'Set up inland stations'

Scientists in India often blame lack of data from the South Pole for failure to predict erratic monsoons and extreme weather. Antarctica's atmospheric temperature significantly influences global weather. In 1972, junior researcher from the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad Parmjit Singh Sehra observed unusual winter warming in Antarctica.

Aeroswitch

Aerosols above the Himalaya may alter regional thermostat nano-sized pollutants were for the first time found reacting with each other above the Himalaya. Scientists from the Universite Blaise Pascal, France, said these ultra-fine pollutants are combining to form aerosols -- tiny particles, solid or liquid, that remain suspended in the atmosphere. Though such consolidation of pollutants were observed previously in rural, marine and urban areas, their occurrence at such high altitudes was not documented before.

Mapping the future

Climate change will see a northward movement in Europe so far, potential climate change impacts are studied for broad regions, countries for instance. Researchers of Wageningen University in the Netherlands have presented an alternative approach for predicting climate change impacts in Europe. They studied four environmental zones in the continent.

Continuity at IPCC

R K Pachauri re-elected head R K Pachauri was re-elected as chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on September 2. He has served as chairman of the organization since 2002. During his tenure, the IPCC released its fourth assessment report on climate change last year and was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007. The election was held during the organization's 29th plenary session in Geneva. The new IPCC team will prepare the fifth assessment report, expected to be out in 2014.

Lies nailed

Climate change

geology Climate change in ice age

Sailing with buckets

Abrupt drop in temperatures in 1940s, how accurate? LET's hear it from sailors of the 1940s. One group collected sea water in buckets and measured the temperature of sea water; the other group measured the temperature of water used for cooling engines. Often, the temperature from buckets was lower since the water cooled a little due to evaporation. The second method yielded a higher temperature, given the heat of engines. Biased methods, say scientists.

Atlantic cooling may be temporary respite

even though the earth is heating up there could be some relief, say recent studies. And we have to thank the Atlantic Ocean for this respite. Researchers at Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences, Kiel, Germany, who studied the Atlantic say the oceans natural phenomenon could slow down global warming.

Anders Levermann on geopolitics of climate change

Climate change is for real The indicators state the obvious. The global mean temperature is increasing, glaciers and sea ice in the Arctic are retreating and sea levels are rising. Tipping point Interviewee:  Anders Levermanns

Coal mining threatens Meghalaya caves

Even before the caves in Meghalaya can reveal clues to climate change, rampant mining is destroying their wealth. AMARJYOTI BORAH goes deep into the issue Meghalaya carries a bewitching world in its belly. The natural caves found in Jaintia Hills are a storehouse of geological treasures. Rivers and