lightblueline

Roger Harrabin,BBC News environment analyst (April 4, 2008) reports on the effects of a major 'la nina' in the Pacific Ocean. This part of a multi-year fluctuation, and it's cooling the planet this year. These types of short-term fluctuations have been built into the climate models, which are still predicting a longer-term warming trend. Still, it's good to be cool! (Unless you live in Wisconsin, which gets enough cool every winter).

Global warming 'dips this year'

Here is an excerpt:

Source UNEP: February 2008
Cartographer: Hugo Ahlenius, UNEP/GRID-Arendal
Population, area and economy affected by a 1 m sea level rise (global and regional estimates, based on today's situation)

Citation:

Stefan Rahmstorf at Potsdam University (March 2007) discusses the IPCC sea level numbers:

You can read the whole analysis here:The IPCC sea level numbers

Excerpt below:
"
What is included in these sea level numbers?

Let us have a look at how these numbers were derived. They are made up of four components: thermal expansion, glaciers and ice caps (those exclude the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets), ice sheet surface mass balance, and ice sheet dynamical imbalance.

The Rock Ethics Institute at Penn. State University is hosting the website for the Program on the Ethical Dimensions of Climate Change, with discussions on the ethics of climate change science and policy:

ClimateEthics.org

Teachers: You can download an educational version of one of the climate models that NASA uses and run this in your classroom.
Here is the website at Columbia University: Educational Global Climate Modeling

This site, hosted at NASA's Earth Observatory, presents the state-of-the-science for ice-melt on Greenland and the Arctic:

The NASA data center at Columbia University (SEDAC) has posted a great new resource: maps of the 10 meter coastal zone (with urban and rural estimates) for large parts of the planet:

GO here to view the maps: LOW ELEVATION COASTAL ZONE (LECZ) URBAN-RURAL ESTIMATES

Summary:

The New Scientist (May 16, 2007) compiled a list of some of the topics surrounding climate change, notions that are sometimes used to refute the mainstream science findings. Some of these are generalizations that are not supported by observations and/or models, and others are alternative explanations, such as solar radiation. They may not all be "myths", but they have led to mythunderstandings (sorry). This piece has some very useful illustrations of climate variables over time. Check it out!
The 7 biggest myths about climate change

Mike Taber and Mike Urban have created a great course for teachers to learn about global change (not just climate change!). This is also a great undergrad course in Earth Science on the topic of change.
Global Change: A Data Driven Approach to Learning
You can also email Mike Taber at: mike.taber AT coloradocollege.edu