change: Oceans 'soaking up more heat than estimated' By Matt McGrathEnvironment correspondent 1 November 2018 The world has seriously underestimated the amount of heat soaked up by our oceans over the past 25 years, researchers say. Their study suggests that the seas have absorbed 60% more than previously thought. They say it means the Earth is more sensitive to fossil fuel emissions than estimated. This could make it much more difficult to keep global warming within safe levels this century. What is climate change? Final call to halt 'climate catastrophe' Risk of 'Hothouse Earth' despite CO2 cuts What have the researchers found? According to the last major assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the world's oceans have taken up over 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. But this new study says that every year, for the past 25 years, we have put about 150 times the amount of energy used to generate electricity globally into the seas - 60% more than previous estimates. That's a big problem. Scientists base their predictions about how much the Earth is warming by adding up all the excess heat that is produced by the known amount of greenhouse gases that have been emitted by human activities. This new calculation shows that far more heat than we thought has been going into oceans. But it also means that far more heat than we thought has been generated by the warming gases we have emitted. Therefore more heat from the same amount of gas means the Earth is more sensitive to CO2. What are the implications of the finding? The researchers involved in the study believe the new finding will make it much harder to keep within the temperature rise targets set by governments in the Paris agreement. Recently the IPCC spelled out clearly the benefits to the world of keeping below the lower goal of 1.5C relative to pre-industrial levels. This new study says that will be very difficult indeed. "It is a big concern," said lead author Dr. Laure Resplandy from Princeton University in New Jersey. "If you look at the IPCC 1.5C, there are big challenges ahead to keep those targets, and our study suggests it's even harder because we close the window for those lower pathways." The report suggests that to prevent temperatures rising above 2C, carbon emissions from human activities must be reduced by 25% more than previously estimated. What does it mean for the oceans? As well as potentially making it more difficult to keep warming below 1.5 or even 2C this century, all that extra heat going into the oceans will prompt some significant changes in the waters. "A warmer ocean will hold less oxygen, and that has implications for marine ecosystems," said Dr. Resplandy. "There is also sea level, if you warm the ocean more you will have more thermal expansion and therefore more sea level rise." What have these scientists done differently? Since 2007, scientists have been able to rely on a system of almost 4,000 Argo floats that record temperature and salinity in the oceans around the world. But prior to this, the methods used to measure the heat in the ocean had many flaws and uncertainties. Now, researchers have developed what they say is a highly precise method of detecting the temperature of the ocean by measuring the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air. This allows them to accurately measure ocean temperatures globally, dating back to 1991, when accurate data from a global network of stations became available. The key element is the fact that as waters get warmer they release more carbon dioxide and oxygen into the air. "When the ocean warms, the amount of these gases that the ocean is able to hold goes down," said Dr. Resplandy. "So what we measured was the amount lost by the oceans, and then we can calculate how much warming we need to explain that change in gases." Will the heat ever come back out? Yes, say the authors, but over a very long time. "The heat stored in the ocean will eventually come back out if we start cooling the atmosphere by reducing the greenhouse effect," said Dr Resplandy. "The fact that the ocean holds so much heat that can be transferred back to the atmosphere makes it harder for us to keep the Earth surface temperature below a certain target in the future. "The ocean circulation that controls the ocean heat uptake/release operates on time scales of centuries, meaning that ocean heat would be released for the centuries to come." How have other scientists responded to the findings? With some concern. "The authors have a very strong track record and very solid reputation... which lends the story credibility," said Prof Sybren Drijfhout at the UK's National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. "The updated estimate is indeed worrying in terms of how likely it is that society can meet 1.5 and 2-degree targets as it shifts the lower bound of climate sensitivity upward." Others say that further work is required. "The uncertainty in the ocean heat content change estimate is still large, even when using this new independent method, which also has uncertainties," said Thomas Froelicher from the University of Bern, Switzerland. "The conclusion about a potential higher climate sensitivity and potentially less allowable carbon emission to stay below 2C should stimulate further investigation." The study has been published in the journal Nature. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46046067 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toinho Posted November 3, 2018 Share Posted November 3, 2018 Hey guys, oh boy am I glad I didn’t live on that little island (because I spent some time living in Japan for those who didn’t know). @DeadLinesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.