In the last few years the world has experienced a "cooler period" since record high temperatures in summer 1998.

This has been used by global warming sceptics as proof that greenhouse gases are not causing a rise in temperatures.

However a new study by Nasa said the warming effect of greenhouse gases has been masked since 1998 because of a downward phase in the cycles of the sun that means there is less incoming sunlight and the El Nino weather pattern causing a cooling period over the Pacific.

But from this year solar activity will begin to pick up again and the El Nino phenomenon will cause storms and heat waves.

The research, to be published in Geophysical Research Letters, was carried out by Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies the US Naval Research Laboratory.

It adds to existing data from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that predicted temperatures will rise because of an increase in greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Because greenhouse gases stay in the atmosphere, temperatures are set to increase over the next few years because the world is producing more carbon dioxide.

The new study adds the effect of El Nino, which is entering a new warm phase and of the impact of the solar cycle.

Gareth Jones, a climate research scientist at the Met Office, said the effect of global warming is unlikely to be masked by shorter term weather patterns in the future.

He said that 50 per cent of the 10 years after 2011 will be warmer than 1998. After that any year cooler than 1998 will be considered unusual.

"The amount of warming we expect from human impacts is so huge that any natural phenomenon in the future is unlikely to counteract it in the long term," he said.

from Telegraph …

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There are of course neither satellite images nor instrumental records of the climate all the way back to the 13th century, but nature has its own 'archive' of the climate in both ice cores and the annual growth rings of trees and we humans have made records of a great many things over the years - such as observations in the log books of ships and in harbour records. Piece all of the information together and you get a picture of how much sea ice there has been throughout time.

Modern research and historic records

"We have combined information about the climate found in ice cores from an ice cap on Svalbard and from the annual growth rings of trees in Finland and this gave us a curve of the past climate" explains Aslak Grinsted, geophysicist with the Centre for Ice and Climate at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

In order to determine how much sea ice there has been, the researchers needed to turn to data from the logbooks of ships, which whalers and fisherman kept of their expeditions to the boundary of the sea ice. The ship logbooks are very precise and go all the way back to the 16th century. They relate at which geographical position the ice was found. Another source of information about the ice are records from harbours in Iceland, where the severity of the winters have been recorded since the end of the 18th century.

By combining the curve of the climate with the actual historical records of the distribution of the ice, researchers have been able to reconstruct the extent of the sea ice all the way back to the 13th century. Even though the 13th century was a warm period, the calculations show that there has never been so little sea ice as in the 20th century.

In the middle of the 17th century there was also a sharp decline in sea ice, but it lastet only a very brief period. The greatest cover of sea ice was in a period around 1700-1800, which is also called the 'Little Ice Age'.

"There was a sharp change in the ice cover at the start of the 20th century," explains Aslak Grinsted. He explains, that the ice shrank by 300.000 km2 in the space of ten years from 1910-1920. So you can see that there have been sudden changes throughout time, but here during the last few years we have had some record years with very little ice extent.

"We see that the sea ice is shrinking to a level which has not been seen in more than 800 years", concludes Aslak Grinsted.

from sciencedaily …

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The map is the culmination of an assessment carried out by the US Geological Survey (USGS). An estimated 30% of the world's undiscovered gas and 13% of its undiscovered oil may be in the Arctic, according to a map published on Friday.

Writing in the journal Science, its authors say the findings are "important to the interests of Arctic countries".

But, they add, they are unlikely to substantially shift the geographic pattern of world oil production.

According to the new map, the majority of oil is likely to be found underwater, on continental shelves.

Surrounding nations, including Russia, United States, Canada, Denmark and Norway, have all already sought to assert their jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic.

In 2007, two Russian civilian mini-submarines descended to the seabed to collect geological and water samples and to drop a titanium canister containing the Russian flag.

And do i still need to write that , due to this finding … there might be ( for which we are sure ) “conflicts of interests” in surrounding countries … lets hope that it don’t start any active war !!!

