Earth s atmosphere as seen from space.
Image: nasa
2021-03-17 16:00:00 UTC
Climate 101 is a Mashable series that answers provoking and salient questions about Earthâs warming climate.Â
The potent greenhouse gas methane continues to increase in Earth s atmosphere, and it shows no sign of slowing down.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) graph below paints a clear picture. Following a temporary flattening or stabilization of methane levels in the aughts, the odorless, invisible gas has continually risen since around 2008, and more recently has accelerated.Â
Methane is a problematic greenhouse gas because it traps heat on the planet 28 times better than carbon dioxide. (Methane lives in the atmosphere for about a decade before breaking down into the major greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.) Over the last two centuries, as fossil fuel use and cattle ranching expanded around the globe (both make methane emissions), atmospheric methane levels have over
Skeptical Science New Research for Week #11, 2021
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Study: Half a million people in US live near natural gas flares
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Urban Development, Greenhouses Gases can Trigger Extreme Floods
When the rain started to pour down in northern Georgia on September 15
th, 2009, the residents of Atlanta were completely unaware that they would be witnessing epic flooding across the city.
Image Credit: Discovod/shutterstock.com
Localities, including Peachtree Hills, were inundated; the busiest expressway in Georgia was submerged, and so were the bridges and roads; the untreated sewage combined with the growing floodwaters; and people and cars were swept away. Sonny Perdue, who was the presiding governor of Georgia at that time, had announced a state of emergency.
Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico drove the 2009 flood. Now, after 10 years, scientists from Arizona State University (ASU) are asking whether a mix of climate change driven by greenhouse gases and urban development could lead to similar situations in U.S. cities. And based on a recently published analysis, the answer is yes.
Combination of climate change, development to fuel urban flooding
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The way cities are designed, and how much waste heat they put into the environment, increases the risk for urban flooding linked to climate change, according to new research. File Photo ventdusud/Shutterstock
March 15 (UPI) The combination of climate change and urban development is likely to fuel urban flooding in cities across the United States, according to a new model.
Previous studies have demonstrated a link between rising ocean and air temperatures and bigger, slower-moving storms storms capable of dropping record amounts of rain.
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Because warmer air can carry more water, many parts of the country are expected to experience increases in precipitation as the climate heats up.