China’s Green Policy and technologies take a global lead as the Arctic sea ice thins faster than had been predicted
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| Arctic Sea Ice Thinning: Fall Published: March 9th, 2010 Images of the shrinking area of Arctic sea ice are now familiar, at least to polar connoisseurs. What’s been happening under the surface is much less well known—but illustrated here. Due to warmer air and warmer water, the ice has been getting thinner, generally faster than its area has been decreasing. We know about the thinning from old submarine sonar readings recently declassified by the US Navy (an unexpected benefit of the Cold War’s end), and from measurements taken by NASA’s Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) since 2003. In the quarter century following 1980, average autumn and winter Arctic ice thicknesses each dropped over one third.1 Over the same period, September ice extent declined more slowly, about 29% – and September is the time of year ice cover has diminished the most (data source: National Snow and Ice Data Center) … for more, go to http://www.climatecentral.org/gallery/graphics/arctic_sea_ice_thinning_fall |
China’s Green Policy and technologies take a global lead as the Arctic sea ice thins faster than had been predicted
KUALA LUMPUR (December 2017): Going green by taking the lead in electric vehicle manufacturing and technology is proving to be China’s far-sighted policy.
And its aggressive push to make renewable power sources as compact as possible and as cheap as possible is also another giant step into the future.
This comes after a University of Calgary found that the Arctic sea ice may be thinning faster than expected.
I Love Malaysia-China Silk Road opines that China is set to step up its research and development (R&D) into solar and hydro power technology, if it hasn’t yet.
The thinning of the Arctic sea ice has, therefore, made it a global concern for humankind and this planet’s survival, naturally triggering R&D intensification into renewable energy.
To investors and those following China’s multi-billion-dollar One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, it will do well for them to monitor renewable energy technology development and related business opportunities.
A microscopic view of phytoplankton found in the Chukchi Sea at a depth of 1.5 metres below the surface of the sea ice. (William Balch)
A group of U.S. scientists has discovered enormous blooms of algae growing in an area of the Arctic Ocean that they never thought could support the phytoplankton: below the sea ice. The discovery was a shock because living organisms don't usually survive underneath the ice pack that covers parts of the Arctic Ocean for much of the year and blocks out the light needed to sustain life. "First, we were thinking, 'This can't be. This can't be possible. There's no way this can be what it looks like,'" Kevin R. Arrigo, a biological oceanographer at Stanford University in California and lead author of the study, told CBCNews.ca. "Then the next thing was: 'Has anybody seen this before? … for more, go to http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/giant-algae-blooms-thriving-under-thinning-arctic-sea-ice-1.1238214
This is the Reuters report on the study:
"Arctic sea ice may be declining faster than expected - study
WORLD
Wednesday, 25 Oct 2017
1:27 AM MYT
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Arctic sea ice may be thinning faster than predicted because salty snow on the surface of the ice skews the accuracy of satellite measurements, a new study from the University of Calgary said on Tuesday.
The report from the Canadian university's Cryosphere Climate Research Group published in the academic journal Geophysical Research Letters found satellite estimates for the thickness of seasonal sea ice have been overestimated by up to 25 percent.
That means the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free much sooner than some scientific predictions, which forecast sea ice will first disappear completely during summer months between 2040 and 2050, according to lead author Vishnu Nandan.
Ice-free summers in the Arctic Ocean would impact global weather patterns by increasing the magnitude and frequency of major storms, and alter the Arctic marine ecosystem, making it harder for animals like polar bears to hunt.
"The problem is, microwave measurements from satellites don’t penetrate the salty snow very well, so the satellite is not measuring the proper sea ice freeboard and the satellite readings overestimate the thickness of the ice," Nandan said.
The sea ice freeboard refers to ice that can be seen above sea level and co-researcher John Yackel said, "Our results suggest that snow salinity should be considered in all future estimates on the Arctic seasonal ice freeboard made from satellites."
(Reporting by Nia Williams; editing by Diane Craft)"
And its aggressive push to make renewable power sources as compact as possible and as cheap as possible is also another giant step into the future.
This comes after a University of Calgary found that the Arctic sea ice may be thinning faster than expected.
