Online database captures Singapore's rich biodiversity

Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 26 Feb 15;

A new online database has been launched compiling research on how Singapore's flora and fauna interact with each other.

Called Animals and Plants of Singapore, it is managed by Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and went live on the museum's website this month.

Users can click on an animal and find links to information on the plants or animals it feeds on - though work on the site is ongoing and not all species have links in place yet.

The database provides a name and a photograph of each species.

For further information, users must click on the links to external sources, such as pages created by the National University of Singapore's life sciences classes, or the museum's Singapore Biodiversity Records - an online collection of "flora and fauna in Singapore, including sightings of uncommon or rare species".

Professor Rudolf Meier, deputy head of the museum, said the goal is to understand how different species interact to sustain Singapore's green spaces.

"Animals and Plants of Singapore will track these interdependencies by linking species pages of prey and predators, or plants and pollinators," he said.

"If we had a dedicated person or team doing the research, it would be as time-consuming as writing an academic paper for each species.

But by tapping already-published research and observations, the site can be updated more frequently."

Prof Meier hopes the site will make it easier for people to appreciate Singapore's diverse ecosystem and give them a reliable source of information.

Data is cross-referenced with the museum's stable of experts before being uploaded, and the site lists the names of the experts who identified the species.

The database now records more than 1,000 species of plants and animals, but Prof Meier hopes to more than double this figure by the end of the year. He estimates that there could be between 50,000 and 100,000 multicellular plant and animal species here.

Studies are under way to establish this, such as Singapore's first comprehensive marine biodiversity survey, led by the National Parks Board (NParks). It began five years ago and is expected to be completed by May this year.

Dr Lena Chan, director of NParks' National Biodiversity Centre, said: "Biodiversity databases are very important as they are historical records of plants and animals. These databases can be set up only if long-term monitoring surveys are carried out."

She said the museum's new database will complement NParks' records, including its online Biodiversity and Environment Database System, which was started in 2011 and records 5,000 species of flora and 750 species of fauna.

"Together, we can generate greater awareness and appreciation of the rich biodiversity that we have," she said.

Animals and Plants of Singapore, designed for desktop browsing, is at http://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/APS

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Best of our wild blogs: 26 Feb 15

Singapore Bird Report-January 2015
from Singapore Bird Group

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Dry spell set to continue till end-February: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 25 Feb 15;

SINGAPORE: The dry spell in Singapore looks set to continue till the end of the month, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).

In the first half of February, all areas of Singapore received below-average rainfall.

NEA said the trend will carry on, with the dry phase of the Northeast Monsoon forecast to prevail over the region.

While rainfall for this month is expected to be below average, it is not forecast to be as bad as last February - Singapore's driest month in 145 years, when just 0.2 millimetres of rain was recorded.

The average rainfall for February is 159.9 millimetres.

- CNA/xq

Dry conditions expected to last till early March
SIAU MING EN Today Online 25 Feb 15;

SINGAPORE – With occasional rainy days punctuating the dry weather over the past few weeks, conditions this year have not been as parched as last year’s, when the Republic experienced its longest ever dry spell.

But dry and occasionally windy conditions are expected to extend into early March, with Singapore and the region currently in the dry phase of the North-east Monsoon season.

“Although drier weather has been experienced in recent weeks, we are not in a dry spell as there have been occasional rain days,” said the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) spokesperson in response to queries from TODAY.

This year, Singapore experienced 42 days of dry weather, with daily rainfall of less than 1mm over many parts of the island. The longest period of dry weather lasted 12 consecutive days and took place just before the Chinese New Year break, from Feb 7 to 18. A dry spell is defined as having less than 1mm of rainfall registered daily over at least 15 consecutive days.

As of yesterday (Feb 24), the monthly total rainfall was 19.0mm, higher than the 0.2mm of rainfall recorded during the dry spell that hit Singapore in February last year, the MSS spokesperson said. The long-term average monthly rainfall for February is 159.9mm.

