Another Free Vacation Away From Michelle Obama!

[1stRambo]

Yo, this phony needs to give it up with Climate Change! Mother Nature will do what she wants! He is just after more taxes, simple as that!!!

Obama opens Alaska trip aiming to drive climate to forefront
By JOSH LEDERMAN

Aug. 31, 2015 8:35 PM EDT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — President Barack Obama brought the power of the presidential pulpit to Alaska on Monday, aiming to thrust climate change to the forefront of the global agenda with a historic visit that will put the state's liquefying glaciers and sinking villages on graphic display.

During his three-day tour of Alaska, Obama planned to hike a glacier, converse with fishermen and tape a reality TV show with survivalist Bear Grylls — all part of a highly orchestrated White House campaign to illustrate how climate change has damaged the state's stunning landscape. The goal at each stop is to create powerful visuals that show real-world effects of climate change and drive home Obama's message that the crisis already has arrived.

Stepping off of Air Force One, Obama was greeted by Alaska's leaders and the U.S. Army Alaska's commanding general. Small crowds gathered along the streets as Obama made his way through downtown Anchorage, where he planned to meet with Alaska Natives before addressing a U.S.-sponsored summit on climate change and the Arctic.

Later in the trip, Obama will become the first sitting president to travel north of the Arctic Circle when he visits Kotzebue — population 3,153 — to address the plight of Alaska Natives, who face dire economic conditions amid some of the worst effects of global warming.

Obama opens Alaska trip aiming to drive climate to forefront

"GTP"
Idiot Below:

 

[Freewill]

Why is everything Obama does called historic?

 

[1stRambo]

Why is everything Obama does called historic?

Yo, bought and paid for media!

"GTP"

 

[mamooth]

I think the point of this thread is to confirm that, without exception, every single denier on this board is a right-wing-fringe conspiracy cultist.

Well done, rambo.

 

[Old Rocks]

Melting Permafrost Threatens Infrastructure, Homes | Alaska Public Media

Coffey said during most of the 32 years he’s been with the Department of Transportation, Fairbanks winters were cold.

“Historically in the fall they instantly, or very suddenly, went to below zero and they stayed below zero until spring,” said Coffey.

Now, Coffey said, warmer temperatures are changing maintenance requirements for Fairbanks roads.

“We’re getting freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw. We had a huge rainstorm in January; I think that was in 2011,” said Coffey. “It’s forced us to change the way we do our winter maintenance operations in that we’re actually now having to do anti-icing in the Fairbanks area, which 10 or 15 years ago probably wouldn’t have even been thought of.”

Melting permafrost is a problem.

 

[Old Rocks]

How rapidly is permafrost changing - Romanovsky

Northern ecological systems depend on permafrost conditions. Permafrost controls plant communities and biomass production by soil temperature, active layer thickness, moisture content, presence of unfrozen water, and surface hydrology. The changes in the permafrost thermal regime and active layer thickness can affect plant diversity and biomass. The thawing of the ice-rich permafrost within the boreal forest biome can lead to destruction of the substrate and major changes in ecosystems. In case of the "wet thermokarst" scenario of permafrost degradation, changes can result in replacement of the boreal forest with wetlands. In case of "dry thermokarst", the boreal forest ecosystems may be replaced by steppe-like habitats. Long-term permafrost degradation (even without active thermokarst processes) will continuously improve conditions for the subsurface water drainage (especially in sandy soils) that will lead to increased dryness of soils, putting significant stress on vegetation. Improved drainage conditions will also lead to shrinkage of numerous ponds within the degrading permafrost area dramatically affecting aquatic ecosystems (Yoshikawa and Hinzman, 2003).


Figure 6. Thermokarst depression on the edge of the Geophysical Institute UAF parking lot (Fairbanks, Alaska). Surface disturbance related to the parking lot construction triggered permafrost degradation and ground ice melting.
Significant amounts of carbon are now sequestered in perennially frozen soils (permafrost) and within the active layer, which thaw every summer but completely re-freeze during the following winter, where the organic matter decomposition is slow. That is why the majority of northern ecosystems are apparently carbon sinks at present time. Climate warming and drying caused by this warming permafrost degradation will change this situation. A thicker, warmer and dryer active layer will be much friendlier for microbial activities during the summer. Significantly later freeze-up of this layer in winter and warmer winter temperatures (that means much more unfrozen water in it) will considerably enhance the microbial activities during the winter. So, the arctic and sub-arctic ecosystems could turn into a source of CO2 (especially on an annual basis) very soon. Further permafrost degradation and formation of taliks will amplify these changes because a layer that will not freeze during the entire winter (talik) will appear above the permafrost, where microbial activities will not cease during the winter. In the area of "wet thermokarst" formation, new and significant sources of CH4 will be developing.

