Brussels, Belgium - WWF is concerned that EU Heads of State and governments meeting in the European Council on 22-23 March will undermine the visionary approach on climate change recently adopted by EU Environment Ministers.

The global conservation organization fears that some key European governments may sabotage the recent Environment Council recommendations, which represent a major step forward for developed countries to reduce climate pollution and keep global warming below 2C compared to pre-industrial levels.

On 10 March, EU environment ministers agreed to explore emissions reduction of 15 to 30 per cent by 2020 and 60 to 80 per cent by 2050 for developed countries. These go far beyond the reductions outlined in the Kyoto protocol and, according to WWF, represent the levels of cuts needed for the next Kyoto commitment periods post-2012 and in the longer term.

However, senior officials in EU countries such as Austria, Italy, Finland, Ireland, Germany and Belgium are questioning this approach.

“WWF urges the European Council to unconditionally support the conclusions of their own ministers and develop a time frame for EU long-term climate commitments,” said Dr Stephan Singer, head of the WWF European climate and energy policy unit.

“This is what has to be done if the EU wants to keep global leadership in the climate change policy. If the European Union cannot agree on a road map for post-2012 targets, who could provide global leadership on this issue?”

WWF believes developed countries should cut climate pollution by 30 per cent by 2020 and by 60 to 80 per cent by 2050 in order to: protect vulnerable communities; reduce threats of future heat waves, droughts and flooding; and limit damage to unique ecosystems such as the Arctic and coral reefs.

According to a recent economic assessment by the European Commission, the benefits of additional action in the EU to fight against climate change will outweigh the perceived costs, while the cost of non-action will be much higher.

“European Head of States and governments should not sabotage the recommendations of their environment ministers,” Singer added. “This would undermine the credibility and the global reputation of the European Union.”

Original press release: WWF Calls on EU to Uphold Visionary Approach on Climate Change (WWF)

A development agreement has been signed between Australian firms Woodshed Technologies, Lloyd Energy Systems and SMEC Developments. These three firms will work to jointly develop and implement combined Tidal Delay(R)/ Lloyd Energy Storage System projects in a variety of international locations. Led by Woodshed Technologies these firms will work with British firms Pennant Wind, JWG Consulting and a confirmed multinational British engineering group to investigate sites for Tidal Delay(R)/ Lloyd Energy Storage System plants in the UK.

Woodshed Technologies is the developer of the patented Tidal Delay(R) tidal power generation process. Lloyd Energy Systems is the developer of the world’s first high capacity energy storage technology. Energy from thermal and electrical sources is stored in the patented Lloyd Energy Storage System and released as electricity to the network grid exactly as required on demand. Output may also be released as heat, hot water and steam. The LES will store and regulate the output of all Tidal Delay(R) plants.

SMEC Developments is a unit of the international engineering group, the SMEC Group of Companies. SMEC Developments will lead the design and construction of the combined Tidal Delay(R)/ Lloyd Energy Storage System projects. SMEC Developments will support local country engineers in all development phases of these plants.

Tidal power is classified as a renewable energy source, because tides are caused by the orbital mechanics of the solar system and are considered inexhaustible within a human timeframe.

Original press release: British / Australian Tidal Power Venture (Renewable Power Association)

Envisat radar imagery confirms that the B-15A iceberg - the world’s largest floating object - is adrift once more after two months aground on a shallow seamount. This latest development poses a renewed threat to the nearby pier of land-attached ice known as the Drygalski ice tongue.

The sheer scale of B-15A is best appreciated from space. The bottle-shaped Antarctic iceberg is around 120 kilometres long, with an area exceeding 2500 square kilometres, making it about as large as the entire country of Luxembourg.

Back in Janauary the iceberg appeared to be drifting towards the 70-kilometre-long Drygalski ice tongue in McMurdo Sound on the Ross Sea, and an unprecedented ice collision looked imminent.

However B-15A eventually slowed down and stopped. Local bathymetry charts suggested the iceberg had become anchored at a point near the middle of its coastward (or western) side to a shallow section of seabed.

In early March local tides and currents lifted B-15A free from its temporary resting place, an event coinciding with numerous fragments of ice seen breaking off from the centre of its coastward side as the iceberg was worked loose.

Now prevailing currents are transporting it into deeper and out of McMurdo Sound, right past the far end of the Drygalski ice tongue. The latest Envisat satellite image shows the two ice masses only a few kilometres apart.

Mark Drinkwater of ESA’s Ice/Oceans Unit is among researchers keeping close watch on the situation: “The widest part of the iceberg would now appear to have successfully negotiated the narrow channel between the shallow seamount to its west - where it was formerly grounded - and Franklin Island to the east.