All areas of the island also recorded below average rainfall in the first half of this month, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on their website. Rainfall for the month is expected to be below average and for the rest of February.

National water agency PUB said they have been able to maintain healthy water levels in the reservoirs despite the dry weather. PUB has also adjusted the production of NEWater and desalination water accordingly, in order to meet demand, added its spokesperson.

The agency also noted an increase in water usage of about 10 to 20 million gallons a day around two weeks before Chinese New Year due to spring cleaning – a typical trend every year. Water usage returned to normal after the festivities, they added. The agency is monitoring the situation closely and urged members of the public to do their part to save water.

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What lurks beneath Bedok Reservoir

Jean Iau My Paper AsiaOne 26 Feb 15;

It was his first time out on a new kayak in Bedok Reservoir - and it ended with him in severe pain and bleeding profusely.

Kian Wai Seetoh, 19, fell into the water after his kayak capsized near a pontoon several metres from shore.

As the Temasek Polytechnic (TP) student tried to climb onto the pontoon, he felt pain and realised something was biting the toes on his right foot.

The incident happened in September, as Mr Seetoh and his schoolmates were gearing up for the Polytechnic-Insitute of Technical Education competition.

Since then, there have been more cases of leg injuries, prompting national water agency PUB to suspend water activities from Dec 17 to Jan 16.

Recalling the incident, Mr Seetoh, a biotechnology student, told The New Paper (TNP) on Tuesday that soon after he fell into the water, he felt what seemed like the scales of a fish brushing against his leg. He then felt a fish biting his toes.

"The pain wasn't sharp. It was like the feeling you get when you get a...bruise, so I didn't expect it to bleed so much.

"When I got bitten, I pulled my leg out of the water. Then I saw the cut and the blood. It was gushing out. The whole pontoon was covered in blood," he said.

When he got out of the water and onto the pontoon, he was shocked to see gaping cuts around the toes on his right foot and blood spewing.

He then called for help. A teammate rowed out on a boat and took Mr Seetoh back to shore.

Soon after, his father arrived to drive him to Singapore General Hospital, where he received 13 stitches for his wounds.

It took three weeks before he could walk normally again.

Mr Seetoh was not the only victim of the mysterious attacks in Bedok Reservoir. Two of his teammates also sustained cuts after their boats capsized.

Since then, the TP canoe team has changed its training schedule, from six times a week to once a week. The school has also ruled that a teacher or coach must be present for them to train in the water.

Asked if he was now afraid to step into a kayak, Mr Seetoh said: "Not really, because once you get your balance right, the chances of you capsizing are very low.

"I started training again after four weeks."

In response to queries by TNP, a spokesman for PUB said: "Following the incidents, PUB had advised schools and water sports operators to remind their participants to exercise care when in the water, and to wear covered footwear and avoid submerging their feet in the water where possible.

"This is because some fish or turtles may bite when disturbed or when protecting their young. There has not been any incident since Dec 14 and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

During the suspension of water activities at Bedok Reservoir, several fish - including a tarpon, African walking catfish, armoured sucker catfish and peacock bass - were caught.

An expert told The New Paper that none of these fish is indigenous to Singapore, and they had probably been released into the reservoir illegally.

Tan Heok Hui, a lecturer at the department of biological sciences at the National University of Singapore, said: "Introduction into urban reservoirs is usually via release by humans, either intentional or accidental.

Nature conservationist and advocate Ben Lee said: "For religious purposes, some people believe that releasing fish into water is a good deed, as the fish will be saved from human captivity.

"I have witnessed a group of more than 10 people, each with a bucket of hundreds of fish, wanting to release them into one of our reservoirs."

The introduction of new species could affect the ecology of the reservoir, he said.

"The catfish can be a menace to humans because it has poisonous spikes that can pierce and cause puncture cuts on the feet," Mr Lee added.

After viewing photographs of the wounds of Mr Ong and Mr Seetoh, Dr Tan said: "The small scrapes could also be from rough rock edges or small teeth plates that some catfish have.

