Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 14h

The updated 12-month global average sea ice extent has somewhat less variability and shows a clear indication of accelerated sea ice loss:

1 3 18

Reposted by Leon Simons

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

From the pre-deforestation baseline, CO₂ equivalent greenhouse gas concentration is now about 590 ppm:

Find a high-resolution PDF version of this graph on @researchgate.bsky.social:
www.researchgate.net/publication/...

10 23

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

573 ppm CO₂ equivalent, taking into account other greenhouse gases and converting them to an equivalent CO₂ concentration.

1 2

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

From the pre-deforestation baseline, CO₂ equivalent greenhouse gas concentration is now about 590 ppm:

Find a high-resolution PDF version of this graph on @researchgate.bsky.social:
www.researchgate.net/publication/...

10 23

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

We probably need to go back to ~350 ppm CO₂ equivalent for temperatures to stop rising.

We are now above 573 ppm (GHG forcing of +4.1 W/m²).

That's without aerosols cooling things down.

There's too much uncertainty to be sure, but going back to 350 ppm is already a Herculean task.

4 49 120

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

Link:
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Earth's Energy Imbalance More Than Doubled in Recent Decades

Earth's energy imbalance more than doubled in recent decades The large trend has taken us by surprise, and as a community we should strive to understand the underlying causes Our capability to o...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

4 11

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

"together with funding agencies and policy makers, we must strive to secure a robust and reliable capability to
observe the energy imbalance—the perhaps most fundamental quantity in the climate system—during this pivotal
moment in history."

bsky.app/profile/leon...

1 4 11

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

Head of NASA CERES, Norman Loeb explained during his presentation of our (@drjamesehansen.bsky.social et al.) paper that more CERES satellites are required for data security and accuracy.

Smaller and cheaper satellites have already been developed.

See timestamped link:
youtu.be/NXDWpBlPCY8?...

An Intimate Conversation with Leading Climate Scientists To Discuss New Research on Global Warming

YouTube video by SDSN

youtu.be

1 2 3

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 1d

'Our capability to observe the Earth's energy imbalance and budget terms is threatened as satellites are decommissioned'

And now it's (temporarily? 🤞) not being updated.

We need more CERES satellites.

Can @esa.int @esaclimate.bsky.social @ecmwf.int and others help?
@carlobuontempo.bsky.social

3 13 32

Reposted by Leon Simons

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

Also see this new study:

'Emerging hemispheric asymmetry of Earth’s radiation'

Norman Loeb, Tyler Thorsen , Seiji Kato, @fredrosemn.bsky.social, Øivind Hodnebrog, and @gunnarmy.bsky.social

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Emerging hemispheric asymmetry of Earth’s radiation | PNAS

Twenty-four years of satellite observations from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System show a northern hemisphere (NH) minus southern he...

www.pnas.org

2 7 24

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

There's no funding at the moment..

1 5

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

Also see this new study:

'Emerging hemispheric asymmetry of Earth’s radiation'

Norman Loeb, Tyler Thorsen , Seiji Kato, @fredrosemn.bsky.social, Øivind Hodnebrog, and @gunnarmy.bsky.social

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Emerging hemispheric asymmetry of Earth’s radiation | PNAS

Twenty-four years of satellite observations from the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System show a northern hemisphere (NH) minus southern he...

www.pnas.org

2 7 24

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

Which is what we expect from a stronger Northern Hemisphere aerosol forcing and cloud feedback impacts.
5/

2 1 12

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

The Southern Hemisphere saw 'only' a 1.5 W/m² ASR increase and a 0.8 W/m² Net flux increase:
4/

1 1 10

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

The Northern Hemisphere showed an Absorbed Solar Radiation (ASR) increase of 2.2 W/m² in 20 years and Outgoing Longwave Radiation (OLR) couldn't keep up, leading to a net flux increase of about 1.1 W/m², averaged over 255,000,000,000,000 m²:
3/

1 1 10

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

The Northern Hemisphere now has a positive energy imbalance (with space).

This likely contributes to accelerated AMOC slow down!

As less heat needs to be transported northward through the Atlantic Ocean when the interhemispheric energy imbalance decreases.
@ecmwf.int @carlobuontempo.bsky.social
2/

1 4 15

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

The most important data in the world comes from NASA satellites.

Here I plotted both hemispheres.

It shows that the Northern Hemisphere now absorbs more sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere and that both Hemispheres absorb more light than they radiate heat to space, leading to faster warming.
1/

2 42 88

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

Life expectancy of ~35 was the average, which was mainly caused by children dying very young.

My great, great grandmother survived 14 of her children.

We vaccinate children because we want them to outlive us.

Anti-vaxers are killing children through gross negligence/ignorance

3 12 76

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

I think Trevor Noah did fine.

He asked the right questions and it was quite obvious he didn't buy the 100X cheaper BS.

He got Suleyman to give the more honest answer in the end.

1 1

Reposted by Leon Simons

Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 2d

Why does the media allow these people to lie so brazenly?
I have yet to see a proper interrogation of their outsize ludicrous claims about gAI in real time, and there has never been a more urgent and pressing need for such journalism.

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

This 'AI making energy 100 times cheaper' statement by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman to Trevor Noah on the What Now Podcast doesn't make any sense.

AI increases "energy" (electricity) demand, increasing electricity prices. Economics 101.

More:
youtu.be/-5TAAmXDBz8

AI making energy cheaper is bollocks

YouTube video by Leon Simons

youtu.be

6 22

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

This sums it up:

4 14

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

It's worse than you can imagine

11

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

In many ways, AI is the greatest scam ever..

It reminds me of the big short.

bsky.app/profile/leon...

4 3 11

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

It will/should mainly bring electricity to billions of people with limited access

3

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

Sorry, reposted because it didn't show the preview:

bsky.app/profile/leon...

Leon Simons @leonsimons.bsky.social · 2d

This 'AI making energy 100 times cheaper' statement by Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman to Trevor Noah on the What Now Podcast doesn't make any sense.

AI increases "energy" (electricity) demand, increasing electricity prices. Economics 101.

More:
youtu.be/-5TAAmXDBz8

AI making energy cheaper is bollocks

YouTube video by Leon Simons

youtu.be

1 3