“It was now achieved a critical overlap with the end of the Drygalski ice pier, so far without touching. It would now appear that any contact - if at all - between the drifting iceberg and the land-fast floating ice tongue is likely to be a consequence of being ‘brushed’ or ‘bumped’ by the broader trailing end of the iceberg, much like the wide turns made by a long trailer behind a truck or the stern of a ship.”

Drinkwater adds that the tidal current oscillations in the cross-shelf - or approximately east-west - direction may not be large enough to force a significant impact. Currently the northward end or narrower ‘nose’ of B-15A has been steered on a course consistent with currents following the bottom topography of a deepwater channel joining the Nordenskjold and Drygalski Basins.

“As long as the rear end of the iceberg remains pinned to its west by the shallow bottom topography, a collision may remain less likely,” Drinkwater states. “A lot now depends on the ability of the tides and local currents to free the southernmost end of the iceberg, and to close the gap between the iceberg and the ice tongue.”

B-15A is the largest remaining section of the even larger B-15 iceberg that calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in March 2000. Equivalent in size to Jamaica, B-15 had an initial area of 11 655 square kilometres but subsequently broke up into smaller pieces.

Since then, B-15A has found its way to McMurdo Sound, where its presence has blocked ocean currents and led to a build-up of sea ice. With the Antarctic summer now at an end and in-situ observations therefore limited, the ASAR instrument aboard Envisat becomes even more useful for monitoring changes in polar ice and tracking icebergs.

Its radar signals pass freely through the thickest polar storm clouds or local darkness. And because ASAR measures surface texture, the sensor is extremely sensitive to different types of ice, for example clearly delineating the older rougher surface of the Drygalski ice tongue from the surrounding sea ice.

The Drygalski ice tongue is located at the opposite end of McMurdo Sound from the US and New Zealand bases.

Large and (considered) permanent enough to be depicted on standard atlas maps of the Antarctic continent, the long narrow tongue stretches out to sea as an extension of the land-based David Glacier, which flows through coastal mountains of Victoria Land.

Envisat’s ASAR instrument monitors Antarctica in two different modes: Global Monitoring Mode (GMM) provides 400-kilometre swath one-kilometre resolution images, enabling rapid mosaicking of the whole of Antarctica to monitor changes in sea ice extent, ice shelves and iceberg movement.

Wide Swath Mode (WSM) possesses the same swath but with 150-metre resolution for a detailed view of areas of particular interest.

ASAR GMM images are routinely provided to a variety of users including the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Ice Centre, responsible for tracking icebergs worldwide.

ASAR imagery is also being used operationally to track icebergs in the Arctic by the Northern View and ICEMON consortia, which provide ice monitoring services as part of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative, jointly backed by ESA and the European Union.

The Northern View recently extended this service to the Southern Ocean for the first time, to ensure that participants in the Oryx Quest 2005 yacht race stayed safely away from icebergs and ice fields.

This year also sees the launch of CryoSat, a dedicated ice-watching mission designed to precisely map changes in the thickness of polar ice sheets and floating sea ice.

CryoSat, in connection with regular Envisat ASAR GMM mosaics and SAR interferometry - a technique used to combine radar images to measure tiny millimetre-scale shifts between acquisitions - should answer the question of whether the kind of ice-shelf calving that gave rise to B-15 and its descendants are a consequence of ice sheet dynamics or other factors.

Together they will provide insight into whether such iceberg calving occurrences are becoming more common, as well as improving our understanding of the relationship between the Earth’s ice cover and the global climate.

Original press release: Giant iceberg B-15A edges past floating ice pier (ESA)

The SCIAMACHY sensor aboard Envisat has performed the first space-based measurements of the global distribution of near-surface methane, one of the most important greenhouse gases. As reported in Thursday’s issue of Science Express, the results show larger than expected emissions across tropical land regions.

The report concerns work carried out by the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP) at the University of Heidelberg in cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KMNI), based on interpretation of methane observations made by the SCanning Imaging Absorption SpectroMeter for Atmospheric ChartographY (SCIAMACHY) instrument, one of ten sensors aboard ESA’s Envisat environmental satellite.

A comparison was made between space-based methane observations and model simulations for atmospheric methane for the time period August to November 2003.

“In general the observations agree very well with the model,” explains Christian Frankenberg of IUP. “For example, the measurements confirm the occurrence of enhanced methane concentrations over the Ganges plains in India as well as parts of China caused by emissions from rice paddies and domestic ruminants such as cattle.

“However in large parts of the tropics there is a considerable difference. It cannot yet be concluded which source category or combination of source categories is responsible for the discrepancy. Potential candidates include wetlands, biomass burning, termites, ruminants or a hitherto unknown source.”