"(As for) the larger gashes, (they) may indicate a wider cutting or biting edge, but the size is exaggerated by the human pull-away response. This could be caused by either fish or terrapins."

Those who illegally release animals or fish into reservoirs can be fined $50 for the first offence and $200 for the second. Subsequent offences will be prosecuted and offenders can be fined up to $3,000.

Kayaker gets 13 stitches after being bitten in Bedok Reservoir
Jean IauThe New Paper AsiaOne 27 Feb 15;

It was his first time out on a new kayak in Bedok Reservoir and it ended with him in severe pain and bleeding profusely.

Mr Kian Wai Seetoh, 19, fell in the water after his kayak capsized near a pontoon several metres away from the shore.

As the Temasek Polytechnic (TP) student tried to climb onto the pontoon, he felt pain and realised something was biting the toes of his right foot.

The incident happened last September as Mr Seetoh and his poly mates were gearing up for the POL-ITE competition.

Since then, there have been more cases of leg injuries, prompting national water agency PUB to suspend water activities for a month recently.

Recalling the incident, Mr Seetoh, a biotechnology student, told The New Paper yesterday that soon after he fell into the water, he felt what seemed like the scales of a fish brushing against his leg.
He then felt a fish biting his toes.

"The pain wasn't sharp. It was like the feeling you get when you get a blue-black bruise so I didn't expect it to bleed so much.

"When I got bitten, I pulled my leg out of the water. Then I saw the cut and the blood. It was gushing out. The whole pontoon was covered in blood," he said.

When he got out of the water and onto the pontoon, he was shocked to see gaping cuts around his toes on his right foot and blood spilling out.

He then tried to call for help.

His teammate, Ms Janice Ng, 19, said: "I saw him waving his hands trying to call for help. The pontoon was covered with blood. He was in shock."

Another teammate rowed out on a boat and took Mr Seetoh back to shore.

Taken to hospital

Soon after, his father arrived to drive him to Singapore General Hospital, where he was given 13 stitches for his wounds.

It took three weeks before he could walk normally again.

Mr Seetoh was not the only victim of the mysterious attacks in Bedok Reservoir.

Two of his teammates also sustained cuts after their vessels capsized.

One of them, Mr Nicholas Ong, 19, suspects that he was bitten by a turtle, judging from his wounds. "His cut looks like ones you get when you've been pinched really hard. (He) went under the same pontoon I did," said Mr Seetoh.

Since then, the TP canoe team has changed its training schedule, cutting down from six times a week to once a week.

The school has also ruled that either a teacher or coach must be present for them to train in the water.

Asked if he was now afraid to step into a kayak again, Mr Seetoh said: "Not really because once you get your balance right, the chances of you capsizing are very low.

"I started training again after four weeks."

In response to queries by TNP, a spokesman for national water agency PUB said: "Following the incidents, PUB had advised schools and the water sports operators to remind their participants to exercise care when in the water and to wear covered footwear and avoid submerging their feet in the water, where possible.

"This is because some fish or turtle may bite when disturbed or when protecting their young.

"There has not been any incident since Dec 14 and we will continue to monitor the situation closely."

Possible culprits: catfish, terrapins, or rocks

The PUB suspended kayaking, dragon-boating and canoeing in Bedok Reservoir from Dec 17 to Jan 16 after complaints of injuries that could have been caused by bites from freshwater turtles or fish such as the toman.

A PUB spokesman told The Straits Times it had advised water-activity operators to tell participants to exercise caution and to put on proper footwear.

The public is also reminded not to release animals into reservoirs, she added.

During the suspension, several fishes, including a tarpon, African walking catfish, armoured sucker catfish and peacock bass, were caught, said the PUB.

An expert told The New Paper that none of these fishes are indigenous to Singapore and they had probably been released into the reservoir illegally.

Dr Tan Heok Hui, a lecturer at the department of biological sciences at the National University of Singapore, said: "All these are non- native species that have been introduced into Singapore's waters.
Introduction into urban reservoirs is usually via release by humans, either intentional or accidental."

Releasing fish

Nature conservationist and advocate Ben Lee said: "For religious purposes, some people believe that releasing fish into water is a good deed since the fish will be saved from human captivity.

"I have witnessed a group of more than 10 people, each with a bucket of hundreds of fish, wanting to release them into one of our reservoirs."

The introduction of new species could affect the ecology of the reservoir, he added.

"If you put more alien species into the reservoirs, it will result in increased competition and affect biodiversity. There will be a lack of food and space for our local species, so it's not good for the overall ecosystem," said Mr Lee.

"The catfish can be a menace to humans because it has poisonous spikes that can pierce and cause puncture cuts on the feet," he added.

After viewing photographs of the wounds of Temasek Polytechnic students Nicholas Ong and Kian Wai Seetoh, Dr Tan said: "The small scrapes could also be from rough rock edges or small teeth plates that some catfish have.

"(As for) the larger gashes, (they) may indicate a wider cutting or biting edge, but the size is exaggerated by the human pull-away response. This could be caused by either fish or terrapins."

Those who illegally release animals or fish into reservoirs can be fined $50 for the first offence and $200 for the second. Subsequent offences will be prosecuted and offenders can fined up to $3,000.
Fish caught by PUB in Bedok Redervoir

TARPON
SIZE: Can grow to 120-250cm
ORIGIN: One species native to Atlantic Ocean and the other to the Indo-Pacific Oceans
DIET: Insects, fish, crabs and grass shrimp. Adults are carnivorous
REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE: Females can lay millions of eggs a year

ARMOURED SUCKER CATFISH
SIZE: Can grow up to 61cm
ORIGIN: Tropical north-eastern South America
DIET: Algae, aquatic plants and small crustaceans
REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE: Females lay 300 eggs on average

GIANT SNAKEHEAD (OR TOMAN)
SIZE: Can grow up to 1m and weigh 15kg
ORIGIN: Fresh waters of South-east Asia
DIET: Fish, amphibians and crustaceans, but they sometimes have an appetite for birds and small mammals
REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE: Females can lay up to 15,000 eggs at once and can mate five times in a year

PEACOCK BASS
SIZE: Up to 74cm
ORIGIN: Native to Amazon River and South America
DIET: Fish
REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE: Females can lay 9,000 to 15,000 eggs

AFRICAN WALKING CATFISH
SIZE: Up to 60cm
ORIGIN: South-east Asia
DIET: Omnivorous; smaller fish, molluscs, aquatic weeds
REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE: Females lay 5,000 eggs on average

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Malaysia: Sabah issues red tide warning over harmful algal bloom

The Star 26 Feb 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has issued a red tide warning after detecting the deadly algal bloom in waters off the state’s west coast.

Sabah Fisheries Department director Datuk Rayner Stuel Galid said the phenomenon, common during dry spells, was detected in Tg Badak, Trayong and Karambunai in the city here, and Tuaran.

Algal bloom is a natural phenomenon where algae form large colonies, sometimes bringing harmful effects to marine life, besides lending a tint (not always red) to the sea. This depends on the species and density of the bloom.

“With the dry spell, we expect it to spread,” Galid said yesterday.

He said based on samples obtained, the species responsible had been identified as the plankton Cochlodinium polykrioides, an organism capable of inflicting serious damage to aquatic life, including fish farms.

“At the moment, there is a high level of plankton that could suffocate fish,” he pointed out.

Galid urged fish farm operators in areas affected by red tide to move their fish to tanks.

“Consumption of seafood affected by this plankton will not pose any health risk. However, we have yet to detect planktons that cause Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning,” he said.

He added if that happened, a general alert would be issued to the public as human fatalities could occur, “especially when one consumes seafood such as shellfish”.

The toxins are not soluble in water and remain stable despite the heat and acids, rendering ordinary cooking methods ineffective in eliminating them.

If PSP is detected, the public would be asked to refrain from consuming shellfish or bivalves, including oysters, mussels, cockles and any type of clam-like seafood.

The Sabah Fisheries Department and Sabah Health Department conduct year-long monitoring to detect PSP toxins in bivalves.

Red tide problem in Sabah to persist till June, says fisheries dept
The Rakyat Post 26 Feb 15;

The red tide phenomenon made a comeback this month, affecting the Tuaran waters and is expected to persist until June this year.

According to Sabah Fisheries Department director Rayner Stuel Galid the toxin levels were expected to peak around March.

He advised the people to avoid any type of shellfish or bivalves, including cockles, oysters and mussels.

He said the Department issued a warning related to the red tide phenomenon about two weeks ago, adding it had collected samples to analyse the poison levels in shellfish in the affected area.

“To date, we have not received any reports of casualties,” he told The Rakyat Post.”

He said the red tide was caused by chemicals excreted by poisonous plankton, which at present, would suffocate fishes in affected areas.

He added after analysing salt water samples, the department detected a species of plankton known as Cochlodinnium polykrikoides, which made it safe for now, to eat fish caught from affected areas.

“But the public are beginning to be very cautious and are more aware of the situation and the red tide’s implications.

“The department will continue to monitor and analyse samples until the phenomenon comes to an end. The situation will be back to normal when there is constant rain.”

He said the last red tide phenomenon was reported two years ago, detected in four districts from Papar up to Kota Belud.

At least four casualties were recorded then, he revealed.

Galid added the red tide toxin in shellfish was analysed using the mouse bioassay method.

He said levels higher than 400 Mouse units (MU) were considered dangerous for humans.

In past years, he said red tide occurrences in Sabah had revealed bivalves to contain toxin levels as high as 11,000 MU.

He added only the Fisheries Department could detect toxin presence in shellfish, as the poison was not visible, nor did it have any smell or taste.

Galid said the toxin in these shellfish could not be removed through washing or cooking.

Early symptoms of shellfish poisoning due to red tide include tingling of the lips and tongue, which may begin within minutes of eating poisonous shellfish or may take an hour or two to develop.

Depending upon the amount of toxin a person has ingested, these symptoms may progress to a sensation of “pricking of pins and needles” of the skin and then loss of control of arms and legs, followed by difficulty in breathing.

Those who experience these symptoms are advised to get medical treatment immediately at the nearest hospital or clinic, because delayed treatment may result in death.

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Fears over plastic-eating coral in Australia's Barrier Reef

AFP Yahoo News 24 Feb 15;

Sydney (AFP) - Corals in the Great Barrier Reef are eating small plastic debris in the ocean, Australian researchers said on Tuesday, raising fears about the impact the indigestible fragments have on their health and other marine life.

The scientists found that when they placed corals from the reef into plastic-contaminated water, the marine life "ate plastic at rates only slightly lower than their normal rate of feeding on marine plankton", the study published in the journal Marine Biology said.

"If microplastic pollution increases on the Great Barrier Reef, corals could be negatively affected as their tiny stomach cavities become full of indigestible plastic," Mia Hoogenboom of Queensland state's James Cook University said.

Microplastic is defined as particles smaller than half a centimetre (a fifth of an inch).

The scientists found the plastic "deep inside the coral polyp wrapped in digestive tissue" and expressed concerns the substance could then hurt the creature's ability to digest normal food.

They also sampled waters near inshore coral reefs in the World Heritage-listed site and found microplastics including polystyrene and polyethylene in small amounts, study co-author Kathryn Berry said.

The health of the reef, along the Queensland coast, is already under close scrutiny from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Climate change, poor water quality from land-based run-offs, coastal developments and fishing all threaten the biodiverse site.

As much as 88 percent of the open ocean's surface contains plastic debris, findings published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year found.

The small pieces -- from mass-produced plastics such as toys, bags, food containers and utensils -- make their way into the sea through storm water run-off, raising concerns about the effect on marine life and the food chain.

The United Nations Environment Programme estimated in 2012 that around 13,000 pieces of microplastic litter were found in every square kilometre of sea, with the North Pacific most badly affected.

Despite the prevalence of microplastics, scientists say it is not well-known what effects they have on the world's marine life.

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World leaders urged to tackle food waste to save billions and cut emissions

Report by UK waste experts warns that growing global middle class could see £388bn worth of food wasted every year by 2030
Rebecca Smithers The Guardian 26 Feb 15;

Governments across the world should make reducing food waste an urgent priority in order to save as much as £194bn annually by 2030, according to a report.

Cutting food waste leads to greater efficiency, more productivity and higher economic growth, it said, but achieving such an aspiration would involve consumers cutting their own food and drink waste by as much as half.

One third of all food produced in the world ends up as waste, with food wasted by consumers globally valued at more than £259bn per year.

But that cost could soar to £388bn as the global middle class expands over the course of the next fifteen years, according to new figures from the UK government’s waste advisory body Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) for the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.

Their new report, ’Strategies to achieve economic and environmental gains by reducing food waste’, also identifies significant opportunities to improve economic performance and tackle climate change by reducing the amount of food that is wasted at various stages in the supply chain - in agriculture, transport, storage and consumption.

It highlights how practical changes, such as lowering the average temperatures of refrigerators or designing better packaging, can make a big difference in preventing spoilage. Approximately 25% of food waste in the developing world could be eliminated with better refrigeration equipment.

In the UK, the most recent data from Wrap showed that households threw away seven million tonnes of food waste in 2012, enough to fill London’s Wembley Stadium nine times over. Avoidable household food waste in the UK is associated with 17 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually.

Reducing food waste worldwide can make a significant contribution to tackling climate change, the report said. It found waste is responsible for around 7% of all greenhouse gas emissions globally, 3.3bn tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) a year.

Wrap estimates that emissions from food waste could cut by at least 0.2bn tonnes CO2e and possibly as much as 1 billion tonnes CO2e per year - more than the annual emissions of Germany.

Dr Richard Swannell, director of sustainable food systems at WRAP said: “Food waste is a global issue and tackling it is a priority. This report emphasises the benefits that can be obtained for businesses, consumers and the environment. The difficulty is often in knowing where to start and how to make the biggest economic and environmental savings.”

Consumers had a vital role to play, he added: “In the UK, where we are based, the majority of food waste occurs in the home.”

Helen Mountford, global programme director for the New Climate Economy, a programme of the commission, said: “Reducing food waste is good for the economy and good for the climate. Less food waste means greater efficiency, more productivity, and direct savings for consumers. It also means more food available to feed the estimated 805 million that go to bed hungry each day.

“Reducing food waste is also a great way to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. These findings should serve as a wakeup call to policymakers around the world.”

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US sea level north of New York City 'jumped by 128mm'

Helen Briggs BBC 24 Feb 15;

Sea levels along the northeast coast of the US rose by record levels during 2009-2010, a study has found.

Sea levels north of New York City rose by 128mm in two years, according to a report in the journal, Nature Communications.

Coastal areas will need to prepare for short term and extreme sea level events, say US scientists.

Climate models suggest extreme sea level rises will become more common this century.

"The extreme sea level rise event during 2009-10 along the northeast coast of North America is unprecedented during the past century," Prof Jianjun Yin of the University of Arizona told BBC News.

"Statistical analysis indicates that it is a 1-in-850 year event."

Tidal records
Scientists at the University of Arizona and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in New Jersey studied records of tidal levels along the east coast of the US and Canada.

They divided the coastline into three areas: north of New York City, New York City to Cape Hatteras on the coast of North Carolina, and south of Cape Hatteras.

They identified what they call an extreme sea-level rise during 2009-10, when the coastal sea level north of New York City jumped by 128mm.

"When coastal storms occur, extreme sea levels can lead to elevated storm surge," said Prof Jianjun Yin.

"In addition to long-term and gradual sea level rise, coastal communities will need to prepare for short and extreme sea level rise events."

Commenting on the study, Prof Rowan Sutton, climate scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, said climate models suggest an increase in such events.

"This study identifies a record breaking high sea level event that occurred along part of the US east coast in 2009-10.

"There is strong evidence that the likelihood of such events has been increased by climate change, and that we should expect more such events in the future.

"This example illustrates how individual extreme events are influenced by multiple factors - in this case the global rise of sea levels, regional changes in ocean circulation, and wind patterns."

Dr Dan Hodson, also from the University of Reading, said the analysis underlined the importance of understanding the connections between surges in sea levels and ocean currents.

"Sea level change is a complex phenomenon, especially on the regional scale, where changes to the global ocean circulation can play a major role," he said.

"The east coast of North America is quite close to an area of active, fast ocean currents, and so is quite sensitive to changing ocean circulation."

He said the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a major current in the Atlantic Ocean, had implications for Europe and Africa as well as the US.

Research at the University of Reading has shown how it could make British summers wetter and may influence rainfall patterns in parts of Africa.

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Greenhouse Effect Is Witnessed…and Getting Worse

Becky Oskin LiveScience.com Yahoo News 26 Feb 15;

The climate-changing greenhouse effect exists and has been directly measured in the United States, a new study reports.

The results confirm what scientists had already proved through models and laboratory experiments: Pumping carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere is warming the Earth's surface.

"We're actually measuring the fact that rising carbon dioxide concentrations are leading to the greenhouse effect," said lead study author Dan Feldman, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. "This is clear observational evidence that when we add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, it will push the system to a warmer place."

Since the late 1950s, scientists have documented rising levels of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases" in Earth's atmosphere. Laboratory tests and physics experiments indicated that these gases absorb some of the infrared radiation that Earth emits into space, thereby raising the planet's temperature. This is called the greenhouse effect because it is similar to how a glass greenhouse traps heat, warming the air inside. Put simply, more energy is flowing into the greenhouse than is getting out, a concept that scientists call radiative forcing. [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]

The research team measured radiative forcing on the Earth's surface due to carbon dioxide at two long-running atmospheric research sites owned by the Department of Energy. One is in Oklahoma and the other is near Barrow, Alaska, above the Arctic Circle.

Powerful spectrometers calibrated by the United States Office of Weights and Measures tracked the infrared radiation coming down to the surface, Feldman said. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere absorb the Earth's infrared energy and then scatter it in all directions, some back downward toward the surface. The instruments can detect the "fingerprint" of carbon dioxide's infrared signal because the molecule emits and absorbs infrared energy at distinctive wavelengths.

Between 2000 and 2010, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide rose at both research sites by 22 parts per million. (The parts per million number refers to the volume of carbon dioxide molecules in every million air molecules.) At the same time, the amount of downward-directed infrared energy from carbon dioxide increased. This meant the surface radiative forcing, or energy imbalance, also increased at both sites, the researchers report today (Feb. 25) in the journal Nature.

In translation: More gas in the atmosphere meant more infrared energy was reflected back at the Earth instead of escaping into space.

"This is another direct piece of evidence that supports that the increase in carbon dioxide is indeed contributing to global warming," said Dave Turner, an atmospheric physicist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Oklahoma, who was not involved in the study. "It's a roadmap as to how we can do exactly the same thing for other trace gases."

The scientists ruled out or removed possible warming effects from clouds, weather, water vapor or problems with instrument calibration.

The added radiative forcing was 0.2 watts per square meter per decade, which is about 10 percent of the total increase due to all human activities, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change .

"I would hope that even people who raise their eyebrows at this whole field can see there is a really robust observation underlying this," Feldman told Live Science.

The research team is now investigating the contributions to global warming from other greenhouse gases, such as methane.

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