Earthweek: Diary of a Changing World
Week ending Friday, August 4, 2023
Global Boiling
The head of the United Nations responded to the Northern Hemisphere’s blistering heat this summer, saying, “Humanity is in the hot seat today,” and that immediate action is needed to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
“The era of global warming has ended, and the era of global boiling has arrived,” said Secretary-General António Guterres.
The hottest summer on record and resulting severe weather around the globe have surprised climate scientists, having occurred more suddenly and with greater intensity than predicted.
Around half of the world’s oceans have already undergone about two decades’ worth of predicted warming so far this year, according Gregory Johnson of NOAA.
Earthquakes
The Red Sea nation of Eritrea was jolted by a rare and unusually powerful tremor.
• Earth movements were also felt in southwestern Turkey, Indonesia’s North Maluku province, central New Zealand and California’s Silicon Valley.
Warming Anxiety
This summer’s heat is prompting health experts to warn that such hot episodes can affect not only a person’s physical health, but their mental health as well.
“All mental illnesses increase with heat because it results in more fatigue, irritability and anxiety, and it can exacerbate depressive episodes,” said Dr. Asim Shah of Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine.
He warns that exposure to the more frequent and more intense hot days can lead to anger, irritability, aggression and stress as the heat acts on serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates mood.
This leads to lower levels of happiness and increased levels of stress and fatigue.
The most vulnerable are those with preexisting issues and those who use substances, especially alcohol.
Southern Melt
The extent of sea ice surrounding Antarctica has hit historic lows this Southern Hemisphere winter, alarming scientists, who warn it could signal a major climate tipping point.
Data from the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center show that as of midJuly, the austral sea ice coverage was about 1 million square miles below the 1981 to 2010 average — an area nearly the size of Argentina.
Such a lack of ice coverage means the waters around the still-frozen continent will absorb more heat from the sun, possibly leading to long-term disruptions of the sea ice cycles.
Green Hydrogen
Reservoirs of underground hydrogen could usher in a low-cost hydrogen economy and help slash greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report.
Writing in the open access journal Joule, scientists say this geologic hydrogen would be far cheaper than the moreexpensive methods of splitting oxygen and hydrogen from water through electrolysis, or extracting it from natural gas. However, they question just how much of it is commercially available.
A growing number of companies say they are exploring the possibility of such “zero carbon” energy sources.
Lava Twister
Visitors to Iceland’s newly formed volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula were treated to more than just ribbons of lava when a dust devil suddenly emerged on the fiery landscape.
Meteorologists say that the mini tornado formed due to intense heat rising from the molten rock or above superheated vapor vents.
The conditions appeared to have been just right for the rising column of air to begin rotating into a funnel.
Similar phenomena are “fire tornadoes,” which have been seen in wildfires.
Tropical Storms
Former Super Typhoon Doksuri dumped the heaviest rains in eastern China since records began 140 years ago, killing 11 people around Beijing.
• One man was killed on Okinawa as Super Typhoon Khanun skirted the southern Japanese island.
• An unnamed tropical storm drenched southern Bangladesh.
• Hurricane Dora spun up over the open waters of the eastern Pacific.