Sweltering, unseasonably warm temperatures gripped much of the contiguous United States last month breaking many records. In the final analysis of the month, NOAA announced that July was the hottest month ever recorded in the U.S. How hot was it? Read the rest of this story on Examiner.com
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its climate summary for June 2012 showing the United States experienced an unusually warm month. Most notably the U.S. has recorded its warmest first half of the year on record and the warmest 12 month period on record. Climate change? Learn more about the warm weather across the nation on Examiner.com.
Having seen many of their predictions proven false, climate change alarmists have taken on a new tact in the last couple of years – whether hot or cold, snowy or balmy, manmade climate change is to blame. A new study from NCAR continues that trend saying Arctic ice may shrink or it may grow, take your pick.
A new study by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) shows that Arctic sea ice is “as likely to expand as it is to contract for periods of up to about a decade.”
NCAR scientist Jennifer Kay, the lead author of the study said, “The computer simulations suggest that we could see a 10-year period of stable ice or even a slight increase in the extent of the ice. Even though the observed ice loss has accelerated over the last decade, the fate of sea ice over the next decade depends not only on human activity but also on climate variability that cannot be predicted.”
Utilizing a single climate model, the study authors speculate that fluctuations in the sea ice will increase due to a warming climate and thinning ice.
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other gases are not the only reason for the decline of the ice.
Scientists attributed half of the decline to “climate variability.” This seems at odds with the results from the UN’s IPCC’s AR4 report which dismisses natural climate variability as a reason for increased global temperatures.
The statement from NCAR said that the computer model used by the scientists “has certain biases” however it is unclear how that would have affected the results of the modeling that was performed. A recent study has demonstrated that computer models are significantly underestimating the Earth’s ability to dissipate heat.
Reliable sea ice measurements have only become a reality since 1979 when satellites started observations. However, data suggests that as recently as 5,500 years ago during the Holocene Thermal Maximum the Arctic had considerably less ice than what it does today.
This story was originally published on Examiner.com. Be sure to check out the Climate Change Examiner for the latest global warming and climate change news.
The passion of Al Gore for the manmade climate change theory is unquestionable. Since leaving public office he has become the self-appointed spokesman for the movement. At a forum in Aspen last week the former vice president launched into a profanity filled tirade against those who disagree with him.
The Climate Change Examiner reports that at an event held by the Aspen Institute, Gore called “Bulls–t” to arguments that seek to refute the anthropogenic global warming theory. Listen to the audio here.
“Gore said that just as the tobacco industry prevented health regulations, so too have corporate interests stopped the advancement of potentially job-killing rules such as Cap and Trade,” the Examiner writes.
More than that, Gore goes on to say:
The model they innovated in that effort was transported whole cloth into the climate debate. And some of the exact same people — by name, I can go down a list of their names — are involved in this. And so what do they do? They pay pseudo-scientists, to pretend to be scientists, to put out the message: “This climate thing, it’s nonsense. Man-made CO2 doesn’t trap heat. It may be volcanoes.” Bulls–t! “It may be sun spots.” Bulls–t! “It’s not getting warmer.” Bulls–t!
And there are about 10 other memes that are out there, and when you go and talk to any audience about climate, you hear them washing back at you. The same crap, over and over and over again … There is no longer a shared reality on an issue like climate even though the very existence of our civilization is threatened. People have no idea! And yet our ability to actually come to a shared reality that emphasizes the best evidence … It’s no longer acceptable in mixed company, meaning bipartisan company, to use the goddamn word “climate.”
That is quite a mouthful from the former VP.
Head on over to the Climate Change Examiner for the complete story include audio of Gore’s rant.
Does a move of 12 miles make a difference in what type of weather is seen in Colorado? Longtime residents know that our weather can vary greatly over short distances and this has many questioning the placement of Denver’s official weather monitoring station.
From 1871 to 1949 Denver’s weather was recorded at the National Weather Service’s office in downtown Denver. In January 1950 a move was made to Stapleton International Airport.
