global warming
gregladen | July 22, 2014As it does every summer, the Arctic Sea ice is melting off. Over the last several years, the amount of sea ice that melts by the time it hits minimum in September has generally been increasing. So, how's it doing now?
The graph above shows the 1981-2010 average plus or minus two standard deviations. Before going into more detail than that, you should look at the following graphic.
The top chart shows the march of Arctic Sea ice melt for first ten years of the baseline data set only, and the bottom chart shows the last ten years of the same data set. This tells us that the two Standard…
gregladen | July 22, 2014There is an old theory in psychology that characterizes humans as a bowl of Jell-O (Jelly for some of you). Life pokes at the Jell-O, the Jell-O jiggles. Eventually the jiggles begin to change the Jell-O, so certain kinds of pokes result in certain kinds of responses. The Jell-O gurgles, babbles, notices things, learns, develops, and eventually becomes self aware.
That is a great oversimplification of a theory that was, in turn, a great oversimplification of human development, yet it does seem to apply in many ways to human behavior. When it comes to climate change, people seem more…
gregladen | July 21, 2014June 2014 was the hottest June on record, and records go back to 1880, by which time Global Warming may have started already but wasn't nearly as intense as the last half of the 20th century, according to data NOAA has released and highlighted. The previous month, May, was the hottest May on record.
June Global Land and Ocean plot
NOAA notes that this was the 38th consecutive June and the 352nd consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average, which was already elevated due to global warming. Also, the last time June was below average for the century was in 1976…
gregladen | July 18, 2014AGW -> AA -> QR -> WW -> WF -> DS -> A- -> AGW
The great cycle of climate change. Anthropogenic Global Warming has resulted in a relatively increased warming of the poles, which changes the dynamic of jet streams forming thus causing quasi-ressonant (stuck in place) Rossby Waves (curvy slow moving jet streams) which then fuels Weather Whiplash (or Weather Weirding if you prefer) which at the moment is causing unprecedented wild fires especially in Western Canada and Siberia, which causes a darkening of glacial surfaces in Greenland (Dark Snow) which decreases albedo which…
gregladen | July 17, 2014Jeffrey Sachs was interviewed today on MorningJoe about the just released report to the UN Secretary-General on climate change and energy. The report addresses the goal of reaching a low-Carbon economy by mid century in the countries that release the most fossil carbon today.
One interesting thing about this report is that Joe Scarborough, Morning Joe himself, seems to be pretty much on board with the reality of climate change science. Since Joe occupies a centrist to right position in Mainstream Media, this is important. Good for you Joe.
Here is the show:
gregladen | July 17, 2014Possibly both.
Climate change certainly has a huge effect. Increased evaporation, decreased snowpack, the stalling of air masses that cause more drying and less wetting, which in turn is caused by changes in the jet stream, which in turn is caused by "Arctic Amplification," an effect of global warming, are major causes of a three year drought coming hard on the heels of a decade of near-drought dry.
But also, Californian approaches to water management have been an issue. I recently learned that there are communities in California that don't even have water meters on people's houses. What…
illconsidered | July 15, 2014Aside from the climate blogosphere, Paul Krugman's "Conscience of a Liberal" is my most regular blog visit. He does not usually have a lot to say on climate change (which is mildly disappointing) and I have seen only very shallow and casual dismissals of the, to me compelling, notion that perpetual growth as a requirement for economic prosperity is problematic (which is very disappointing). It is however, usually very interesting and I have learned a lot about economics, something very apropos given the ongoing global crisis. I do enjoy the political snark as well, as long as it is reality…
gregladen | July 10, 2014Showtime's Years of Living Dangerously is one of the most important and well done documentaries addressing climate change. The 2014 Emmy Nominations were just announced and this series has received two nominations: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series and Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming (Adam Bolt).
While often portrayed as an unsettled debate, the reality is that 97% of scientists agree global warming is happening and humans are to blame.
Top scientific organizations like the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Medical Association and…
gregladen | July 7, 2014Regret Labs is a new science podcast by Aric McKeown and Levi Weinhagen, produced in the Twin Cities. It is a lot of fun. I did an interview with them and it has just come out. You can listen to it here.
We talked about science, science advocacy, climate change, and the use of social media to promote good science.
illconsidered | July 4, 2014The Bottleneck Years
by H.E. Taylor
Chapter 98
Table of Contents
Chapter 100
Chapter 99
The Third Day, March 22, 2061
I had two classes Tuesday morning and was not able to watch the trial as it happened. I got back to my office in the early afternoon and, again in the privacy of my office, settled in to watch. The trial was not being broadcast. I checked a news portal and learned the trial was over. I went searching for an archive.
