Climate forum: Water, wind and fire bombard Earth

Stronger but maybe fewer hurricanes. Larger storm surges from ever-rising seas. More fires from intense lightning bolts.

Scientists and economists plan to explore those and other predicted consequences of global warming during Tuesday's forum at Florida Tech.

The changes could happen faster than many think because global warming is not linear, said Mark Bush, a Florida Tech biologist and speaker. He has found geological evidence of drastic species extinction in the Amazon rainforest and other hotspots of biological diversity as a result of past abrupt climate shifts.

"Amazonia is going to become very flammable," Bush said at another recent climate change forum at Florida Tech. Long term, "Brazil will basically lose its Amazon forest, and that will be a huge extinction event. We hit tipping points. We're very close to them."

Global warming could fuel more lightning, resulting in more forest fires, especially in the tropics, researchers have found.

Lightning bolts, like tailpipes and smokestacks, form nitrogen dioxides, a chemical compound that contributes to lung damage and acid rain. Scientists want to know how climate change might affect lightning intensity and contribute to nitrogen dioxides in the atmosphere.

Joseph Dwyer, a world authority on lightning, will talk about his research into thunderstorm physics and X-rays and gamma-ray flashes from lightning.

Recent studies show wave heights have increased over the past few decades because of more hurricanes and more powerful storms.

Randy Parkinson, a Melbourne consultant with the Brevard County Climate Change Group, plans to present evidence of the accelerating rise in sea level.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20090302/NEWS01/903020314/1006