NOAA Reconfirms Global Temperature Rise Of 2 - 10F By 2100 - Denver Post

[hatrack]

Boulder - Scientists in a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lab dedicated Wednesday say they know the global temperature will rise by 2 degrees to 10 degrees by century's end. They now want to pinpoint how big that increase will be, said the lab's new director, Alexander MacDonald.

While the lower end may add a few more really hot days to the summer and warmer days to the winter, the range's upper figure could lead to a catastrophic rise of the ocean that would put Miami under water, McDonald said.

EDIT

The Earth System Research Laboratory, which employs 600 people, is the largest in the NOAA's nationwide system of federal labs, which monitor the oceans and the atmosphere.

"We've created something new," MacDonald said. "We're going after better predictions from minutes to millennia. We have 600 people working together to understand how the Earth system works."

EDIT

http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_4227952

[phantom power]

1. Typical lousy reporting. The *minimum* represents a major change.

Not "a few more really hot days to the summer." Hell, we're already well past the "few more really hot days" phase, and heading into the "extinction event" phase.

[hatrack]

3. Yeah, is it just me or has science journalism REALLY sucked lately??

I mean, not just inability to express complex ideas well, but the inability to express even the simple ones comes through in article after article in paper after paper.

[phantom power]

4. Yes, that and they just seem to be ignorant. Factually *wrong.*

A worldwide mean temperature increase of 2F is a huge climate event. That is a basic fact, and it's been known for a long time. Clearly, the author is simply ignorant of the difference between one day being 2F hotter than the next, and a planet-wide average increase of 2F. This is stuff everybody should learn in highschool earth science. To say nothing of a journalist reporting on climate news.

Just one more example of the 4th estate's complete disinteration in America, I guess. Why mess up a perfect record of failure by getting the science reporting right?

[NNadir]

5. It's been that way for a long time.

Probably lousy science reporting goes a long way to explaining the existence of the Bush administration.

[BootinUp]

2. The next generation is going to have it rough. n/t

[Boomer]

6. Next generation?

Yeah, but it's not like we're getting a free ride either.

If the temp rises 8 degrees by 2100, at least 2 of those degrees are likely to occur during the next 25 years. I won't be around much longer beyond that probably, nonetheless it won't be a "gentle twilight" to the end of life. More like buggering out before life becomes intolerable.

By 2050, an extra 4 degrees could be in effect. Which means anyone on this forum who is in their 20s will spend the last half of their life in really, really "interesting" times.