Thin clouds drove Greenland's record-breaking 2012 ice melt

Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
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Contact: Ralf Bennartz
bennartz@aos.wisc.edu
608-265-2249
University of Wisconsin-Madison

MADISON If the sheet of ice covering Greenland were to melt in its entirety tomorrow, global sea levels would rise by 24 feet.

Three million cubic kilometers of ice won't wash into the ocean overnight, but researchers have been tracking increasing melt rates since at least 1979. Last summer, however, the melt was so large that similar events show up in ice core records only once every 150 years or so over the last four millennia.

"In July 2012, a historically rare period of extended surface melting raised questions about the frequency and extent of such events," says Ralf Bennartz, professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and scientist at the University of WisconsinMadison's Space Science and Engineering Center. "Of course, there is more than one cause for such widespread change. We focused our study on certain kinds of low-level clouds."

In a study to be published in the April 4 issue of the journal Nature, Bennartz and collaborators describe the moving parts that led to the melt, which was observed from the ICECAPS experiment funded by the National Science Foundation and run by UWMadison and several partners atop the Greenland ice sheet.

"The July 2012 event was triggered by an influx of unusually warm air, but that was only one factor," says Dave Turner, physical scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory. "In our paper we show that low-level clouds were instrumental in pushing temperatures up above freezing."

Low-level clouds typically reflect solar energy back into space, and snow cover also tends to bounce energy from the sun back from the Earth's surface.

Under particular temperature conditions, however, clouds can be both thin enough to allow solar energy to pass through to the surface and thick enough to "trap" some of that heat even if it is turned back by snow and ice on the ground.

While low, thin cloud cover is just one element within a complex interaction of wind speed, turbulence and humidity, the extra heat energy trapped close to the surface can push temperatures above freezing.

That is exactly what happened in July 2012 over large parts of the Greenland ice sheet, and similar conditions may help answer climate conundrums elsewhere.

"We know that these thin, low-level clouds occur frequently," Bennartz says. "Our results may help to explain some of the difficulties that current global climate models have in simulating the Arctic surface energy budget."

Current climate models tend to underestimate the occurrence of the clouds ICECAPS researchers found, limiting those models' ability to predict cloud response to Arctic climate change and possible feedback like spiking rates of ice melt.

By using a combination of surface-based observations, remote sensing data, and surface energy-balance models, the study not only delineates the effect of clouds on ice melting, but also shows that this type of cloud is common over both Greenland and across the Arctic, according to Bennartz.

"Above all, this study highlights the importance of continuous and detailed ground-based observations over the Greenland ice sheet and elsewhere," he says. "Only such detailed observations will lead to a better understanding of the processes that drive Arctic climate. "

###

NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory and the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program contributed to the work at NSF's Summit Station, supporting collaborating scientists Matt Shupe of the University of Colorado Boulder, ICECAPS principal investigator Von Walden of the University of Idaho, Konrad Steffen of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, UWMadison's Nate Miller and Mark Kulie, and graduate students Claire Pettersen (UW-Madison) and Chris Cox (Idaho).

Contact:

Ralf Bennartz

Dave Turner
405-325-6804
dave.turner@noaa.gov

Mark Hobson
608-263-3373
mark.hobson@ssec.wisc.edu

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 3-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ralf Bennartz
bennartz@aos.wisc.edu
608-265-2249
University of Wisconsin-Madison

MADISON If the sheet of ice covering Greenland were to melt in its entirety tomorrow, global sea levels would rise by 24 feet.

Three million cubic kilometers of ice won't wash into the ocean overnight, but researchers have been tracking increasing melt rates since at least 1979. Last summer, however, the melt was so large that similar events show up in ice core records only once every 150 years or so over the last four millennia.

"In July 2012, a historically rare period of extended surface melting raised questions about the frequency and extent of such events," says Ralf Bennartz, professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and scientist at the University of WisconsinMadison's Space Science and Engineering Center. "Of course, there is more than one cause for such widespread change. We focused our study on certain kinds of low-level clouds."

