Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
Senior Researcher
Institute of Environmental Physics
University of Bremen
Bremen
Germany
Environmental science
36%
Geology
19%
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Astronomers alarmed: US satellites to reflect sunlight back to Earth
A US company wants to launch a satellite in 2026 that acts as a mirror and reflects sunlight back to Earth. Thousands more are planned. Criticism is increasing.
www.heise.de
A planned cluster of solar-reflecting satellites will considerably add to light pollution, severely disturbing astronomical observations from the ground.
www.heise.de/en/news/Astr...
www.heise.de/en/news/Astr...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Oct 10
Experts identify the 50 most dangerous pieces of space debris
Removing these objects would halve the risk of new debris. Europe is at the top of the list.
www.heise.de
We used ENVISAT data (2002-2012) for atmospheric (e.g. ozone) and climate research. The ENVISAT satellite is now one of the largest space junk objects, capable of producing debris through collisions, which puts current and future satellite operations at higher risk. www.heise.de/en/news/Expe...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Oct 6
Revealed: Europe losing 600 football pitches of nature and crop land a day
Investigation shows extent of green land lost across UK and mainland Europe to development from 2018 to 2023
www.theguardian.com
In Europe, we lose 600 soccer pitches of green pastures a day. A large fraction of it goes into development (streets, buildings, etc).
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Sep 25
"Climate researchers are appealing to German politicians: the three-degree limit could be reached as early as 2050; accelerate climate adaptation." Press release by the German Physical Society and German Meterological Society (in German: www.dpg-physik.de/veroeffentli...)
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Sep 25
Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion 2022: Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer
NOAA CSL Ozone Assessments: 2022 Twenty Questions and Answers About the Ozone Layer contents with figures and pages available for download.
csl.noaa.gov
Planet Health 2025 Report: As always, there are two sides of the same coin. Stratospheric ozone levels may decline due to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns. Stratospheric aerosol injection to reduce global warming, causes ozone depletion. See csl.noaa.gov/assessments/....
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Sep 25
The new "Planet Health 2025 Report" is out (www.planetaryhealthcheck.org). Only two out of seven indicators are in the green area, showing a positive development: stratospheric ozone depletion (ozone recovery) and atmospheric aerosols (clean-air policies).
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Sep 18
Where are we located in our home galaxy Milky Way? See www.europlanet.org/wp-content/u.... The chances that another civilisation exists in our home galaxy is quite low. For this, we need a planet with the right amount of CO2 in the atmosphere (www.europlanet.org/epsc-dps2025...).
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· May 8
Two-thirds of global heating caused by richest 10%, study suggests
Paper in Nature Climate Change journal reveals major role wealthy emitters play in driving climate extremes
www.theguardian.com
The richest people contribute a large amount to global warming. For climate mitigation, a fair CO2 price should also be tied to income.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Mar 31
Tackling climate crisis will increase economic growth, OECD research finds
Third of global GDP could be lost this century if climate crisis runs unchecked, says report
www.theguardian.com
We may lose a third of the global GDP without climate protection in the coming decades, but we will see substantial economic growth if we take action.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Mar 30
Here is a visualisation of the record high global temperature in 2024 since 1850. Each stripe is one year and blue and red colors mean temperatures below and above the 1961-2010 average, respectively. The very dark red stripe at the right end is 2024.
showyourstripes.info
showyourstripes.info
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Mar 30
Six different temperature records concur that 2024 was a record year, with a temperature 1.55 °C above the average for the 1850-1900 period.
wmo.int/news/media-c...
wmo.int/news/media-c...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Mar 30
Global soil moisture in 'permanent' decline due to climate change - Carbon Brief
A new study warns that global declines in soil moisture over the 21st century could mark a “permanent” shift in the world’s water cycle.
www.carbonbrief.org
The decline in soil moisture related to global warming causes the Earth to wobble and contributes to sea level rise.
News report:
Global soil moisture in ‘permanent’ decline due to climate change
www.carbonbrief.org/global-soil-...
News report:
Global soil moisture in ‘permanent’ decline due to climate change
www.carbonbrief.org/global-soil-...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Feb 15
Cartoon on AMOC (Atlantic meridional overturning circulation) that can collapse in the near future and, as a consequence, can cause cooling in Europe. When this tipping point happens is uncertain.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Feb 15
Climate model uncertainties do not justify denying actions to mitigate global warming. We must reckon with the worst case but be surprised if it does not happen (article in German).
www.heise.de/meinung/Komm...
www.heise.de/meinung/Komm...
Mark Weber
@drmarkweber.bsky.social
· Jan 19
Record global annual mean surface temperature in 2023
* 2023 is confirmed as the warmest calendar year in global temperature data records going back to 1850
*2023 was 1.48°C warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level
climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2...
* 2023 is confirmed as the warmest calendar year in global temperature data records going back to 1850
*2023 was 1.48°C warmer than the 1850-1900 pre-industrial level
climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2...