Mar 20, 2025 06:17 PM
New study reinforces worries about pulses of rapid sea level rise
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19032...t-ice-age/
INTRO: A new analysis of ancient layers of peat at the bottom of the North Sea will help scientists more accurately project how much sea level will rise in the coming decades and centuries. The research shows how fast sea level rose about 11,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, the last time Earth warmed as fast as it is warming now.
Current estimates for sea level rise in the next 75 years range between 1 and 4 feet. The new study, published today in Nature, affirms that projections for 3 feet of sea level rise by 2100 are not unrealistic, and “help[s] unravel the complex interaction between ice sheets, climate, and sea level,” said co-author Marc Hijma, a geologist with Deltares, a nonprofit research institute in The Netherlands.
The findings suggest sea level jumped by as much 3.3 feet per century during at least two separate periods between about 8,300 and 10,300 years ago, as the North American and Eurasian ice sheets melted away early in the Holocene geologic era.
Previous estimates for the total amount of sea level rise in the early Holocene varied by as much as 50 feet.
“The uncertainty was just enormous for this time period … because of a lack of good data,” said Hijma, adding that pinpointing future sea level rise is critical for coastal communities trying to prepare themselves. “This provides insights for both scientists and policymakers, so that we can prepare better for the impacts of current climate change, for example by focusing on climate adaptation,” he said... (MORE - details)
The heat trap: How rising temperatures affect the human brain
https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry...rap/103/i8
EXCERPT: Chhaya Gaikwad didn’t know that ignoring her father-in-law’s advice of not working in scorching heat could cost her over $1,000. [...] Last summer, when the temperature reached 44 °C (111.2 °F) in her village in India, 50-year-old Gaikwad worked in the fields for 8 h a day. Her late father-in-law, Sakharam Gaikwad, had warned her against this, but she dismissed his concerns, convinced she was too young to be affected by the heat.
[...] To align with peak market demand, Gaikwad should have begun growing them in September 2024. But she had made a misjudgment in her preparation ... “I couldn’t even cover the transportation costs to get to the market.” It was a tremendous loss caused by poor decision-making.
The answer to Gaikwad’s poor decisions may be found in a paper published last year by scholars in Australia. The researchers discovered that nights exceeding 25 °C in Indonesia led to irrational and impulsive behavior and poor economic decisions. Reduced sleep quality during these hot nights decreases cognitive function the following day, resulting in poor choices. Households with lower incomes and limited air-conditioning access are particularly susceptible.
India isn’t the only country grappling with rising temperatures. Parts of the US and nations in Central America, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa reported unusually high temperatures in 2024, making it Earth’s hottest year. According to a report from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, World Weather Attribution and Climate Central, these temperatures affected 6.8 billion people, or 84% of the world’s population. On average, individuals endured extreme heat for at least 31 days, a number that researchers project will grow further.
A Lancet study found that over 489,075 heat-related deaths were reported between 2000 and 2019, with over half of them in Asia. Now researchers are uncovering the complexities of how heat affects the human brain, revealing its far-reaching consequences... (MORE - missing details)
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/19032...t-ice-age/
INTRO: A new analysis of ancient layers of peat at the bottom of the North Sea will help scientists more accurately project how much sea level will rise in the coming decades and centuries. The research shows how fast sea level rose about 11,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, the last time Earth warmed as fast as it is warming now.
Current estimates for sea level rise in the next 75 years range between 1 and 4 feet. The new study, published today in Nature, affirms that projections for 3 feet of sea level rise by 2100 are not unrealistic, and “help[s] unravel the complex interaction between ice sheets, climate, and sea level,” said co-author Marc Hijma, a geologist with Deltares, a nonprofit research institute in The Netherlands.
The findings suggest sea level jumped by as much 3.3 feet per century during at least two separate periods between about 8,300 and 10,300 years ago, as the North American and Eurasian ice sheets melted away early in the Holocene geologic era.
Previous estimates for the total amount of sea level rise in the early Holocene varied by as much as 50 feet.
“The uncertainty was just enormous for this time period … because of a lack of good data,” said Hijma, adding that pinpointing future sea level rise is critical for coastal communities trying to prepare themselves. “This provides insights for both scientists and policymakers, so that we can prepare better for the impacts of current climate change, for example by focusing on climate adaptation,” he said... (MORE - details)
The heat trap: How rising temperatures affect the human brain
https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry...rap/103/i8
EXCERPT: Chhaya Gaikwad didn’t know that ignoring her father-in-law’s advice of not working in scorching heat could cost her over $1,000. [...] Last summer, when the temperature reached 44 °C (111.2 °F) in her village in India, 50-year-old Gaikwad worked in the fields for 8 h a day. Her late father-in-law, Sakharam Gaikwad, had warned her against this, but she dismissed his concerns, convinced she was too young to be affected by the heat.
[...] To align with peak market demand, Gaikwad should have begun growing them in September 2024. But she had made a misjudgment in her preparation ... “I couldn’t even cover the transportation costs to get to the market.” It was a tremendous loss caused by poor decision-making.
The answer to Gaikwad’s poor decisions may be found in a paper published last year by scholars in Australia. The researchers discovered that nights exceeding 25 °C in Indonesia led to irrational and impulsive behavior and poor economic decisions. Reduced sleep quality during these hot nights decreases cognitive function the following day, resulting in poor choices. Households with lower incomes and limited air-conditioning access are particularly susceptible.
India isn’t the only country grappling with rising temperatures. Parts of the US and nations in Central America, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa reported unusually high temperatures in 2024, making it Earth’s hottest year. According to a report from the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, World Weather Attribution and Climate Central, these temperatures affected 6.8 billion people, or 84% of the world’s population. On average, individuals endured extreme heat for at least 31 days, a number that researchers project will grow further.
A Lancet study found that over 489,075 heat-related deaths were reported between 2000 and 2019, with over half of them in Asia. Now researchers are uncovering the complexities of how heat affects the human brain, revealing its far-reaching consequences... (MORE - missing details)