Latest news with #atmosphere
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
The intriguing phenomena we can see in the skies this week
The summer evenings offer us the opportunity to sight some rather intriguing and beguiling phenomena. Noctilucent clouds, (NLCs), make for an interesting spectacle after sunset, observable with the naked eye and quite eerie in appearance. Around two hours after the Sun has set and looking above the northwest horizon, watch for wispy threads of cloud with a distinct blue and silver tinge to them. Taken from the Latin for 'night-shining', NLCs are formed by sunlight reflecting off high-altitude ice crystals that are positioned right on the edge of space. The time period after sunset is crucial if we are to catch NLCs, as around 90 minutes to two hours after the Sun has dipped below the horizon is when the necessary angle occurs for sunlight to catch the crystals and illuminate that part of the sky with this enchanting effect. The beautiful and captivating sight sees the highest clouds in our atmosphere, about 50 miles above the Earth's surface, seem to glow and shimmer with this mesmerizing blue or silvery guise. In the summertime the mesosphere, (the third layer of the Earth's atmosphere where meteorites burn up), becomes cold enough to allow ice to form on suspended dust particles that are floating around in the clouds. These particles may originate from meteorites falling from space, but equally so from other sources, possible volcanic, with the recent Mount Etna eruption billowing tons of debris into the atmosphere. In fact, the first NLCs observations were recorded in 1885, two years after the eruption of Krakatoa, which may or may not have something to do with their appearance. Eruptions aside, rockets that have blasted off from Earth leave particle emissions from their exhaust systems, all contributing to the array of debris circulating in our atmosphere. NLC's have been given a different name when seen from space looking back on Earth; polar mesospheric clouds, or (PMCs). However, the Earth is not the only place NLC's have been witnessed. Launched in June 2003, Mars Express was not only the first European mission to Mars, but the first planetary mission operated entirely by Europe. There were reports of NLC's made three years into the Mars Express mission in 2006, with NASA's Curiosity Mars rover confirming the presence of NLC's in 2019. Readers may well recall all the media hype over Asteroid 2024 YR4, which earlier this year was once considered the highest impact risk to Earth ever recorded. Earlier this week, NASA announced that previously collected data on the asteroid that has been reanalysed now reveals that the 174 to 220 feet-long chunk of rock is more likely to hit the Moon in 2032. During the week ahead, watch for Mars in the evening sky as it moves its way slowly night by night, left to right, above the bright star Regulus in the constellation of Leo, the Lion, situated above the western horizon. The International Space Station continues its early summer break and cannot be seen across our region at present. Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@
Bloomberg
16 hours ago
- Climate
- Bloomberg
No, Renewables Didn't Cause Spain's Grid Blackout
Confronted by an unprecedented and alarming situation, it can be hard to resist simplistic explanations. Blaming thunder and lightning on warring gods, as the ancients did, misses the real reason: that clouds can build up electrical voltages thousands of times higher than you'll find in a power line.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists looked back in time to find the first signs of human-caused global warming. It's far earlier than previously thought
The human fingerprint on global warming was likely evident in Earth's atmosphere far earlier than previously thought—even before the invention of modern cars, a new study says. Using a combination of scientific theory, modern observations and multiple, sophisticated computer models, researchers found a clear signal of human-caused climate change was likely discernible with high confidence as early as 1885, just before the advent of gas-powered cars but after the dawn of the industrial revolution. The findings, detailed in a paper published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raise the likelihood that humanity has been remaking the planet's climate in a detectable way for longer than previously believed—and highlight the importance of tracking changes in the upper atmosphere. Scientists had begun to record surface temperature observations by the mid-19th century. The start date for a detectable human signal in surface temperatures has generally been thought to be in the early-to-mid-20th century, though other parts of the climate system showed signs of change at different times. For this study, the veteran climate researchers posed the question: With the observational tools of today, when is the earliest that the signs of human-caused climate change would have been detectable in the atmosphere? The study looked specifically at signals in the stratosphere – the second level of the atmosphere. Most weather occurs in the lowest level, the troposphere. While greenhouse gas emissions warm the lower atmosphere, they exert the opposite effect on the stratosphere, particularly its upper regions. Researchers used this knowledge to examine climate models looking back in time for signs of these effects. The findings surprised lead author Ben Santer and co-author Susan Solomon, who did not expect to find such a clear human signal in the upper atmosphere so early in the climate record. 'It was surprising, really surprising to me the answer that we could have identified with high confidence a human-caused stratospheric cooling signal within 25 years of the start of monitoring, if we had back then in 1860 the measuring capability that we have today,' Santer, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said. The signal of climate change was detectable in the 19th-century atmosphere after just a 10 parts per million increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the 40 years between 1860 and 1899. For comparison, planet-warming carbon dioxide levels skyrocketed by about 50 parts per million between 2000 and 2025, Santer said. Overall, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have increased by about 140 parts per million since the initially detectible point the scientists pinpointed. 