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Climate change has already impacted about half of Indian Ocean basin
File photo of people wading through flood water in a Colombo suburb
Half of world’s oceans already affected by climate change
The world’s oceans have turned into a veritable sponge for our emissions, and new climate models suggest we’ve soaked them right through, said a report published by the Science Alert news service yesterday.
Since the 1950s, our planet’s vast bodies of water have absorbed roughly 93 percent of the energy entering the climate system, and while most of that heating has been observed near the ocean surface, rising temperatures are now permeating even the deepest parts, ScienceAlert reported.
The report filed from Tehran said: Real-world data on the deep ocean is hard to come by, but a new estimate, based on recent measurements and nearly a dozen climate models, suggests climate change has already impacted up to about half (20 to 55 percent) of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean basins.
What’s more, in just six decades, these human-induced changes in temperature and salinity could very well spread to 80 percent of the world’s oceans.
“We were interested in whether the levels of temperatures and salt were great enough to overcome natural variability in these deeper areas,” explains climate scientist Yona Silvy from Sorbonne University in France. “That is, if they had risen or fallen higher than they ever would during the normal peaks and troughs.”
Using temperature and salinity measurements from the deep ocean and plugging these into 11 current climate models, the team simulated ocean and atmospheric circulation over the years, with and without the contribution of human emissions.
During the second half of the 20th century, Silvy and her colleagues found human-induced warming was responsible for most observed ocean changes – “statistically” and “unambiguously” different from what would occur naturally. Because heat and salt impact ocean density and circulation, this could have widespread implications.
“This affects global ocean circulation, sea level rise, and poses a threat to human societies and ecosystems,” says Silvy.
Most of the time, heat and salt from the surface of the ocean are transported relatively slowly to the ocean’s interior, which means that many of the deepest parts experience a lag in human-induced changes.
Some deeper areas, however, circulate quicker, and thus respond faster to our emissions.
In the new model, for instance, the Southern Ocean, which is relatively well-ventilated, experienced human-induced changes quite quickly, showing up as early as the 1980s.
Meanwhile, in the Northern Hemisphere, oceans took a little longer to respond, with most changes calculated to appear sometime between 2010 and 2040.
Together, by 2020, the model shows somewhere between 20 percent and 55 percent of the world’s oceans had been altered by anthropogenic climate change.
By mid-century, these changes could make up 50 to 60 percent of the world’s oceans, and by 2080, 55 to 80 percent.
“This work suggests that a large portion of the observed change patterns in the ocean interior is human-induced and will continue to intensify with continuing CO2 emissions,” the authors write.
Plus, even if emissions are slowed, the lag in ocean circulation means we are locked in to a certain amount of change going forwards.
We still don’t fully understand the relationship between deeper changes to salt and heat and surface warming, or how these changes impact ocean circulation. It requires far more investigation, especially in the Southern Hemisphere where deep ocean data is few and far between, but investigate it we must.
England have not won a Test series in New Zealand since 2007-08 but they are surely within sight of breaking that drought after a day of utter dominance at Basin Reserve. It was littered with landmarks and milestones: Gus Atkinson’s hat-trick, Jacob Bethell’s highest first-class score, Joe Root reaching 50 in a Test innings for the 100th time. With three days left in the game, New Zealand already face being set a record fourth-innings chase.
Having wrestled their way into the ascendency on a topsy-turvy opening day, they pinned New Zealand to the canvas from the outset. Atkinson and Brydon Carse utilised what juice remained in the pitch to blow through the last five New Zealand wickets, securing a 155-run lead on first innings. Bethell and Ben Duckett then thrashed 187 runs in partnership to put England in a seemingly impregnable position just five sessions into the Test.
Bethell’s contribution was bittersweet, as he fell four runs short of a first hundred in any format. He nevertheless confirmed the range of his talent, in his second Test and batting at No. 3 for only the fourth time. He drove the scoreboard on after Zak Crawley had fallen in the second over – dismissed by Matt Henry for the fourth innings in succession – and outscored his partner during a free-flowing stand that went at more than 5 an over.
Nathan Smith bore the brunt of their initial onslaught, Bethell twice hooking him into the crowd and also proving strong on the drive. He survived when slashing Smith between keeper and slip, with Daryl Mitchell stood wide, on the way to a 52-ball half-century, and was not afraid to chance his arm as the second-wicket pair cemented England’s position.
