Tropics are spreading out

[HurricaneJoe22]

This was in the May 26 edition of The Miami Herald


ENVIRONMENT

Tropics are spreading out

Changes in the jet streams have resulted in outward movement of arid zones all over the world.

BY ANDREW BRIDGES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Deserts in the American Southwest and around the globe are creeping toward heavily populated areas as the jet streams shift, researchers reported Thursday.

The result: Areas already stressed by drought may get even drier.

Satellite measurements made from 1979 to 2005 show that the atmosphere in the subtropical regions both north and south of the equator is heating up. As the atmosphere warms, it bulges out at the altitudes where the northern and southern jet streams slip past like swift and massive rivers of air. That bulging has pushed both jet streams about 70 miles closer to the Earth's poles.

Since the jet streams mark the edge of the tropics, in essence framing the hot zone that hugs the equator, their outward movement has allowed the tropics to grow wider by about 140 miles. That means the relatively drier subtropics move as well, pushing closer to places such as Salt Lake City, where Thomas Reichler, co-author of the new study, teaches meteorology.

''One of the immediate consequences one can think of is those deserts and dry areas are moving poleward,'' said Reichler, of the University of Utah. Details appear in Thursday's Science Express, the online edition of the journal Science.

The movement has allowed the subtropics to edge toward populated areas, including the American Southwest, southern Australia and the Mediterranean basin. In those places, the lack of precipitation already is a worry.

''The Mediterranean is one region that models consistently show drying in the future. That could be very much related to this pattern that we are seeing in the atmosphere,'' said Isaac Held, a senior research scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He was not connected with the research.

A shift in where subtropical dry zones lie could make climate change locally noticeable for more people, said Karen Rosenlof, a NOAA research meteorologist also unconnected to the study.

''It is a plausible thing that could be happening, and the people who are going to see its effects earliest are the ones who live closer to the tropics, like southern Australia,'' said Rosenlof. Her own work suggests the tropics have actually compressed since 2000, after growing wider over the previous 20 years.

Reichler suspects global warming is the root cause of the shift, but said he can't be certain. Other possibilities include variability and destruction of the ozone layer. However, he and his colleagues have noted similar behavior in climate models that suggest global warming plays a role.

[Dean4Storms]

Yea, Global Warming is causing my grass to grow faster every week, I'm up to mowing twice a week now!!!

[tailgater]

Yea, Global Warming is causing my grass to grow faster every week, I'm up to mowing twice a week now!!!

I'm watering twice a week, we are suppose to get some rain in the next few days. DGW

[jasons2k]

I saw that - then I saw this too. Kinda scary:

By JEFF LATCHAM
Bee-Picayune staff - The Beeville City Council voted Tuesday night to approve issuance of sales tax revenue bonds for hangar renovation at Chase Field, but it was nature that drew the largest crowd to the meeting.

The citizens had shown up to seek city action to help save the trees in Beeville’s parks and public lands that are currently being stressed by the worst nine-month drought on record.

Margaret Moser addressed the council with a prepared statement pointing out that the area was in the middle of a natural disaster in the works, though not as attention-grabbing as a hurricane. She said Karen Woodard of the Texas Forestry Service had visited Beeville’s parks last week and concluded that “many of the live oaks in our parks are in dire need of water. Some of them are virtually leafless and in no condition to live through a hot, dry summer...

“Our parks are heavily used. The trees are the hosts who invite and welcome the guests. If we lose the trees, think of the expense of replacing them and the years it will take them to be big enough to provide some shade,” she said.

Moser encouraged the council to consider using water from some of the city’s poorer quality wells that are maintained as a backup to the Nueces River water primarily serving the city. She suggested using tanker trucks from the fire department if possible to take water to the public trees.

Jimmy Jackson then spoke up, noting that trees west of Beeville were dying. He noted that saving all the trees would be unreasonable, but if the city could prioritize the largest oak trees, it would be feasible.

Gwen DeWitt, a Master Gardener, reminded the council that dead trees would become a liability to the city with limbs dropping.

“Full-grown oak trees are worth thousands of dollars,” she advised, noting their value as a city resource. “It’s up to you all to protect these trees.”
She also suggested that the city use its brush collection and chippers to mulch around the trees.

City Manager Ford Patton expressed concerns over using well water that might be needed when the Nueces River falls too low. The city has five wells, three of which are planned for use should lake levels fall, forcing supplementing. He added that inquiries about using wastewater plant effluent for the purpose made to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) have initially been rejected, even though the effluent’s quality is as clean as the wells.

Jackson asked if water drawn from the wells now wouldn’t be replaced and therefore not be a real threat.

Mayor Ken Chesshir asked the city staff to explore what could be done with the resources available. He noted that action could not be delayed waiting for another council meeting. When city staff raised concerns about lack of funding for vehicle fuel for the process, Mrs. Moser said private citizens would be willing to raise money to help offset the costs to save the trees.

Patton asked if any citizens might have influence with the TCEQ to allow the use of effluent for the purpose. “They said we were the first to ask (about using effluent to water trees), but they suspected that they would have more requests as the drought went on,” he added.

[Derek Ortt]

well... there are variations in the length of the hadley cell, not related to man made global warming. In fact, Ferrell (1990) talks about equable climates, which involve the tropics extending to the polar regions and a single Hadley cll for the entire planet

[HurricaneHunter914]

“Full-grown oak trees are worth thousands of dollars,”

They could have told my family that before the hurricanes hit, we had a full-grown oak tree in our front yard and then it was uprooted.

[Swimdude]

Yea, Global Warming is causing my grass to grow faster every week, I'm up to mowing twice a week now!!!

I know. I hate it.

[MGC]

I'd swear the desert is taking over South Mississippi. Just my luck to be living here for the worst natural disaster ever and now this drought. Not to mention the biting bug have been horrible. Next it will rain fire from the sky and the locus will eat all the plants......MGC

[Brent]

I'd swear the desert is taking over South Mississippi. Just my luck to be living here for the worst natural disaster ever and now this drought. Not to mention the biting bug have been horrible. Next it will rain fire from the sky and the locus will eat all the plants......MGC

It hasn't rained in 2 1/2 weeks here and there's only very small chances for the next week at least(and probably more). We don't have those bugs(though the mosquitoes are bad), but everything is dying without water.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Thanks for the interesting read HurricaneJoe22.

[HUC]

Thank's also,HurricaneJoe22;several species lived ,or are living over this planet ...And,imo,the only specie in order to understand what to do in this world is the human specie!So,we all had a responsability about what happening in this whole wilde world.This is our home,our single home!!!!!When you lived in the sahel zone,i think you look at the sky every day to help some needed rain!!!

[Cookiely]

I'd swear the desert is taking over South Mississippi. Just my luck to be living here for the worst natural disaster ever and now this drought. Not to mention the biting bug have been horrible. Next it will rain fire from the sky and the locus will eat all the plants......MGC

We are on mandatory one day a week watering. I can water the garden everyday but its not helping. The garden looks like a plague hit it. I agree about the mosquitos, I picked up some stronger spray with higher deet content. The last two days we were at 50% for rain and didn't get a drop.