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Articles by Alan Buis
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Other Features There's an old saying that “the proof is in the pudding,” meaning that you can only truly gauge the quality of something once it's been put to a test. Such is the case with climate models: mathematical computer simulations of the various factors that interact to affect Earth's climate, such as our atmosphere, ocean, ice, land surface and the Sun.
International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction
International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction by Alan Buis Pasadena CA (JPL) May 08, 2024 A partnership between NASA and the French space agency, the satellite is poised to help improve forecasts of where and when flooding will occur in Earth's rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are like our planet's arteries, carrying life-sustaining water in interconnected networks. When Earth's water cycle runs too fast, flooding can result, threatening lives and property.
International SWOT mission can improve flood prediction
Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are like our planet's arteries, carrying life-sustaining water in interconnected networks. When Earth's water cycle runs too fast, flooding can result, threatening lives and property. That risk is increasing as climate change alters precipitation patterns and more people are living in flood-prone areas worldwide. Scientists and water managers use many types of data to predict flooding.
International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction
International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction by Alan Buis Pasadena CA (JPL) May 08, 2024 A partnership between NASA and the French space agency, the satellite is poised to help improve forecasts of where and when flooding will occur in Earth's rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are like our planet's arteries, carrying life-sustaining water in interconnected networks. When Earth's water cycle runs too fast, flooding can result, threatening lives and property.
International SWOT Mission Can Improve Flood Prediction
Rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are like our planet’s arteries, carrying life-sustaining water in interconnected networks. When Earth’s water cycle runs too fast, flooding can result, threatening lives and property. That risk is increasing as climate change alters precipitation patterns and more people are living in flood-prone areas worldwide. Scientists and water managers use many types of data to predict flooding.
When Climate Gets Under Your Skin – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
By Alan Buis, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory In Brief From insect-borne diseases to seasonal allergies and “superbugs,” climate change is quite literally getting under our skin, affecting our health in often surprising ways. Second in a series on lesser-known impacts of climate change (see part 1).
Planes, Shipping Lanes, and Automobiles: Surprising Ways Climate Change Can Affect Transportation – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
By Alan Buis, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory The effects of global climate change are broad and impact everyone, as well as Earth’s natural systems. Much has been written about the major impacts of climate change. Effects such as rising global surface temperatures, higher sea levels, longer and more intense heat waves, melting glaciers and ice sheets, polar sea ice loss, extreme weather and climate events, and impacts on animal habitats are well-documented and in the news regularly.
Too Hot to Handle: How Climate Change May Make Some Places Too Hot to Live – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
In Brief: As Earth’s climate warms, incidences of extreme heat and humidity are rising, with significant consequences for human health. Climate scientists are tracking a key measure of heat stress that can warn us of harmful conditions. How hot is too hot? As Earth’s climate warms, heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe. The health dangers of extreme heat have scientists and medical experts increasingly concerned.
Steamy Relationships: How Atmospheric Water Vapor Supercharges Earth's Greenhouse Effect – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Water vapor is Earth’s most abundant greenhouse gas. It’s responsible for about half of Earth’s greenhouse effect — the process that occurs when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat. Greenhouse gases keep our planet livable. Without them, Earth’s surface temperature would be about 59 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) colder.
Steamy Relationships: How Atmospheric Water Vapor Amplifies Earth's Greenhouse Effect – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Water vapor is Earth’s most abundant greenhouse gas. It’s responsible for about half of Earth’s greenhouse effect — the process that occurs when gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap the Sun’s heat. Greenhouse gases keep our planet livable. Without them, Earth’s surface temperature would be about 59 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) colder.
Extreme Makeover: Human Activities Are Making Some Extreme Events More Frequent or Intense – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
In Brief: It’s not your imagination: Certain extreme events, like heat waves, are happening more often and becoming more intense. But what role are humans playing in Earth’s extreme weather and climate event makeover? Scientists are finding clear human fingerprints. The year 2021 has seen a flurry of extreme events around the globe. Among the many that have captured headlines so far this year: Devastating flooding in Australia, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Northeast.
Extreme Makeover: Human Activities Are Making Some Extreme Events More Frequent or Intense – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
It’s not your imagination: Certain extreme events, like heat waves, are happening more often and becoming more intense. But what role are humans playing in Earth’s extreme weather and climate event makeover? Scientists are finding clear human fingerprints. The year 2021 has seen a flurry of extreme events around the globe. Among the many that have captured headlines so far this year: Devastating flooding in Australia, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Northeast.
Protecting Our Planet from Harmful Space Radiation
Schematic illustration of Earth’s magnetic field. Credit: Peter Reid, The University of Edinburgh Among the four rocky planets in our solar system, you could say that Earth’s “magnetic” personality is the envy of her interplanetary neighbors. When solar material streams strike Earth’s magnetosphere, they can become trapped and held in two donut-shaped belts around the planet called the Van Allen Belts.
Flip Flop: Why Variations in Earth's Magnetic Field Aren't Causing Today's Climate Change – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Earth is surrounded by an immense magnetic field, called the magnetosphere. Generated by powerful, dynamic forces at the center of our world, our magnetosphere shields us from erosion of our atmosphere by the solar wind, particle radiation from coronal mass ejections (eruptions of large clouds of energetic, magnetized plasma from the Sun’s corona into space), and from cosmic rays from deep space.
Earth's Magnetosphere: Protecting Our Planet from Harmful Space Energy – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
By Alan Buis, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Among the four rocky planets in our solar system, you could say that Earth’s “magnetic” personality is the envy of her interplanetary neighbors. Unlike Mercury, Venus, and Mars, Earth is surrounded by an immense magnetic field called the magnetosphere.
Flip Flop: Why Variations in Earth's Magnetic Field Aren't Causing Today's Climate Change – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Earth is surrounded by a system of magnetic fields, called the magnetosphere. The magnetosphere shields our home planet from harmful solar and cosmic particle radiation, but it can change shape in response to incoming space weather from the Sun. Credit: NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio A constant outflow of solar material streams out from the Sun, depicted here in an artist's rendering. This solar wind is always passing by Earth.
The Raw Truth on Global Temperature Records – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Ensuring the accuracy of Earth’s long-term global and regional surface temperature records is a challenging, constantly evolving undertaking. There are lots of reasons for this, including changes in the availability of data, technological advancements in how land and sea surface temperatures are measured, the growth of urban areas, and changes to where and when temperature data are collected, to name just a few.
The Raw Truth on Global Temperature Records – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Ensuring the accuracy of Earth’s long-term global and regional surface temperature records is a challenging, constantly evolving undertaking. There are lots of reasons for this, including changes in the availability of data, technological advancements in how land and sea surface temperatures are measured, the growth of urban areas, and changes to where and when temperature data are collected, to name just a few.
The Raw Truth on Global Temperature Records – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Ensuring the accuracy of Earth’s long-term global and regional surface temperature records is a challenging, constantly evolving undertaking. There are lots of reasons for this, including changes in the availability of data, technological advancements in how land and sea surface temperatures are measured, the growth of urban areas, and changes to where and when temperature data are collected, to name just a few.
The Climate Connections of a Record Fire Year in the U.S. West – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
The year 2020 will be remembered for many things, not the least of which were a series of devastating fires around the globe that bear the fingerprints of climate change. From Australia and South America’s Amazon and Pantanal regions, to Siberia and the U.S. West, wildfires set new records and made news year-round. It was an especially bad year for wildfires on the U.S. West Coast. Five of California’s 10 largest wildfires on record happened in 2020, and the state set a new record for acres burned.
