Fight global warming and food shortage with biochar:
Donnerstag, 29. April 2010
Montag, 26. April 2010
Superdirt Made Lost Amazon Cities Possible?
National Geographic News: NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/NEWS
Superdirt Made Lost Amazon Cities Possible?
John Roach for National Geographic News
Centuries-old European explorers' tales of lost cities in the Amazon have long been dismissed by scholars, in part because the region is too infertile to feed a sprawling civilization.
But new discoveries support the idea of an ancient Amazonian urban network—and ingeniously engineered soil may have made it all possible.
Now scientists are trying to recreate the recipe for the apparently human-made supersoil, which still covers up to 10 percent of the Amazon Basin. Key ingredients included of dirt, charcoal, pottery, human excrement and other waste.
If recreated, the engineered soil could feed the hungry and may even help fight global warming, experts suggest.
Before 1492
Scientists have long thought the river basin's tropical soils were too acidic to grow anything but the hardiest varieties of manioc, a potatolike staple. But over the past several decades, researchers have discovered tracts of productive terra preta—"dark earth." The human-made soil's chocolaty color contrasts sharply with the region's natural yellowish soils.
Research in the late 1980s was the first to show that charcoal made from slow burns of trees and woody waste is the key ingredient of terra preta.
With the increased level of agriculture made possible by terra preta, ancient Amazonians would have been able to live in one place for long periods of time, said geographer and anthropologist William Woods of the University of Kansas.
"As a result you get social stratification, hierarchy, intertwined settlement systems, very large scale," added Woods, who studies ancient Amazonian settlements.
"And then," he said, "1492 happens." The arrival of Europeans brought disease and warfare that obliterated the ancient Amazonian civilizations and sent the few survivors deep into the rain forest to live as hunter-gatherers.
"It completely changed their way of living," Woods said.
Magic Soil?
Today scientists are racing to tease apart the terra-preta recipe. The special soil has been touted as a way to restore more sustainable farming to the Amazon, feed the world's hungry, and combat global warming.
The terra-preta charcoal, called biochar, attracts certain fungi and microorganisms.
Those tiny life-forms allow the charcoal to absorb and retain nutrients that keep the soil fertile for hundreds of years, said Woods, whose team is among a few trying to identify the crucial microorganisms.
"The materials that go into the terra preta are just part of the story. The living member of it is much more," he said.
For one thing, the microorganisms break up the charcoal into smaller pieces, creating more surface area for nutrients to cling to, Woods said.
Anti-Global-Warming Weapon?
Soil scientist Johannes Lehmann of Cornell University is also racing to recreate terra preta.
The Amazonian dark soils, he said, are hundreds to thousands of years old, yet to this day they retain their nutrients and carbons, which are held mainly by the charcoal.
This suggests that adding biochar could help other regions of the world with acidic soils to increase agricultural yields.
Plus, Lehmann said, biochar could help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere from the burning of wild lands to create new farm fields. (Learn how greenhouse gas emissions may worsen global warming.)
For example, specialized power plants could char agricultural wastes to generate electricity.
The process would "lock" much carbon that would have otherwise escaped into the atmosphere in the biochar. The biochar could then be put underground, in a new form of terra preta, thereby sequestering the carbon for centuries, Lehmann suggests.
Current Amazonian farming relies heavily on slash-and-burn agriculture—razing forests, then burning all of what's left.
By reverting to the ancient slash-and-char method—burning slowly and then mixing the charcoal into the soil—Amazonian carbon dioxide emissions could be cut nearly in half, according to Woods, of the University of Kansas.
With slash-and-burn, he noted, 95 percent of the carbon stored in a tree is emitted to the atmosphere. Slash-and-char emits about 50 percent, he said.
"The rest is put into different forms of black carbon, most of which are chemically inert for long periods of time—thousands of years."
In addition, the technique would allow many farmers to stay sedentary, Woods said.
Because the soil would apparently remain fertile for centuries, "they don't have to cut down the forest constantly and send it up into the atmosphere," he said.
© 1996-2008 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
Superdirt Made Lost Amazon Cities Possible?
John Roach for National Geographic News
Centuries-old European explorers' tales of lost cities in the Amazon have long been dismissed by scholars, in part because the region is too infertile to feed a sprawling civilization.
But new discoveries support the idea of an ancient Amazonian urban network—and ingeniously engineered soil may have made it all possible.