Jon was not in the court. They used a video link up. An old fashioned flat screen monitor showing Jon sat on the desk beside the young lawyer. There was sound only…
illconsidered | June 30, 2014This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H. E. Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundupskip to bottom Sipping from the Internet Firehose...June 29, 2014 Chuckles, Snark, UNEA, Risky Business, Neonicotinoids, Energiewende Bottom Line, Subsidies, World Bank, Thermodynamics, CookFukushima: Note, News, Policies Melting Arctic, Methane, Geopolitics, AntarcticaFood: Crisis, Fisheries, Prices, Land Grabs, GMOs, GMO Labelling, Production Hurricanes, Monsoon, Notable Weather, Forecasts, New Weather GHGs, Carbon Cycle, Aerosols,…
illconsidered | June 28, 2014The Bottleneck Years
by H.E. Taylor
Chapter 97
Table of Contents
Chapter 99
Chapter 98
The Second Day, March 21, 2061
On Monday morning, I watched the second session of Jon's trial alone in my office at CCU. I didn't have a class until mid-afternoon, so time was not an issue.
Jon was led into the courtroom in shackles, his hands bound in front of him, his feet less tightly bound. He was wearing a bright orange one piece suit. As he moved I could see his hands and feet were wired to a metal saucer shaped connector that hung about his knees.
He was deposited in a steel chair beside Bergmann.…
gregladen | June 27, 2014Another Great Video from Greenman Peter Sinclair:
More details and links HERE.
gregladen | June 25, 2014We are breaking all sorts of records here in Minnesota this June, and not the records for drought (or, for once, cold). It has been raining and storming a lot, and not just in one place as happens now and then. The rains have been widespread and intensive. The flood levels of most rivers are not breaking records because those are set in the earlier Spring snow-melt driven flooding, but this time of year all the creeks, kills, and rivers should be receding not rising.
The situation is so interesting and important that our local public TV political weekly put the weather on top of the show…
illconsidered | June 23, 2014This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H. E. Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
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Confronting a New Age of Consequences
Solstice Edition
June 22, 2014
Chuckles, COP20+, Ocean Summit, PIDF, G77, IOREC, GreenPeace, Energiewende
Bottom Line, Economics, Pricing Nature, Thermodynamics, Cook
Fukushima: Note, News, Policies
Melting Arctic, Sea Ice Forecats, Antarctica
Food: Crisis, Fisheries, Land Grabs, GMOs, Production
Hurricanes, Notable Weather, Forecasts, Extreme Weather, New Weather
GHGs, Aerosols…
gregladen | June 21, 2014In 2009 someone wrote a blog post about climate change that made all the usual science denialist claims. Hurricanes have reduced therefore global warming is not real. In this case, hurricanes are one of the main threats of climate change (a straw man) and since they are not as common these days in the Atlantic as alarmists claimed the would be (cherry picking) global warming is not a concern. There were stronger storms in the past. Katrina wasn't really all that bad. Etc. etc.
The Ice Caps (he called sea ice "Ice Caps") are not really melting that bad and besides we don't really know what…
illconsidered | June 19, 2014The Bottleneck Years
by H.E. Taylor
Chapter 96
Table of Contents
Chapter 98
Chapter 97
The Trial, March 18, 2061
Although I had resolved never to expose Edie and Anna to Jon's vitriol since the first call, I didn't have a lot of choice when it came to the trial. Unfortunately, I had a class at the same time. By the time I got back to my office, it was over. The video transcript was not yet online, so I headed home.
It was a warm day. As I walked along the lake, the trees were turning green. Birds were singing. Ducks splashed in the water. It was beautiful, but I rather dreaded what I might…
illconsidered | June 16, 2014This weekly posting is brought to you courtesy of H. E. Taylor. Happy reading, I hope you enjoy this week's Global Warming news roundup
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Logging the Onset of The Bottleneck Years
June 15, 2014
Chuckles, COP20+, Globe, Mischief, EPA Carbon Rule, Wenju Cai, Warnings, Energiewende
Bottom Line, Subsidies, Economics, Pricing Nature, Thermodynamics, Cook
Fukushima: Note, News, Policies
Melting Arctic, Polar Bears, Forecasts, Methane, Geopolitics, Antarctica
Food: Crisis, Fisheries, Prices, Food vs. Biofuel, GMOs, GMO Labelling, Production
Hurricanes,…
illconsidered | June 11, 2014The Bottleneck Years
by H.E. Taylor
Chapter 95
Table of Contents
Chapter 97
Chapter 96
Eco550 - The Oceans, November 14, 2060
After flying around the Arctic spring and summer, fall classes felt a little tame, but I must admit I was glad for the calm spell. All I had to do was explain Liebig's Law of the Minimum or some such every once in a while and change a lot of diapers.
I spent the morning checking up on the various UNGETF projects. Group 12 had started too late in the season to make any appreciable impact on Greenland melting that year. One American city, Philadelphia, had funded Sirella…
gregladen | June 10, 2014According to the NOAA GISS global instrumental record for temperatures (1880 to the present), since 2000 (inclusively) we have had
2002 and 2003 ties for first and second warmest January. Januray 2014 was the fourth warmest, 2005 the fifth warmest.
February 2010 was the third warmest Feburary, and 2002 had the fourth warmest February.
March 2002 was the warmest, 2012 was the second warmest. March 2014 was the fourth warmest.
April 2010 was the warmest on record, April 2014 the second warmest.
We are still waiting for the data on May 2014, but during this time the warmest May on record…