Author Archives: Rolf Schuttenhelm

Closing in on CCD: a cocktail of cocktails is killing the bees

Although that would of course be much more convenient when trying to solve the problem, research shows Colony Collapse Disorder, or CCD, that sudden die-off of bee populations in Europe, North America and Asia, cannot be attributed to one single … Continue reading →

Eemian sea level rise update: just 1.6-2.2m from Greenland – Antarctic ice sheet less stable than we think?

Last week we learned 5 percent of the Eemian sea level rise was thermal expansion of the oceans. Today we learn the slightly higher temperatures led Greenland to ‘only’ add an extra 1.6-2.2m. Do we fail to spot the Antarctic … Continue reading →

Until 2050 97% of population growth comes from less developed regions

This year we will hit 7 billion. But the big demography news is not just the net growth figure, but also the differentiation – where it takes places. A new Harvard study has sifted through the billions of unborn people … Continue reading →

The wildfire climate feedback, tundra´s case: megatonnes of extra CO2

Globally 2007 was one of the hottest years on record. In the Arctic it led to the thus far smallest sea ice extent. But that’s not the only thing unprecedented that happened in the far north. For the first time … Continue reading →

The forest fire feedback, Yellowstone’s case: ecosystem shift by 2050

Climate change could cause the forests of the world’s oldest national park, Yellowstone, in the Eastern Rocky Mountains, to shift to a gras and shrub ecosystem, US scientists warn. It could happen in four decades, and will likely not be … Continue reading →

Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction caused by >16,000 Gt methane – from clathrates

Scientists of Utrecht University have investigated fossil leaves found in terrestrial late Triassic sediments and discovered a large carbon-13 depletion. That means 200,000,000 years ago The Methane Bomb went off.