Only on entering the 90s for the second time in his first-class career, and having copped a blow from a Will O’Rourke short ball the over before, did Bethell betray signs of nerves. A skied pull off Tim Southee landed in no-man’s land, before he nearly chopped on next ball. Four dabbed through third took him within range of a memorable Test century only to be caught behind aiming an expansive drive.
England’s lead was already past 350 and although Duckett, who was dropped by Tom Blundell down the leg side on 22, also failed to convert after a busy innings ended with a deflection on to his stumps off Southee, there was no let up for the home side after tea as Root and Harry Brook added 95 in untroubled fashion. Brook brought up his sixth 50-plus score in seven Test innings against New Zealand, before holing out off the bowling of Glenn Phillips, while Root also bobbed along to another half-century and into ratified company.
After Ollie Pope fell cheaply, Ben Stokes strode out and threw the bat for another fifty partnership from just 39 balls, suggesting that a declaration may not be far away. While New Zealand have achieved some great escapes in recent memory, not least when the man who now coaches England, Brendon McCullum, helped them to amass 680 for 8 against India at this ground a decade ago, and their pitches have a habit of flattening out, there’s no doubt they were deep in the hole.
One measure of how the day had gone for New Zealand was that their five-man attack managed to bowl zero maidens. Another was that none of their remaining batters faced more than Phillips’ 16 balls as they were steamrollered during the morning session.
Atkinson took the plaudits, having become the first man to take a Test hat-trick at Basin Reserve. It was the latest accolade in a stunning start to the 26-year-old’s Test career, less than six months on from claiming a 12-wicket haul on debut. It made him the seventh player to record a ten-for, a hundred (achieved against Sri Lanka, in fifth appearance) and a hat-trick, and in only his 10th Test – well ahead of the next-quickest, Irfan Pathan (26 matches).
Both Atkinson and Carse claimed four-fors as New Zealand collapsed inside 45 minutes of the morning session. After Kane Williamson’s 37 on day one, no other New Zealand batter made it to 20.
Brief scores:
England 280 and 378 for 5 (Joe Root 73*, Ben Stokes 35*) lead New Zealand 125 (Gus Atkinson 4-31, Brydon Carse 4-46) by 533 runs
(Cricinfo)
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The government’s aim is to bring about a new transformation in the country, grounded in research, evidence, and data. – Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya emphasized the government’s commitment to reshaping the nation’s trajectory during her address at the Digital Library Conference 2024, organized by the National Science Foundation and held on Friday [6th of December] at the Colombo Medical College.
While addressing the audience the Prime Minister stated “We believe that investment in research and development is critical for the government’s development agenda. Our aim is to redirect the country onto a new path, one based on research, evidence, and data, rather than continuing in the same direction as the past 75 years.
One of the greatest challenges we’ve faced in recent years is that, particularly at the highest levels of decision-making, choices are often not informed by science, evidence, or data. This must change. Moving forward, it is essential that decision-makers and the research community collaborate more closely to ensure informed and effective governance, prime minister further added.
The event was attended by the Chairman of the National Science Foundation, Professor Saman Seneweera, Director General Dr. Sepalika Sudasinghe, Head of the National Science Library Resource Center, Manjula Karunaratne, and a group of researchers, librarians and scholars.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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U.S. delegation meets with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya to strengthen bilateral cooperation
U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Mr. Donald Lu, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya at the Parliament of Sri Lanka on Friday [06]. The meeting focused on enhancing bilateral relations, addressing Sri Lanka’s economic challenges, and exploring opportunities for educational and governance collaboration.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya emphasized the government’s commitment to transparency and accountability, highlighting the importance of aligning the education system with economic needs to foster a skilled workforce. Discussions also addressed Sri Lanka’s IMF program and the role of international partnerships in stabilizing the economy.
The U.S. delegation included Ms. Anjali Kaur, USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia, Mr. Robert Kaproth, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the U.S. Department of Treasury, and Ms. Julie Chung, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan representatives included Mr. Pradeep Saputhanthri, Ms. S. Vijitha Basnayake, and Ms. Shobini Gunasekara. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to mutual goals in education, gender equality, and economic equity.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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