Now scientists are trying to recreate the recipe for the apparently human-made supersoil, which still covers up to 10 percent of the Amazon Basin. Key ingredients included of dirt, charcoal, pottery, human excrement and other waste.
If recreated, the engineered soil could feed the hungry and may even help fight global warming, experts suggest.
Before 1492
Scientists have long thought the river basin's tropical soils were too acidic to grow anything but the hardiest varieties of manioc, a potatolike staple. But over the past several decades, researchers have discovered tracts of productive terra preta—"dark earth." The human-made soil's chocolaty color contrasts sharply with the region's natural yellowish soils.
Research in the late 1980s was the first to show that charcoal made from slow burns of trees and woody waste is the key ingredient of terra preta.
With the increased level of agriculture made possible by terra preta, ancient Amazonians would have been able to live in one place for long periods of time, said geographer and anthropologist William Woods of the University of Kansas.
"As a result you get social stratification, hierarchy, intertwined settlement systems, very large scale," added Woods, who studies ancient Amazonian settlements.
"And then," he said, "1492 happens." The arrival of Europeans brought disease and warfare that obliterated the ancient Amazonian civilizations and sent the few survivors deep into the rain forest to live as hunter-gatherers.
"It completely changed their way of living," Woods said.
Magic Soil?
Today scientists are racing to tease apart the terra-preta recipe. The special soil has been touted as a way to restore more sustainable farming to the Amazon, feed the world's hungry, and combat global warming.
The terra-preta charcoal, called biochar, attracts certain fungi and microorganisms.
Those tiny life-forms allow the charcoal to absorb and retain nutrients that keep the soil fertile for hundreds of years, said Woods, whose team is among a few trying to identify the crucial microorganisms.
"The materials that go into the terra preta are just part of the story. The living member of it is much more," he said.
For one thing, the microorganisms break up the charcoal into smaller pieces, creating more surface area for nutrients to cling to, Woods said.
Anti-Global-Warming Weapon?
Soil scientist Johannes Lehmann of Cornell University is also racing to recreate terra preta.
The Amazonian dark soils, he said, are hundreds to thousands of years old, yet to this day they retain their nutrients and carbons, which are held mainly by the charcoal.
This suggests that adding biochar could help other regions of the world with acidic soils to increase agricultural yields.
Plus, Lehmann said, biochar could help reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere from the burning of wild lands to create new farm fields. (Learn how greenhouse gas emissions may worsen global warming.)
For example, specialized power plants could char agricultural wastes to generate electricity.
The process would "lock" much carbon that would have otherwise escaped into the atmosphere in the biochar. The biochar could then be put underground, in a new form of terra preta, thereby sequestering the carbon for centuries, Lehmann suggests.
Current Amazonian farming relies heavily on slash-and-burn agriculture—razing forests, then burning all of what's left.
By reverting to the ancient slash-and-char method—burning slowly and then mixing the charcoal into the soil—Amazonian carbon dioxide emissions could be cut nearly in half, according to Woods, of the University of Kansas.
With slash-and-burn, he noted, 95 percent of the carbon stored in a tree is emitted to the atmosphere. Slash-and-char emits about 50 percent, he said.
"The rest is put into different forms of black carbon, most of which are chemically inert for long periods of time—thousands of years."
In addition, the technique would allow many farmers to stay sedentary, Woods said.
Because the soil would apparently remain fertile for centuries, "they don't have to cut down the forest constantly and send it up into the atmosphere," he said.
© 1996-2008 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.
Samstag, 27. März 2010
Dealing in Doubt | Greenpeace International
Dealing in Doubt | Greenpeace International
By Jim Hoggan
Greenpeace released a terrific report today on the 20-year campaign by polluters to mislead the public by creating the climate denial industry.
The new report succinctly explains how fossil fuel interests used the tobacco industry’s playbook and an extensive arsenal of lobbyists and “experts” for hire in order to manufacture disinformation designed to confuse the public and stifle action to address climate change.
In the report, titled "Dealing in Doubt: The Climate Denial Industry and Climate Science," Greenpeace provides a brief history of the attacks waged by polluting industries against climate science, the IPCC and individual scientists.
ExxonMobil deservedly gets special attention for its role as the ringleader of the "campaign of denial." As Greenpeace has documented meticulously over the years with its ExxonSecrets website, ExxonMobil is known to have invested over $23 million since 1998 to bankroll an entire movement of climate confusionists, including over 35 anti-science and right wing nonprofits, to divert attention away from the critical threat of climate disruption caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels.
