[GWSG] Temps; Ant. ice; S FL; trop. woods; WA D.C.; cheap wind; CINCPAC warning; nukes; hydrates; new regs; US solar

[Tilley, Al]

1.  A Science article traces global temperatures back 11,500 years and finds an unprecedented spike in the last hundred years as temperatures climbed from the coolest to the hottest in the period.  Thanks to Rob Overly and Cherrill Heaton for the topic.  http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Recent-heat-spike-unlike-anything-in-11-000-years-4336659.php

2.  The Antarctic has more ice than we had thought, and it lies at generally lower elevation, making it more susceptible to destabilization.  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21692423

3.  Plans to improve the drainage system in South Florida are the occasion for public discussion of the impact of sea level rise on the region in the next few decades.  It is becoming obvious that the problems will go far beyond drainage as large parts of the area are compromised.  http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/09/3277234/deep-trouble-how-sea-rise-could.html

4.  Because CO2 promotes growth, tropical forests may be hardier under increasing heat than we had thought.  http://www.nature.com/news/tropical-forests-unexpectedly-resilient-to-climate-change-1.12570

5.  In a remarkably broad program, Washington, DC, aspires to be the greenest city in the US.  http://grist.org/cities/washington-d-c-wants-to-be-the-greenest-city-in-the-u-s/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed

6.  The price of wind turbines is down by 1/3 since 2010; wind and natural gas are now so cheap that they are putting pressure on power production from nuclear and coal.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-11/nuclear-industry-withers-in-u-s-as-wind-pummels-prices-energy.html

7.  The US Navy Commander in the Pacific considers climate change the biggest long-term security threat in the region.  http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2013/03/climate-change-biggest-threat-says-top-navy-commander-pacific

8.  The Obama administration plans to replace coal plants with small modular nuclear reactors beginning about 2030.  http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2013/03/13/1  So far I have few details on the reactors.

9.  Japan has succeeded in mining natural gas from the methane hydrates on the sea floor.  As George Monbiot observes, the accomplishment deserves no more praise than any other attempt to develop fossil fuels.  It is just one more small disaster.  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2013/mar/14/japan-gas-climate-change

10.  President Obama seems set to require that climate impact be specifically addressed in all federal development projects, from pipelines to highways.  After the announcement I will look for good analyses of the new policy.  This story highlights the alarmed reactions from US industry.  http://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/obamas-climate-readiness-plans-freak-out-us-firms-20130315-2g6jz.html

11.  The US had record solar installations last year.  The total US solar capacity is now 7.2 gigawatts, and is expected to reach 10 gigawatts this year.  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/03/another-banner-year-for-solar-power-industry-breaks-records-in-2012?cmpid=WNL-Friday-March15-2013  I have been told by a local solar installer that the general price for retail rooftop solar is now $3 a watt (before a 30% federal tax credit).
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