I Love Malaysia-China Silk Road opines that China is set to step up its research and development (R&D) into solar and hydro power technology, if it hasn’t yet.
The thinning of the Arctic sea ice has, therefore, made it a global concern for humankind and this planet’s survival, naturally triggering R&D intensification into renewable energy.
To investors and those following China’s multi-billion-dollar One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, it will do well for them to monitor renewable energy technology development and related business opportunities.
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| Researchers from the ICESCAPE (Impacts of Climate on EcoSystems and Chemistry of the Arctic Pacific Environment) research project out on the Arctic sea ice of the Chukchi Sea. Melt ponds can be seen throughout the ice, a sign the ice pack is thinning. The melt ponds allow more light to penetrate the ice and are part of the reason why algae has been able to grow underneath the ice. (Gert van Dijken) Giant algae blooms thriving under thinning Arctic sea ice Scientists surprised to find phytoplankton growing below ice layer By Kazi Stastna, CBC News Posted: Jun 12, 2012 7:21 PM ET Last Updated: Jun 18, 2012 9:08 AM ET |
A microscopic view of phytoplankton found in the Chukchi Sea at a depth of 1.5 metres below the surface of the sea ice. (William Balch)
A group of U.S. scientists has discovered enormous blooms of algae growing in an area of the Arctic Ocean that they never thought could support the phytoplankton: below the sea ice. The discovery was a shock because living organisms don't usually survive underneath the ice pack that covers parts of the Arctic Ocean for much of the year and blocks out the light needed to sustain life. "First, we were thinking, 'This can't be. This can't be possible. There's no way this can be what it looks like,'" Kevin R. Arrigo, a biological oceanographer at Stanford University in California and lead author of the study, told CBCNews.ca. "Then the next thing was: 'Has anybody seen this before? … for more, go to http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/giant-algae-blooms-thriving-under-thinning-arctic-sea-ice-1.1238214
This is the Reuters report on the study:
"Arctic sea ice may be declining faster than expected - study
WORLD
Wednesday, 25 Oct 2017
1:27 AM MYT
CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Arctic sea ice may be thinning faster than predicted because salty snow on the surface of the ice skews the accuracy of satellite measurements, a new study from the University of Calgary said on Tuesday.
The report from the Canadian university's Cryosphere Climate Research Group published in the academic journal Geophysical Research Letters found satellite estimates for the thickness of seasonal sea ice have been overestimated by up to 25 percent.
That means the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free much sooner than some scientific predictions, which forecast sea ice will first disappear completely during summer months between 2040 and 2050, according to lead author Vishnu Nandan.
Ice-free summers in the Arctic Ocean would impact global weather patterns by increasing the magnitude and frequency of major storms, and alter the Arctic marine ecosystem, making it harder for animals like polar bears to hunt.
"The problem is, microwave measurements from satellites don’t penetrate the salty snow very well, so the satellite is not measuring the proper sea ice freeboard and the satellite readings overestimate the thickness of the ice," Nandan said.
The sea ice freeboard refers to ice that can be seen above sea level and co-researcher John Yackel said, "Our results suggest that snow salinity should be considered in all future estimates on the Arctic seasonal ice freeboard made from satellites."
(Reporting by Nia Williams; editing by Diane Craft)"
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Chinese workers check solar panels at a rooftop photovoltaic power station at a plant in Zigui county, central China's Hubei province, Dec. 22, 2016. IMAGE: LEI YONG - IMAGINECHINA VIA AP IMAGES
China is about to kick America's butt in renewable energy
  BY MARIA GALLUCCIJAN 06, 2017
China says it will drastically boost its spending on renewable energy over the next four years. The United States, meanwhile, may head down a different path under Trump. China's energy agency said Thursday it would plow 2.5 trillion yuan, or $361 billion, into clean electricity projects by 2020 as part of a broader effort to shift the nation away from fossil fuels. Although coal-fired power plants have helped drive China's manufacturing growth in the past decade, the facilities have also created a slew of public health crises, such as dangerous smog in northern China and toxic water pollution. The country in recent years has started shuttering coal plants near Beijing and scrapped plans for new ones, all the while investing more in alternative sources … for more, go to http://mashable.com/2017/01/05/china-renewable-energy-trump/#BW4BbghbAOqD
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