Re: [asa] Global Warming is Not a Crisis

At 01:06 PM 6/14/2007, Christine Smith wrote:

>I once read a Heartland Institute publication...apparently, they
>don't think acid rain was really ever a problem either...

@ "They" aren't alone. Not only is it not a problem - but
beneficial - according to the guys at NASA's Goddard Space Flight
Center and Live Science.com. ~ Janice :)

From: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Acid rain limits global warming
NewScientist.com news service ^ | 03 Aug 04 | Will Knight
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1184221/posts

"Acid rain restricts global warming by reducing methane emissions
from natural wetland areas, suggests a global climate study. .. the
new study shows that sulphur in acid rain, may have benefits,
limiting global warming by counteracting the natural production of
methane gases by microbes in wetland areas. ..

"The study highlights the importance of representing the full Earth
system in your climate model," says Richard Betts, a climate systems
expert at the UK's Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research.
"You need to look at the interaction between greenhouse gases and
other effects on the biosphere."

The new study, led by Vincent Gauci of the UK's Open University,
sought to determine how real sulphur pollution may affect wetland
areas globally. Gauci and colleagues created a computer model at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to simulate this interaction.

The simulation incorporated the latest data on global methane
emissions and sulphur pollution along with climate change models and
data from wetland field studies. "Basically we looked at where
wetlands and acid rain overlap," Gauci told New Scientist.

Feedback effect

The model examined and predicted the interaction between sulphur
pollution and natural methane emissions from wetland areas from 1960
to 2080. "Even as early as 1960 we found that methane has been
suppressed by sulphur pollution," Gauci says.

Furthermore, the model suggests that sulphur pollution will continue
to suppress methane emissions despite the feedback effect that global
warming has on the process. While sulphur emissions reduce methane
emissions by about eight per cent currently, the figure should rise
to 15 per cent by about 2030, predicts the model.

"All our projections show that, if you don't include acid rain
methane pollution is going to increase," Gauci adds.

Sulphur pollution is already estimated to have cut methane emissions
from wetlands from about 175 to 160 million tonnes per year in 2004.
By 2030, this is predicted to fall to 155 million tonnes per year
with the help of sulphur-eating bacteria."

Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
(DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0404412101)

Study: Less Acid Rain Not Always So Great
By
<http://www.livescience.com/environment//php/contactus/author.php?r=sg>Sara
Goudarzi, LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 21 December 2006 03:00 pm ET
http://www.livescience.com/environment/061221_acidrain_reduction.html

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Received on Sun Jun 17 22:10:26 2007