Thaw settlement related to permafrost degradation is presently responsible for damage to houses, roads, airports, military installations, pipelines, and other facilities founded on ice-rich permafrost (Osterkamp et al., 1997). Any natural increase in the mean annual surface temperature of permafrost and subsequent thaw settlement would create severe maintenance problems for facilities in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic, adding to effects already being observed (Figure 6). Some structures, airports, and roads might have to be abandoned if funds are not adequate to continue repairs (Esch and Osterkamp, 1990).

Alaska, and the northern areas of Europe and Asia are indeed showcases for the fact that the climate is changing.

 

[Old Rocks]

Yo,yo, the phony is you, and the others here that deny the reality of climate change.

All the Scientific Societies, all the National Academies of Science, and all the major Universities in the world state that AGW is real, and a clear and present danger. Why should we pay attention to to two digit IQ's on the internet that make plain their ignorance concerning the science behind the problem. Yo, yourself, you silly person.

 

[flacaltenn]

Melting Permafrost Threatens Infrastructure, Homes | Alaska Public Media

Coffey said during most of the 32 years he’s been with the Department of Transportation, Fairbanks winters were cold.

“Historically in the fall they instantly, or very suddenly, went to below zero and they stayed below zero until spring,” said Coffey.

Now, Coffey said, warmer temperatures are changing maintenance requirements for Fairbanks roads.

“We’re getting freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw, freeze, thaw. We had a huge rainstorm in January; I think that was in 2011,” said Coffey. “It’s forced us to change the way we do our winter maintenance operations in that we’re actually now having to do anti-icing in the Fairbanks area, which 10 or 15 years ago probably wouldn’t have even been thought of.”

Melting permafrost is a problem.

You were JUST SHOWN a study showing the LOCAL urban heating in Alaska can contribute up to 6degF in a place like Alaska -- especially during the coldest seasons.. And YET --- somehow --- you still cant separate that from the 1degF due to Global Warming..

You build a home or road on permafrost and pump it full of heat and the top layer of permafrost will tend to melt. It's actually science...

 

[Billy_Bob]

WHy do left wing fruit cakes tell the same lies over and over and over again? Even Obama tried a new one.. OMG were gonna fry 6-12 deg F in the next few years... And yet not a single scientist will support this lie.. Even his own NOAA and NASA guys are running like hell from this lie.. Now that's dam funny!!

 

[Crick]

I see no one running from their previous positions as fast as YOU running from your claim that there'd be no el Nino this year.

 

[Old Rocks]

Climate Impacts in Alaska | Climate Change | US EPA

Alaska is a huge state with a wide range of climatic and ecological conditions. It is known for its rainforests, glaciers, boreal forest, tundra, peatlands, and meadows. Alaska contains 75% of U.S. national parks and 90% of U.S. wildlife refuges, by area.[1]

Over the past 50 years, temperatures across Alaska increased by an average of 3.4°F. Winter warming was even greater, rising by an average of 6.3°F.[2]The rate of warming in Alaska was twice the national average over that same period of time. Average annual temperatures in Alaska are projected to increase an additional 3.5 to 7°F by the middle of this century.[2]

Precipitation in Alaska has also increased slightly, but the trend is not significant. Climate projections indicate that Alaskan winters are likely to be wetter, and that summers could become drier, as rising air temperatures accelerate the rate of evaporation.[2][3]

Top of page

Permafrost Impacts
Permafrost is the frozen ground located one to two feet below the surface in cold regions. As permafrost thaws and the soil sinks, structures built on or within the soil are damaged. Although most Alaskans live in permafrost-free areas, an estimated 100,000 Alaskans (about 14% of the population) live in areas sensitive to permafrost degradation.[4]As explained below, the impacts of melting permafrost on transportation, forests, ecosystems, and the economy could have widespread implications for Alaskans.

Yes, by past performance, the figure of a 6 to 12 degree increase by 2100 is warranted. You people know this, but choose to lie about it.