A number of the key “think tanks” at the forefront of the attacks on climate science - including the Heartland Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute, American Enterprise Institute, George C. Marshall Institute, Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute – are also examined for their climate denial work on behalf of oil and coal interests.
Greenpeace explains how the network of denial was created in the early 1990s to dissuade politicians from taking action to prevent climate change. Chief among these early groups were the Global Climate Coalition, the Climate Council and the Information Council on the Environment (ICE).
The report also provides a brief history of the attacks launched against each of the IPCC’s scientific assessment reports dating back to 1990, noting the key players involved in each successive attack leading up to the present day attempts to tarnish the IPCC’s reputation and to falsely suggest that a debate still exists among climate scientists.
Personal attacks endured by climate scientists, especially key contributors to the IPCC reports, are also discussed in some detail, including the virulent attacks by the climate denial industry against reputed scientists like Michael Mann, Ben Santer, and Kevin Trenberth.
Greenpeace also calls out Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) and other members of Congress who are beholden to polluting industries through campaign contributions, and who regularly aid and abet the climate denial industry by promoting the false and misleading claims of deniers and skeptics on Capitol Hill.
Finally, “Dealing in Doubt” notes the escalation of the denial campaign during the administration of George W. Bush, when key White House and regulatory agency positions were filled with polluter lobbyists.
The placement of Philip Cooney, a lawyer and lobbyist who spent 15 years at the American Petroleum Institute before he was picked as chief of staff in the Bush White House Council on Environmental Quality, serves as a key example. Days after the New York Times broke the story that Cooney had made extensive edits on government scientific reports on global warming, Cooney resigned to go work for ExxonMobil.
“Dealing in Doubt” is recommended reading for anyone looking for a brief primer on the history of the denial industry’s relentless campaign against science and reason. It should be required reading for members of Congress, the mainstream media, and others who continue to be duped by the climate denial industry.
Jim Hoggan
The report, authored by Greenpeace climate campaigner Cindy Baxter, calls out by name a number of key climate skeptics and deniers who have worked with industry front groups to confuse the public, including S. Fred Singer, John Christy, Richard Lindzen, David Legates, Sallie Baliunas, Willie Soon, Tim Ball, Pat Michaels and many other figures familiar to DeSmog Blog readers.
By Jim Hoggan
Greenpeace released a terrific report today on the 20-year campaign by polluters to mislead the public by creating the climate denial industry.
The new report succinctly explains how fossil fuel interests used the tobacco industry’s playbook and an extensive arsenal of lobbyists and “experts” for hire in order to manufacture disinformation designed to confuse the public and stifle action to address climate change.
In the report, titled "Dealing in Doubt: The Climate Denial Industry and Climate Science," Greenpeace provides a brief history of the attacks waged by polluting industries against climate science, the IPCC and individual scientists.
ExxonMobil deservedly gets special attention for its role as the ringleader of the "campaign of denial." As Greenpeace has documented meticulously over the years with its ExxonSecrets website, ExxonMobil is known to have invested over $23 million since 1998 to bankroll an entire movement of climate confusionists, including over 35 anti-science and right wing nonprofits, to divert attention away from the critical threat of climate disruption caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels.
A number of the key “think tanks” at the forefront of the attacks on climate science - including the Heartland Institute, Competitive Enterprise Institute, American Enterprise Institute, George C. Marshall Institute, Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute – are also examined for their climate denial work on behalf of oil and coal interests.
Greenpeace explains how the network of denial was created in the early 1990s to dissuade politicians from taking action to prevent climate change. Chief among these early groups were the Global Climate Coalition, the Climate Council and the Information Council on the Environment (ICE).
The report also provides a brief history of the attacks launched against each of the IPCC’s scientific assessment reports dating back to 1990, noting the key players involved in each successive attack leading up to the present day attempts to tarnish the IPCC’s reputation and to falsely suggest that a debate still exists among climate scientists.
Personal attacks endured by climate scientists, especially key contributors to the IPCC reports, are also discussed in some detail, including the virulent attacks by the climate denial industry against reputed scientists like Michael Mann, Ben Santer, and Kevin Trenberth.
Greenpeace also calls out Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) and other members of Congress who are beholden to polluting industries through campaign contributions, and who regularly aid and abet the climate denial industry by promoting the false and misleading claims of deniers and skeptics on Capitol Hill.