In a study to be published in the April 4 issue of the journal Nature, Bennartz and collaborators describe the moving parts that led to the melt, which was observed from the ICECAPS experiment funded by the National Science Foundation and run by UWMadison and several partners atop the Greenland ice sheet.

"The July 2012 event was triggered by an influx of unusually warm air, but that was only one factor," says Dave Turner, physical scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Severe Storms Laboratory. "In our paper we show that low-level clouds were instrumental in pushing temperatures up above freezing."

Low-level clouds typically reflect solar energy back into space, and snow cover also tends to bounce energy from the sun back from the Earth's surface.

Under particular temperature conditions, however, clouds can be both thin enough to allow solar energy to pass through to the surface and thick enough to "trap" some of that heat even if it is turned back by snow and ice on the ground.

While low, thin cloud cover is just one element within a complex interaction of wind speed, turbulence and humidity, the extra heat energy trapped close to the surface can push temperatures above freezing.

That is exactly what happened in July 2012 over large parts of the Greenland ice sheet, and similar conditions may help answer climate conundrums elsewhere.

"We know that these thin, low-level clouds occur frequently," Bennartz says. "Our results may help to explain some of the difficulties that current global climate models have in simulating the Arctic surface energy budget."

Current climate models tend to underestimate the occurrence of the clouds ICECAPS researchers found, limiting those models' ability to predict cloud response to Arctic climate change and possible feedback like spiking rates of ice melt.

By using a combination of surface-based observations, remote sensing data, and surface energy-balance models, the study not only delineates the effect of clouds on ice melting, but also shows that this type of cloud is common over both Greenland and across the Arctic, according to Bennartz.

"Above all, this study highlights the importance of continuous and detailed ground-based observations over the Greenland ice sheet and elsewhere," he says. "Only such detailed observations will lead to a better understanding of the processes that drive Arctic climate. "

###

NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory and the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program contributed to the work at NSF's Summit Station, supporting collaborating scientists Matt Shupe of the University of Colorado Boulder, ICECAPS principal investigator Von Walden of the University of Idaho, Konrad Steffen of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, UWMadison's Nate Miller and Mark Kulie, and graduate students Claire Pettersen (UW-Madison) and Chris Cox (Idaho).

Contact:

Ralf Bennartz

Dave Turner
405-325-6804
dave.turner@noaa.gov

Mark Hobson
608-263-3373
mark.hobson@ssec.wisc.edu

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/uow-tcd040113.php

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Stock futures point to flat open, S&P near record high

By Ryan Vlastelica

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stock index futures were poised to open little changed on Wednesday as investors brushed off a weak reading on private sector employment and the S&P 500 remained within striking distance of an all-time intraday high.

Investors expect market movements to be slight ahead of the release Friday of the closely watched nonfarm payrolls report, with few major trading catalysts before then. The S&P has gained less than 0.1 percent so far this week.

Futures were little changed despite the latest ADP National Employment Report, which showed 158,000 private sector jobs were added in March, far less than economists had expected. The February report was revised upward by 39,000.

"People aren't worried about employment compared to the overall macro outlook, and they have a general idea that the economy is improving," said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at John Thomas Financial in New York. "That should allow us to hold firm."

The S&P has been near its record level of 1,576.09 for the past several sessions, and inched to within three points of it on Tuesday before pulling back, though it ended at a new closing high.

The March read for the Institute for Supply Management's services index, due at 10:00 a.m. EDT, is seen at 55.8, down from 56.0 in the previous month.

While data has largely been positive and helped to propel the equity market in the first quarter, a few disappointments have made investors cautious. The ISM manufacturing index on Monday came in below expectations.

"Some data has indicated softening, but things should remain quiet until Friday," Kaufman said.

S&P 500 futures rose 0.4 point, less than 0.1 percent, though it was above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures slipped 5 points and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 1.75 point.

The S&P 500 has advanced more than 10 percent this year, and last week, broke above its 2007 closing high, a level it exceeded on Tuesday. The Dow first broke above its 2007 record on March 5.

In company news, Zynga Inc surged 11 percent to $3.40 in premarket trading after the company said it would begin offering poker and casino-style games in Britain in partnership with Bwin.party Digital Entertainment .

