Posted on July 17th, 2008 by admin
July 8, 2008 - USA Today
The reasons that a glacier grows or shrinks are not solely due to air temperature (regardless of what Mr. Gore implies). This story in the USA Today is a prime example of proving this false. Unfortunately, this mountain seems to be the only mountain in the lower 48 states of the USA that has growing glaciers.
Due to Mt. Shasta’s elevation and proximity to the Pacific ocean with its prevailing winds, the area is seeing an increase in precipitation in the form of snow. This snow is forming glaciers.
This does not mean that global warming doesn’t cause glaciers to shrink! This just means that the formation and the maintenance of glaciers is more complicated than just ambient temperature.
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Filed under: Getting warmer, Weather science
Posted on June 25th, 2008 by admin
KUSI
John Coleman spoke before the San Diego Chamber of Commerce on the subject of global warming. Mr. Coleman is not your typical weatherman! Some say he is the father of the weatherman on TV (not likely) but at the very least he is one one of the most successful. A full profile is available for him on Wikipedia but among his many accomplishments, he was the first weatherman on the national morning talk shows (remember David Hartman?) and also founded The Weather Channel.
Mr. Coleman is pretty adamant that the current global warming trend (which many question actually exists) is most likely natural in origin and has little to do with the influences of man.
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Filed under: Getting warmer, Natural, Not getting warmer, Weather science
Posted on May 13th, 2008 by admin
April 30, 2008 - Center for Science and Technology Policy Research
This article by Roger Pielke Jr. is an interesting discussion on climate models. He sings their praises as a study tool but appears to feel that they have limited value as a prediction tool. This is interesting when considering all of the fuss that has been occurring lately on different boundary conditions that can be applied to climate models and are being discussed with so much emotion on web (see here, here, and here for different viewpoints).
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Filed under: Weather science
Posted on May 12th, 2008 by admin
The Climate Bet - April 29, 2008
You may be aware of the current personal campaign that I am engaged with regarding what I consider to be improper behavior at RealClimate. The authors of that site decided to bet the authors of a scientific paper. I do not feel that is responsible behavior but in my efforts to convince them I wanted to try and find other scientific bets that fall into their category of bet (largely financial v. gentleman’s bet). To date I have failed in that search, I did find some interesting gems to share with you.
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Filed under: Not getting warmer, Weather science
Posted on April 30th, 2008 by admin
Nature - April 29, 2008
Once again, we see an example of how the climate models that are predicting the end of the world, as we know it, have not taken into account some important factors. Granted, this particular article is discussing another model (or at least calculation and prediction). It still points out that our models are far from complete and we need to spend more money and effort to increase this capability.
Recovery of the ozone hole above Antarctica could warm the Antarctic and cause more ice to melt in coming decades, researchers say. As the ozone hole heals, wind patterns that shield the interior of the polar region from warm air may break down, causing warming in the Antarctica as well as warmer and drier conditions in Australia.
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Filed under: Greenhouse gas, Technology, Weather science
Posted on April 28th, 2008 by admin
I rarely argue or comment on the various comments on this site. I try to respect everyone’s opinions and give them free voice to share their thoughts on this site as long as it is respectful (if the comments aren’t respectful, I pull them).
In this case though, I want to answer a question that was posed in a comment. The question was great, and I appreciate the effort. Hopefully, I can shed a few thoughts on the subject that are worthwhile. The question, basically, is “What should be the baseline temperature for measuring variations that are man-made or natural?” (Follow the feed link to read the rest of the story).
This is a preview of
What is the baseline temperature? (Or: It matters to that one!)
.
Click here to read the full post (682 words, estimated 2:44 mins reading time)
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Filed under: Weather science
Posted on April 24th, 2008 by admin
This is not an obituary of Dr. Fred Singer or Dr. William Gray, even though the title of this article may lead you to believe that. Dr. Gray is the Professor of Atmospheric Science, Head of the Tropical Meteorology Project at Colorado State and is the noted writer of the hurricane forecast every year. Dr. Singer is currently the Director and President of The Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP).
I am writing this article simply because I am amazed at the bitterness that is delivered upon these two men.
A search for Dr. Singer and Dr. Gray on RealClimate.org reveals an amazing amount of sarcasm and lack of respect for the two gentlemen. Why? Well, they obviously don’t agree with many of the writers of RealClimate. The sad thing is that they definitely have the credentials to disagree and still command respect.
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Filed under: Politics, Weather science
Posted on April 23rd, 2008 by admin
One of the key techniques in the understanding of our world is the use of chaos theory. Many of you will be familiar with the common question: Does the Flap of a Butterfly’s Wings in Brazil Set Off a Tornado in Texas? What many of you may not be aware of is that is the title of a speech by Ed Lorenz. Dr. Lorenz passed away last week, a victim of cancer. We grieve the passing of this scientist and wish his family well.
Dr. Lorenz work on chaos theory is a key component of the way that we understand our environment. His work was critical to meteorology today. You can read Wikipedia’s excellent write up of Dr. Lorenz and chaos theory.
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Filed under: Weather science
Posted on March 28th, 2008 by admin
GUEST ARTICLE:
By Julee Mitchelsin
With all of the fervor these days about the dangers of global warming many people are concerned about the fate of Antarctica. The fears are that the ice that makes up the continent is melting faster than normal and not freezing back as it usually does with a very even ebb and flow. The concerns are that this will eventually raise the sea level enough to put major cities and land masses under water and leave millions of people homeless and/or even dead.
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Filed under: Getting warmer, Natural, Weather science
Posted on March 14th, 2008 by admin
This is the last of my series of articles based on the questions of one of my readers, Brittany. Brittany sent me an email and asked 4 questions. I have broken up each of these questions into 4 different articles. If other readers have specific questions regarding global warming, please drop me a note (you can find my contact information in the About page).
Question 4: I read that it will take hundreds of years for Arctic/Greenland glaciers to melt and close to a 1,000 years for West Antarctica to melt. I don’t know if those facts are correct. But if they are correct, why would the earth’s temperature increase 6 egress Celsius in the next 100 years? That’s a very scary proposition if it’s true.
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Filed under: Getting warmer, Greenhouse gas, Weather science