Some parts are From , BBC …

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The dinosaurs were wiped out by volcanoes that erupted in India about sixty five million years ago, according to new research.

For the last thirty years scientists have believed a giant meteorite that struck Chicxulub in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula was responsible for the mass extinction of species, including T Rex and its cousins.

But now Professor Gerta Keller says fossilized traces of plants and animals dug out of low lying hills at El Penon in northeastern Mexico show this event happened 300,000 years after the dinosaurs disappeared. Professor Keller said the meteorite, despite having a diameter spanning six miles, seems to have had no effect on any of the plant and animal life of the region whereas the volcano eruptions could have blocked sunlight, altered climate and caused acid rain. She said: 'Not a single species went extinct as a result of the Chicxulub impact.' research, which has taken twenty years, will stop the raging debate at the heart of the demise of the dinosaurs.

She said: 'The decades old controversy over the cause of the mass extinction will never achieve consensus.' Understanding what caused the dinosaurs to disappear remains a great mystery. Theories attempting to explain it include asteroid or cometary impacts, volcanoes, global climate change, rising sea levels and supernova explosions. Scientists know that at a point about 65 million years ago, some phenomenon triggered mass extinctions on the land and oceans.

Dr Richard Lane, of the US National Science Foundation's division of earth sciences which funded the research, said Prof Keller may be onto something. He said: 'Keller and colleagues continue to amass detailed stratigraphic information supporting new thinking about the Chicxulub impact and the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. The two may not be linked after all.'

This has been always point of world wide debate … many people have spent years … sometimes their whole life just to find one single answer … HOW DID DINOSOURS REALLY DIED ?? … and , many scientists have their theories … asteroid hit … global warming … disease  … ice age … climate change … evolution … and now … the volcano … but nobody has never ever got confidence or say 100% reliable proof that their conclusion is correct … all theories are just based on assumptions … well , lets hope that someday … we will really able to know how those dinos disappeared suddenly all over the planet … because it can give us idea of future of mankind …

from DailyMail …

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And here comes again … 22nd Day of April … some intellects ( or say paranoia  ) celebrates this day as an EARTH DAY … its kind of appreciation and awareness program in general …

Now you would ask … why the hell should we celebrate this day , right ?? … why should we care for something that is not alive … or something that never do anything for us … … but thing is , being human we should know that we are the only intellectual species present in the whole universe made of trillions and trillions of galaxies ( as on dated 04/22/09 on its true ) … just because of this blue planet , that gave us something that no other planet have … the atmosphere that supports life !!! …

But in thanks to that gift , what we have done ??? … well … we have contaminated its land , water and air from our toxic wastes , fuels and garbage … experimented and even used weapons of mass destructions … and raised the global warmth level at such a level that now ICE is melting at both north and south poles .. and might be resulting in global sea level raise !!! … we have even made our space a junk yard …

( Gaylord Nelson …. Founder of Earth day … )

But there were some people who originally thought and worried about this condition and tried to celebrate a day to bring general awareness in public for earth … ( that’s characteristic of HUMAN nature, we never remember things unless we have a day to celebrate … best example … we need a mother’s day or father’s day .. to remind us that we are not test tube babies .. right ??   soooooooooooooooooooo pathetic ) … anyways , wikipedia says first idea for celebration came in mind of a good senator of Wisconsin … Gaylord Nelson … and he said that something must be done for it .. it was year of 1970 ( the decades of social system revolutions )… he really tried and take initiative for making it the earth day … since then it has been celebrated every year … recycling , global warming , clean energy are some of thoughts derived from this movement during all these years of celebration …

Being citizen of 3rd rock … i really respect earth … and i do all i can do to make it less polluted ( because of me ) … by recycling things that can be recycled … by using renewable energy … by minimizing overall energy usage … by using good avg. car    !!! … by never keeping my pc ON for all night when i am not using it ???  … using natural fertilizer and pesticides for our little farm … and by all other means …

BTW … for people who don’t know , April 22nd is Birthday of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin … chairman of U.S.S.R. … ( and a person who have highly influenced RUSSIA and whole WORLD ) … and coincidently , year 1970 was his 100th B’day … so If you would have joined demonstration in 1970 , you might have been considered as a communist !!!

So finally on this Earth Day … i just wish that you too do something that can really help our environment … our earth … our home … and our children ( i’m still single ) …

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When First satellite … Sputnik I … was launched on October 4, 1957 into space no one in the world would had ever thought that after couple of decades we will have to take serious measures to remove this Junk that we send in space !!! But at present , it is perhaps one of the most notorious thing that scientist are worried about …

Space itself is a very dangerous place , why ??? may be because here if you got into any troubles then you won’t find any hospital in near by few thousands miles … or worse , you even won’t be able to see or predict the incoming danger !!!

The danger i am talking about here is a very small parts of waste materials from satellites , some are parts of dead satellite … or dead satellite itself ( as you may know that satellites are then tend to be dead or fail time to time !!! ) … these junk is known as SPACE DEBRIS  … it varies in size from a golf ball to say a football ?? … and it varies in form too … astronaut hand glove , camera , tools or toolbox or even garbage bags are some examples !!! The most talked space encounters that created space debris are , the most recent collision between IRIDIUM commercial satellite and Russian satellite which is the most discussed collision (BTW , speed of collision was 26,170 MPH !!! )… or anti-satellite weapon test by china … or same by USA …

Now imagine that such an un-controlled element get hit to another working satellite … or to a guy who just got out of space shuttle to stretch his leg !!! or even worse … a shuttle in process of entering earth’s atmosphere !!!  

At present at U.N. , they don’t have any rule “forced” for this kind of space junking … so unfortunately there are no standards for it and it solely depends upon individual space agency and its budget ( leaving waste behind is cheaper then brining it back to recycle )  … but there are some government organizations which look over and keep track of each of these debris such as Space Surveillance Network (SSN) part of US strategic air defense command center … 

Upto today , there were no major considerable “encounters” with these debris have be met … but space studies shows that in near future if they don’t take any preventive measures then soon the nightmare will become true … so talked International Space Station is equipped with defensive shield from this kind of “encounter” … known as WHIPPLE SHIELD …

Image below shows population of debris view from out of geosynchronous orbit of earth … gives the idea of population in space !!!

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Scientists said today the Antarctic ozone hole, caused largely by human pollution, is not showing any signs of recovery so far this year. Meanwhile, a separate study shows that nature itself is destroying ozone high in the atmosphere over Earth’s North Pole.

Ozone is a colorless gas that in the stratosphere (6 to 30 miles above the planet’s surface) absorbs harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Without the ozone,skin damage would suddenly be worse and the planet would be downright hostile to life as we know it. Holes, which are really areas where ozone is very thin, occur over each pole during their respective hemisphere’s spring. Typically these holes form when sunlight breaks up man-made chemicals, like chloroflurocarbons (or CFCs), and resulting gases such as chlorine destroy the ozone. But other naturally-occurring chemicals can also eat away at the ozone.

Strong winds

In March 2006, stronger-than usual winds circling high above the Arctic pulled ozone-destroying nitrogen oxides down in altitude some 30 miles, where they could attack ozone in the upper stratosphere, according to a study in the Sept. 27 issue of the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The destructive nitrogen oxides are created above the stratosphere when sunlight breaks up nitrogen and oxygen molecules. This finding shows that the winds have a greater impact on ozone levels than scientists previously thought. The destruction caused by the winds around the North Pole is only rivaled by the nearly 60 percent reduction in ozone molecules that occurred there in the winter of 2003-2004, when a series of powerful solar storms bombarded the region, creating higher levels of nitrogen oxides.