Finally, “Dealing in Doubt” notes the escalation of the denial campaign during the administration of George W. Bush, when key White House and regulatory agency positions were filled with polluter lobbyists.
The placement of Philip Cooney, a lawyer and lobbyist who spent 15 years at the American Petroleum Institute before he was picked as chief of staff in the Bush White House Council on Environmental Quality, serves as a key example. Days after the New York Times broke the story that Cooney had made extensive edits on government scientific reports on global warming, Cooney resigned to go work for ExxonMobil.
“Dealing in Doubt” is recommended reading for anyone looking for a brief primer on the history of the denial industry’s relentless campaign against science and reason. It should be required reading for members of Congress, the mainstream media, and others who continue to be duped by the climate denial industry.
Jim Hoggan
The report, authored by Greenpeace climate campaigner Cindy Baxter, calls out by name a number of key climate skeptics and deniers who have worked with industry front groups to confuse the public, including S. Fred Singer, John Christy, Richard Lindzen, David Legates, Sallie Baliunas, Willie Soon, Tim Ball, Pat Michaels and many other figures familiar to DeSmog Blog readers.
Donnerstag, 25. März 2010
Climatechange : Cloud cover unaffected by cosmic rays
Research in Germany: Cloud cover unaffected by cosmic rays
Cloud cover unaffected by cosmic rays
Source: Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Changes of cosmic rays caused by variations of the solar activity on time scales of a few days do not induce any changes of the global or regional cloud cover. This is concluded from a recent analysis performed by a Swiss-German collaboration. Thus, it is unlikely that cosmic rays influence climate. (Geophysical Research Letters 37, L03802, 03.02.2010)
To test the cosmic ray cloud connection hypothesis independently, the Swiss-German collaboration (scientists from the University of Bern, from EWAG and Frank Arnold from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, MPIK) recently analyzed so-called Forbush decreases. These events, generated by sporadic solar eruptions, are characterized by a sudden decrease of the cosmic rays penetrating into the Earth's atmosphere, which recovers again within a few days. The decrease is similar in amplitude as at the maximum of the solar cycle.
....
Cloud cover unaffected by cosmic rays
Source: Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
Changes of cosmic rays caused by variations of the solar activity on time scales of a few days do not induce any changes of the global or regional cloud cover. This is concluded from a recent analysis performed by a Swiss-German collaboration. Thus, it is unlikely that cosmic rays influence climate. (Geophysical Research Letters 37, L03802, 03.02.2010)
To test the cosmic ray cloud connection hypothesis independently, the Swiss-German collaboration (scientists from the University of Bern, from EWAG and Frank Arnold from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, MPIK) recently analyzed so-called Forbush decreases. These events, generated by sporadic solar eruptions, are characterized by a sudden decrease of the cosmic rays penetrating into the Earth's atmosphere, which recovers again within a few days. The decrease is similar in amplitude as at the maximum of the solar cycle.
....
Mittwoch, 24. März 2010
Terrapreta Plattform Technology - Wie aus Fäkalien blühende Landschaften werden
Presseportal: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) - Wie aus Fäkalien blühende Landschaften werden
Wie aus Fäkalien blühende Landschaften werden
Leipzig (ots) - DBU fördert Projekt der Universität Leipzig - Herstellung von Terra Preta aus Klärschlamm
Ihre Kultur ist längst verschwunden. Ihre Methode, fruchtbare Schwarzerdeböden herzustellen, wird nach Tausenden von Jahren wieder entdeckt: Fäkalien, Holzkohle und Küchenabfälle sind die Zutaten, mit denen indigene Völker aus dem Amazonasgebiet ihre Terra Preta (schwarze Erde) entwickelten. Eine Technik, die sich die Wissenschaft hierzulande jetzt zu Eigen macht: Die Universität Leipzig untersucht in einem Forschungsprojekt, wie sie aus fäkalen Abfällen von Tierkliniken die nährstoffreichen schwarzen Böden gewinnen kann. "Wir machen uns ein altbewährtes Verfahren zu Nutze, um mit Keimen, Antibiotika und Holspänen versetztes Material umweltschonend zu entsorgen und in ein ertragreiches Produkt zu wandeln", erklärt Prof. Dr. Monika Krüger vom Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie.