'The results show it would have been detectable very quickly,' said Gabi Hegerl of the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved with the new paper. 'This highlights the strong influence that greenhouse gas increases have on the upper atmosphere compared to the variability there.' Andrea Steiner, a climate scientist at the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz in Austria, told CNN the study shows human-caused climate change can be detected earlier in the atmosphere than at the surface. 'This confirms that temperature change signals of the atmosphere are effective not only for detection, but also as early indicators of the success of climate mitigation efforts,' she said. Steiner was not involved in the new study. Both Santer and Solomon emphasized the results show the importance of continuing to closely monitor the upper atmosphere. That message comes at a time of steep scientific budget cuts, when crucial climate satellites and research programs are being targeted. This is particularly the case in the NOAA, NASA and Department of Energy budget proposals, Santer noted. The NOAA budget proposal, for example, would eliminate the air and oceans agency's research division, which includes carbon dioxide monitoring functions. In addition, the Trump administration's NASA budget proposal would cut some climate-relevant satellite missions, while stripping future NOAA satellites of climate science sensors. 'I do think it's important for non-scientists to know what's at stake here. That when we lose the capability to measure and monitor how our world is changing, it makes us all less safe,' Santer said.
CNN
4 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Fingerprint of human-caused global warming was likely detectable 140 years ago, far earlier than previously thought
The human fingerprint on global warming was likely evident in Earth's atmosphere far earlier than previously thought—even before the invention of modern cars, a new study says. Using a combination of scientific theory, modern observations and multiple, sophisticated computer models, researchers found a clear signal of human-caused climate change was likely discernible with high confidence as early as 1885, just before the advent of gas-powered cars but after the dawn of the industrial revolution. The findings, detailed in a paper published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raise the likelihood that humanity has been remaking the planet's climate in a detectable way for longer than previously believed—and highlight the importance of tracking changes in the upper atmosphere. Scientists had begun to record surface temperature observations by the mid-19th century. The start date for a detectable human signal in surface temperatures has generally been thought to be in the early-to-mid-20th century, though other parts of the climate system showed signs of change at different times. For this study, the veteran climate researchers posed the question: With the observational tools of today, when is the earliest that the signs of human-caused climate change would have been detectable in the atmosphere? The study looked specifically at signals in the stratosphere – the second level of the atmosphere. Most weather occurs in the lowest level, the troposphere. While greenhouse gas emissions warm the lower atmosphere, they exert the opposite effect on the stratosphere, particularly its upper regions. Researchers used this knowledge to examine climate models looking back in time for signs of these effects. The findings surprised lead author Ben Santer and co-author Susan Solomon, who did not expect to find such a clear human signal in the upper atmosphere so early in the climate record. 'It was surprising, really surprising to me the answer that we could have identified with high confidence a human-caused stratospheric cooling signal within 25 years of the start of monitoring, if we had back then in 1860 the measuring capability that we have today,' Santer, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said. The signal of climate change was detectable in the 19th-century atmosphere after just a 10 parts per million increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the 40 years between 1860 and 1899. For comparison, planet-warming carbon dioxide levels skyrocketed by about 50 parts per million between 2000 and 2025, Santer said. Overall, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have increased by about 140 parts per million since the initially detectible point the scientists pinpointed. 'The results show it would have been detectable very quickly,' said Gabi Hegerl of the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved with the new paper. 'This highlights the strong influence that greenhouse gas increases have on the upper atmosphere compared to the variability there.' Andrea Steiner, a climate scientist at the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz in Austria, told CNN the study shows human-caused climate change can be detected earlier in the atmosphere than at the surface. 'This confirms that temperature change signals of the atmosphere are effective not only for detection, but also as early indicators of the success of climate mitigation efforts,' she said. Steiner was not involved in the new study. Both Santer and Solomon emphasized the results show the importance of continuing to closely monitor the upper atmosphere. That message comes at a time of steep scientific budget cuts, when crucial climate satellites and research programs are being targeted. This is particularly the case in the NOAA, NASA and Department of Energy budget proposals, Santer noted. The NOAA budget proposal, for example, would eliminate the air and oceans agency's research division, which includes carbon dioxide monitoring functions. In addition, the Trump administration's NASA budget proposal would cut some climate-relevant satellite missions, while stripping future NOAA satellites of climate science sensors. 'I do think it's important for non-scientists to know what's at stake here. That when we lose the capability to measure and monitor how our world is changing, it makes us all less safe,' Santer said.