These results are of more than just academic interest, since methane is the second most important ‘anthropogenic’ or man-made greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. Methane is among the six greenhouse gases addressed by the Kyoto Protocol that went into operation last month.

Methane traps heat over 21 times more heat per molecule than CO2. The amount of methane in the atmosphere has more than doubled since pre-industrial times, an increase attributed to human activities including energy production and farming.

The overall global source strength of methane is relatively well known,” Frankenberg adds. “However the spatial distribution of the emissions, the variations over the year and their division into difference source categories � which is of particular importance for emission monitoring � are still very uncertain. Natural sources of methane are particularly uncertain, and anthropogenic emission estimates rely mostly on socio-economic figures.”

SCIAMACHY is a spectrometer that maps the air over a very wide wavelength range, allowing the detection of trace gases, clouds and dust particles throughout the atmosphere.

It uses an innovative technique called Differential Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) to find spectral absorption ‘fingerprints’ of trace gases within sunlight transmitted, reflected or scattered by the Earth’s atmosphere or surface in the ultraviolet, visible and near infrared regions. Possessing a 960-kilometre swath SCIAMACHY covers the entire world every six days.

This versatile instrument represents a national contribution to ESA’s Envisat mission. SCIAMACHY was funded by the German government through the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), the Dutch government through the Netherlands Agency for Aerospace Programmes (NIVR) and also the Belgian government through the Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy (BIRA-IASB).

Principal Investigator for the SCIAMACHY instrument is John Burrows, also leader of the University of Bremen Institute of Environmental Physics: “SCIAMACHY was primarily selected for flight because of its ability to measure stratospheric ozone and related species. However it was also proposed to investigate the retrieval of trace constituents from the troposphere, the lowest region of the atmosphere.

“When SCIAMACHY was conceived, many scientists thought it would be impossible to obtain any useful results from the troposphere: there are many issues to be overcome for example the cloud cover, the low reflectivity from the surface, and the fact that stratospheric species lie between the troposphere and the satellite.

“Our calculations showed that it is possible and we are now finding it can be done. The instrument is being used to retrieve the columns of several key tropospheric trace gases - not only methane but also nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and dioxide, sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde, bromine monoxide, water vapour, and ozone are retrieved. In addition SCIAMACHY yields many important cloud and aerosol parameters as well as ocean colour.”

Research groups at the Universities of Bremen and Heidelberg, KNMI and the Netherlands National Institute for Space Research (SRON) have been working on the retrieval of methane and carbon dioxide from SCIAMACHY.

This activity is supported by the European Union project EnVisat for Environmental Regulation of GREENhouse gases (EVERGREEN), using Envisat data as a first step towards monitoring greenhouse gas emissions, sinks and sources as required by Kyoto.

“The success and stability of SCIAMACHY so far is a tribute to the instrument builders, operators and data retrievers, and an important step on the way to establishing an operational global observing system for the Earth’s atmosphere,” adds Burrows. “This is something we need as we enter the new geological age of the Anthropocene, where mankind is the driver of climate change.”

SCIAMACHY was preceded by a smaller scale version of the instrument called the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME), flown on ESA’s ERS-2 in 1995. The newest member of this family of atmospheric spectrometers is called GOME-2. Due to launch aboard the MetOp satellite next year, it will be dedicated to operational ozone monitoring.

Into the future, Professor Burrows and his team have also proposed the Geostationary Scanning Imaging Absorption spectrometer (GeoSCIA) an instrument which would - if selected for flight - provide the high temporal and spatial sampling required for a truly representative picture of tropospheric scales and processes.

Original press release: Envisat enables first global check of regional methane emissions (ESA)

Officials with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) and BP West Coast Products LLC jointly announced today that they have agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the AQMD against BP and its predecessor, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), regarding past air quality rule violations at the company’s Carson, Calif., refinery. Under the terms of the settlement, BP will pay the agency $25 million in cash penalties and $6 million in past emissions fees.

“This historic settlement resolves the significant and numerous violations found at the Carson refinery. The substantial penalty and other terms are consistent with the AQMD’s intent to vigorously pursue compliance with all of its regulations and procedures,” said Dr. William Burke, AQMD’s Governing Board Chairman.

“We are pleased to have resolved this dispute and look forward to forging a strong partnership with the AQMD for the future,” said Ross Pillari, President of BP America, Inc. “This settlement allows the parties to put past disputes behind them and work towards a common goal of making BP’s Carson refinery a model citizen in the community.”

AQMD filed its initial complaint in March 2003. A second complaint was filed in January 2005. The settlement resolves all issues in the two complaints, including claims of inadequate inspection and maintenance of large above-ground storage tanks, failure to adequately perform flare data collection, inconsistencies in refinery record-keeping, and numerous air emission releases into the surrounding community from the refinery during recent years.

