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A recent report on climate simulations show that global warming could break up stratocumulus clouds[$], letting in more energy as High CO2 levels break up stratocumulus cloud decks, once the levels rise above 1,200 ppm. Stratocumulus provide no precipitation but do cover about 20% of the low-latitude oceans and are especially prevalent in the subtropics, cooling by providing shade. If they disappear then, according to calculations, the added sunlight hitting the ground or ocean would increase temperatures by over 8°C.
Now, new findings reported today in the journal Nature Geoscience make the case that the effects of cloud loss are dramatic enough to explain ancient warming episodes like the PETM — and to precipitate future disaster. Climate physicists at the California Institute of Technology performed a state-of-the-art simulation of stratocumulus clouds, the low-lying, blankety kind that have by far the largest cooling effect on the planet. The simulation revealed a tipping point: a level of warming at which stratocumulus clouds break up altogether. The disappearance occurs when the concentration of CO2 in the simulated atmosphere reaches 1,200 parts per million — a level that fossil fuel burning could push us past in about a century, under “business-as-usual” emissions scenarios. In the simulation, when the tipping point is breached, Earth’s temperature soars 8 degrees Celsius, in addition to the 4 degrees of warming or more caused by the CO2 directly.
Once clouds go away, the simulated climate “goes over a cliff,” said Kerry Emanuel, a climate scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A leading authority on atmospheric physics, Emanuel called the new findings “very plausible,” though, as he noted, scientists must now make an effort to independently replicate the work.
To imagine 12 degrees of warming, think of crocodiles swimming in the Arctic and of the scorched, mostly lifeless equatorial regions during the PETM. If carbon emissions aren’t curbed quickly enough and the tipping point is breached, “that would be truly devastating climate change,” said Caltech’s Tapio Schneider, who performed the new simulation with Colleen Kaul and Kyle Pressel.
Huber said the stratocumulus tipping point helps explain the volatility that’s evident in the paleoclimate record. He thinks it might be one of many unknown instabilities in Earth’s climate. “Schneider and co-authors have cracked open Pandora’s box of potential climate surprises,” he said, adding that, as the mechanisms behind vanishing clouds become clear, “all of a sudden this enormous sensitivity that is apparent from past climates isn’t something that’s just in the past. It becomes a vision of the future.”
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Wednesday March 06 2019, @04:32AM (3 children)
We have had this discussion a number of times. We have several solutions out there for Climate Change, all that matters now is which decision we choose and when. Takyon posted some links a while back from an early adopter of the Climate Change stuff where rather than just talk doom and gloom he bothered trying to find ways to fix it. His suggestion was 500 billion over the next 80 years to disburse something like a gram of Sulfur per ton of CO2 to break down the built up CO2. It would require something like eight jets running continuously for the next 80 years and revert the climate back to before we started our long track of emissions. This is currently the cheapest solution, although obviously not the best. Every year the costs to mitigate climate change will become less as tech growth seems to be growing faster than the problems being presented. The only solution leftists are willing to go along with is getting rid of all the cattle, getting rid of the personal vehicles, getting rid of luxury goods, living on reduced power, not having kids (but promoting others to have kids), and then committing suicide. BP in all of their greed probably already has a solution, and is just waiting for the right time to force us to buy it.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 06 2019, @05:09AM (2 children)
Exactly how creating acid rain and depleting the ozone layer in the process actually addresses the core problem: too much CO2?
Are we looking to "solutions" just to allow us burning dinojuice a little longer? What when these patches come to bite our head off?
You're disingenuous or delusional.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Wednesday March 06 2019, @03:12PM (1 child)
Then you should read your own party's talking points. I graduated high-school back in 07 and they pushed everything in the paragraph you think is fake hard. If you don't walk or take the bus you are evil. If you want kids you are evil because we should just take immigrants instead. If you are playing video games you are evil for wasting electricity.
>acid rain
That's why I said it's not a good idea right now and needs more work. The guy's research claims that because the process is over 80 years the effects of acid rain would be negligible but I didn't read through all of his research on that. But at least he is trying instead of trying to shove faaxism down my throat.
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday March 06 2019, @11:03PM
As an immigrant from Europe in Australia as I am, kindly enlighten me what party would that be?
Yes and his efforts allow you to sleep well at night without doing anything.
And this is important because clearly you are the whole reason this world exists and you should live your life free of any responsibility.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford