cc: "Jones Philip Prof \(ENV\)"
, "Karpechko Alexey Dr \(ENV\)"
date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:53:31 -0000
from: "Dunford Simon Mr \(MAC\)"
subject: RE: Conclusive proof that polar warming is being caused by humans
to: "Alister Doyle"
Hi Alister
Copying in Phil and Alexey to see who's best placed to speak to you....
And attaching the paper (and supplementary info) in the meantime (both under same embargo.)
Cheers,
Simon
Simon Dunford, Press Officer,
University of East Anglia,
Norwich, NR4 7TJ.
Tel:+44 (0)1603 592203
www.uea.ac.uk/comm
______________________________________________________________________________________
From: Alister Doyle [mailto:Alister.Doyle@thomsonreuters.com]
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 11:46 AM
To: Dunford Simon Mr (MAC)
Subject: RE: Conclusive proof that polar warming is being caused by humans
Dear Simon,
looks interesting, yes please it would be very good to have a chat with
one of the researchers this week -- maybe tomorrow or wednesday?
cheers Alister
Alister Doyle
Environment Correspondent
Reuters News
Thomson Reuters
O +47 22 93 69 61
M +47 900 87 663
[1]alister.doyle@thomsonreuters.com
thomsonreuters.com
______________________________________________________________________________________
From: s.dunford@uea.ac.uk [mailto:s.dunford@uea.ac.uk]
Sent: 27. oktober 2008 10:56
To: alister.doyle@reuters.com
Subject: Conclusive proof that polar warming is being caused by humans
Dear Alister
Details below about a UEA-led Nature paper which demonstrates for the first time that
humans are responsible for warming of both polar regions. Major blow for climate sceptics
presumably...
Let me know if you'd like to interview one of the authors or if you'd like the full paper.
Please note the embargo.
Cheers,
Simon
Simon Dunford
Press Officer
University of East Anglia
[2]s.dunford@uea.ac.uk
+44 (0)1603 592203
Embargoed to 18:00 GMT (14:00 US Eastern Time) on Thursday October 30 2008
Conclusive proof that polar warming is being caused by humans
New research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) has demonstrated for the first time
that human activity is responsible for significant warming in both polar regions.
The findings by a team of scientists led by UEA's Climatic Research Unit will be
published online by the Nature Geoscience this week.
Previous studies have observed rises in both Arctic and Antarctic temperatures over
recent decades but have not formally attributed the changes to human influence due to
poor observation data and large natural variability. Moreover, the International Panel
on Climate Change (IPCC) had concluded that Antarctica was the only continent where
human-induced temperature changes had yet to be detected.
Now, a newly updated data-set of land surface temperatures and simulations from four new
climate models show that temperature rises in both polar regions are not consistent with
natural climate variability alone and are directly attributable to human influence.
The results demonstrate that human activity has already caused significant warming, with
impacts on polar biology, indigenous communities, ice-sheet mass balance and global sea
level.
"This is an important work indeed," said Dr Alexey Karpechko of UEA's Climatic Research
Unit.
"Arctic warming has previously been emphasized in several publications, although not
formally attributed to human activity. However in Antarctica, such detection was so far
precluded by insufficient data available. Moreover circulation changes caused by
stratospheric ozone depletion opposed warming over most of Antarctica and made the
detection even more difficult.
"Since the ozone layer is expected to recover in the future we may expect amplifying
Antarctic warming in the coming years."
`Attribution of polar warming to human influence' by Nathan Gillett (UEA/Environment
Canada), Phil Jones (UEA), Alexey Karpechko (UEA), Daithi Stone (University of
Oxford/Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research), Peter Scott (Met Office Hadley
Centre), Toru Nozawa (National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan), Gabriele
Hegerl (University of Edinburgh), and Michael Wehner (Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, California) is published by Nature Geoscience on Thursday October 30 at 6pm,
UK time.
Ends
Notes to Editors
1. A copy of the full paper is available on request as a PDF.
2. Dr Alexey Karpechko and Prof Phil Jones of UEA's Climatic Research Unit are available
for interview.
3. For further information, to arrange interviews or request the PDF, please contact Simon
Dunford at the UEA Press Office on 01603 592203/[3]s.dunford@uea.ac.uk.
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