Past greenhouse warming events provide clues to what the future may hold

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James Zachos (foreground) inspects a sediment core drilled from the ocean floor. Photo courtesy of J. Zachos.
James Zachos (foreground) inspects a sediment core drilled from the ocean floor. Photo courtesy of J. Zachos.

If carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels continue on a "business-as-usual" trajectory, humans will have added about 5 trillion metric tons of carbon to the atmosphere by the year 2400. A similarly massive release of carbon accompanied an extreme period of global warming 55 million years ago known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM).


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All News summaries for February 15, 2008

Low voltage current to stimulate growth of coral off South Florida coast

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
The thunderclaps and lightning flashes of Victor Frankenstein's laboratory seem far removed from the sunshine, hotels and snorkelers of the South Florida coast. But the town of Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is pursuing the dream ...

Future of flagship Mars mission up in the air

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Will NASA's flagship mission to Mars fly next year? The space agency could decide as early as Friday whether to cancel, delay or proceed with plans to launch a nuclear-powered, SUV-size rover to the red planet.

As Colorado Heats Up, Water Supply Expected to Be at Risk, Says New Study

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Water resource managers may have to prepare for a warmer Colorado and a shift in the timing of runoff in most of the state's river basins, according to a new assessment of Colorado climate ...

CoRoT discovery challenges the definition of extra-solar planets

5 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- The CoRoT satellite has discovered a planet-sized object so exotic that astronomers are unsure whether to call it a planet. The object, named CoRoT-Exo-3b, is approximately the same size as ...

MESSENGER Returns Images from Oct. 6 Mercury Fly-By

5 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
MESSENGER is the first mission sent to orbit the planet closest to the sun. On Oct. 6, 2008, at roughly 4:40 a.m. ET, MESSENGER flew by Mercury for the second time this year. During the encounter, the probe ...
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