. Earth Science News .
Research Detects Human-Induced Climate Change At A Regional Scale

Over the past 10 years, climate scientists have been making steady progress in finding evidence of human-induced climate change.
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 22, 2006
Canadian and British climate scientists have clearly detected human-induced climate change at a regional scale in Canada, southern Europe and China. This new research is the first to combine the results from several climate model simulations, increasing scientific confidence in these findings.

The study, by climate scientists Xuebin Zhang and Francis Zwiers of Environment Canada, and Peter Stott of the UK Meteorological Office, is published in the September issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate.

In the study, the scientists used four climate models - two developed by Environment Canada, and two developed by the UK Met Office.

The three regions in the study have experienced rising temperatures during the 20th century. The scientists analyzed temperature measurements from 1900 to 1999, to determine the geographic patterns and timing of this warming, as it changed from decade to decade. The researchers then used computer-based climate models developed at the Canadian Centre for Climate Modeling and Analysis and the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research to simulate the climates over the same time periods.

They found that simulations which include human influences on climate were able to reproduce the patterns and evolution of the observed temperature changes. This indicates that the models can simulate climate change, even at a scale as small as that of a large country, and that natural variability of the climate system alone can not explain the observed warming.

In Canada, south of 70 N. latitude, human-induced climate change was detected most clearly in the period from 1950 to 1999. Canada has warmed by about 1 C. over the past 100 years. The temperature rise from 1950 to 1999 was more pronounced than in the first half of the 20th century.

Over the past 10 years, climate scientists have been making steady progress in finding evidence of human-induced climate change. The challenge is to separate the natural fluctuations in climate from those that are caused by human activities. On a global scale, it is easier to detect such small changes in climate, as the natural fluctuations tend to average out for a large area. Scientists are now able to identify the human fingerprint on smaller areas, even at the scale of a single large country.

Researchers attribute this progress to improvements in computer models, faster supercomputer capability, a growing record of historical climate information, and the fact that climate change is now becoming more pronounced.

This research also gives the scientists increased confidence in their ability to predict future climate change. By using computer models to simulate climate change that has already occurred, the researchers have demonstrated the accuracy of the model projections.

Related Links
American Meteorological Society
Learn about Climate Science at TerraDaily.com

Short-Term Ocean Cooling Suggests Global Warming Speed Bump
Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 22, 2006
The average temperature of the water near the top of Earth's oceans has significantly cooled since 2003. New research suggests global warming trends are not always steady in their effects on ocean temperatures. Although the average temperature of the upper oceans has significantly cooled since 2003, the decline is a fraction of the total ocean warming over the previous 48 years.







  • Ten Years Needed To Recover From Pakistan Quake
  • Analysis: Strengthening FEMA in DHS
  • Ideas To Rebuild Hurricane-Devastated New Orleans Showcased At Italian Fair
  • China's natural disasters cost billions, kill thousands: report

  • Research Detects Human-Induced Climate Change At A Regional Scale
  • Short-Term Ocean Cooling Suggests Global Warming Speed Bump
  • British Scientists Tell Exxon To Stop Anti-Climate Change Campaign
  • Melting Greenland Ice Sheet Spells More Bad News On Climate Change

  • New Technology Helping Foster The 'Democratization Of Cartography'
  • SAIC Becomes Authorized Supplier For Geospatial-Intelligence Solutions
  • DLR And Astrium Sign Contract For German Satellite TanDEM-X
  • Raytheon Completes NPOESS Segment Acceptance Testing Ahead of Schedule

  • OPEC Urges Use Of Technology To Reduce Carbon Emissions
  • Branson Pledges Three Billion Dollars To Develop Cleaner Energy
  • Dogs Of Law Set To Fight Long And Hard Over Landmark US Climate Suit
  • Shell-Led Project Warns Russia On Environmental Permit

  • HPV Vaccine Drawing Attention On All Sides
  • Analysis: Malaria In The Spotlight
  • Researchers Uncover A Secret Of The Black Death
  • Existing Vaccine Facilities Can Handle Flu Pandemic

  • Pregnant Prehistoric Fossil Offers Clues To Past
  • Fruit Fly Aggression Studies Have Relevance To Animal, Human Populations
  • Most Diverse Marine Life Found Off Indonesia's Papua Province
  • Max The Stork Achieves World Record For Satellite Tracking

  • Floating Garbage Piling Up In Three Gorges Dam
  • Birth Defects Rise In China Due To Pollution
  • Philippines Oil-Spill Tanker 'May Have Sunk During Cargo Heist'
  • Study To Forecast Side-Effects Of Pollution Policy

  • Meet the Earliest Baby Girl Ever Discovered
  • Oldest Juvenile Skeleton Discovered Will Help Piece Together Human Development
  • Beijing Citizens Live Longest In China
  • 450,000 Passengers Carried On Qinghai-Tibet Railway

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement