Two Abu Dhabi scientists are taking part in a PBS documentary on climate change that will be broadcast in the United States on April 18.
The two-hour Decoding the Weather Machine visits scientists around the world to understand how the climate system works and how man-made carbon emissions are already affecting our planet.
The crew spent five days filming in Greenland last June with husband-and-wife team David and Denise Holland, leading glaciologists based at New York University Abu Dhabi. Their studies of shrinking glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica are essential for models that predict sea level changes.
They work on the Jakobshavn Glacier, one of the world's fastest-melting glaciers. It produces more than 10 per cent of Greeland's icebergs. It is an unpredictable environment. In 2015, a 12.5 square kilometre iceberg broke off and floated out to sea. Assuming that the ice was about 1,400 metres deep, it would be enough to cover an area the size of Saadiyat Island and Yas Island under 300 metres of ice.
“The last decades have been about atmosphere models and ocean models. Now we’re saying, what about the glaciers?” said Mr Holland, who has monitored ice loss in Greenland since 2007. “That’s next on the agenda but it turns out that they’re really hard to study because they’re in remote places and they’re dangerous.
“Unfortunately, several people I've known in the past decade are dead because of the research done on the glaciers, and you can see why.”
Some of their most informative data is found on ice sheets at the ocean’s edge, where the ice fractures off into the ocean.
The draining of ice from Greenland is accelerating. Glacial retreat could be much faster than thought, triggered by changing winds and currents that bring warm water into contact with the glacier.
The same loss of ice is taking place in Antarctica but on a much larger scale.
The Greenland research is a small piece of the puzzle. Only half of man-made carbon emissions have been absorbed by the atmosphere. Forests and oceans have each absorbed a quarter of man-made emissions and the film spans the globe, visiting researchers in the sequoia forests of the US to the fossilised coral reefs of the Australian Outback. It also visits communities on the front line of climate change.
On the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific, we meet the islanders who may become the world’s first climate refugees.
“We feel really small,” says Kathy Jetnil Kijiner, a Marshall Islands poet, in the documentary. “These floodings are going to continue until we can’t live there any more. We’re hoping to not become nomads. We’re hoping to not become lost.”
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Read more:
Satellites show warming is accelerating sea level rise
Gulf Stream at its weakest point in 1,600 years
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Bringing it home for American audiences, the documentary visits Norfolk, Virginia, where flooding sea levels have risen more than 45 centimetres since the First World War.
In one scene, a Norfolk couple show how they have raised their house by a storey to cope with flooding. "Anyone who doubts [climate change], we invite them to buy all of this property here," the owner said.
His wife pointed at her FJ Cruiser – “I bought a car that has a snorkle.”
Mass youth movements in the US could push government into action on climate change, said producers at an NYUAD pre-screening last week.
"This is not a problem that is going to be solved three generations down the road. It needs to be solved now," said Paula Apsell, an executive producer from the documentary series Nova. "The last thing that people are thinking about is this very long term, seemingly invisible problem. But I want to say, it's not invisible. This is a problem that's now, and that you can see if you open your eyes."
Doug Hamilton, the documentary’s director producer, said: “We need to make sure that people understand not only that climate change is already happening today but that incredibly damaging effects are not far off.
“I mean, any kid under 20 is probably going to live to see what happens. They could experience a world in 2100 where sea levels are a foot higher than today, or eight feet higher.
“People like David Holland are working to develop better projections to help narrow how much we will be affected but it is also important to add that most of the outcome will be determined by how much we reduce fossil fuel use in the next several years.”
The film was shown at NYU's New York campus yesterday and will be broadcast on PBS on April 18 at 8pm. The Hollands will work with producers to make it widely available in the UAE next year.
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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