[GWSG] Melting sheets; melt rates; faster H2O cycle; cc opinion; cc in race; Koch ads; 1981 article confirmed; visualizing cc

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A Nature article finds that changes in wind circulation have brought warm water to the underside of Antarctic ice shelves, speeding the contribution of disappearing land ice to sea level rise.  The study is part of ice2sea, an EU-organized projection of sea level rise in this century and the next due out later this year.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17803693#<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17803693>  MSNBC supplies a graphic:
   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47180096/ns/technology_and_science-science/  (The thinner shelves must be the blue ones.)  The ice2sea site:  http://www.ice2sea.eu/

2.  A second project on melting ice sheets promises to allow more precise estimation of the contribution of a given ice sheet to sea level rise.  http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112520464/novel-method-to-identify-sources-of-global-sea-level-rise/  These first two items are particularly significant as moves toward a more accurate projection of sea level rise.  According to recent studies of methane release from melting permafrost (and, yet more recently, from open Arctic water), our best chance of avoiding grave risk lies in decisive action before this decade is out, and our chances of taking action increase if we have a clearer picture of what we face.

3.  The greenhouse effect is accelerating the water cycle at twice the rate predicted by climate models.  The Science article is based on ocean salinity measurements.  Its implication is that dry areas will become yet drier and the wetter even wetter more quickly than we had supposed.    http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/26/us-climate-rainfall-idUSBRE83P18C20120426?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29

4.  A Yale-George Mason U public opinion poll finds large majorities of Americans—whether Republican, Democratic, or Independent—favor strong action to mitigate climate change.  http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=us-voters-favor-regulating-carbon-d

5.  President Obama intends to make action on climate change an issue in the election.  http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/223599-obama-vows-to-fight-for-climate-action-in-campaign

6.  Americans for Prosperity, a Koch Bros. joint and the major sponsor of tea party activity, is spending $6.1 million on an ad campaign in swing states to undermine the President’s efforts to develop greener energy sources.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/27/us-usa-campaign-money-idUSBRE83Q01D20120427  The ad is said to be based on distortions and lies.  http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/04/26/472061/fact-check-americans-for-prosperity-announces-61-million-ad-buy-to-push-totally-false-green-jobs-claims/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+climateprogress%2FlCrX+%28Climate+Progress%29

7.  A 1981 Science article by Jim Hansen and associates proves to be accurate in its expectations for climate change.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-wagner/hansen-had-it-right_b_1450540.html?ref=tw

8.  A team at the U of British Columbia has been working with school children to visualize our future in a changed climate.  Their tools the group has developed, detailed in their book Visualizing Climate Change, are meant to spur engagement and effective planning.  http://thetyee.ca/News/2012/04/28/BC-Climate-Viz/
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