How Crazy Weather is Linked to Global Warming

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/mar/10/crazy-weathers-link-to-global-warming/#
      

          Southern California has recently been experiencing sudden temperature changes and storms, as is the rest of the United States. This article is diving deeper on this crazy weather problem and how it's linked to global warming. The United Nations Intergovernmental panels on climate change have been researching for many years the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere by human activity, mainly from consuming carbon-based fuels. As the atmosphere warms, even slightly, it absorbs more moisture. This is accelerated by warming of the oceans and the resulting increase in evaporation. This doesn’t necessarily lead to more storms, but it does result in storms being more severe, with stronger winds and greater precipitation. In the long run, as the climate continues to warm, the weird weather events will more and more be of the warm mixture such as monsoons and hurricanes, mainly in the middle latitudes, where the ocean and atmosphere are warmer. Find out what we've been experiencing in the recent months when you read this interesting and sadly true article.

9,000-year-old Great Barrier Reef : Damage from Global Warming?

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2044585,00.html?xid=rss-mostpopular
The 1,430-mile Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest protected reef system. It generates some $6 billion in revenue for Australia annually and provides employment to more than 50,000 people. This reef is home to more than 11,000 species and draws nearly 2 million tourists every year. What attracts them? The pictures shown above. As you can see, this reef located off of Australia’s coast is a pretty big deal, also one of the most fragile ecosystems. However, this reef is being affected greatly by global warming. As Krista Maahr takes a dive into the reefs, she soon realizes the lack of beauty and simple essence of the reefs. What is going on, she wonders. "Besides the extreme rain that sparked the floods, rising ocean temperatures, changes to the ocean's chemistry and the global trade in natural resources — all symptoms of our fossil-fuel economy — are waging a multifront war on the marine environment." Krista exclaims. Oceans soak up about half of the carbon dioxide humans produce, and while that helps lessen the effect of fossil-fuel emissions on the atmosphere, it also causes a reaction that makes seawater more acidic. Read this article to find out how this is affecting coral reefs and the future of marine ecosystems.