Gardiner Hall
New Mexico State University

You are here: · NMSU · Arts & Sciences · Physics · Abstract

Abstract NM State logo
Igor Vasiliev
 

Recent Arctic Warming: Carbon Dioxide or Multi-Decadal Climate Variability?

Dr. Petr Chylek
Remote Sensing Team Leader
Space and Remote Sensing
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Increasing strength of Atlantic hurricanes, disappearance of Arctic sea ice, melting of the Greenland ice sheet, six meters of flooding the coastal cities; are these impending climate catastrophes supported by observations, or are they just results of imperfect climate modeling and the imagination of overeager climate politicians? I will present recent analysis of North Atlantic hurricane activities to show that there is no justification for claims that hurricane intensity or numbers have increased with increasing atmospheric concentration of CO2.   Similarly, Greenland temperatures in the 1930s and 1940s were as high as they are today, and the rate of temperature increase in the 1930s was higher than the rate of recent increase.   Finally, I will argue that the current warming of the Arctic region is affected by a decreasing concentration of atmospheric aerosols and multi-decadal climate variability more than by an increasing concentration of carbon dioxide. Thus we may spend hundreds of billions of dollars on curbing CO2 emissions without having a noticeable effect on the ongoing climate change.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Thursday
October 15th, 2009

Hardman Hall Room 112
4:00PM