Forest phenomena are both effect and cause of global warming.

 It is unusually cold at this time of year in Finland, which makes some wonder whether global warming is a reality. Dr. Timo Vesala of Finland’s University of Helsinki responds that local temperature fluctuations are not the same as the global temperature increase climatologists have warned about. In fact, as a lead meteorologist, he sees the picture of climate change grow more complex with each new finding.

Dr. Timo Vesala, Professor of Meteorology, University of Helsinki, Finland

Dr. Timo Vesala, Professor Meteorology, University of Helsinki, Finland: The atmosphere is a very complicated system. And not only atmosphere but it’s interacting with the surface, ecosystems, everything that is there on the surface.

VOICE: Dr. Vesala and his team study Finland’s high-latitude Boreal region, where climate change effects are magnified. In a new study, they found that the forests there were not only responding but also adding to the warming of the atmosphere.

Dr. Timo Vesala: So as the air temperatures increased, soil temperature is following it. And in higher temperatures, in the warm autumn and winters, the natural CO2 emissions, from the soil, from the decomposition of organic material, litter and so on, they are at elevated levels.

VOICE: In the springtime growing season, the trees are able to absorb more carbon dioxide through a process called photosynthesis. However, Dr. Vesala found that autumn droughts, prolonged by a changed climate, actually reverse these good effects.

Dr. Timo Vesala: Because there wasn’t really water, the trees were really shutting down their photosynthesis. And this normal forest which should take up the carbon, it was in fact releasing it, and quite a lot. In fact the numbers are even comparable to the anthropogenic, human-induced emissions of CO2.

VOICE: In other words, with global atmospheric temperatures on the rise, the Arctic soil and forests are now a source of greenhouse gas. Dr. Vesala hopes that someday the atmosphere won’t have to be so complex, stating some simple advice to help make that happen:

Dr. Timo Vesala: Take into account the future in everyday living and planning.
Go Veg, Be Green, Save the Planet.

VOICE: We thank Dr. Vesala and his team for their research and efforts to communicate the changes occurring in nature around us. May our actions be guided by these scientific findings in making new changes for the better.

UN reports highest increase in refugees due to climate change.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cautions that climate change-related natural disasters and dwindling resources such as water are causing people in developing nations to flee their homes. With shrinking glaciers in Uganda’s Rwenzori Mountains and Nepal’s Himalayas, evaporating lakes in Mali, Chad and Ethiopia, and eroding soil from Haiti’s deforestation, refugees worldwide rose by 3 million. Urging an increase in global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Nick Nuttall of the United Nations Environment Programme said, “We are seeing right across the planet, particularly in the developing world, that climate change is generating levels of environmental degradation and wearing down the life support systems on which millions of people depend.”

Our deep appreciation, United Nations and Mr. Nuttall, for your observations of warning. May we all make global warming a top priority to safeguard the welfare of people and the environment.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4159923.ece, http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0806/S00400.htm, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/18/2277891.htm

Arctic sea ice is disappearing quicker than expected.

Scientists from the US Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) have found that the Arctic sea ice coverage has melted to the same area as in June of last year, even though this year started out with more ice due to a colder winter. Dr. Ian Willis of the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, UK, said, “Sea ice has a higher albedo (reflectivity) than ocean water; so as the ice melts, the water absorbs more of the Sun's energy and warms up more, and that in turn warms the atmosphere more.”

We are grateful for your dedicated work, international scientists, to bring us these vital facts. May we all realize the urgent situation of our planet and work together quickly to halt global warning.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7461707.stm


Climate change puts Australian bird species on the brink of extinction.

With 10 bird species already extinct and another 60 on the verge of a similar fate, Professor David Paton from Adelaide University in Australia has said, “There's a real risk that you'll lose half the bird species from this region. I think that's something that should no longer be tolerated by any society.” Professor Paton is planning a large-scale project to re-vegetate up to 150,000 hectares of southern Australia’s Mount Lofty Ranges, which will protect native flora and fauna and prevent further bird species’ extinction. Estimating a minimum of nearly US$19 million to launch the Woodland Recovery Initiative, Dr. Paton is optimistic that additional species loss is avoidable if fitting and thriving habitats are re-introduced.

Our sincere appreciation, Dr. Paton, for your vital endeavor to save the remaining plants and animal species from further extinction. With God’s blessings, may all nations work together to stem climate change and restore all diverse wildlife to its wondrous beauty.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/18/2277949.htm?section=justin; http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080618114738.htm