EARTHWEEK
Warming world
The draft of a new report by scientists from 13 U.S. government agencies warns that climate change brought on by greenhouse gas emissions is causing more frequent extreme heat waves and more infrequent cold waves than in the 1980s.
The draft, obtained by the New York Times, breaks down how climate change has affected the contiguous 48 states.
Another new report by the European Commission says that heat waves, amplified by high humidity, will reach an apparent temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit as often as every two years in many parts of the world should goals to limit global warming set by the Paris Climate Agreement not be achieved. This would lead to serious risks to human health.
The authors caution that if global warming goes on to surpass 7.2 degrees, it could bring “super” heat waves of up to 131 degrees in apparent temperature in many parts of the world, a heat and humidity level humans might not be able to survive.
High seas accord
Efforts to create protected marine areas on the high seas might soon be launched thanks to United Nations diplomats who recommended in July that treaty negotiations should begin.
But with industrialized fishing in waters beyond national jurisdictions being such big business, discussions on just how much territory to protect and how to enforce the rules are likely to be contentious. “The high seas are the biggest reserve of biodiversity on the planet,” said Peter Thomson, the ambassador of Fiji and current president of the U.N. General Assembly. “We can’t continue in an ungoverned way if we are concerned about protecting biodiversity and protecting marine life.”
Lobster paradox
The number of baby lobsters in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank regions has dropped to the lowest levels since about the beginning of this century.
Despite the dwindling population of juvenile lobsters, the industry has for years brought in record catches of adults.
Atlantic waters off Maine and Canada have been warming more rapidly in recent years than in most other areas of the world.
The head of the Maine Lobstermen’s Association says that once-plentiful starfish, sea urchins, sea sculpins and rock crabs are no longer being found in traps.
Nocturnal distraction
The widespread use of artificial light at night is joining climate change, pesticide use and invasive alien species as the latest threat to pollinating insects.
New research published in the journal Nature found that nighttime illumination reduces visits of nocturnal pollinators to flowers by 62 percent.
The moths, beetles and bugs that are the leading pollinators after dark are easily distracted from their duties by the allure of bright lights, according to lead researcher Eva Knop of the University of Bern. She and colleagues made the discovery by comparing insect-plant interactions in naturally dark meadows with those in areas that are illuminated.
Tropical cyclones
Former Category 5 Typhoon Noru tore through the heart of Japan’s main island of Honshu with high winds and torrential rainfall that left at least 51 people injured.
• Tropical Storm Franklin drenched Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula before striking the country’s Veracruz Coast as a Category 1 hurricane.
Sumatra eruptions
The recent high activity at Sumatra’s Sinabung volcano was punctuated by 19 eruptions in rapid succession during a single day. Some of the mountain’s strongest blasts in months spewed ash high above the island and sent lava flowing down Sinabung’s slopes.
Earthquakes
A temblor in central China’s Sichuan province killed at least 20 people and left about 165 others injured in a remote but popular tourist destination. As many as 45,000 tourists had to be evacuated.
• Earth movements were also felt in the far southern Philippines, northwestern Australia, southwestern Turkey and western Scotland.