Wie aus Fäkalien blühende Landschaften werden
Leipzig (ots) - DBU fördert Projekt der Universität Leipzig - Herstellung von Terra Preta aus Klärschlamm
Ihre Kultur ist längst verschwunden. Ihre Methode, fruchtbare Schwarzerdeböden herzustellen, wird nach Tausenden von Jahren wieder entdeckt: Fäkalien, Holzkohle und Küchenabfälle sind die Zutaten, mit denen indigene Völker aus dem Amazonasgebiet ihre Terra Preta (schwarze Erde) entwickelten. Eine Technik, die sich die Wissenschaft hierzulande jetzt zu Eigen macht: Die Universität Leipzig untersucht in einem Forschungsprojekt, wie sie aus fäkalen Abfällen von Tierkliniken die nährstoffreichen schwarzen Böden gewinnen kann. "Wir machen uns ein altbewährtes Verfahren zu Nutze, um mit Keimen, Antibiotika und Holspänen versetztes Material umweltschonend zu entsorgen und in ein ertragreiches Produkt zu wandeln", erklärt Prof. Dr. Monika Krüger vom Institut für Bakteriologie und Mykologie.
Kosmische Strahlung und Klimawandel: Tragende Säule der „Klimaskeptiker“ bricht weg
Der Wolkenfaktor - Klimawandel - FOCUS Online
Ausgangspunkt ist die von einem dänisch schweizerischem
Forschertrio entwickelte Theorie, die einen Zusammenhang
zwischen Sonnenaktivität und Temperaturschwankungen der Erde
behauptet.
Verkürzt dargestellt führt erhöhte Sonnenaktivität zu
erhöhter kosmischer Strahlung und einer Zunahme von
elektrisch geladenen Atomen (Ionen) die weitere Moleküle,
die in der Luft schweben, anziehen und dabei Aerosole
bilden. Je mehr dieser Schwebeteilchen durch kosmische
Aktivität entstehen, desto mehr Wasserdampf kann sich an
diesen Kondensationskeimen anlagern. Aus diesen
Wassertröpfchen werden schließlich mehr Wolken erzeugt.
Die Zunahme der Sonnenaktivität im vergangenen Jahrhundert
sei Auslöser für die Abnahme der Wolkenbedeckung und damit
der Kühlung der Erde.
Dies sei die wahre Ursache der beobachteten Erderwärmung,
spekulierten Svensmark und Friis-Christensen.
Diese allerdings heiß umstrittene Theorie spielt seither in
der Klimadebatte eine große Rolle. „Der Einfluss des
Menschen auf das Klima ist nicht so groß wie angenommen“,
sagte Veizer damals. Seine dänischen Kollegen überprüften
die Tröpfchenbildung in einer Reaktionskammer. Sie verlaufe
so effektiv, behaupten sie, dass sie wesentlich zum
Klimawandel beitragen kann.
Seitdem stützen die sogenannten Klimaskeptiker ihre Theorie
also auf die Annahme, dass je mehr Partikel der kosmischen
Strahlung auf die irdische Lufthülle treffen, desto mehr
Wolken bilden sich, die Erde kühlt ab. Umgekehrt erwärmt sie
sich, wenn die kosmische Strahlung und damit die
Wolkenbildung abnimmt.
Diese Hypothese wollte die deutsch-schweizerische Forschergruppe um den Physikprofessor Frank Arnold vom Heidelberger Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) überprüfen.
Die kleine Eiszeit
Sie untersuchten den Zusammenhang zwischen Wolkenbildung und Sonnenaktivität,
und prüften ob die derzeitige Ruhephase der Sonne eine neue Kleine Eiszeit einleiten könne wie sie 15. bis ins 19. Jahrhundert währte. Diese Periode war durch bitterkalte Winter und feuchte, kühle Sommer gekennzeichnet, in denen der Weizen auf den Halmen verfaulte. Die sinkenden Ernten zogen Hungersnöte nach sich. Zweimal sanken die Temperaturen besonders tief: im Maunder-Minimum, das von 1645 bis 1715 anhielt, sowie im Dalton-Minimum von 1790 bis 1830.
In diesen Phasen froren winters in Holland regelmäßig die Grachten sowie in England die Themse zu, und mindestens zweimal türmte sich auf der gesamten Ostsee das Eis. Im Maunder-Minimum blieb die Zahl der Sonnenflecken 30 Jahre lang auf einem Tiefpunkt. Nur 50 davon waren in dieser Periode zu sehen, dabei hätten mehrere Tausend auftauchen müssen. Insgesamt gab es in jener Zeit 3579 fleckenlose Tage in Folge.
