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Planting trees to cool the planet

July 16, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Planting lots of trees is one of many strategies being pursued to combat climate change. Forests absorb carbon dioxide, provide shade, and help regulate temperatures. They also support biodiversity and improve air and water quality.

According to a new study by researchers from the University of California – Riverside, restoring forests to their pre-industrial extent could reduce global average temperatures by 0.34 degrees Celsius. That’s equivalent to about 25% of the warming the Earth has already experienced.

The study models restoring 4.6 million square miles of forest. While previous studies have focused on the role trees play in removing carbon, this research adds that trees also alter atmospheric chemistry in ways that boost their cooling impact.

Trees release natural chemicals called BVOCs – biogenic volatile organic compounds – which interact in the atmosphere to form particles that reflect sunlight and promote cloud formation. These effects enhance the cooling impact of forests, especially in climate models that take these chemical reactions into account.

But not all reforestation is created equal. The benefits of reforestation vary by region, with tropical forests offering stronger cooling and fewer drawbacks. Importantly, the researchers emphasize that meaningful climate benefits don’t require restoring every lost forest. Small, localized efforts can still shift regional climates.

While forest restoration can meaningfully aid climate efforts, the researchers stress that it must complement – not replace – fossil fuel reductions.

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Does planting trees really help cool the planet?

Photo, posted May 20, 2005, courtesy of Ben Britten via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A record warm January

March 4, 2025 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Americans experienced unusually cold and wintery weather in January. Places like southern Louisiana and Florida saw appreciable amounts of snow. For those who experienced January’s Arctic blast, it was a cold January. But despite that, January was the world’s warmest on record, extending a run of extraordinary heat in which 18 out of the last 19 months saw an average global temperature more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. In fact, the global average temperature in January was 1.75 degrees above the pre-industrial average.

The exceptional warmth was surprising to climate researchers. It happened despite the emergence of La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean, which tend to lower global temperatures, at least for a while.

Researchers are investigating whether there is something beyond the effects of greenhouse gas emissions that is boosting temperatures to an unexpected degree. It is true that emissions, associated with the burning of coal, gas, and oil, reached record levels in both 2023 and 2024. But January’s warmth was still something of a surprise.

One prevalent theory is that cutting dangerous pollution is playing a role in causing global warming to accelerate. As regulators have curbed sulfate pollution to protect people’s lungs, the cooling effect of these particles that help form more and brighter clouds has diminished.

January demonstrates that the global climate system is complex and the weather in any particular region does not necessarily reflect what is happening to the planet as a whole.

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Global Temperatures Shattered Records in January

Photo, posted December 22, 2013, courtesy of SD Anderson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Predicting major earthquakes

October 10, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Natural disasters continue to be major threats for people, just as they always have been. But modern technology has greatly improved our ability to prepare for and, in many cases, escape from the worst effects of these events. A good example is hurricane forecasting. Nowadays, there is plenty of warning when a major hurricane is headed toward a populous area. It is still up to people to get away from the danger zone, but at least there is the opportunity to do so.

Major earthquakes are a different story. There is generally little or no warning when one will strike. But scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany have developed a technique that may provide days or even months of warning about an impending major earthquake.

The detection method is based on machine learning and is described in a paper in the journal Nature Communications. The researchers wrote a computer algorithm that looks for abnormal seismic activity. Advanced statistical techniques found that approximately three months of abnormal low-magnitude regional seismicity occurred in the regions where two major earthquakes took place. One was the magnitude 7.1 Anchorage earthquake in 2018 and the other was a similar-sized quake in Ridgecrest, California in 2019.

Considerably more testing – particularly in real-time rather than looking at historical data – is needed. But accurate earthquake forecasting has the potential to save lives and reduce economic losses. However, there are ethical and practical questions to answer. False alarms could lead to unnecessary panic, economic disruption, and loss of public trust. On the other hand, missed predictions can have catastrophic consequences.

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UAF scientist’s method could give months’ warning of major earthquakes

Photo, posted January 22, 2012, courtesy of the Climate and Ecosystems Change Adaptation Research University Network via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Is the Amazon rainforest nearing a tipping point?

March 12, 2024 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, covering more than 2.5 million square miles. More than three million species live in the rainforest, which constitutes approximately 10% of the world’s known biodiversity. The Amazon rainforest’s biodiversity is so rich that scientists are still discovering new species all the time.