The $25 million in cash penalties is the largest such settlement with AQMD to date. Previous settlements included AES Alamitos, LLC for $17 million in December 2000 for excess power plant emissions.

“The AQMD and BP have a common goal of improving performance at the Carson refinery and benefiting the communities in which we operate,” added Pillari. “To underscore this commitment, BP is providing $30 million over ten years in community programs directed at asthma diagnosis and treatment, and $20 million in new refinery improvements aimed at reducing emissions.”

Lastly, as part of a commitment BP gave to the AQMD last year, BP is undertaking a program to upgrade the refinery’s existing sour water system. This equipment was the source of odor allegations in the March 2003 complaint. These improvements, expected to be completed in 2006, are designed to prevent future releases.

“All these projects will advance the District’s mission of protecting the health and welfare of residents in the community around the Carson refinery and improving air quality in the South Coast Basin,” added Dr. William Burke.

AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties.

BP West Coast Products LLC operates the Carson refinery located at 1801 East Sepulveda Boulevard in Carson, California.

Original press release: AQMD and BP Settle Refinery Emission Violations for $25 Million in Civil Penalties, $6 Million in Past Fees, and $50 Million for Community and Clean Air Projects (AQMD)

Even if all greenhouse gases had been stabilized in the year 2000, we would still be committed to a warmer Earth and greater sea level rise in the present century, according to a new study by a team of climate modelers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The findings are published in this week’s issue of the journal Science.

The modeling study quantifies the relative rates of sea level rise and global temperature increase that we are already committed to in the 21st century. Even if no more greenhouse gases were added to the atmosphere, globally averaged surface air temperatures would rise about a half degree Celsius (one degree Fahrenheit) and global sea levels would rise another 11 centimeters (4 inches) from thermal expansion alone by 2100.

“Many people don’t realize we are committed right now to a significant amount of global warming and sea level rise because of the greenhouse gases we have already put into the atmosphere,” says lead author Gerald Meehl. “Even if we stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations, the climate will continue to warm, and there will be proportionately even more sea level rise. The longer we wait, the more climate change we are committed to in the future.”

The half-degree temperature rise is similar to that observed at the end of the 20th century, but the projected sea level rise is more than twice the 3-inch (5-centimeter) rise that occurred during the latter half of the previous century. These numbers do not take into account fresh water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, which could at least double the sea level rise caused by thermal expansion alone.

The North Atlantic thermohaline circulation, which currently warms Europe by transporting heat from the tropics, weakens in the models. Even so, Europe heats up with the rest of the planet because of the overwhelming effect of greenhouse gases.

Though temperature rise shows signs of leveling off 100 years after stabilization in the study, ocean waters continue to warm and expand, causing global sea level to rise unabated.

The paper concludes with a cogent statement by Meehl: “With the ongoing increase in concentrations of GHGs [greenhouse gases], every day we commit to more climate change in the future. When and how we stabilize concentrations will dictate, on the time scale of a century or so, how much more warming we will experience. But we are already committed to ongoing large sea level rise, even if concentrations of GHGs could be stabilized.”

The inevitability of the climate changes described in the study is the result of thermal inertia, mainly from the oceans, and the long lifetime of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Thermal inertia refers to the process by which water heats and cools more slowly than air because it is denser than air.

The new study is the first to quantify future committed climate change using “coupled” global three-dimensional climate models. Coupled models link major components of Earth’s climate in ways that allow them to interact with each other. Meehl and his NCAR colleagues ran the same scenario a number of times and averaged the results to create ensemble simulations from each of two global climate models. Then they compared the results from each model.

The scientists also compared possible climate scenarios in the two models during the 21st century in which greenhouse gases continue to build in the atmosphere at low, moderate, or high rates. The worst-case scenario projects an average temperature rise of 3.5C (6.3F) and sea level rise from thermal expansion of 30 centimeters (12 inches) by 2100. All scenarios analyzed in the study will be assessed by international teams of scientists for the next report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due out in 2007.

The NCAR team used the Parallel Climate Model (PCM), developed by NCAR and the Department of Energy, and the new Community Climate System Model (Version 3). The CCSM3 was developed at NCAR with input from university and federal climate scientists around the country and principal funding from the National Science Foundation (NCAR’s primary sponsor) and the Department of Energy. The CCSM3 shows slightly higher temperature rise and sea level rise from thermal expansion and greater weakening of the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic. Otherwise, the results from the two models are similar. The models were run on supercomputers at NCAR and several DOE labs and on the Earth Simulator in Japan.

Original press release: Climate Change Inevitable in 21st Century
Sea Level Rise To Outpace Temperature Increase (UCAR)