"We knew strong winds would lead to more [nitrogen oxides] in the stratosphere if there were solar storms, but seeing that much come down into the stratosphere when the sun was essentially quiet was amazing," said lead author Cora Randall of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

This upper-level destruction occurs far above the lower stratosphere’s CFC-induced ozone hole, and so doesn’t cause an immediate health threat. But it could have unanticipated climate consequences because the upper-level ozone usually heats up the stratosphere as it absorbs ultraviolet radiation, according to Randall. Human-induced climate change might also affect the strength of the polar winds, which could pull even more nitrogen oxides down into the stratosphere, she said.

"The atmosphere is part of a coupled system, and what affects one layer of the atmosphere can influence other layers in surprising ways," Randall said. "We will only be able to predict and understand the consequences of human activities if we study the entire system as a whole, not just in parts."

No Recovery over Antarctica

Studying the consequences of human activities on ozone is just what NASA scientists are doing at the bottom of the globe. Today, researchers released the latest image of the Antarctic ozone hole. Scientists have been monitoring the ozone hole’s annual maximum for signs of improvement since the Montreal Protocol, which phased out CFC’s, was passed 19 years ago.

"The Antarctic ozone hole will reach sizes on the order of 8-10 million square miles nearly every year until about 2018 or so," said Paul Newman, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. That area is larger that all of North America. Between 2020 and 2025, Newman expects to see detectable decreases in the hole’s size, but says it probably won’t reach normal levels until around 2070.

"So we will soon see what this year’s peak will reveal about the ozone hole and our ability to predict its development and recovery," Newman said. Meantime, in a statement, he and colleagues said: "Though it is still too early to tell, the 2006 Antarctic ozone hole has not shown any substantial signs of recovery."

from LiveScience …

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Rather than spreading out evenly across all the oceans, water from melted Antarctic ice sheets will gather around North America and the Indian Ocean. That's bad news for the US East Coast, which could bear the brunt of one of these oceanic bulges.

Many previous models of the rising sea levels due to climate change assumed that water from melted ice sheets and glaciers would simply run into the oceans and fill them uniformly. These models predict a 5-meter rise in sea levels if the West Antarctic ice sheet melts, but fail to acknowledge three important factors.

First, Jerry Mitrovica and colleagues from the University of Toronto in Canada considered the gravitational attraction of the Antarctic ice sheets on the surrounding water, which pulls it towards the South Pole. As the ice sheet melts, this bulge of water dissipates into surrounding oceans along with the melt water. So while the sea level near Antarctica will fall, sea levels away from the South Pole will rise.

Once the ice melts, the release of pressure could also cause the Antarctic continent to rise by 100 meters. And as the weight of the ice pressing down on the continental shelf is released, the rock will spring back, displacing seawater that will also spread across the oceans.

Redistributing this mass of water could even change the axis of the Earth's spin. The team estimates that the South Pole will shift by 500 meters towards the west of Antarctica, and the North Pole will shift in the opposite direction. Since the spin of the Earth creates bulges of oceanic water in the regions between the equator and the poles, these bulges will also shift slightly with the changing axis.

Washington awash

The upshot is that the North American continent and the Indian Ocean will experience the greatest changes in sea level - adding 1 or 2 meters to the current estimates. Washington DC sits squarely in this area, meaning it could face a 6.3-meter sea level rise in total. California will also be in the target zone.

"Policy-makers must realize that the effects could be greater or smaller in different areas," says team member Natalya Gomez. The team have so far only considered one ice sheet, so the effects of other ice sheets across the world could also have a similar impact, she says.

However, these models assume that all the West Antarctic sea ice will melt,  butPeter Convey from the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge points out this may not necessarily be the case. "It would be dangerously easy to get people to focus on the 6-meter figure, but it just might not happen like that," he says.

Jonathan Gregory from the University of Reading in the UK, who is part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, however, thinks the work should be helpful once this has been reliably evaluated.

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