Sunday 15 March 2009

USGS PODCAST: Arctic Heats Up More than Other Places

Arctic Heats Up More than Other Places

Posted: 14 Mar 2009 10:37 PM PDT

US Geological Survey, Department of the Interior [USGS] PODCAST: "Temperature change in the Arctic is happening at a greater rate than other places in the Northern Hemisphere, and this is expected to continue in the future. As a result, glacier and ice-sheet melting, sea-ice retreat, coastal erosion and sea level rise can be expected to continue. USGS scientist Joan Fitzpatrick discusses a new report on past climate variability and change in the Arctic." [...]
http://www.usgs.gov/corecast/details.asp?ep=82

Download directly (10.38 MB) (right-click to save)
Type: audio/mpeg
File Size: 10880493 bytes
Duration: 11:15
Released: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:00:55 UTC
<http://gallery.usgs.gov/audio/corecast/ep82/20090202_82_SAP.mp3>

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82
Arctic Heats Up More than Other Places
Host: Jessica Robertson
Tagged: Arctic  ClimateChange 

Temperature change in the Arctic is happening at a greater rate than other places in the Northern Hemisphere, and this is expected to continue in the future. As a result, glacier and ice-sheet melting, sea-ice retreat, coastal erosion and sea level rise can be expected to continue.

USGS scientist Joan Fitzpatrick discusses a new report on past climate variability and change in the Arctic.


download Download directly (10.38 MB) (right-click to save)
Type: audio/mpeg
File Size: 10880493 bytes
Duration: 11:15
Released: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 12:00:55 UTC

Transcript: [excerpt]

<http://www.usgs.gov/corecast/details.asp?ep=82>


[Intro Music]

Jessica Robertson:  Hello and welcome to USGS CoreCast, I'm Jessica Robertson.  Today's CoreCast is the first of a three part series on recent USGS-led reports on climate change which were developed under the US Climate Change Science Program.  The report we will be discussing today focuses on past climate variability and change in the Arctic and high latitudes.  Temperature change in the Arctic is happening at a greater rate than other places in the northern hemisphere and this is expected to continue in the future.  A new scientific synthesis of past Arctic climates demonstrates for the first time the pervasive nature of Arctic climate amplification.

Today, I'd like to welcome and introduce you to our guest, USGS scientist Joan Fitzpatrick, who was the agency lead for this report.  Thank you for joining us today.

Joan Fitzpatrick:  Thank you for inviting me to do this, Jessica.

Jessica Robertson:  First, can you provide us some background information and an overview of this report?

01:00

Joan Fitzpatrick: Sure. This particular report is a synthesis of what's currently known about past climate history of the Arctic.  Specifically the report focuses on the past history of temperature and precipitation changes in the Arctic, changes in the Greenland ice sheet, past rates of change and changes in sea ice.

Now, the focus on past rates of change is actually shared with the single topic of another one of the USGS led reports, which is entitled "Abrupt Climate Change".  This report is one of 21 climate reports that were commissioned in the strategic plan of the US Climate Change Science Program or CCSP.

The general purpose of these reports is to provide the nation's policy makers with in-depth assessments of specific topics in climate change that touch upon the national interest.  They cover a broad diversity of topics, everything from the impacts of climate change on agriculture and land and water resources and biodiversity to the strengths and limitations of climate models.  The USGS has a lead responsibility for three of these assessment reports [...]



[...] Jessica Robertson:  Well thank you for joining us today.  And thank you to all of our listeners who joined us for this episode of CoreCast.  Don't forget to listen to our upcoming CoreCasts on the other two USGS led reports under the US Climate Change Science Program. Those reports focus on the potential for abrupt climate changes in the 21st century which would pose clear risks to society in terms of our ability to adapt and climate changes to ecosystems and resulting responses including insect outbreaks, wildfire and forest dieback which are not easily reversible.

If you'd like to know more about this report and other CCSP products, visit htp://www.climatescience.gov .  The report discussed today is Synthesis and Assessment Product 1.2 "Past Climate Variability and Change in the Arctic and at High Latitudes".

As always, CoreCast is a product of the US Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

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