Graph of the Day: Rate of Temperature Change in the United States, 1901–2008

This figure shows how average air temperatures have changed in different parts of the United States since the early 20th century (since 1901 for the lower 48 states, 1905 for Hawaii, and 1918 for Alaska). Some parts of the United States have experienced more warming than others. The North, the West, and Alaska have seen […]

Oil spill permeates the Gulf’s most productive environments

By John Talberth and Stephen Posner on July 7, 2010 The BP oil spill will degrade critical ecosystem services and their economic benefits for decades to come. BP’s massive oil spill jeopardizes the underpinning of economic wealth in the Gulf of Mexico region – the diverse coastal and marine ecosystems that generate a bounty of […]

Heat waves could be commonplace in the US by 2039

  ScienceDaily (July 9, 2010) — Exceptionally long heat waves and other hot events could become commonplace in the United States in the next 30 years, according to a new study by Stanford University climate scientists. “Using a large suite of climate model experiments, we see a clear emergence of much more intense, hot conditions […]

30-year mortgage rates fall to record low

  By CalculatedRisk 7/08/2010 02:16:00 PM This graph shows the 30 year fixed rate mortgage interest rate from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey®. The red line is a quarterly estimate from the BEA of the effective rate of interest on all outstanding mortgages (Owner- and Tenant-occupied residential housing). The effective rate on outstanding […]

Graph of the Day: Observed and Projected Deforestation in Borneo, 1950-2020

In Indonesia, forests cover 463,000 square miles, which ranks behind only Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo in size. But rampant illegal logging has made those forests among the most endangered on the planet and has depressed timber prices worldwide. In the 1960s, about 82 percent of Indonesia was forested. By 1995, forest cover […]

NSIDC: June Arctic sea ice saw lowest extent and fastest rate of decline in the satellite record

This year will almost certainly set the record for lowest Arctic ice volume ever recorded (see “When things were rotten“).  But whether it will set the less important — but more visible — record for sea ice extent is less certain.  You can see how close 2010 is to 2007 now. On the one hand, […]

EPA dispersant tests show limited toxicity but questions remain

  By David BielloJul 1, 2010 09:21 AM The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released preliminary data Wednesday from its own toxicity testing for eight dispersants in a bid to corroborate potentially suspect industry-provided results. But questions remain about the safety of these chemicals that can be used to break up oil spills, including COREXIT 9500, […]

1979’s Ixtoc oil well blowout in Gulf of Mexico has startling parallels to current disaster

By Ramon Antonio Vargas, The Times-PicayunePublished: Sunday, July 04, 2010, 10:44 AM Some days, the oil sent a pungent odor over city streets, causing people headaches. Always, there was fear. Residents worried the crude would forever foul the sandy beaches dotting their shores and wipe out habitat for shrimp and fish in a place where […]

Graph of the Day: Arctic Sea Ice Volume Anomaly and Trend, 1979 – 18 June 2010

Sea Ice Volume is calculated using the Pan-Arctic Ice Ocean Modeling and Assimilation System (PIOMAS) developed at APL/PSC by Dr. J. Zhang and collaborators.  Anomalies for each day are calculated relative to the average over the 1979 -2009 period for that day to remove the annual cycle. The model mean seasonal cycle of sea ice […]

Emissions of greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide underestimated

  ScienceDaily (July 1, 2010) — The emission of the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide has been structurally underestimated, as a result of the measuring methods used. This is the conclusion of the scientist Petra Kroon, who carried out research for the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) and Delft University of Technology […]

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