CNN
4 days ago
- Science
- CNN
Fingerprint of human-caused global warming was likely detectable 140 years ago, far earlier than previously thought
The human fingerprint on global warming was likely evident in Earth's atmosphere far earlier than previously thought—even before the invention of modern cars, a new study says. Using a combination of scientific theory, modern observations and multiple, sophisticated computer models, researchers found a clear signal of human-caused climate change was likely discernible with high confidence as early as 1885, just before the advent of gas-powered cars but after the dawn of the industrial revolution. The findings, detailed in a paper published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raise the likelihood that humanity has been remaking the planet's climate in a detectable way for longer than previously believed—and highlight the importance of tracking changes in the upper atmosphere. Scientists had begun to record surface temperature observations by the mid-19th century. The start date for a detectable human signal in surface temperatures has generally been thought to be in the early-to-mid-20th century, though other parts of the climate system showed signs of change at different times. For this study, the veteran climate researchers posed the question: With the observational tools of today, when is the earliest that the signs of human-caused climate change would have been detectable in the atmosphere? The study looked specifically at signals in the stratosphere – the second level of the atmosphere. Most weather occurs in the lowest level, the troposphere. While greenhouse gas emissions warm the lower atmosphere, they exert the opposite effect on the stratosphere, particularly its upper regions. Researchers used this knowledge to examine climate models looking back in time for signs of these effects. The findings surprised lead author Ben Santer and co-author Susan Solomon, who did not expect to find such a clear human signal in the upper atmosphere so early in the climate record. 'It was surprising, really surprising to me the answer that we could have identified with high confidence a human-caused stratospheric cooling signal within 25 years of the start of monitoring, if we had back then in 1860 the measuring capability that we have today,' Santer, of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said. The signal of climate change was detectable in the 19th-century atmosphere after just a 10 parts per million increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the 40 years between 1860 and 1899. For comparison, planet-warming carbon dioxide levels skyrocketed by about 50 parts per million between 2000 and 2025, Santer said. Overall, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have increased by about 140 parts per million since the initially detectible point the scientists pinpointed. 'The results show it would have been detectable very quickly,' said Gabi Hegerl of the University of Edinburgh, who was not involved with the new paper. 'This highlights the strong influence that greenhouse gas increases have on the upper atmosphere compared to the variability there.' Andrea Steiner, a climate scientist at the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz in Austria, told CNN the study shows human-caused climate change can be detected earlier in the atmosphere than at the surface. 'This confirms that temperature change signals of the atmosphere are effective not only for detection, but also as early indicators of the success of climate mitigation efforts,' she said. Steiner was not involved in the new study. Both Santer and Solomon emphasized the results show the importance of continuing to closely monitor the upper atmosphere. That message comes at a time of steep scientific budget cuts, when crucial climate satellites and research programs are being targeted. This is particularly the case in the NOAA, NASA and Department of Energy budget proposals, Santer noted. The NOAA budget proposal, for example, would eliminate the air and oceans agency's research division, which includes carbon dioxide monitoring functions. In addition, the Trump administration's NASA budget proposal would cut some climate-relevant satellite missions, while stripping future NOAA satellites of climate science sensors. 'I do think it's important for non-scientists to know what's at stake here. That when we lose the capability to measure and monitor how our world is changing, it makes us all less safe,' Santer said.