 

[Old Rocks]

WHy do left wing fruit cakes tell the same lies over and over and over again? Even Obama tried a new one.. OMG were gonna fry 6-12 deg F in the next few years... And yet not a single scientist will support this lie.. Even his own NOAA and NASA guys are running like hell from this lie.. Now that's dam funny!!

More lies from Billy Bob. The prediction is for 2100, not a few years from now. And is warranted by the temperature increase of the past 50 years. When Mr. Flacaltenn makes a statement like that, hi is telling a purposeful lie. When Billy Bob does, he simply too ignorant and stupid to know any better. College student indeed, LOL.

 

[flacaltenn]

WHy do left wing fruit cakes tell the same lies over and over and over again? Even Obama tried a new one.. OMG were gonna fry 6-12 deg F in the next few years... And yet not a single scientist will support this lie.. Even his own NOAA and NASA guys are running like hell from this lie.. Now that's dam funny!!

More lies from Billy Bob. The prediction is for 2100, not a few years from now. And is warranted by the temperature increase of the past 50 years. When Mr. Flacaltenn makes a statement like that, hi is telling a purposeful lie. When Billy Bob does, he simply too ignorant and stupid to know any better. College student indeed, LOL.

When I do WHAT exactly Rocks? There's a reference to that 6 to 11 degF in your post -- but no data and no scientist vouching for it. Traced it back thru 4 links to a propaganda piece by Union of Concerned Scientists.. You know those guys you admire because their "Concern" is equal to or greater their will to preserve scientific integrity..

You KNOW this is propaganda unsupported by the latest scientific estimates and yet --- you attack us for pointing that out.. That 6 to 11 degrees dates back to Hansen's mickey mouse "simulations" in 1988 which he EMBELLISHED for political purposes..And even gave cover to the press to use 20 degrees in the N. Hemisphere..

 

[Old Rocks]

Role of Land-Surface Changes in Arctic Summer Warming

Role of Land-Surface Changes in Arctic Summer Warming

1. F. S. Chapin III1,*,
2. M. Sturm5,
3. M. C. Serreze6,
4. J. P. McFadden7,
5. J. R. Key8,
6. A. H. Lloyd9,
7. A. D. McGuire2,
8. T. S. Rupp3,
9. A. H. Lynch10,
10. J. P. Schimel11,
11. J. Beringer10,
12. W. L. Chapman12,
13. H. E. Epstein13,
14. E. S. Euskirchen1,
15. L. D. Hinzman4,
16. G. Jia14,
17. C.-L. Ping15,
18. K. D. Tape1,
19. C. D. C. Thompson1,
20. D. A. Walker1,
21. J. M. Welker16

+Author Affiliations

1. ↵* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]

• ABSTRACT

A major challenge in predicting Earth's future climate state is to understand feedbacks that alter greenhouse-gas forcing. Here we synthesize field data from arctic Alaska, showing that terrestrial changes in summer albedo contribute substantially to recent high-latitude warming trends. Pronounced terrestrial summer warming in arctic Alaska correlates with a lengthening of the snow-free season that has increased atmospheric heating locally by about 3 watts per square meter per decade (similar in magnitude to the regional heating expected over multiple decades from a doubling of atmospheric CO2). The continuation of current trends in shrub and tree expansion could further amplify this atmospheric heating by two to seven times.

Real Scientists, not internet pretenders.

 

[Old Rocks]

Characteristics of the recent warming of permafrost in Alaska - Osterkamp - 2007 - Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface - Wiley Online Library

Characteristics of the recent warming of permafrost in Alaska
T. E. Osterkamp1
Received 16 May 2006; revised 22 September 2006; accepted 8 November 2006; published 3 April 2007.
[1] Tentative answers are provided to questions concerning the recent warming of
permafrost in Alaska, particularly those regarding timing, duration, magnitude, spatial
distribution, seasonality, active layer effects, thawing, thermokarst terrain, and causes.
Permafrost warmed at most sites north of the Brooks Range from the Chukchi Sea to the
Alaska-Canada border, south along a transect from Prudhoe Bay to Gulkana and at
sites up to 300 km from the transect. The warming was coincident with the statewide
warming of air temperatures that began in 1976/1977 and appears to have occurred
statewide with some exceptions. Magnitude of the warming was 3 to 4C for the Arctic
Coastal Plain, 1 to 2C for the Brooks Range including its northern and southern
foothills, and 0.3 to 1C south of the Yukon River. This suggests a total warming of >6C
at Prudhoe Bay during the last century. The warming was seasonal (primarily in
winter) with little change in summer conditions. Consequently, active layer thicknesses
did not increase and were not correlated with warming permafrost conditions. Natural
thawing at the permafrost surface (0.1 m/yr) occurred at both a tundra and forest site.
Basal thawing at one site was 0.04 m/yr until 2000 when it accelerated to 0.09 m/yr.
New thermokarst terrain has been observed in interior and northern Alaska. Probable
causes of the warming include increased air temperatures, snow cover effects, and
combinations of these. New investigations are needed to further determine the
characteristics, especially the causes, of this recent permafrost warming.

