The Arctic will be free of ice by 2040, impacting the rest of the world

Here's a very well done video discussing the impacts of man made climate change / global warming on ice in the Arctic and the resulting problems that can be expected worldwide. The makers of the video speculate that the Arctic will be ice-free at current melt rates as soon as the year 2040 - that's less than 25 years away!

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/before-the-flood/videos/5-things-to-know-about-the-warming-arctic/

A new battery powered Mercedes AA Class

Just for a change of pace, here's a very funny "commercial" dealing with a new electric car from a luxury car manufacturer.

Enjoy!

APCD issues another caution notice for blowing dust from gusty winds

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (APCD) has issued another cautionary health notice today for residents of the Valley.

APCD officials are expecting northwesterly gusty winds across the entire San Joaquin Valley Friday afternoon, September 30, through Monday, October 30, 2016. They expect that the winds will generate more blowing dust that will contain potentially unhealthy levels of particulate matter 10 microns and smaller (PM10).

The winds will be resulting from an expected cold front accompanying a low pressure area moving in and out of the Valley as a high pressure system builds behind it.

Exposure to PM10 pollution can cause serious health problems, including asthma attacks, bronchitis,and aggravate those with lung or heart diseases, as well as increasing the risk for respiratory infections.

Whale poop helps solve climate change problems

How the world responds to man-made climate change involves a very complex, expensive, and politically divisive array of potential solutions and lifestyle adjustments. However, one natural process of which you may have been unaware involves the largest mammals in the world: whales.

As explained in the excellent video below, whales play a primary role in the ecology of the oceans, and, as a result, the world as well. Just like the rest of us, they need to eat to survive, and, well, they need to relieve themselves afterward too.



So why is this important one may ask?

When their waste products are released into the ocean, they provide vital nutrients for algae and plankton growth in the upper reaches of the ocean.  In addition to providing a source of food for ocean fish and animal life, plant plankton also adsorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, thus providing a sink (or removal process) for CO2 emissions as well.

Scientists have estimated that before whaling populations were decimated by decades of hunting, whales were indirectly responsible for removing tens of millions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. Therefore, efforts by environmental groups and governments to stop whaling activities will not only lead to a resurgence of whale populations, but also result in more CO2 being removed from the atmosphere.