This shows contours of the trend in ocean bottom pressure from 2002 to 2006 as measured by GRACE along with hypothetical trends that would apply at the circles if ocean salinity reverted from 1990s values to climatological conditions over the same period. (Credit: Image courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory)
Elevation :: 33 ft / 10 m
Temperature :: 41 °F / 5 °C
Conditions :: Overcast
Humidity :: 65%
Dew Point :: 30 °F / -1 °C
Wind :: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s from the SSE
Pressure :: 30.33 in / 1027 hPa (Rising)
Windchill :: 35 °F / 2 °C
Visibility :: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV:
0 out of 16
Clouds:
Mostly Cloudy 5000 ft / 1524 m
Overcast 6500 ft / 1981 m
(Above Ground Level)
This article is interesting in the data it puts forth, but, not necessarily the conclusions it comes to. In this is the 'lethargy' of believing the patterns of Human Induced Global Warming is a reality rather than a pattern. The Climate Change Earth is experiencing now is unique. There has never been the same pressure on Earth's troposphere ever in it's existance. The warming pattern THIS TIME in Earth's long history is caused by the activities of human beings and while ancient and recorded history would portray, AT TIMES, trends of weather and climate, it doesn't reflect the 'element' of human activity that provide the reality of current climate change patterns.
Scientific conclusions tend to be conservative in nature. Science accumulates data and takes a 'wait and see' momentum. It's prudent and in the past has proven to be wise and safe. However, in a world vastly warming and for decades in denial about it's own reality and that of the trend of Carbon Dioxide Accumulation, that 'conservative' nature innate to science hasn't served the reality of human existence or it's political machines well. That is why 'the politically wise' seem more radical, more robust in their assertions.
This is indeed disturbing news about The Arctic Ocean. I'll write more about it later as time permits.
Arctic Ocean Circulation Does An About-Face (click title to entry, thank you)
ScienceDaily (Nov. 14, 2007) — A team of NASA and university scientists has detected an ongoing reversal in Arctic Ocean circulation triggered by atmospheric circulation changes that vary on decade-long time scales. The results suggest not all the large changes seen in Arctic climate in recent years are a result of long-term trends associated with global warming.
The team, led by James Morison of the University of Washington's Polar Science Center Applied Physics Laboratory, Seattle, used data from an Earth-observing satellite and from deep-sea pressure gauges to monitor Arctic Ocean circulation from 2002 to 2006. They measured changes in the weight of columns of Arctic Ocean water, from the surface to the ocean bottom. ...That weight is influenced by factors such as the height of the ocean's surface, and its salinity. A saltier ocean is heavier and circulates differently than one with less salt.
Morison cautioned that while the recent decadal-scale changes in the circulation of the Arctic Ocean may not appear to be directly tied to global warming, most climate models predict the Arctic Oscillation will become even more strongly counterclockwise in the future. "The events of the 1990s may well be a preview of how the Arctic will respond over longer periods of time in a warming world," he said....
This is a small miracle, The Houston Chronicle is actually admitting there needs to be action on Human Induced Global Warming and Climate Change. I'll be darn !
Final report of a scientific panel on climate change should be a wake-up call for world leaders.
A crucial conference of world energy ministers next month in Bali, Indonesia, will plot the next steps by the world's governments in combating global warming. The final summary of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, issued over the weekend, lays out in stark terms the consequences the world faces if leaders fail to bring greenhouse gas emissions under control.
Even if rapidly increasing industrial discharges of carbon dioxide are slowed or stopped, temperatures and sea levels will continue to rise, low-lying lands will be inundated and many life forms will be driven into extinction. For the first time, the panel of hundreds of scientists, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, warns that the melting of the Greenland ice sheet could cause catastrophic rises in sea level in much shorter time frames than previously thought.
As the oceans absorb more CO2 and increase in acidity, vital aquatic food chains will be destroyed and fisheries threatened. Drought in Africa and Asia could reduce agricultural production by half by the year 2030, destabilizing governments and leaving millions of people in dire circumstances.
In unveiling the report, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared that the time for doubt has passed and "global warming is the defining challenge for our age." He called for a diplomatic breakthrough at the upcoming conference to replace a stalemate that has kept the two largest pollution producers, the United States and China, on the sidelines while the participants in the existing Kyoto treaty have sought to limit emissions....
Have a better day.
