links for 2010-01-27

There are always extremes of hot and cold, although their frequency and intensity change as climate changes. But when weather is averaged over space and time, the fact that the globe is warming emerges clearly from the data.

One of the most vigorously debated topics on Earth is the issue of climate change, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) data centers are central to answering some of the most pressing global change questions that remain unresolved.

This 28-page booklet is based on Ecological Impacts of Climate Change (2009), a report by an independent panel of experts convened by the National Research Council. It explains general themes about the ecological consequences of climate change and identifies examples of ecological changes across the United States.

Recommendations from the National Academies' many expert reports on climate change in an easy-to-read format. Now in its third edition, the booklet includes an expanded section on impacts and updated figures and graphics.

In response to a request from Congress, the National Academies have launched America's Climate Choices, a suite of studies designed to inform and guide responses to climate change across the nation. Experts representing various levels of government, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, and research and academic institutions have been selected to serve on four panels and an overarching committee.

Far from being some future fear, global warming is happening now, and scientists have evidence that humans are to blame. For decades, cars and factories have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and these gases caused temperatures to rise between 0.6°C and 0.9°C (1.08°F to 1.62°F) over the past century. The rate of warming in the last 50 years was double the rate observed over the last 100 years. Temperatures are certain to go up further.

If climate has always changed, then what is global warming so controversial today? While climate change has always occurred, by mining and burning fossil fuels many scientists believe that we are greatly accelerating the warming process, so that we may have unwittingly opened a Pandora’s box of unexpected, uncontrollable changes to life on our planet. The rate of change today is rapidly increasing to the point that scientists are concerned that life on Earth, including humans, will not have time to adapt to the changing conditions.

For us the debate on climate change is over. We are tackling the challenges of a new energy future. We continue to develop technologies to reduce CO2 from our operations and to produce more efficient fuels and lubricants for customers. We are calling on governments to establish policies that will encourage a reduction in CO2 emissions.

BP accepts the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that global warming is unequivocal and ‘very likely’ due to human activity. We accept that in order to avoid the dangerous consequences of climate change, temperature increases will probably need to be limited to about two to three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

After doing the CSS Paper Bird effect, I found out that by a combination of the CSS1 properties background-attachment and background-position, 2D displacement maps could be created and, by scrolling, the displacement map would be applied to different parts of the texture (a background image).