Saturday 19 February 2011

Extreme Rain Link To Global Warming

Scientists running sophisticated computer models are beginning to link increased greenhouse gasses - caused by man's burning of fossil fuels - with increased rainfall events.

"The British study focused on flooding in England and Wales in the fall of 2000. The disaster cost more than $1.7 billion in insured damages and was the wettest autumn for the region in more than 230 years of record-keeping. Researchers found that global warming more than doubled the likelihood of that flood occurring."

Amazon Drought Link To Global Warming

The trees and vegetation of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil soak up massive amounts of CO2 - a greenhouse gas responsible for global warming - but also release massive amounts when they die. Two major droughts there in 2005 and 2010 have caused the Amazon to be a source of CO2 not a sink, potentially fueling further global warming.

"The combined emissions caused by the two droughts were probably enough to have canceled out the carbon absorbed by the forest over the past 10 years, the study found."