ConAgra Foods Inc fell 1.6 percent to $34.98 before the bell. The company reported third-quarter earnings that fell 57 percent even as revenue grew.

Monsanto Co rose 0.4 percent to $104 in premarket trading after reporting earnings that beat expectations and raising its full-year profit forecast.

Verizon Communications Inc ruled out a full takeover of Vodafone , turning the focus yet again to whether the two telecom giants can do a deal over their Verizon Wireless joint venture.

U.S.-listed shares of Vodafone fell 2.9 percent to $28.56 in premarket trading while Dow component Verizon was off 0.4 percent at $49.30.

Issues in the euro zone will continue to be in focus a day after Cyprus concluded a bailout deal. The plan, which still requires ratification, would mean the country receives a 10 billion euro loan and that it has until 2018 to carry out measures to shore up its finances. The country's finance minister resigned after concluding the deal.

While investors have largely used any market decline as a buying opportunity, the situation in Cyprus has been a major source of market uncertainty in recent weeks.

Stocks rose on Tuesday, lifted by healthcare stocks, after a government decision on payment rates. Strong factory orders data also added to the positive tone.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/stock-futures-edge-higher-ps-record-high-within-113241471--sector.html

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Why Aren?t Android Users Actually Using Their Handsets?

Marketshare-wise, Android is crushing iOS. But if you look at actual usage stats, that relationship is completely flip-flopped. And that?s weird.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/GearFactor/~3/6AR6l7bnJzc/

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Nearly 15000 in Augusta will qualify for insurance subsidy, group says

More than 800,000 people in Georgia, including nearly 15,000 in Augusta, will qualify for subsidies to buy insurance under the new health care reform law, an advocacy group estimated.

Because Georgia is refusing an offer to expand Medicaid, though, many of those people will buy their own insurance instead, which would greatly expand those numbers, the group said. Without that expansion, however, many adults and poor working parents would be without any coverage because they would not qualify for help.

Families USA released its report Wednesday on its estimates of who would qualify for tax credits in Georgia and South Carolina under the Affordable Care Act. Enrollment in those plans begins in October and takes effect Jan.1.

Tax credits to help the uninsured purchase health insurance will be available for people who earn up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $46,000 a year for an individual and $94,200 for a family of four, said Ron Pollack, the executive director of Families USA. The majority of the subsidies ? 54 percent ? will go to people earning twice to four times the federal poverty level.

Those credits will be ?reaching very deeply into the middle class? Pollack said. In Augusta, 52.7 percent of tax credit subsidies will go to people earning between two to four times the poverty rate.

The tax credit subsidies will also be largely going to working families ? 88.5 percent of the credits will go to families where at least one person is employed.

Many workers in Georgia lack access to health insurance through their jobs and are among the 1.9 million ? about 1 in 5 ? who are uninsured in the state, said Cindy Zeldin, the executive director of Georgians for a Healthy Future. Others are buying health insurance on their own now but are getting expensive policies with gaps in coverage and bewildering restrictions, she said.

The tax credit subsidies are ?that game-changer for people who have really struggled with a stressful and confusing market in the past,? Zeldin said.

The report?s analysis, however, assumed that both states would participate in expanded Medicaid coverage that would cover people earning up to 138 percent of the poverty level, which neither state?s governor appears willing to do. That would mean that people earning between 100 percent and 138 percent of the poverty level, between $23,850 and $32,499 for a family of four per year, could choose to take the subsidies and purchase insurance through the state marketplaces, Pollack said.

?If Georgia and South Carolina continue to stay out of the Medicaid expansion, these numbers are likely to go up,? he said. Cover Georgia, a group pushing for the Medicaid expansion, estimates that it could cover 600,000 currently uninsured residents.

The federal health reform law, though, does not allow subsidies below the federal poverty level, where it was assumed Medicaid expansion would cover them before the U.S. Supreme Court decision last year made that voluntary for each state. Medicaid in Georgia right now does not cover childless adults and covers only parents below 50 percent of the poverty level, Zeldin said.

