10/30/03 8:28:00 AM
To: National Desk, Environment, Political, Transportation Reporter
Contact: Patrick Neuman of the National Weather Service,
952-906-2824, or Jack Saporito of the Alliance of Residents Concerning
O'Hare, 847-506-0670
CHICAGO, Oct. 30 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a statement of
Patrick Neuman, senior hydrologist with the National Weather Service (NWS):
An enormous number of well-documented findings on climate change by
the world's most knowledgeable scientists are being put together ...
like pieces to a giant puzzle.
The picture is clear. Rapid global warming is happening now. Rapid
global warming, by this author, means a climate that is warming much too
quickly to allow adaptation by many species of plants and animals.
Neuman just presented his findings on regional climate warming to
colleagues at the NOAA 28th Annual Climate Diagnostics and Prediction
Workshop. The Workshop was sponsored by the NWS Climate Prediction
Center, the Desert Research Institute, and the American Meteorological
Society. Neuman's work was received with great concern by several
Workshop participants.
The paper with Neuman's findings is titled: "Earlier Seasonal
Snowmelt Runoff in the Upper Midwest-Northern Great Plains". The
area includes headwaters to Hudson Bay, the Great Lakes and the
Mississippi River basin.
Interestingly, the snowmelt runoff study was not based on air
temperature data. Instead, daily river flows from the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) were used to evaluate timing of spring snowmelt
runoff over the last 100 years.
The study shows that the beginning dates of spring snowmelt runoff
have been occurring two to four weeks earlier now than occurred
historically at USGS river stations analyzed in the study. Most
significantly, the study shows an increase of much earlier snowmelt
runoff from 1980 to current.
We know that the cause of this rapid global warming is the heavy
accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from massive
emissions from burning fossil fuels for power generation. Very damaging
is the direct discharge of greenhouse gas emissions and secondary
effects such as contrail effects, which are coming from commercial jet
aviation, an industry that disregards the damage to the global
environment and to human health.
We know that global warming will continue for hundreds of years, and
likely well beyond. What is uncertain now is whether the enormous
amounts of greenhouse gases being emitted annually will continue to
increase or decrease, and the specific time frames involved.
Neuman stated, "We are already witness to conclusive evidence
that human activities have caused rapid increases in temperatures in the
United States and the world. We know the rate of warming is and will
continue to be rapid. We just aren't sure how rapid, and exactly what
impacts we face as a human race now responsible by our actions for the
survival of all living species on Earth."
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Editors note: The figures and tables that go with the narrative are
extremely important and telling of rapid regional climate warming in the
Upper Midwest-Great Plains. The narrative for the Workshop and data can
be found at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ClimateArchive/message/264
http://www.usnewswire.com/
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/© 2003 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
