Global Warming

Human Heaters

People have been found to be the cause of a noticeable warmup of big cities during the workweek as commuters flock into the urban landscape from the suburbs.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia, found that the heat generated by human bodies, cars and public transport vehicles, along with the operation of office buildings, causes a slow warmup from Monday through Friday.

The effect is broken and temperatures drop over the weekend as most people stay home and activity in the central business districts is relatively calm.

The pattern was observed in the Australian state capitals of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.

“Nothing in nature occurs on a weekly cycle, so it must be due to human activity,” said researcher Nick Earl.

Fish migrating to unusual regions due to global warming

Sightings of fish outside their usual regions could be a sign of marine species shifting in response to climate change, an Australian study has found.

The study, lead by Hannah Fogarty from the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS), revealed that initial reports of fish in unaccustomed waters are often a sign of impending species-wide change.

Fogarty compiled a list of verified first sightings from around the world and compared it with long-term data on warming oceans and found a correlation between the early stages of a species range shift and climate change.

“Climate change is leading to global changes in species distribution patterns and the reshuffling of biodiversity is already well underway,” Fogarty said in a UTAS media release on Friday, February 3.

“In Australia, for example, a Lemonpeel Angelfish was found off Lord Howe Island, more than 1,000 kilometres south of its usual coral reef habitat. Tropical and sub-tropical fish such as this are increasingly being found in temperate waters, with species such as wrasse, parrotfish, flounder, and eels well-represented in global reports of unusual sightings.””

“New marine species arriving in an area may become pests, modify the local ecosystem, or represent challenges or opportunities for fisheries and recreation.”