The Amazon rainforest absorbs huge amounts of carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere, making it a key part of mitigating climate change. But the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed by the Amazon rainforest today is 30% less than it was in the 1990s.

Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest remains a major problem. Cattle ranching is the leading cause of deforestation, but industrial activities, such as the mining of oil and gas, copper, iron, and gold, are also to blame.

According to a new study recently published in the journal Nature, global warming may be interacting with regional rainfall and deforestation to accelerate forest loss in the Amazon. In fact, it may be pushing the rainforest towards a partial or total collapse.

The study, which was led by researchers from Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil and the University of Birmingham in the U.K., has identified the potential thresholds of these stressors, and highlighted how their combined effects could produce a tipping point for the Amazon rainforest.

The findings are important because the Amazon rainforest plays a vital role in the global climate system. By identifying the most important stressors on the rainforest environment, the researchers hope they can develop a plan to keep the Amazon rainforest resilient.

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Is the Amazon forest approaching a tipping point?

Photo, posted July 2, 2017, courtesy of Anna & Michal via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Two Lost Lakes Return To California | Earth Wise

May 10, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The recent siege of powerful storms in California driven by a series of atmospheric rivers has had a significant effect on the severe drought that has plagued most of the state for many years. Many of the state’s reservoirs are at the highest level they have been for decades. The snowpack in the Sierras is well over 200% of its historical average. Many parts of the state are no longer considered to be in drought conditions, and, in fact, flooding has been a serious problem in some areas. This flooding has had some surprising results.

Two California lakes that drained a century ago have reappeared as a result of floodwaters from the recent storms.

Tulare Lake, in California’s Central Valley used to be fed by rain and snowmelt from the Sierras. A system of dams and canals constructed in the early 20th century to support regional agriculture diverted water away from the lake. It used to be the largest freshwater lake in the West but farmers ultimate planted crops in the dried lakebed.

The atmospheric river events in March inundated that farmland and once again there is water in Tulare Lake.

Owens Lake, on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada, was long fed by mountain streams. The 1913 construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct redirected water to that city and desiccated the lake. Floodwaters in March caused a partial collapse of the aqueduct and when the spill gates on the aqueduct were opened to drain the damaged areas, floodwaters poured in and partially refilled the lake.

California has suffered from drought for many years. With its massive snowpack, as the weather warms, the state may face even more flooding.

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Two Long-Drained California Lakes Refilled by Floodwaters, Satellite Images Show

Photo, posted November 10, 2014, courtesy of CN via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Offshore Wind Industry In New York | Earth Wise

March 27, 2023 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Last July, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced the release of the state’s third competitive offshore wind solicitation, seeking to add generating capacity to power at least 1.5 million homes. In response to the solicitation, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority – NYSERDA -received more than 100 proposals for 8 new projects from six offshore wind developers. An evaluation period is in progress and NYSERDA expects to announce awards sometime this spring.

Apart from the development and installation of offshore wind turbines and their associated infrastructure, participating in the program also involves supply chain investments to support the development of a strong, local supply chain that creates jobs for New Yorkers as well as bolstering the state’s standing as a regional hub for offshore wind manufacturing.

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, a multi-billion-dollar Spanish-German wind engineering company, is one of the companies bidding to have its wind turbines used for the forthcoming New York offshore wind projects. If Siemens Gamesa is selected for the project, the company has revealed that it will build a major offshore nacelle manufacturing facility at the Port of Coeymans, New York, some 15 miles from Albany.

The planned facility would create approximately 420 direct jobs and represent an investment of around $500 million in the region. Siemens Gamesa said it would also commit to localizing several new component supplier facilities, including steel component fabrication, bearings, and composite components.

Offshore wind will bring more than just electricity to New York; it will bring a whole new industry.

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Siemens Gamesa reveals plans for New York offshore wind hub

Photo, posted March 24, 2016, courtesy of TEIA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

January Climate Report Card | Earth Wise

March 9, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

The global climate is a complicated thing. While overall trends are relatively straightforward to understand, the details can seem confusing.

January was the sixth-warmest January in the 143 years of global climate record keeping. The global land and ocean surface temperature was 1.6 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average.

Meanwhile, the United States had its coolest January since 2014, although the month still ranked nearly a degree above the long-term average across the nation. This January was also the driest January in eight years and was one of the top- 15 driest Januarys on record. That being said, there was the so-called Bomb Cyclone late in the month that dumped 1-2 feet of snow and brought blizzard conditions along the eastern seaboard and set a one-day snowfall record in Boston.