More evidence from real scientists.

 

[Old Rocks]

Evidence and Implications of Recent Climate Change in Northern Alaska and Other Arctic Regions - Springer

Evidence and Implications of Recent Climate Change in Northern Alaska and Other Arctic Regions

• Larry D. Hinzman
• , Neil D. Bettez
• , W. Robert Bolton
• , F. Stuart Chapin
• , Mark B. Dyurgerov
• ,Chris L. Fastie
• , Brad Griffith
• , Robert D. Hollister
• , Allen Hope
• and 26 more

Abstract
The Arctic climate is changing. Permafrost is warming, hydrological processes are changing and biological and social systems are also evolving in response to these changing conditions. Knowing how the structure and function of arctic terrestrial ecosystems are responding to recent and persistent climate change is paramount to understanding the future state of the Earth system and how humans will need to adapt. Our holistic review presents a broad array of evidence that illustrates convincingly; the Arctic is undergoing a system-wide response to an altered climatic state. New extreme and seasonal surface climatic conditions are being experienced, a range of biophysical states and processes influenced by the threshold and phase change of freezing point are being altered, hydrological and biogeochemical cycles are shifting, and more regularly human sub-systems are being affected. Importantly, the patterns, magnitude and mechanisms of change have sometimes been unpredictable or difficult to isolate due to compounding factors. In almost every discipline represented, we show how the biocomplexity of the Arctic system has highlighted and challenged a paucity of integrated scientific knowledge, the lack of sustained observational and experimental time series, and the technical and logistic constraints of researching the Arctic environment. This study supports ongoing efforts to strengthen the interdisciplinarity of arctic system science and improve the coupling of large scale experimental manipulation with sustained time series observations by incorporating and integrating novel technologies, remote sensing and modeling.

The whole article is available at the site.

 

[Old Rocks]

Abrupt increase in permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaska - Jorgenson - 2006 - Geophysical Research Letters - Wiley Online Library

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 33, L02503, doi:10.1029/2005GL024960, 2006

Abrupt increase in permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaska

M. Torre Jorgenson,1 Yuri L. Shur,2 and Erik R. Pullman1

Received 14 October 2005; revised 28 November 2005; accepted 5 December 2005; published 24 January 2006.

[1] Even though the arctic zone of continuous permafrost has relatively cold mean annual air temperatures, we found an abrupt, large increase in the extent of permafrost degradation in northern Alaska since 1982, associated with record warm temperatures during 1989 – 1998. Our field studies revealed that the recent degradation has mainly occurred to massive wedges of ice that previously had been stable for 1000s of years. Analysis of airphotos from 1945, 1982, and 2001 revealed large increases in the area (0.5%, 0.6%, and 4.4% of area, respectively) and density (88, 128, and 1336 pits/km2) of degrading ice wedges in two study areas on the arctic coastal plain. Spectral analysis across a broader landscape found that newly degraded,
water-filled pits covered 3.8% of the land area. These results indicate that thermokarst potentially can affect 10– 30% of arctic lowland landscapes and severely alter tundra ecosystems even under scenarios of modest climate warming. Citation: Jorgenson, M. T., Y. L. Shur, and E. R.Pullman (2006), Abrupt increase in permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaska, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L02503, doi:10.1029/ 2005GL024960.

Another full article for those interested in what the scientists are finding in their research.