The Climate Connections of a Record Fire Year in the U.S. West – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
The year 2020 will be remembered for many things, not the least of which were a series of devastating fires around the globe that bear the fingerprints of climate change. From Australia and South America’s Amazon and Pantanal regions, to Siberia and the U.S. West, wildfires set new records and made news year-round. It was an especially bad year for wildfires on the U.S. West Coast. Five of California’s 10 largest wildfires on record happened in 2020, and the state set a new record for acres burned.
The Impact of Climate Change: Curated by Dr. Zeke Hausfather
The extent of the human contribution to modern global warming is a hotly debated topic in political circles, particularly in the US. During a recent … INFOGRAPHICS | September 26. 2018.
Changing Pacific Conditions Raise Sea Level Along U.S. West Coast
By Alan Buis, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Ask your average resident of California, Oregon, or Washington to name the natural hazard that concerns them most and sea level rise probably won’t bubble to the top of the list. After all, the region is better known for its wildfires, earthquakes, heat waves, and mudslides. But those who live along the coastline know better.
Making Sense of ‘Climate Sensitivity' – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Recently, an international research team published a comprehensive review in the journal Reviews of Geophysics on our state of understanding of Earth's "climate sensitivity," a key measure of how much our climate will change as greenhouse gas emissions increase. Essentially, by narrowing the range of estimates, the researchers found that climate sensitivity isn’t so low that it should be ignored, but it’s also not so high that there is no hope for the planet’s recovery.
NASA Celebrates Earth Day with 'Global Selfie' Event
Are you ready for your close-up? This Earth Day, April 22, NASA invites you to celebrate by stepping outside, taking a "selfie" and sharing it with the world on social media. The event is designed to encourage environmental awareness and recognize NASA's ongoing work to protect our home planet. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech › Larger image For the first time in more than a decade, five NASA Earth-observing missions will be launched into space in a single year.
Sea Level 101: What Determines the Level of the Sea? – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Lots of forces are at work on the world’s ocean, and NASA studies them all. When it comes to sea level, NASA does much more than just measure it; they also seek to understand it. But for non-scientists, fathoming the forces that determine sea levels around the world can sometimes be a bit daunting, so here’s a little guide to some of the basics. Let’s dive in. Waves in the Bathtub Most of the time, Earth’s ocean looks pretty darn flat to those of us here on the ground, like the water in a bathtub.
Can't 'See' Sea Level Rise? You're Looking in the Wrong Place – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Recently I stayed in a lovely vacation rental at the eastern end of Ocean Isle Beach, a small town on North Carolina’s southern coast not far from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Located on a 5-mile-long (8-kilometer-long) barrier island, the community is separated from the mainland by the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and marsh savannas. It’s a pleasant seaside resort, with restaurants, tourist amenities, and row upon row of stilt homes, many right on the beach.
Can't 'See' Sea Level Rise? You're Looking in the Wrong Place – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Recently I stayed in a lovely vacation rental at the eastern end of Ocean Isle Beach, a small town on North Carolina’s southern coast not far from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Located on a 5-mile-long (8-kilometer-long) barrier island, the community is separated from the mainland by the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and marsh savannas. It’s a pleasant seaside resort, with restaurants, tourist amenities, and row upon row of stilt homes, many right on the beach.
Fire and Ice: Why Volcanic Activity Is Not Melting the Polar Ice Sheets – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Few natural phenomena are as impressive or awesome to behold as glaciers and volcanoes. I’ve seen both with my own eyes. I’ve marveled at the enormous power of flowing ice as I trekked across a glacier on Washington’s Mount Rainier — an active, but dormant, volcano.
Fire and Ice: Why Volcanic Activity Is Not Melting the Polar Ice Sheets – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Few natural phenomena are as impressive or awesome to behold as glaciers and volcanoes. I’ve seen both with my own eyes. I’ve marveled at the enormous power of flowing ice as I trekked across a glacier on Washington’s Mount Rainier — an active, but dormant, volcano.
Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles and Their Role in Earth’s Climate/ Covering Climate Now
Cycles also play key roles in Earth’s short-term weather and long-term climate. A century ago, Serbian scientist Milutin Milankovitch hypothesized the long-term, collective effects of changes in Earth’s position relative to the Sun are a strong driver of Earth’s long-term climate, and are responsible for triggering the beginning and end of glaciation periods (Ice Ages).
Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles and Their Role in Earth's Climate – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Our lives literally revolve around cycles: series of events that are repeated regularly in the same order. There are hundreds of different types of cycles in our world and in the universe. Some are natural, such as the change of the seasons, annual animal migrations or the circadian rhythms that govern our sleep patterns. Others are human-produced, like growing and harvesting crops, musical rhythms or economic cycles. Cycles also play key roles in Earth’s short-term weather and long-term climate.
The Atmosphere: Getting a Handle on Carbon Dioxide – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Part Two Earth’s atmosphere is resilient to many of the changes humans have imposed on it. But, says atmospheric scientist David Crisp of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, that doesn’t necessarily mean that our society is.
Why Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles Can't Explain Earth's Current Warming – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
In the last few months, a number of questions have come in asking if NASA has attributed Earth’s recent warming to changes in how Earth moves through space around the Sun: a series of orbital motions known as Milankovitch cycles. What cycles, you ask? Milankovitch cycles include the shape of Earth’s orbit (its eccentricity), the angle that Earth’s axis is tilted with respect to Earth’s orbital plane (its obliquity), and the direction that Earth’s spin axis is pointed (its precession).
Milankovitch Cycles and Their Role in Earth's Climate – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Our lives literally revolve around cycles: series of events that are repeated regularly in the same order. There are hundreds of different types of cycles in our world and in the universe. Some are natural, such as the change of the seasons, annual animal migrations or the circadian rhythms that govern our sleep patterns. Others are human-produced, like growing and harvesting crops, musical rhythms or economic cycles. Cycles also play key roles in Earth’s short-term weather and long-term climate.
Why Milankovitch Cycles Can't Explain Earth's Current Warming – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
In the last few months, a number of questions have come in asking if NASA has attributed Earth’s recent warming to changes in how Earth moves through space around the Sun: a series of orbital motions known as Milankovitch cycles. What cycles, you ask? Milankovitch cycles include the shape of Earth’s orbit (its eccentricity), the angle that Earth’s axis is tilted with respect to Earth’s orbital plane (its obliquity), and the direction that Earth’s spin axis is pointed (its precession).
Study Confirms Climate Models are Getting Future Warming Projections Right – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
There’s an old saying that “the proof is in the pudding,” meaning that you can only truly gauge the quality of something once it’s been put to a test. Such is the case with climate models: mathematical computer simulations of the various factors that interact to affect Earth’s climate, such as our atmosphere, ocean, ice, land surface and the Sun. For decades, people have legitimately wondered how well climate models perform in predicting future climate conditions.
Examining the Viability of Planting Trees to Help Mitigate Climate Change – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
By Alan Buis, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory It’s an intriguing premise: what if we could reduce the severity of global climate change by planting hundreds of billions of trees to remove excess carbon from our atmosphere? A recent study published in the journal Science sought to provide answers by estimating the global potential of restoring forested lands as a possible strategy for mitigating climate change.
Can Climate Affect Earthquakes, Or Are the Connections Shaky? – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
By Alan Buis, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory The twin magnitude 6.4 and 7.1 earthquakes that struck the Ridgecrest area in California’s Mojave Desert northeast of Los Angeles on July 4 and 5, respectively, were felt by up to 30 million people in California, Nevada, Arizona and Baja California, resulting in loss of life, injuries, billions in damage and lots of frazzled nerves.
