Storm "Bertha" is a lesson in the sparcity of water vapor. It is a very unusual occurrence.

July 15, 2008
1830z
UNISYS water vapor satellite

Storm Bertha began on July 3, 2008. It was spawned out of the water vapor of western Africa. It was a storm that quickly went from Cat 1 to a Cat 3 in a matter of six hours on July 7th. The 'traverse' of this storm was more traditional, but, its activity is completely unique. The velocity of the storm as a Cat 3 moved it 'into position' where it took up residence for eight days between LONGITUDE 58.1, oscillating to the nearer shore longitude of 64.10. During this time it existed primarily as a Cat 1 oscillating to a Tropical Storm and then returning to Cat 1, but, now returning to TS velocities.

During that eight days, even though its velocity diminished to a tropical storm status, the pressure within the storm never returned to over 1000 millibars. It ranged from a low of 948 to a high of 995.

The position of the storm is interesting. It matches other entries on this blog whereby 'long sustained' vortexes were noted. Literally, what is occurring with "Bertha" is a shunting of heat into the oceans while the Arctic Ocean melts. "Bertha" is a 'help' to the heating troposphere and in an Earth plentiful with water vapor the storm would probably never dissipate. With the absence of the Arctic Ocean ice (which took tens of thousand of years to establish and only a century to destroy) we would see a 'permanent' vortex shunting heat into the ocean.

However, that won't happen here. There isn't enough water vapor at the Earth's surface to support such a benevolent phenomena. If there was plentiful water vapor there would be many Berthas in the ocean and not just one.

While there has been other hurricanes that have lasted up to two weeks historically, none have this dynamics. Most of the sustained hurricanes lasting such a long time have become deadly storms with minimal Cat 3 velocities. This 'sustained' hurricane is very, very different and outside the definition of 'usual' in any way.

The two images below illustrate clearly a storm deprived of water vapor as it traversed Earth's ocean on a northward movement. Here again, without the support of Equatorial water vapor the storm weakened. The picture of July 15th shows a 'thirsty' storm while the picture of July 7th shows a 'well sustained' storm.

The high pressure that exists from Hawaii to the eastern seaboard of North America is supported by Bertha. The storm literally has removed water vapor and shunted heat from the troposphere into the ocean allowing a 'drying' of the entire area of interest and virtually calming winds. California has a respit, but, it won't last.

The storm that continues to be Bertha is a symptom of a very hot Earth under the blanket of carbon dioxide generated by the burning of fossil fuels.

July 15, 2008 (NASA link - click here)


July 7, 2008 (NASA link - click here)

It is an interesting satellite view - click for 3 hour loop

July 15, 1008
1730z
UNISYS Water Vapor Satellite of the North and West Hemisphere

The USA has an opportunity to dispatch available fire personnel to assist Califonia while "Bertha" is still spinning offshore. It has created a 'high pressure' over a large area of the USA including Hawaii and an opportunity for low winds and optimal conditions to fight the still raging California wildfires. The high pressure system won't last forever.

I am far from finished today, but, I'll be back a little later.

Probably this afternoon.

North Carolina is the dumping ground of every undesirable industry in the world. Wilmington and New Hanover county is facing the 'instillation' of huge levels of environmental pollutants, with designs to build a concrete plant and now a uranium enrichment facility.

The politicans in that county are among the worst in the world. Don't care about anything except the money that lines their pockets.

There are fisheries throughout the region and North Carolina State government has worked hard to return the native osyter to prominence for the poeple that harvest them. When is New Hanover County going to stop being the pariah in North Carolina. It's a coastal community and has some of the worst water quality and fishery experts in the world in their local and county government. And now with idiots like Rosemary DePaolo in the chancellorship at UNCW the future of the North Carolina coast is in question. The former chancellor, Dr. James Leutze (currently Chancellor Emeritus), brought a level of expertise the region needed along with the authority to carry it out. It is a mess in New Hanover County, NC.

This stupidity in government for this county never stops. Its amazing.

NRC will hold meeting here Thursday on GE uranium proposal (click here)
Federal regulators are coming to Wilmington on Thursday for a public meeting about what GE Hitachi must do to win a license to build a uranium enrichment plant - specifically what it will do to protect public safety, worker health and the environment.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will field questions and comments during the meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday on the campus of the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
"Our role is to review the application for the technical programs the company has to protect people from radioactive and chemical hazards, and to do an environmental impact statement," NRC Senior Project Manager T.C. Johnson said Monday....

The warming of the region never stopped even though there was severe cold at the top of the 3 mile Blue Ice.

This is the NASA photoes from March, but, the article at this link (click here) shows images from the European Space Agency and more recent images from June and July. The 'ice bridge' to the island is nearly gone.

The Wilkins Ice Sheet has been rapidly deteriorating. The lastest report is that its integrity is rapidly diminishing.

Photos from NASA (click here)

The destruction of the Wilkins Ice Sheet is notable as unique and still another danger sign of the impacts of Human Induced Global Warming. While the initial collapse occurred in the Summer of the Southern Hemisphere it didn't stop into the Winter and today the deteriorating effects are relentless even during the coldest months there.

The 'sound' must be interesting in Antarctica. There is nothing similar to that of cracking and creeking ice when it is in mass of a glacier or ice sheet. It can cause 'ice quakes' and all sorts of havoc.

The weather at Scott Base, Ross Island, Antarctica is (Crystal Ice Chime) getting warmer. Vostok was - 96 F, it ain't no more.

Some of the conservation societies have been waging a battle to save the biotic content of the Southern Oceans.

One of the them is "Sea Shepard."

Greenpeace is known globally for its good work in saving the lives of whales from immoral ambitions of whaling ships around Antarctica.

But, Sea Shepard is rarely noted for its determined efforts. They have an interesting website and seek protection for more than whales.

Not to diminish that importance. Baleen whales are one of the vital links to stopping and reversing the trend in Human Induced Global Warming, but, the other species that feed on algae, diatoms and krill are just as important. And Sea Shepard is correct in protecting them.