Another selection from my interview with Dr. Jennifer Francis – What does this year’s sea ice loss mean, and are we seeing the beginning of another arctic feedback?
Dr. Francis addresses the newly popular “but there was a big storm” dodge we’ve been seeing here in comments and elsewhere.
I thought that the screen area for the interviewer was too small – once I noticed the overlay. You deserve many more pixels. (It’d look better too.)
you know how shy I am
Get a haircut hippie!!! 😉
have to get a job and take a bath first.
I think I see the problem – you’re doing it in the wrong order.
Bathe first – the job interviews will probably go a lot better 😀
I like Dr Francis’ refreshing expression of confidence in what science tells us: “99.9% sure” that it is green house gases. Her last point: that it is not important that the Arctic will be ice free in summer soon because the damage has already been done rings a very loud bell that won’t be heard by many.
She is a great communicator interviewed by (if I may) a great communicator.
you may. thanks.
Her last point: that it is not important that the Arctic will be ice free in summer soon because the damage has already been done rings a very loud bell that won’t be heard by many.
Well said. This is symptomatic of a major flaw in mass media (and indeed our society as a whole): its focus is sensationalism, driven by a need to generate eyeballs for the adverts that are necessary for growth-centric lunacy.
You picked my meaning well!
Here’s one that needs to be passed along to every climate change denialist. They need to believe in new weird stuff. Their old routines are getting stale:
http://what-if.xkcd.com/12/
This one is even better: http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/
Topic: “If every person on Earth aimed a laser pointer at the Moon at the same time, would it change color?”
Surprising answers follow. Although denialists should be aware, science is involved and you riske being left behind. Better to continue reading your Tim LeHaye fantasies.
It’s not just global warming. It’s global weirding.
=> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd7sAQWQzso
Dr. Francis is interviewed by Wired:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/09/arctic-snow-melt/
The comments are almost funny to read. It turns out that avid libertarian technologists don’t have much of a grasp of climate science, but they do exhibit a great deal of hubris. For example, while climate change is being implicated in the massively costly drought across the core of North America, one Wired cognoscenti notes that soon massive abundance will soon be springing forth from the tundra. Hilariously out of touch with reality, I’m afraid.
UK Independent: “Now climate experts warn that every house in the country is at risk of flooding ”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/now-climate-experts-warn-that-every-house-in-the-country-is-at-risk-of-flooding-8190500.html
What we are quite possibly looking at here is some of the unusual weather Dr. Francis has been predicting for this fall and winter.
What is of note here is that much of the flooding in the UK is not from rivers overflowing but rather from massive downpours exceeding the capacity of town drainage schemes to handle the flow. In other words, we’re seeing signs of the atmosphere carrying more water content, and dumping it in more massive downpours than was previously the pattern. Recall the situation in Duluth, MN over the summer when they experienced something similar.
Here’s something I found quite interesting. While the polar jet stream took a huge and rare excursion down to Latitude 28 at the Canary Islands, Tropical Storm Nadine contributed moisture to the jet stream flow which the proceeded to inundate southern Spain, as well as the UK:
http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=news;storyid=1238;sess=
Regarding the drought in North America, one of the points never mentioned in MSM is the dying off of species due to evaporation of water sources, ponds, small lakes and streams. I’m finding empty turtle shells here in southern Michigan. Swallows came and went within a few weeks, probably because there are no mosquitoes and very few moths. NO frogs or toads around since May. So far in Michigan there have been 4800 deer deaths due to hemorrhagic fever caused by the proliferation of a small fly that emerges during drought. Trees are dying, and they’re cutting down trees like crazy to feed the outdoor furnaces everyone is getting to avoid buying propane or using natural gas. There’s a bad scenario aborning. Things like this are never mentioned because except for farmers and rural populations, urban centers do NOT talk about natural effects that don’t concern city dwellers. Clearly Washington D.C. has a mental block about all of this because we can’t even get a FARM BILL passed!
Here’s a well-written guest blog from Scientific American regarding Arctic Sea Ice. It’s a nice summary of several key aspects to the changes we are witnessing:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/09/21/arctic-sea-ice-what-why-and-what-next/
Headline:
Arctic Sea Ice: What, Why and What Next
By Ramez Naam | September 21, 2012
Thanks very much for that link — very informative. I found this graphic particularly revealing, especially when coupled with the associated text:
(On the downside, the author’s asides about the ‘economic benefit’ of an ‘ice-free’ Arctic are, in my opinion, somewhat naive.)
If this situation worries you as much as it does me, please consider investigating the Save The Arctic campaign.