Baaad News: Global Warming Shrinks Sheep

WASHINGTON — Like the wool sweater that emerges from the dryer a size too small, global warming seems to be shrinking sheep.

On average, wild Soay sheep on Scotland's island Hirta are 5 percent smaller today than they were in 1985, according to a team of researchers led by Tim Coulson of Imperial College London.

"The decrease in body size was due to a reduction in growth rates caused, in part, by the changing climate," Coulson said in an interview via e-mail.

Evolution favors the development of large sheep, which can more easily survive harsh winters, Coulson explained. So the researchers became curious about the overall decline in size of the animals on Hirta.

They discovered that as the climate has grown milder, small lambs that would not have survived previous winters were now living to grow up and reproduce.

Since size is inherited, the survival and reproduction of these smaller animals lowered the average size of the herd.

In addition, Coulson noted, there is what he termed the "young mum effect," with the younger mothers physically unable to produce large offspring.

The find adds to the understanding of how change occurs in many types of animals, he said, including birds, fish and mammals.

It shows how evolution and ecology each play a role in change, Coulson said: "And that, for our wild sheep at least, climate change is having a detectable effect on body size _ a trait that is partly determined by genes _ and that this compliments previous research showing how climate change can influence population size."

"This study addresses one of the major goals of population biology, namely to untangle the ways in which evolutionary and environmental changes influence a species' traits," said Andrew Sugden, deputy and international managing editor at Science, which published the report.

The research was supported by Britain's Natural Environment Research Council.

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On the Net:

Science: http://www.sciencemag.org

Comments

[BlackYowe]

I do not buy this. The problem with the sheep on Hirta is they are too inbred and up to 70% die off every year so the gene pool continues to shrink. I Check out this web page I built about Saoy Sheep on Hirta. They have only run free on this island since the late 30s. Before that they were scattered on a number of islands on Saint Kilda. This is not a good case study for such a bold assumption.

http://www.ramshornstudio.com/soay.htm

[buckeyedave]

If global warming is real, why have global temperatures declined since 1998 with the sharpest drop in 2008/2009?
Global warming is blamed for increased hurricane activity, yet in 2009 the first named storm was the latest in any season since they started naming storms, and so far the only one.
There was a consensus among some scientist that global warming was in part man made. This consensus was based on computer generated models operating on their speculations. However if these models were in fact correct, we should have warmed steadily in the last decade since co2 levels in the atmosphere have risen steadily also.
Recent ice core data suggests co2 levels rose during and after warming periods, being a product of warming not a cause of.
And as for the small sheep, genetics likely play a much larger role than any climates. If these sheep were in a confine gene pool, line breeding likely is to blame for their limited stature.
I do not deny that global climates fluctuate, but say it is man made is ignorant to history and actual fact.

[BlackYowe]

Over All global warming causes radical change and variation not over all warmer temps in every place on the globe at the same time. I suggest you read The Coming Global Superstorm by Art Bell and Whitley Strieber.

[Nooooorm]

Sorry to do this.. but...

LMFAO

I rolled.. rolled.. when I saw you referenced Art Bell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Bell

Bell abandoned conventional political talk in favor of topics such as gun control and conspiracy theories, leading to a significant bump in his overnight ratings; however the show's focus shifted significantly after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. Many in the media did not want to be blamed for inciting anti-government or militia actions like the bombing. Subsequently, Bell discussed off-beat topics like the paranormal, the occult, UFOs, protoscience and pseudo-science. During his tenure at KDWN Bell met and married his second wife, Ramona, who later handled production and management duties for the program.

[Nooooorm]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Bell

Bell has written, or co-written, several books. They include The Quickening: Today's Trends, Tomorrow's World; The Art of Talk (an autobiography); The Source; The Edge: Man's Mysterious Past & Incredible Future; and The Coming Global Superstorm, which became the basis for the popular movie, The Day After Tomorrow.

[realpolitic]

Well, you misinformed guys keep repeating that temperatures have dropped since 1998. How can you be so wrong about something so easily checked?

"Calendar year 2008 was the coolest year since 2000, according to the Goddard Institute for Space Studies analysis of surface air temperature measurements. In our analysis, 2008 is the ninth warmest year in the period of instrumental measurements, which extends back to 1880. The ten warmest years all occur within the 12-year period 1997-2008.

"The year 2007 tied for second warmest in the period of instrumental data, behind the record warmth of 2005. The unusual warmth in 2007 is noteworthy because it occurs at a time when solar irradiance is at a minimum and the equatorial Pacific Ocean is in the cool phase of its natural El Niño-La Niña cycle."

http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/2008/

The rest of your misinformation can be dealt with here....

http://www.grist.org/article/series/skeptics/

[Nooooorm]

RP.