Global conditions and regional and local conditions can be very different. In the big picture, January was the 46th consecutive January and the 445th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average.

And while the US had a fairly cool January, South America saw its second-warmest January on record, Asia had its fourth warmest, and Oceania had its seventh warmest.

Apart from temperatures, Antarctic sea ice coverage was the second smallest January extent in 44 years. Arctic ice was 208,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 average, although it was the largest since 2009.

Even as the global climate warms, local and regional climate conditions will continue to have unique and variable characteristics over the course of time. Every time there’s a bout of cold weather, it isn’t time to stop being concerned about climate change.

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January 2022 was Earth’s 6th warmest on record

Photo, posted January 6, 2013, courtesy of Christopher Michel via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

A Hot Year With Record GHG Levels | Earth Wise

February 25, 2022 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Last year was a year that saw rising temperatures and rising levels of greenhouse gases. 2021 was the fifth-hottest year on record. The average global temperature was nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius or 2.1 Fahrenheit degrees higher than the preindustrial average. The past seven years were the hottest ever by a significant margin.

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached 414 parts per million, compared with preindustrial levels of 280 parts per million. Concentrations of methane reached 1876 parts per billion, the highest levels ever recorded.

Apart from these global measurements, local and regional weather saw the effects of the heating planet. Extreme temperatures were common with the hottest summer in Europe, heatwaves in the Mediterranean, and unprecedented high temperatures in North America.

The West Coast of the US, northeast Canada, Greenland, and parts of north Africa and the Middle East all experienced the highest above-average temperatures. However, some places, including Australia, Antarctica, Siberia, and much of the Pacific Ocean often saw below-average temperatures, even though the same places occasionally experienced record high temperatures.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its economic disruptions continued to lead to some reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, but in the US, emissions from energy use and industry nonetheless grew 6.2% in 2021 after falling more than 10% in 2020.

Carbon dioxide and methane concentrations are continuing to increase each year and don’t appear to be slowing down. As long as this situation persists, global temperatures will continue to rise, and extreme and erratic weather will be more and more commonplace.

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2021 Rated One of the Hottest Years Ever as CO2 Levels Hit Record High

Photo, posted November 11, 2011, courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Other Ways To Cut Vehicle Emissions

October 17, 2019 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

It is pretty clear that the way to drastically reduce vehicle greenhouse gas emissions is to switch as many vehicles as possible to electric power. As a result, more and more localities are putting in place policies that encourage electrification.

While there is no doubt that electrification is the long-term solution to vehicle emissions, a recent study by MIT and the Ford Motor Company found that, in the short term, there are some places in the US where electric cars are not the best way to reduce emissions.

The study looked at a variety of factors that affect the relative performance of vehicles. These include the role of low temperatures in reducing battery performance, regional differences in the average number of miles driven annually, and significant differences in the way electricity is generated in different parts of the US.

The results showed that electric vehicles definitely provide the greatest impact in reducing greenhouse gas emissions for most of the country – and particularly on both coasts and in the south – but that there are some places in the upper Midwest where the greatest reduction would be achieved by the use of lightweight gasoline-powered vehicles.

In places like parts of Wisconsin and Michigan, it is mostly rural, there are cold winters, and electricity is predominantly generated by coal-powered plants. In these places, if gas-powered lightweight cars were to be used, the overall benefit would be greater than that of electric cars. Unfortunately, there are no high-volume lightweight gasoline-powered mid-sized cars on the market in the US. Ironically, the only cars of that class using lightweight aluminum construction are Teslas.

While electric cars are truly the long-term solution, the study does demonstrate the benefits of reducing the weight of vehicles.

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What’s the best way to cut vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions?

Photo, posted February 9, 2018, courtesy of Dave Field via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

Hurricanes Are Slowing Down

July 17, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

According to a new study recently published in the scientific journal Nature, some hurricanes are moving slower and spending more time over land, which is leading to catastrophic rainfall and flooding. The speed at which hurricanes track along their paths – known as translational speed – can play a major role in a storm’s damage and devastation. 17

Traffic Jams In The Jet Stream

July 13, 2018 By EarthWise Leave a Comment

Many extreme weather events are associated with unusual behavior by the jet stream. Jet streams are the global air currents that circle the earth. The meandering and speed changes in the jet stream affect weather and also play a big role in how long it takes aircraft to make their way across the country. The behavior that leads to extreme weather events is known as “blocking” in which the meandering jet stream stops weather systems from moving eastward.