[freebeard]

Is this the new climate space weather thread?

Top story at the moment on Slashdot:

news.slashdot.org/story/22/04/12/1818221/black-carbon-threat-to-arctic-as-sea-routes-open-up-with-global-heating

As climate crisis allows new maritime routes to be used, sooty shipping emissions accelerates ice melt and risk to ecosystems. From a [theguardian.com] report:

[examples]

When black carbon, or soot, lands on snow and ice, it dramatically speeds up melting. Dark snow and ice, by absorbing more energy, melts far faster than heat-reflecting white snow, creating a vicious circle of faster warming. Environmentalists warn that the Arctic, which is warming four times faster than the global average, has seen an 85% rise in black carbon from ships between 2015 and 2019, mainly because of the increase in oil tankers and bulk carriers. The particles, which exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular illness in towns, are short-term but potent climate agents: they represent more than 20% of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from ships, according to one estimate.

In other news, Amazon drones are crashing in Pendleton, OR, and starting brush fires. They flip over and come down in a fireball!