Why do you continue to post data from discredited sources?

The claim that "2007 tied for the second warmest" comes from surface stations where 69% of them do not conform to the NCDC's own basic requirements.

Again, I know these FACTS don't sway true cult members like yourself.

No facts ever will.

[kevsters]

Watch this clip of Juan Williams not understanding why so many more Democrats believe in global warming over Republicans.

Great rebuttal with it.

http://progressnotcongress.org/?p=2009

[realpolitic]

Great clip! Williams is just demonstrating how Democrats are driven by evidence and conservatives are driven by media created, false narratives. The same number of conservatives who do not believe in global warming also do not believe in evolution. They are just anti-science!

[taxandspend1]

Global warming shrinks Liberal brains is more like it.

[RomeoMD25]

If CO2 were a pollutant, then why would our US submarines allow an environmental concentration of this very same gas in the neighborhood of 8,000 ppm? It is unconscionable that our government is demanding that we try to regulate the concentration of this gas in the atmosphere, knowing full well that concentrations more than 20 times that amount produce absolutely no ill effects on American sailors.

[realpolitic]

"In one of the most important decisions in environmental law, the US Supreme Court has ruled that carbon dioxide (CO2) is a pollutant and that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the right to regulate CO2 emissions from new cars."

And that was even under the Bush administration when the EPA was trying to argue they could not regulate co2 as a pollutant because the science was not clear.

"According to the ruling, EPA’s action not to regulate GHG emissions was “arbitrary, capricious, or otherwise not in accordance with law”. EPA must reconsider its decision, and ground its reasons for action or inaction in the CAA statute. Unless the EPA can show that CO2 is not involved in the global warming seen around the world, the EPA should regulate it."

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=co2+a+pollutant&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=4&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dieselnet.com%2Fnews%2F2007%2F04epa.php

"According to the Leaked EPA File, its studies prove that CO2 does in fact endanger public health and must be curbed."

"Dated March 9th, it is entitled “Endangerment Analysis of Greenhouse Gases under the Clean Air Act,” and includes hundreds of scientific reports which detail the now likely outcomes of global warming, to include melting sea ice and population displacement, pests and disease to drought, flooding, forest fires and hurricanes."


http://www.ask.com/bar?q=epa+labels+co2+a+pollutant&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twilightearth.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fepa-to-label-carbon-dioxide-as-a-pollutant-according-to-leaked-document%2F

[larry278]

From time to time the US Navy makes mistakes. The effects of concentrations of 8,000 ppm of CO2 in submarines could become more evident in 30 years when the submariners are in their 50's.

[realpolitic]

Great point!!

[taxandspend1]

Good point.

STSC/SS Ret.

[realpolitic]

Why did the army allow soldier's exposure to Agent Orange?

[RomeoMD25]

Global warming, just like the concept of evolution, is not a scientific theory as such, it is a cult, or to put it more tactfully, a religion. It is a belief system that first takes a big picture stance that is non-negotiable, and then requires a plethora of supporters, adherents and believers to "push" the message, ridiculing and sidelining those who dissent. Rhetoric rather than facts are common in the promulgation of the cult.

[realpolitic]

So a scientiifc field of study is a religion now? How convenient! I think if it was religion the far right would approve of it!

[patrickhenrypress]

If it's a cult, it's the only one based on facts. It's the only one with peer review. It's the only one where questioning is the norm and concensus must be earned.

Unlike the cult of fanatical right-wing dogma you ascribe to, scientists must prove their hypotheses, postulates and theorums rigorously. Scientists don't make up something for the sake of profit, for in general (unless they are in the employ of, say Exxon/Mobil) scientists have NO PROFIT MOTIVE!

So, speaking as the oil company employee you likely are, tell us which studies not paid for by energy companies you'd refer us to in order to substantiate your belief that "Global warming," a concept related to the science of climate change every nation on earth recognizes, "is a cult."

We're waiting...

[patrickhenrypress]

...theorem... typing while ranting again...

[plantguy]

Blame everything on global warming, July 2 in Ohio today and I'm wearing a sweatshirt ! Blah

[yannb]

Yep. And the temperature in your fridge remains low, therefore global warming must be incorrect, right? What you fail to understand is that climate change talks about *global* warming. You're talking about *local* temperatures. These are two completely different questions. Please leave science in the care of scientists.

[denny8844]

Hey all global warming devotees How is that story that the Obama admin suppressing one of the EPA studies that raised serious questions about the THEORY of CO2 causing global warning and in fact questioned whether the climate is even warming the last 10 years How does that suppressed study go down for you?

