When past temperatures were similar to or slightly higher than the present global average, sea levels rose at least 20 feet, suggesting a similar outcome could be in store century unless there is a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions… “Present climate is warming to a level associated with significant polar ice-sheet loss in the past,” said Rutgers oceanographer Benjamin Horton, one of study’s authors… In the new study, researchers assessed evidence of higher sea levels the past 3 million years to understand how polar ice sheets respond to warming. Using observations from the geologic record, supported by computer modeling, they found that during past periods with average temperatures 1 to 3 C (1.8 to 5.4 F) warmer than preindustrial levels, sea level peaked at least 20 feet higher than today… “We are beginning to understand the magnitude that sea level rose in the past and which ice sheets may be responsible,” said Horton, a professor of marine and coastal sciences in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Climate Change Affecting High-Altitude Regions at Faster Rate, Rutgers Study Finds
Global warming is occurring at an accelerated pace in many high-altitude regions around the world and among the consequences could be water shortages, according to a new study co-authored by Rutgers climate scientist Jim Miller… A professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Miller collaborated with an international team of scientists on a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. The researchers say evidence is showing that global warming often occurs more rapidly in high mountains and that further study is needed to fully grasp the true impact of the phenomenon… “Somewhere on the order of 1 billion people a day don’t have access to good clean water,” Miller said. “Climate change will exacerbate that and what happens in mountains is going to be a major part of that.” Globally, the team of researchers found that as altitude rises, the rate of temperature change often accelerates. In the past 20 years, temperatures above 4,000 meters (13,120 feet) have warmed 75 percent faster than at altitudes below 2,000 meters (6,560 feet).
Evolution of Disease Vectors Makes It Difficult to Predict Impact on Human Health
Accurate forecasts of a changing climate may not be enough to predict future risk from disease vectors, as the vectors themselves are always changing. In other words, seeing into the future is complicated.This was the takeaway in a joint paper authored…
Newark’s Cherry Blossoms Thrive with Rutgers’ Help
New Jersey is known for the industrial landscape along the turnpike and the landmarks of the Jersey Shore. But one of the state’s greatest treasures may be its least well known- the nation’s largest collection of flowering cherry trees in Essex County’…