Why a Growing Greenland Glacier Doesn't Mean Good News for Global Warming – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
In March, a NASA-led research team announced that Jakobshavn Isbrae, Greenland's fastest-flowing and thinning glacier over the past two decades, is now flowing more slowly, thickening and advancing toward the ocean instead of retreating farther inland. On the surface, that sounds like great news. After all, if this glacial behemoth, which drains seven percent of Greenland, is slowing, certainly that must mean that global warming is also slowing, right? Wrong.
The Atmosphere: Tracking the Ongoing Recovery of Earth's Ozone Hole – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Part Three As discussed earlier in this feature series (see Parts One and Two), Earth’s atmosphere is largely able to cleanse itself of pollutants, but there are a few things that humans have produced that are much more long-lived when emitted into the atmosphere, degrading its quality and creating harmful environmental effects.
The Atmosphere: Earth's Security Blanket – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Part One Most of us probably don’t think much about Earth’s atmosphere, let alone how much humans are affecting it. After all, it’s just there. Gazing into the sky during the day, it’s tough to get a handle on what’s happening up there. Our atmosphere seems tantalizingly close and yet mysteriously distant. The life-sustaining air we breathe envelops our planet like a pale-blue security blanket, clinging to us by the force of gravity.
Nope, Earth Isn't Cooling – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Periodically, we receive queries asking if Earth is cooling. Although multiple lines of converging scientific evidence show conclusively that our climate is warming, stories sometimes appear in the media calling that into question. New studies are interpreted as contradicting previous research, or data are viewed to be in conflict with established scientific thinking.
Nope, Earth Isn't Cooling – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Periodically, we receive queries asking if Earth is cooling. Although multiple lines of converging scientific evidence show conclusively that our climate is warming, stories sometimes appear in the media calling that into question. New studies are interpreted as contradicting previous research, or data are viewed to be in conflict with established scientific thinking.
A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Part 1 of a Two-Part Series If you could ask a sea turtle why small increases in global average temperature matter, you’d be likely to get a mouthful. Of sea grass, that is. Of course, sea turtles can’t talk, except in certain animated movies. And while on-screen they’re portrayed as happy-go-lucky creatures, in reality it’s pretty tough to be a sea turtle, dude (consider the facts), and in a warming world, it’s getting tougher.
A Degree of Concern: Why Global Temperatures Matter – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet
Part 2: Selected Findings of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming In part one of our feature, we examined some of the many reasons why Earth’s natural and human systems are sensitive to a warming climate. In part two, we’ll highlight some of the specific ways the IPCC special report projects our planet may change with another half-degree or full degree Celsius of warming. Each of the following selected projections are from the IPCC special report.
NASA Maps Thawed Areas Under Greenland Ice Sheet
NASA researchers have helped produce the first map showing what parts of the bottom of the massive Greenland Ice Sheet are thawed -- key information in better predicting how the ice sheet will react to a warming climate. Greenland's thick ice sheet insulates the bedrock below from the cold temperatures at the surface, so the bottom of the ice is often tens of degrees warmer than the top, because the ice bottom is slowly warmed by heat coming from Earth's depths.
Far Northern Permafrost May Unleash Carbon Within Decades
Tundra polygons on Alaska's North Slope. As permafrost thaws, this area is likely to be a source of atmospheric carbon before 2100.
Four other things ECOSTRESS can see
Unusual heat can be a warning sign of important changes and concerns in many fields of research besides botany. Here are four other areas where ECOSTRESS's precise temperature measurements could make a difference. ECOSTRESS's radiometer can detect all kinds of fires, but it may be most useful in recording small fires—new wildfires that are just beginning to grow, and small agricultural fires that only burn for a day. These have proven hard to study from satellite observations.
OMG, the water's warm! NASA study solves glacier puzzle
Using ocean data from NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) campaign, the study documents a plume of warm water flowing up Tracy's underwater face, and a much colder plume in front of Heilprin. Scientists have assumed plumes like these exist for glaciers all around Greenland, but this is the first time their effects have been measured. The finding highlights the critical role of oceans in glacial ice loss and their importance for understanding future sea level rise.
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