„Die Vorstellung, dass es zu einer neuen Kleinen Eiszeit kommt, sollte die Sonne tatsächlich in eine lange Ruhephase eintreten, ist falsch“, stellt jetzt Georg Feulner, Leitautor der PIK-Studie, klar. „Ein neues großes Minimum der Sonnenaktivität würde die starke Erwärmung nicht verhindern, die bei unvermindertem Treibhausgasausstoß zu erwarten ist.“
Ein neues Maunder-Minimum der Sonnenaktivität?
„Wahrscheinlich würde ein neues großes Minimum zu 0,1 bis 0,2 Grad Celsius geringeren Temperaturen im Jahr 2100 führen“, erklärt PIK–Physiker Rahmstorf. Weil sich als maximaler Fehler der Modelle der Faktor drei ergab, würde der solare Kühlungseffekt wahrscheinlich nicht mehr als 0,3 Grad Celsius betragen. Ein neues Maunder-Minimum der Sonnenaktivität könnte die globale Erwärmung aufgrund der vom Menschen verursachten Treibhausgasemissionen nicht ausgleichen, schließen die Studienautoren.
Warm, wärmer, am wärmsten
Über die vergangenen 30 Jahre stieg die Mitteltemperatur der Erde stetig um 0,16 Grad Celsius pro Jahrzehnt an. Laut der Messdaten von Bodenstationen des Goddard Institute for Space Studies der US-Weltraumbehörde Nasa ist das Jahr 2009 trotz des derzeitigen Sonnenminimums das zweitwärmste seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen, übertroffen nur vom Jahr 2005. Auf der Südhalbkugel ist es bei Weitem das wärmste. Der Januar des Jahres 2010 ist global der zweitwärmste seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen, nur der Januar 2007 war noch wärmer.
Mittlerweile liegen auch die Satellitenmessungen für den Februar 2010 vor. Sie zeigen, dass es der zweitwärmste Februar seit Beginn der Temperaturmessungen aus dem All vor 32 Jahren war, nur noch übertroffen vom gleichen Monat im Rekordwärmejahr 1998. Ursache ist der auf der Südhalbkugel herrschende El Niño. Nur wir in Teilen Europas und Nordamerikas merken nichts davon, weil eine spezielle Verteilung von Hoch- und Tiefdruckgebieten diese Regionen unter einer Glocke kalter Polarluft hält. In globalem Maßstab geht die Erderwärmung aber offenbar ungebremst weiter. Seit Jahresbeginn gewann auch die Sonnenaktivität wieder an Fahrt. Ihre verstärkte Einstrahlung in Verbindung mit dem El Niño könnte bewirken, dass 2010 das neue Wärmerekordjahr wird.
Ausgangspunkt ist die von einem dänisch schweizerischem
Forschertrio entwickelte Theorie, die einen Zusammenhang
zwischen Sonnenaktivität und Temperaturschwankungen der Erde
behauptet.
Verkürzt dargestellt führt erhöhte Sonnenaktivität zu
erhöhter kosmischer Strahlung und einer Zunahme von
elektrisch geladenen Atomen (Ionen) die weitere Moleküle,
die in der Luft schweben, anziehen und dabei Aerosole
bilden. Je mehr dieser Schwebeteilchen durch kosmische
Aktivität entstehen, desto mehr Wasserdampf kann sich an
diesen Kondensationskeimen anlagern. Aus diesen
Wassertröpfchen werden schließlich mehr Wolken erzeugt.
Die Zunahme der Sonnenaktivität im vergangenen Jahrhundert
sei Auslöser für die Abnahme der Wolkenbedeckung und damit
der Kühlung der Erde.
Dies sei die wahre Ursache der beobachteten Erderwärmung,
spekulierten Svensmark und Friis-Christensen.
Diese allerdings heiß umstrittene Theorie spielt seither in
der Klimadebatte eine große Rolle. „Der Einfluss des
Menschen auf das Klima ist nicht so groß wie angenommen“,
sagte Veizer damals. Seine dänischen Kollegen überprüften
die Tröpfchenbildung in einer Reaktionskammer. Sie verlaufe
so effektiv, behaupten sie, dass sie wesentlich zum
Klimawandel beitragen kann.