?For those people below poverty, if the governors don?t opt into the Medicaid expansion, they?re out in the cold,? Pollack said. ?They?re not going to be able to get tax credit premium subsidies. They?re just going to be uninsured. And it is extraordinary that the poorest of the poor, the people who need coverage and care the most are the ones who are going to be most left out in the cold.?

Source: http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/health/2013-04-03/nearly-15000-augusta-will-qualify-insurance-subsidy-group-says

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Daring, Dangerous DIY: Pants With Benefits?

They are pants. Or maybe we should call them Pants with Benefits. Some of you ? especially parents of young teens ? will find them totally inappropriate. The folks at Instructables.com find them totally silly, which is why they invented them.

Randy Sarafan (author of 62 Projects to Make With A Dead Computer) and his gang at Instructables.com run one of the world's premier do-it-yourself sites; inventors from all over the world submit ideas, documentation, instructions ? at this point they've gathered tens of thousands of ideas, and browsing through, you'll find solar-powered driveway lights, aquarium coffee tables, all kinds of ingenious devices, documented for free, all buildable, if you can follow instructions and have all the parts, which in this case includes:

A Romantic partner.
Ordinary trousers (with zipper)
A 7805 voltage regulator
An M-type power plug
8" x 6" x 3" project enclosure
12" x 18" x 1/8" acrylic sheet
6-32 x 1" nuts and bolts
Lamp power cord
SmartFan AC-VX Fan Controller
9V battery holder
10uF capacitator
5V reed relays
1/8" mono panel-mount jacks
And more stuff that I'm not listing here

Put 'em all together and you will have yourself a pair of "Romance Pants." That's what they're calling them. And here's what they do:

In the event that someone (presumably not the wearer) begins to pull the pants zipper downward, lights in the surrounding room will dim, the stereo will turn on, and upon unbuttoning the waist button, strategically placed candles will suddenly, electronically ignite, creating a glow so romantic and so pleasing, the sensual effect, says Randy, "is sure to shock and awe any prospective partner into ecstatic submission."

In support of which, the gang at Instructables have made a video. (Parents: Don't worry. No one gets undressed. Too many wires would suddenly be unhidden.) (Serious people: Don't watch this. It's silly ? though it gets better; the last half shows people sewing and soldering.)

You may have noticed the prominently displayed Red Bull logo (on the "belt"). That's because these pants were submitted to a Red Bull-sponsored design competition.

Here's a more technical account of what they did from Goli Mohammadi, blogging for Make:

Competing teams were sent the custom Bullduino, Red Bull-branded Arduino microcontroller. Team Instructables used the Bullduino as the belt buckle, hooked up to a modded wireless shield, then fashioned a zipper potentiometer and a waist button switch. ... Combine that with some hacked electric ignition candles (that use a combination of nichrome wire and shaved match head dust to rapidly ignite when hooked up to power), a stereo remote hack, a custom six-outlet main controller, and some sexy programming, and magic happens.

There is, of course, one obvious problem. Most of the time, zippers are lowered for a very different purpose. So these pants should probably come with a warning: Avoid Drinking While Wearing. And keep a fire extinguisher near the sofa.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/04/03/176121174/daring-dangerous-diy-pants-with-benefits?ft=1&f=1007

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It's too early to herald a US nuclear renaissance

Obama?s financial backing for nuclear power must be reinforced by tougher economic incentives and better technology

THE phrase "nuclear renaissance" is greatly overused, but the US decision to resume building nuclear power plants after a 30-year hiatus might yet prove worthy of it (see "US starts building first nuclear reactors in 30 years").

That's not because it will alter the energy landscape in the short term. The US government expects that nuclear power will continue to provide about 20 per cent of the US electricity supply between now and 2035. The new plants will simply replace the output of ageing reactors being shut down by utility companies.

Nonetheless, it's a step in the right direction. As we recently argued (9 March, page 3), nuclear energy is uniquely useful in reducing our impact on the climate. For all its drawbacks, it is currently the only low-carbon technology that can supply stable power on a very large scale.