 

[flacaltenn]

Characteristics of the recent warming of permafrost in Alaska - Osterkamp - 2007 - Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface - Wiley Online Library

Characteristics of the recent warming of permafrost in Alaska
T. E. Osterkamp1
Received 16 May 2006; revised 22 September 2006; accepted 8 November 2006; published 3 April 2007.
[1] Tentative answers are provided to questions concerning the recent warming of
permafrost in Alaska, particularly those regarding timing, duration, magnitude, spatial
distribution, seasonality, active layer effects, thawing, thermokarst terrain, and causes.
Permafrost warmed at most sites north of the Brooks Range from the Chukchi Sea to the
Alaska-Canada border, south along a transect from Prudhoe Bay to Gulkana and at
sites up to 300 km from the transect. The warming was coincident with the statewide
warming of air temperatures that began in 1976/1977 and appears to have occurred
statewide with some exceptions. Magnitude of the warming was 3 to 4C for the Arctic
Coastal Plain, 1 to 2C for the Brooks Range including its northern and southern
foothills, and 0.3 to 1C south of the Yukon River. This suggests a total warming of >6C
at Prudhoe Bay during the last century. The warming was seasonal (primarily in
winter) with little change in summer conditions. Consequently, active layer thicknesses
did not increase and were not correlated with warming permafrost conditions. Natural
thawing at the permafrost surface (0.1 m/yr) occurred at both a tundra and forest site.
Basal thawing at one site was 0.04 m/yr until 2000 when it accelerated to 0.09 m/yr.
New thermokarst terrain has been observed in interior and northern Alaska. Probable
causes of the warming include increased air temperatures, snow cover effects, and
combinations of these. New investigations are needed to further determine the
characteristics, especially the causes, of this recent permafrost warming.

More evidence from real scientists.

You need to stop throwing this stuff out there and READ IT..

This one has nothing to do with AIR TEMPERATURES... They are measuring temperatures of SOIL (permafrost) at (I assume) different levels..


"""The warming was seasonal (primarily in winter) with little change in summer conditions. Consequently, active layer thicknesses did not increase and were not correlated with warming permafrost conditions."""

Dont quite know what that means --- but it sounds like a wash overall --- and it sure doesn't have a damn thing to do with the PREZ misquoting Global Warming science and boosting the scientific estimations of temperature in 2100..

Give it up GoldiRocks. It's just indefensible.. It's an echo of one of Hansen's past lies...

 

[Old Rocks]

Abrupt increase in permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaska - Jorgenson - 2006 - Geophysical Research Letters - Wiley Online Library

] Even though the arctic zone of continuous permafrost has relatively cold mean annual air temperatures, we found an abrupt, large increase in the extent of permafrost degradation in northern Alaska since 1982, associated with record warm temperatures during 1989 – 1998. Our field studies revealed that the recent degradation has mainly occurred to massive wedges of ice that previously had been stable for 1000s of years.

Really, Flacaltenn, you are starting to sound like Billy Bob.

 

[Old Rocks]

U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386-K

Description
This chapter is the eighth chapter to be released in U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1386, Satellite Image Atlas of Glaciers of the World, a series of 11 chapters. In each chapter, remotely sensed images, primarily from the Landsat 1, 2, and 3 series of spacecraft, are used to study the glacierized regions of our planet and to monitor glacier changes. Landsat images, acquired primarily during the middle to late 1970s, were used by an international team of glaciologists and other scientists to study various geographic regions or to discuss glaciological topics. In each geographic region, the present areal distribution of glaciers is compared, wherever possible, with historical information about their past extent. The atlas provides an accurate regional inventory of the areal extent of glacier ice on our planet during the 1970s as part of a growing international scientific effort to measure global environmental change on the Earth's surface. This chapter is divided into three parts: Part I, Background and History; Part II, Glaciological Topics; and Part III, Regional Distribution of Alaska Glaciers.

About 5 percent (about 75,000 km2) of Alaska is presently glacierized, including 11 mountain ranges, 1 large island, an island chain, and 1 archipelago. The total number of glaciers in Alaska is estimated at >100,000, including many active and former tidewater glaciers. Glaciers in every mountain range and island group are experiencing significant retreat, thinning, and (or) stagnation, especially those at lower elevations, a process that began by the middle of the 19th century. In southeastern Alaska and western Canada, 205 glaciers have a history of surging; in the same region, at least 53 present and 7 former large ice-dammed lakes have produced jökulhlaups (glacier-outburst floods). Ice-capped Alaska volcanoes also have the potential for jökulhlaups caused by subglacier volcanic and geothermal activity. Satellite remote sensing provides the only practical means of monitoring regional changes in glaciers in response to short-and long-term changes in the maritime and continental climates of Alaska. Geospatial analysis is used to define selected glaciological parameters in the eastern part of the Alaska Range.

USGS report, available online.