Seitdem stützen die sogenannten Klimaskeptiker ihre Theorie
also auf die Annahme, dass je mehr Partikel der kosmischen
Strahlung auf die irdische Lufthülle treffen, desto mehr
Wolken bilden sich, die Erde kühlt ab. Umgekehrt erwärmt sie
sich, wenn die kosmische Strahlung und damit die
Wolkenbildung abnimmt.
Diese Hypothese wollte die deutsch-schweizerische Forschergruppe um den Physikprofessor Frank Arnold vom Heidelberger Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik (MPIK) überprüfen.
Die kleine Eiszeit
Sie untersuchten den Zusammenhang zwischen Wolkenbildung und Sonnenaktivität,
und prüften ob die derzeitige Ruhephase der Sonne eine neue Kleine Eiszeit einleiten könne wie sie 15. bis ins 19. Jahrhundert währte. Diese Periode war durch bitterkalte Winter und feuchte, kühle Sommer gekennzeichnet, in denen der Weizen auf den Halmen verfaulte. Die sinkenden Ernten zogen Hungersnöte nach sich. Zweimal sanken die Temperaturen besonders tief: im Maunder-Minimum, das von 1645 bis 1715 anhielt, sowie im Dalton-Minimum von 1790 bis 1830.
In diesen Phasen froren winters in Holland regelmäßig die Grachten sowie in England die Themse zu, und mindestens zweimal türmte sich auf der gesamten Ostsee das Eis. Im Maunder-Minimum blieb die Zahl der Sonnenflecken 30 Jahre lang auf einem Tiefpunkt. Nur 50 davon waren in dieser Periode zu sehen, dabei hätten mehrere Tausend auftauchen müssen. Insgesamt gab es in jener Zeit 3579 fleckenlose Tage in Folge.
„Die Vorstellung, dass es zu einer neuen Kleinen Eiszeit kommt, sollte die Sonne tatsächlich in eine lange Ruhephase eintreten, ist falsch“, stellt jetzt Georg Feulner, Leitautor der PIK-Studie, klar. „Ein neues großes Minimum der Sonnenaktivität würde die starke Erwärmung nicht verhindern, die bei unvermindertem Treibhausgasausstoß zu erwarten ist.“
Ein neues Maunder-Minimum der Sonnenaktivität?
„Wahrscheinlich würde ein neues großes Minimum zu 0,1 bis 0,2 Grad Celsius geringeren Temperaturen im Jahr 2100 führen“, erklärt PIK–Physiker Rahmstorf. Weil sich als maximaler Fehler der Modelle der Faktor drei ergab, würde der solare Kühlungseffekt wahrscheinlich nicht mehr als 0,3 Grad Celsius betragen. Ein neues Maunder-Minimum der Sonnenaktivität könnte die globale Erwärmung aufgrund der vom Menschen verursachten Treibhausgasemissionen nicht ausgleichen, schließen die Studienautoren.
Warm, wärmer, am wärmsten
Über die vergangenen 30 Jahre stieg die Mitteltemperatur der Erde stetig um 0,16 Grad Celsius pro Jahrzehnt an. Laut der Messdaten von Bodenstationen des Goddard Institute for Space Studies der US-Weltraumbehörde Nasa ist das Jahr 2009 trotz des derzeitigen Sonnenminimums das zweitwärmste seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen, übertroffen nur vom Jahr 2005. Auf der Südhalbkugel ist es bei Weitem das wärmste. Der Januar des Jahres 2010 ist global der zweitwärmste seit Beginn der Aufzeichnungen, nur der Januar 2007 war noch wärmer.
Mittlerweile liegen auch die Satellitenmessungen für den Februar 2010 vor. Sie zeigen, dass es der zweitwärmste Februar seit Beginn der Temperaturmessungen aus dem All vor 32 Jahren war, nur noch übertroffen vom gleichen Monat im Rekordwärmejahr 1998. Ursache ist der auf der Südhalbkugel herrschende El Niño. Nur wir in Teilen Europas und Nordamerikas merken nichts davon, weil eine spezielle Verteilung von Hoch- und Tiefdruckgebieten diese Regionen unter einer Glocke kalter Polarluft hält. In globalem Maßstab geht die Erderwärmung aber offenbar ungebremst weiter. Seit Jahresbeginn gewann auch die Sonnenaktivität wieder an Fahrt. Ihre verstärkte Einstrahlung in Verbindung mit dem El Niño könnte bewirken, dass 2010 das neue Wärmerekordjahr wird.