As that facility aged Denver opened Denver International Airport on the plains northeast of Denver in 1995. The weather service followed suit and moved the Mile High City’s official weather station the 12 miles to DIA.
Since that time, many weather watchers have noticed problems – DIA is consistently warmer and drier than the old site at Stapleton. Further, its remote location gives conditions far from where most people in Denver live and thus doesn’t accurately represent what they are experiencing.
Even bigger issues arise when comparing weather data taken today with measurements previously recorded at Stapleton or downtown. The different microclimates of the sites are so different that it becomes much like comparing apples and oranges.
This was recently made evident with the string of 90 degree or warmer days we put together. If you went by the station at DIA, the streak lasted 18 days putting in a three way tie for the second longest streak in Denver history. However, no monitoring station closer to the city was as warm.
Further, while July was certainly a wet month, DIA’s precipitation measurements fell far short of most other locations.
Amid concerns about a warming climate, can we trust the measurements at DIA? How is it possible to compare the weather today with historical weather when there is such a large discrepancy?
We recently tackled this topic on the Denver Weather Examiner and the conclusion is obvious – It simply is impossible to correlate current weather records with Denver’s historical ones. Further, the National Weather Service seems intent on ignoring the issue.
Former Vice President Al Gore spoke at the “Forests at Risk: Climate Change and the Future of the American West” symposium in Aspen this weekend issuing a dire warning about global warming. Gore told the crowd, “It’s unprecedented and we really have to face up to it.”
The Nobel Laureate and author of the book and movie “An Inconvenient Truth” warned that the pine beetle infestation striking Colorado forests was caused by manmade climate change. “If you love the forest and you care about what’s happening to them, the No. 1 connection that’s happening to them is warmer temperatures,” Gore told the compliant crowd.
The Denver Weather Examiner reports:
Utilizing a slideshow to demonstrate his point, Gore said, “The linkage these scientists have referred to over and over again with global warming is something some people resist but it’s a fact.”
Using the common refrain that significant weather events are related to man’s actions affecting the climate, Gore pointed to recent flooding in Brazil and Australia and last year’s flooding in his home state of Tennessee as evidence of this.
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Gore’s attempts to draw parallels between weather and climate change have gotten him into trouble in the past. He was forced to pull images from his popular presentation two years ago that showed an increase in natural disasters when it was found it could not be proven. NASA’s top climate scientist Dr. James Hansen has rebuked Gore saying he needed to be more “careful” in his claims.
The claims that Gore made at the symposium have been refuted in the past but he remains undeterred. Get more details on what the former VP said as well as counter arguments on the Denver Weather Examiner.
From the high-minded forums in the scientific community to the halls of Congress to main street America, manmade climate change is a hot topic (pun intended). Some scientists would have us believe the debate is over, Congress uses the theory to impress new taxes on citizens, and Americans are left wondering what to believe.
This week NOAA announced that 2010 tied as the warmest year on record and many immediately seized on it as proof of manmade climate change. Despite many arguments to the contrary, it becomes difficult to have a rational discussion about the merits of these claims as both sides can become quite set in their beliefs.
A new video, while humorous, portrays a hypothetical debate between a global warming alarmist and a denier and offers up some serious questions and doubts about the theory. From former Vice President Al Gore’s role as global warming cheerleader to the revelation about the behavior of “climate scientists” seen in the wake of the Climategate scandal the video presents them all.
Despite erroneous information continually being discovered in alarmists’ claims, many, like the alarmist in the movie, choose to turn a blind eye. While humorous, the video does highlight many of the valid questions that are asked by those who have their doubts about manmade climate change.
Skeptics of the anthropogenic global warming theory need to remember that while man may not be responsible for the overall warming seen in recent decades, as custodians of this planet we do shoulder some burden. Rational actions to keep the planet clean, move us toward energy independence and ensure we aren’t causing damage need to be considered.
