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The sea ice surrounding Antarctica has increased in extent and
concentration from the late 1970s, when satellite-based
measurements began, until 2015. Although this increasing trend is
modest, it is surprising given the overall warming of the global
climate and the region. Indeed, climate models, which incorporate
our best understanding of the processes affecting the region,
generally simulate a decrease in sea ice. Moreover, sea ice in the
Arctic has exhibited pronounced declines over the same period,
consistent with global climate model simulations. For these
reasons, the behavior of Antarctic sea ice has presented a
conundrum for global climate change science. The National Academies
of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop in January
2016, to bring together scientists with different sets of expertise
and perspectives to further explore potential mechanisms driving
the evolution of recent Antarctic sea ice variability and to
discuss ways to advance understanding of Antarctic sea ice and its
relationship to the broader ocean-climate system. This publication
summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
Table of Contents Front Matter Antarctic Sea Ice Variability in the
Southern Ocean-Climate System: Proceedings of a Workshop References
Appendix A: Statement of Task Appendix B: Definitions of Key Terms
Appendix C: Acronyms and Abbreviations Appendix D: Workshop Agenda
and Participants Appendix E: Invited Speaker Abstracts Appendix F:
Biographical Sketches of Planning Committee Members
This text explores how we can reverse the empowerment of those who
value aggressive competitive behaviour so that those in power have
human wellbeing as the guiding principle they use for decision
making. It challenges the brutalization of children currently
occurring under the umbrella of socialization and misnomer of care
in many cultures and highlights the existence of innumerable
alternative ways of being far more amenable to human and global
advancement. Addressing barbaric infiltration of ourselves, our
intimate relationships and our cultures can enable quantum,
transformative human change. One of the aims of the book is to
encourage wider, and deeper, conversation about the nature of
justice and about approaches that can transform the vast global
imbalances we face. Caring alliance, effective resistance, radical
thought and transformative behaviour, made on behalf of the
defenceless and the voiceless, can effect global cultural change.
The book concludes with easy things the average person can do to
foster, and support, human dignity as the foundation for all
global, national, local and individual decision making.
Much of the ecological research in the past decades has focused on
rural or wilderness areas. Today, however, ecological research has
been taking place in our cities, where our everyday decisions can
have profound effects on our environment. This research, or urban
ecology, includes an important element, trees. Trees have had a
variety of environmental benefits for our environment including the
sequestering carbon, reducing urban heat island effects, providing
vital habitat for wildlife, and making nature accessible. These
benefits have important impacts on the physical, socio-economic,
and mental health of humans as well. Being exposed to trees has
been shown to enhance social cohesion, improve health and
recreational opportunities, and increase real estate values.
In order to gain more knowledge into this urban forestry, the
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) held a workshop February 25-26,
2013. The workshop brought together more than 100 people with
various interests in urban forestry research to share information
and perspectives, foster communication across specific areas of
ecosystem service research, and consider integrated approaches that
cut across these realms. The workshop specifically examined current
capabilities to characterize and quantify the benefits, key gaps in
our understanding, the challenges of planning urban forests in a
way that optimizes multiple ecosystem services and more.
Urban Forestry: Toward an Ecosystem Services Research Agenda: A
Workshop Summary presents an overview of the issues discussed by
the workshop's breakout groups; summarizes presentations from the
four panels which included Biophysical Services of the Urban
Forest; and context for the study with introductory material from
the workshop.
The Arctic has been undergoing significant changes in recent years.
Average temperatures are rising twice as fast as they are elsewhere
in the world. The extent and thickness of sea ice is rapidly
declining. Such changes may have an impact on atmospheric
conditions outside the region. Several hypotheses for how Arctic
warming may be influencing mid-latitude weather patterns have been
proposed recently. For example, Arctic warming could lead to a
weakened jet stream resulting in more persistent weather patterns
in the mid-latitudes. Or Arctic sea ice loss could lead to an
increase of snow on high-latitude land, which in turn impacts the
jet stream resulting in cold Eurasian and North American winters.
These and other potential connections between a warming Arctic and
mid-latitude weather are the subject of active research. Linkages
Between Arctic Warming and Mid-Latitude Weather Patterns is the
summary of a workshop convened in September 2013 by the National
Research Council to review our current understanding and to discuss
research needed to better understand proposed linkages. A diverse
array of experts examined linkages between a warming Arctic and
mid-latitude weather patterns. The workshop included presentations
from leading researchers representing a range of views on this
topic. The workshop was organized to allow participants to take a
global perspective and consider the influence of the Arctic in the
context of forcing from other components of the climate system,
such as changes in the tropics, ocean circulation, and mid-latitude
sea surface temperature. This report discusses our current
understanding of the mechanisms that link declines in Arctic sea
ice cover, loss of high-latitude snow cover, changes in
Arctic-region energy fluxes, atmospheric circulation patterns, and
the occurrence of extreme weather events; possible implications of
more severe loss of summer Arctic sea ice upon weather patterns at
lower latitudes; major gaps in our understanding, and observational
and/or modeling efforts that are needed to fill those gaps; and
current opportunities and limitations for using Arctic sea ice
predictions to assess the risk of temperature/precipitation
anomalies and extreme weather events over northern continents.
Table of Contents Front Matter Linkages Between Arctic Warming and
MidLatitude Weather Patterns References Appendix A: Speaker
Abstracts Appendix B: Workshop Agenda and Participant List Appendix
C: Table and Schematic Presented by Session 1 Speakers Appendix D:
Acronyms and Initialisms Appendix E: Biographical Sketches of
Planning Committee Members
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