The 17th Global Warming International Conference and Expo (GW17)
April 20-21, 2006
Miami USA

Download the GWXVII Abstract Book

STORMY WEATHER: REGIONAL EXTREME CLIMATIC SWINGS OCCUR GLOBALLY

2005 is the year for the record-setting hurricane season. Optimal conditions for hurricane formation were here— warmer-than-normal ocean waters, absence of high-atmosphere winds and favorable winds from Africa.

	The day before the official end of hurricane season, Epsilon, the record 26th storm of the season, forms in the Atlantic Ocean.
	NOAA

In the early 1990s, GWIC published a series of papers on the meaning of global warming and its relevance to everyday life, and announced the early warning of “Global Warming Implies Bad Weather”. To quote “Global Warming Elucidated” (Shen, Sinyan, World Resource Review, Vol. 7, No. 1, p. 9, (1995)): “. . . the feedback mechanisms in this large conservative field are such that they would minimize overall final impacts and would stabilize local climates. This allows, for example, the northern hemisphere to have the distinct four seasons at times of dynamic equilibrium, and for additional clouds and fogs to form when there is additional evaporation, and thus precipitation to cool the subsystem in question. However, all of these feedback mechanisms have limited capacities for the amount of incoming heat and they operate with specific time constants. When the input exceeds these capacities, instabilities set in. The increase in amplitude of oscillation of temperature of Pacific and other waters, e.g. the Indian Ocean and the Sea of Japan, is a result of such saturation of feedback capacity and its resultant instability. We thus see more regional extreme climatic swings like the El Niño oscillation expanding globally. The El Niño in the eastern Pacific has recently been modeled by the Global Warming International Center and is linked to undissipated heat currently in the ocean subsystem. The equatorial sloshing of warm ocean water is the nature's way (fluid mechanical) to dissipate heat, but the heat input is currently too high for the child (El Niño) to dissipate it in one or two seasons, thus the persistent El Niño now observed. . . . ”.

Today Pacific, North Atlantic and Indian Ocean Oscillations are being tracked by scientists worldwide. Scientists further track the surface waves sloshing through the Pacific near the equator. The Pacific and Atlantic Oceans have been warming since the 1950s; the Indian Ocean has warmed since the 1960s. The warming patterns of the Pacific and Indian Oceans are similar. This suggests that the same phenomena are causing the changes to occur in both oceans. It is important to note that the world of oceans is a gigantic bucket. The significant warming of ocean over the past 45 years was found in depths of as much as 10,000 feet, suggesting this "missing heat" may explain the difference between the computer simulations and actual readings of sea surface temperature (see e.g. World Ocean Heat Content, NOAA). Climate change will need to be factored into the long-term development of a wide range of government and industry sector policies, including on energy, transportation, agriculture, biodiversity and human and animal health.

"Temperature and humidity pockets are formed in time and space when regional extreme climatic swings occur globally. The implications of this situation are profound. Each infectious disease can now extend their geographical coverage to places they never had a chance to travel to before. We have observed the increase in incidence rates of infectious diseases in the last three and half decades. “The propagation pattern of these agents is highly affected by temperature and humidity. Many tropical and subtropical diseases for example are not commonly present in regions where extended cold weather renders these agents inactive. This is no longer true when we have extreme climatic swings. . . .”, said Sinyan Shen, the Chairman of GWIC.

In Miami we will talk about the important Climate Change time constants. This year we have discovered that today's atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are the highest in 650,000 years. Antarctic climate and concentrations of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) were tightly coupled. In particular, CO₂ seemed to be confined between bounds of about 180 ppmv (parts per million by volume) in glacial periods and 280 ppmv in interglacials; both gases rose and fell with climate as the Earth passed through four glacial/ interglacial cycles. The greenhouse gas record also provides indirect evidence for abrupt climate change in the past. This suggests that abrupt climatic events on time scales relevant to societies may be common features of the last climatic cycles.

KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

GW17 SESSIONS AT A GLANCE

GLOBAL WARMING AND THE OCEANS

• Space-Based Observations of the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere System
• El Niño and the North Atlantic Oscillation
• Non-linear Surface and Bulk Waves of the Oceans
• Measurements of the Air/Sea Fluxes and Global Climate

SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

• Environmental Economics
• International Trade and Sustainable Development
• Coastal Zone Management
• Environmental Assessment and Development
• Air Pollution and Water Pollution
• Heavy Metal Pollution & Long-term Health Impacts
• Pollution of Pesticides and Agro-chemicals
• Environmental Impacts on Agriculture and Forestry
• Fishery and Environmental Pollution
• Waste Disposal and Pollution
• Waste Management & Landfill Gas
• Environmental Conservation and Pollution Control

REMOTE SENSING AND GLOBAL SURVEILLANCE

• Global Earth Observation System of Systems
• Remote Sensing and GIS
• GIS and Land Use
• Space-Based Observations of the Coupled Ocean-Atmosphere System
• Monitoring of Climate Change Indicators
• Sand Storms
• Climate Networks (Ocean, Polar Region, Forests)
• El Nino & North Atlantic Oscillations
• Treeline Advances

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

• Impacts of Climate Change on Water Resources Management
• Assessment of Current and Future Vulnerability of Water Resources
• CARBON & GHG MANAGEMENT
• International Technology Transfer
• International Emission Trading
• Price-induced Technical Change & Technology Diffusion
• Carbon Dioxide Sequestration
• Domestic Emission Trading
• Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

EXTREME EVENTS AND IMPACTS ASSESSMENT

• El Nino-like Climate Change
• Floods & Drought
• Heat Waves
• Pacific, North Atlantic and Indian Ocean Oscillations
• Extratropical-based Northern and Southern Oscillations
• Sea Level Rise
• Coastal Regions Emergency Preparedness

NAO AND EL NIÑO

• Climate Modeling & Downscaling Techniques
• Regional Climate Modeling for Impact Assessments
• Forecasting the NAO
• El Nino-like Climate Change

GREENHOUSE GAS & ECOSYTEMS

• Trace Gas Exchange Between Ecosystems and the Atmosphere
• Fluxes of Nitrous Oxide and Other Nitrogen Trace Gases from Intensively Managed Landscapes

HUMAN HEALTH IN A CHANGING CLIMATE

• Climate Extremes and Circulatory, Respiratory and Infectious Diseases,
• Climate Change and Allergies
• Climate and Health Database
• Biometeorological Adaptation
• Pollution and Health
• Weather and Climate vs. Morbidity and Mortality
• Thermal Environment and Health

AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

• Sustainable Agriculture
• Assessment of Current and Future Vulnerability of Food Production and Water Resources
• The Future of Food and Agriculture
• Soil Carbon Sequestration & Soil Conservation
• Agroforestry
• Economics of Climate-Forest Policies
• Reforestation & Carbon Budget
• Wetland Ecology and Management in a Changing Climate

CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY

• Renewable Energy Resources
• Hydrogen & Fuel Cells
• Biomass Production and Conversion
• Wind Energy
• PV-generated Electricity
• Heat Pump
• Landfill Gas

LOW GHG TRANSPORTATION

• Alternative Fuel Vehicles
• The Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure for Fuel Cell Vehicles
• Ethanol fuel
• Hybrid Vehicles
• Biodiesel

EDUCATION: GLOBAL CHANGE & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• Climate Change Science & Environmental Education
• The Role of the Media
• Institutional and Life-long Learning
• Sustainable Development and Corporate Learning

HOW TO REGISTER:

This year you are able to register online. Simply go to http://www.globalwarming.net/register
Register immediately to guarantee your spot.

All abstracts to be considered for Oral and Poster presentations and EXPO presentations must be received by the GWIC by October 30, 2005. Abstract received earlier will have the advantage of early acceptance. A formal publication containing abstracts of oral presentations and poster presentations is published prior to the meeting and will be distributed to meeting participants at the time of registration.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS:

Please prepare abstracts using the GWXVII Abstract Form or use the following format:

• Title: The title should be typed in bold is limited to 20 words
• Authors: List the names of authors, their affiliations, and countries
• Total words: less than 200
• Keywords: Use no more than 5 keywords
• Contact person: Type the name, address, telephone, Fax and e-mail
• Preferred presentation:
  Category / Topic: _______________________
  ( ) prefer to present orally
  ( ) prefer to present by poster

Email your abstract to abstracts@globalwarming.net or fax to 1-630-910-1561

Submit Immediately. Abstracts received earlier will have the advantage of early acceptance. All abstracts must be received by GWXVII by October 30, 2005.

Contact:
GWXVII Secretariat
PO Box 50303, Palo Alto CA 94303
Email: gw17@globalwarming.net
24HR Fax: 1-630-910-1561

P u b l i c a t i o n s

GWXVI papers will be automatically submitted to the World Resource Review (WRR) for peer-reviewed publication.

GWXVII Overview | Schedule & Travel | Registration