For more about climate change, head on over to the Climate Change Examiner.
In a new blog posting on his website, former Vice President Al Gore said access by the press covering the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a ‘de facto form of censorship.’ Many however have been quick to seize on the fact that Gore himself bans press coverage of his own events.
The Nobel Laureate was writing a response to a report that a Times-Picayune photographer was not allowed to take photos of the expanding oil slick. Gore said, “This behavior is completely unacceptable. Access by reporters should be as unfettered as possible. This de facto form of censorship needs to stop.”
Bloggers and online news outlets were quick to seize on the apparent hypocrisy in Gore’s statement. The highly influential Drudge Report pointed to Gore’s posting followed by stories from 2008 and 2009 when the press was banned from covering the former vice president’s speeches.
There is more to this story including the errors that have been discovered in Gore’s books and movies and his recent personal life problems. Get all the details from the Climate Change Examiner.
Last week 255 scientists released a letter in the scientific journal Science decrying ‘assaults on climate science.’ It seemed like a powerful statement in an effort to stand up for climate scientists under siege after scandals and revelations of errors were discovered. However, the letter itself has caused controversy as the accompanying photo was a fake and it was discovered most of the signatories don’t even work in climate science fields.
The Climate Change Examiner reported on the original letter and the Photoshopped photo as well as the resumes of the individuals that signed the letter.
In regards to the photo, the Climate Change Examiner writes:
The photo included with the letter portrays a rather disturbing image of a lone polar bear afloat on a piece of ice in open ocean. The image provides graphical reinforcement to the many warnings the public has heard about shrinking Arctic ice.
However, it has been discovered that the image is in fact faked, a creation using Photoshop that does not portray any real situation or event. Used from istockphoto.com, the caption on that website clearly states, “This images [sic] is a Photoshop design. Polarbear, ice floe, ocean and sky are real, they were just not together in the way they are now.”
The trade magazine included no such disclaimer causing a great deal of embarrassment for an expert trade journal, its editors and the signers of the letter.
That certainly does not help climate scientists’ cause at all.
Further adding insult to injury, the resumes of the signatories fails to stand up to scrutiny:
An investigation into the professional backgrounds of the scientists finds that many do not work in climate science and some work in fields not even remotely related to it. In fact, among the first 20 listed, none work in climate science.
Pediatric surgeons, an expert in the Maya and the Olmec civilizations, a chemist that studies bacteria, a ‘computer pioneer’ with Microsoft, an electrical engineer, the chairman of a biotechnology firm, and even an expert studying corn are but a few of the 255 ‘experts’ that signed the letter.
There are many other questionable signatories on the letter that tries to convey the message that the ‘science is sound.’ This is of course leading one to question why their statements should be leant any great deal of credence, particularly since the credentials of climate change skeptics are similarly questioned.
In the wake of the Climategate email scandal and discoveries of errors and questionable citations in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, one would expect scientists would be doing their best to play things straight. Elementary errors such as these simply further damage their cause and show why the public is losing belief in the anthropogenic global warming theory.
Get the full story here:
.jpg "In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, NASA has released a collection of images of our globe as seen from space. Check out the complete set in the slideshow below.")
Today marks the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Day, an event designed to bring awareness to environmental and climate concerns. In celebration of the event, NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies has released a ‘best of’ collection of images of the Earth.
Manned and robotic spaceflight has allowed us to see the planet as was never possible. Images of our “blue marble” have become commonplace and it is hard to believe it was only 50 years ago that the first images of Earth taken in space were shown on television.
Satellites, space stations, Space Shuttles, robotic probes and more have beamed back images of the globe from orbit, the moon and even Mars.
In their most common form, these images are used to help analyze and predict the weather and are even routinely included in our daily weather forecasts. From monitoring the effects of climate change and the recent eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano amaze us today much as they did in 1960.
Below is a collection of images released today by NASA in honor of Earth Day 2010.