But the renaissance has not dawned yet. Some older nuclear plants simply can't compete on cost with gas-fuelled rivals. Newer designs should help close the gap, but fossil fuels' cost-effectiveness is driven, in part, by a licence to emit carbon dioxide. So for nuclear to gain ground, President Barack Obama will have to back up his tough talk about legislation mandating carbon cuts with economic incentives. He's already offered a carrot, in the form of an $8.3 billion commitment to finance the nuclear plants' construction; imposing financial penalties on carbon-intensive power would provide a stick.

This is unlikely to happen overnight. But even if it did, any nuclear renaissance is still likely be a long process. Today's plants take a lot of money, time and expertise to build, limiting their deployment and diminishing their commercial appeal.

That might change in the future. The US Department of Energy is co-sponsoring a project to see whether small modular reactors (SMRs), each producing about 180 megawatts (compared with 1000 megawatts from a full-sized reactor) can be made cost-effective.

If they can, SMRs could be built in factories and shipped wherever they are needed. There are obvious security concerns, but if this idea works, it really might kick off a nuclear renaissance ? and one that would span the globe.

This article appeared in print under the headline "At the crack of dawn"

If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.

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Suspended Conn. priest admits to meth charge

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) ? A suspended Roman Catholic priest accused of making more than $300,000 in methamphetamine sales out of his Connecticut apartment while running an adult video and sex toy shop pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal drug charge.

Kevin Wallin, 61, of Waterbury, admitted to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was scheduled to be sentenced June 25. The prosecution and defense agreed on a sentence of 11 to 14 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the 61-year-old Wallin had meth mailed to him from co-conspirators in California and sold the drugs out of his Waterbury apartment last year. He also bought an adult video and sex toy shop in North Haven named Land of Oz & Dorothy's Place, apparently to launder the drug money, authorities said.

Wearing a beige prison jumpsuit and sporting a goatee and close-cropped hair, Wallin acknowledged in court that the drug operation involved nearly four pounds of methamphetamine. He said "yes" several times as the judge asked whether he understood the consequences of his plea.

Wallin, former pastor at St. Augustine Parish in Bridgeport, appeared to have no supporters in the courtroom. He was led out of the room in handcuffs and remains detained.

Charges against four other people arrested in the case are pending.

"We're glad to have resolved this part of the case," Connecticut U.S. Attorney David B. Fein said outside the courtroom. "It's a serious conspiracy charge involving a very dangerous drug."

Wallin's public defender, Kelly Barrett, declined to comment.

Dubbed in some media as "Monsignor Meth," Wallin was pastor of St. Augustine Parish for nine years until he resigned in June 2011, citing health and personal reasons. He previously served six years as pastor of St. Peter's Church in Danbury until 2002.

"Msgr. Wallin's guilty plea represents an important step in his coming to terms with his own actions and their impact on others," the Diocese of Bridgeport said in a statement. "It is a difficult moment for all of us but we hope it is also the first step in rebuilding his life. We pray that he moves toward healing and wholeness."

The diocese had suspended him from public ministry last May amid concerns by church officials about a number of problems with Wallin, including sexually inappropriate behavior with other men in the church rectory, Wallace said. Church leaders weren't aware of Wallin's involvement with drugs at the time of the suspension, diocese spokesman Brian D. Wallace said.

Wallace said Wallin now faces the prospect of removal from the priesthood by the Vatican, a process called laicization.

Wallin was arrested in January, and a grand jury indicted him and four other people on drug charges.

An undercover officer bought meth from Wallin six times from Sept. 20 to Jan. 2, paying more than $3,400 in total for 23 grams of the drug, authorities said.

Federal agents said they learned through wiretaps and informants about other sales Wallin was making.

On social media, people couldn't help but compare Wallin with Walter White, the main character on the TV show "Breaking Bad," who was making so much cash that he and his wife bought a car wash to launder their profits.

Also charged in the case were Kenneth Devries of Waterbury; Michael Nelson of Manchester; Chad McCluskey of San Clemente, Calif.; and Kristen Laschober of Laguna Niguel, Calif. Authorities say McCluskey and Laschober were involved in the shipping of methamphetamine to Wallin.

All four of those defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/suspended-conn-priest-admits-meth-charge-151427977.html

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