cc: "Jones Philip Prof \(ENV\)" <P.Jones@uea.ac.uk>, "Karpechko Alexey Dr \(ENV\)" <A.Karpechko@uea.ac.uk>
date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:53:31 -0000
from: "Dunford Simon Mr \(MAC\)" <S.Dunford@uea.ac.uk>
subject: RE: Conclusive proof that polar warming is being caused by humans
to: "Alister Doyle" <Alister.Doyle@thomsonreuters.com>

   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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