[futate01]

it was not suppressed, rather it was ignored since it was authored by Beavis and Butthead. Next time you have somethign solid let me know.

[Nooooorm]

Didn't Al Gore tell us in his movie that we would experience more tropical cyclones of greater intensity due to AGW?

http://typhoon.atmos.colostate.edu/forecasts/2009/june2009/jun2009.pdf

EXTENDED RANGE FORECAST OF ATLANTIC SEASONAL HURRICANE ACTIVITY AND LANDFALL STRIKE PROBABILITY FOR 2009
We foresee slightly below-average activity for the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season. We have reduced our seasonal forecast from our early April prediction. We anticipate a slightly below-average probability of United States and Caribbean major hurricane landfall.
(as of 2 June 2009)

[realpolitic]

Yes, because even the basic premise of the report that says the climate is not warming over the last ten years is wrong. If the writer could not get even that right, of what value is the report?

[ThinkTavern]

Well, just pump them full of more growth hormones, so they can grow gargantuan again.

[TFlint]

Say that five times fast.

[realpolitic]

It is too bad that warmer winters can not shrink climate change deniers.

[instagladiator]

Nobody is denying climate change? Would you care to revise your statement and be a little more specific.

[elmerfude]

Of course they are! The state legislators where I live have all gone on record stating that climate change is a hoax period.

[elmerfude]

I forgot to mention the flood God caused 6,000 years ago. They do agree with that change.

[econ1]

Wow, I didn't think evolution worked that rapidly.

This would imply that global warming reduces the early death of lambs. So there would be more lambs which is probably okay.

It also raises the question of whether more people die from cold or heat. Anyone know?

[TFlint]

A few degrees warmer than today and half the people on the planet will die.

[econ1]

Off work today.

Seems that the answer is that cold is more of an issue. It is quite possible that a few (2-5) degrees warmer would reduce human deaths.

"Annual cold related mortality was higher than heat related mortality in all regions (table 1). "

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7262/670

"Dec 23, 2008 ... In Germany, heat waves were found to reduce overall mortality rates slightly, while cold spells led to a significant increase in deaths."

[patrickhenrypress]

Yes, in England it's warmer in the winter and that's nice for sheep. It's wreaking havoc with the eastern English coastline, which is losing land annually. It's swell for a while, in cold climates, as people obviously prefer warm days to freezing ones. But "warm" is about to be rapidly replaced by "hot" and even the English sheep won't enjoy what's coming.

Question to ask: Assume global earming continues to melt all of the inland glaciers and they disappear. Where does my water supply originate?

[Gardawg]

too baaaaaad

[RomeoMD25]

Global warming, fear-mongering and propaganda

Let's face it - this whole global warming propaganda push has been just another crisis - fear-mongering among the populace to get your agreement to give the government more control and more money.

[Leatherhelmet]

So now the left is using shrinkage as a scare tactic.

[emily00011]

ticks and cockcroaches are invading thanks to warmer winters in my area of the world. It isn't at all a pleasant thought. but do continue to live in your bubble world. human models and predictions are one thing, but trends in the natural world in response to changing temps ... much harder just to shrug off

[patrickhenrypress]

You must not know any Republicans. They will deny climate change until the day their house spontaneously combusts, and then claim it burned because God was mad at gays.

If you are a reader from overseas, please realize we have a large number of functionally illiterate people here who have dominated our discourse and political exchanges for decades now, thanks to the extremely corrupt and highly immoral Republican political party. Their schooling was "bible-based," "home-schooled" or otherwise incomplete and they augment their insufferable haughtiness with right-wing pseudo-intellectual rants and carnival barker quality religion. Some of them even go to gay soldiers' funerals here so they can shout anti-gay epithets at the mourners.

On behalf of thinking people everywhere, I do apologize for so many of America's ignorant Republican voters and climate change deniers, but it's difficult to get through to them when their belief system is cemented in concrete at age 11, and their favorite retort to facts is to shove their fingers in their ears and chant "neener, neener, neener."

[TFlint]

Ten years from now you know-nothings will be whining, "Why didn't somebody do something about it?"

[TFlint]

You righties know all about scare tactics WMD! Mushrooom Shaped Cloud! Regulated industry.

[AbstractImp]

This is a curious and even funny little story!

And if you follow through the causes, it leads to very interesting things!

But it is just another tiny bit of evidence that big changes are underway.

I am sad for all the extict animals, over 800 and . . . counting?

Domesticated herds will survive as long as humans are able to provide for them.

In a hundred years most of the world's settled coastlines will have disappeared.

We have no idea what is going to happen to the greater portion of humanity.

But eventually the biosphere will begin to clean itself up.

And evolution will get along very well without us.