Samstag, 20. März 2010
40 nations support carbon storage in soil! Agriculture Ministers’ Summit in Berlin 2010
BMELV - Climate & environment - Final Statement: Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 16 January 2010
Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA)
Final Statement: Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 16 January 2010
Agriculture and Climate Change – New Concept Proposals from Policymakers and Industry
The agriculture ministers that have assembled for the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 2010 note the following regarding the impact of climate change and the possibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and regarding the adaptation of agriculture to the consequences of climate change:
1. Farmers are affected particularly severely by the negative consequences of climate change, as production takes place both in nature and with nature. Desertification, water shortages, the loss of genetic resources, and the rise in extreme weather events such as droughts, storms and floods, lead to high harvesting losses, threaten the livelihood of millions of people – in particular small-scale farmers in developing countries – and threaten the achievement of the millennium goal of halving the proportion of the world population suffering from hunger by 2015.
.....
Outcome of the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 2010 in Berlin on 16 January 2010
The agriculture ministers are aware of their responsibility to ensure that there is an adequate food supply for a growing global population, and want to contribute towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to adapting agriculture to the consequences of climate change:
I. Sustainability through climate-efficient farming!
Confronting climate change, and achieving the necessary increase in production, will only be possible through sustainable development. The agricultural sector is facing the daunting challenge of having to considerably increase high-quality production on available land and at the same time limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Production must therefore be optimised so that fewer greenhouse gases are emitted, and less water is used, per unit produced (e.g. per tonne of grain, kilogramme of meat, litre of milk). Farmers must therefore be provided with corresponding training and counselling, and with modern technology and production methods, to enable them to apply the necessary exemplary farm management on all agricultural land. .....
II. Support renewable energies and carbon storage in soil!
By providing renewable resources and storing organically bound carbon in soils, the agricultural sector can make an effective contribution towards protecting the climate and towards providing sustainable energy. What is needed in this regard is the site-specific application and support of Good Agricultural Practice as part of sustainable land management. Innovative projects for enriching and storing carbon in soils should be targeted for support. This would provide an opportunity for developing and using climate-efficient technologies in land management.
Fulltext Final Statement: Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 16 January 2010
http://bit.ly/9C6Jk5
Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA)
Final Statement: Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 16 January 2010
Agriculture and Climate Change – New Concept Proposals from Policymakers and Industry
The agriculture ministers that have assembled for the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 2010 note the following regarding the impact of climate change and the possibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture and regarding the adaptation of agriculture to the consequences of climate change:
1. Farmers are affected particularly severely by the negative consequences of climate change, as production takes place both in nature and with nature. Desertification, water shortages, the loss of genetic resources, and the rise in extreme weather events such as droughts, storms and floods, lead to high harvesting losses, threaten the livelihood of millions of people – in particular small-scale farmers in developing countries – and threaten the achievement of the millennium goal of halving the proportion of the world population suffering from hunger by 2015.
.....
Outcome of the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 2010 in Berlin on 16 January 2010
The agriculture ministers are aware of their responsibility to ensure that there is an adequate food supply for a growing global population, and want to contribute towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to adapting agriculture to the consequences of climate change:
I. Sustainability through climate-efficient farming!
Confronting climate change, and achieving the necessary increase in production, will only be possible through sustainable development. The agricultural sector is facing the daunting challenge of having to considerably increase high-quality production on available land and at the same time limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Production must therefore be optimised so that fewer greenhouse gases are emitted, and less water is used, per unit produced (e.g. per tonne of grain, kilogramme of meat, litre of milk). Farmers must therefore be provided with corresponding training and counselling, and with modern technology and production methods, to enable them to apply the necessary exemplary farm management on all agricultural land. .....
II. Support renewable energies and carbon storage in soil!
By providing renewable resources and storing organically bound carbon in soils, the agricultural sector can make an effective contribution towards protecting the climate and towards providing sustainable energy. What is needed in this regard is the site-specific application and support of Good Agricultural Practice as part of sustainable land management. Innovative projects for enriching and storing carbon in soils should be targeted for support. This would provide an opportunity for developing and using climate-efficient technologies in land management.
Fulltext Final Statement: Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit 16 January 2010
http://bit.ly/9C6Jk5
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