One of the most interesting sources of news about science and nature!

There are many sources of news for non-scientists about science and nature.  IMO this is the best:  Anthony Watt’s “Watts Up With That?”   Here are the most recent articles, all worth a look.  I recommend also reading the the comments, esp those by scientist Leif Svalgaard (his website).

1.  “Chill in the air: record low temps in 10 states“, 26 October 2008 — Excerpt:

As many readers know, we’ve had an earlier than normal start to fall weather in the USA, and the cold just keeps on coming. Here is a summary of record low temperatures seen recently, courtesy of this website called IceAgeNow.

2.  “New theory predicts the largest ozone hole over Antarctica will occur this month – cosmic rays at fault“

This article links to a U of Waterloo press release:  “New theory predicts the largest ozone hole over Antarctica will occur this month“, 16 September 2008 — Excerpt:

A University of Waterloo scientist says that cosmic rays are a key cause for expanding the hole in the ozone layer over the South Pole — and predicts the largest ozone hole will occur in one or two weeks.

Qing-Bin Lu, a professor of physics and astronomy who studies ozone depletion, said that it was generally accepted for more than two decades that the Earth’s ozone layer is depleted by chlorine atoms produced by sunlight-induced destruction of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the atmosphere. But more and more evidence now points to a new theory that the cosmic rays (energy particles that originate in space) play a major role.

The ozone layer is a layer in Earth’s atmosphere that contains high concentrations of ozone. It absorbs almost all of the sun’s high-frequency ultraviolet light, which is potentially damaging to life on Earth and causes diseases such as skin cancer and cataracts. The Antarctic ozone hole can be larger than the size of North America.

Lu said that data from several sources, including NASA satellites, show a strong correlation between cosmic ray intensity and ozone depletion. Lab measurements demonstrate a mechanism by which cosmic rays cause drastic reactions of ozone-depleting chlorine inside polar clouds.

Satellite data in the period of 1980-2007, covering two full 11-year solar cycles, demonstrate the significant correlation between cosmic rays and ozone depletion.

“This finding, combined with laboratory measurements, provides strong evidence of the role of cosmic-ray driven reactions in causing the ozone hole and resolves the mystery why a large discrepancy between the sunlight-related photochemical model and the observed ozone depletion exists,” Lu said.

For example, the most recent scientific assessments of ozone depletion by the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme, which use photochemical models, predict ozone will increase by one to 2.5 per cent between 2000 and 2020 and Antarctic springtime ozone is projected to increase by five to 10 per cent between 2000 and 2020.

In sharp contrast, Lu said his study predicts the severest ozone loss — resulting in the largest ozone hole — will occur over the South Pole this month. The study also predicts another large hole will probably occur around 2019.

Afterword

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For more information

To read other articles about these things, see the FM reference page on the right side menu bar.  Of esp relevance to this topic:

• About Science & Nature – my articles
• About Science & nature – studies & reports

Some of the posts on the FM site about climate change:

1. A look at the science and politics of global warming, 12 June 2008
2. An article giving strong evidence of global warming, 30 June 2008
3. More forecasts of a global cooling cycle, 15 July 2008
4. President Kennedy speaks to us about global warming and Climate Science, 7 August 2008
5. Good news about global warming!, 21 October 2008 – More evidence of cooling.
6. Watching the world change before our eyes, 29 November 2008
7. The Senate Minority report is out: “More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims”, 12 December 2008
8. An important new article about climate change, 29 December 2008
9. My “wish list” for the climate sciences in 2009, 2 January 2009
10. Peer review of scientific work – another example of a flawed basis for public policy, 22 January 2009
11. How warm is the Earth? How do we measure it?, 28 January 2009
12. Obama opens his Administration with a powerful act that will echo for many years, 4 February 2009
13. Science in action, a confused and often nasty debate among scientists, 5 February 2009