Month: April 2017

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NYT Somehow Ties Trump To Years Of NASA Mismanagement On Climate Data

NYT Somehow Ties Trump To Years Of NASA Mismanagement On Climate Data

via Climate Change Dispatch
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Fears of President Donald Trump deleting climate data seem to have morphed into a fear of “data gaps” due to the White House’s proposed budget cuts. The New York Times reports scientists fear Trump’s budget will cause a “data gap” for long-term climate monitoring studying global warming since the administration proposes cutting four satellite programs. One scientist […]

via Climate Change Dispatch http://ift.tt/2jXMFWN

April 11, 2017 at 07:14AM

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Reply From The BBC Re Miami Complaint

Reply From The BBC Re Miami Complaint

via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
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By Paul Homewood

 

 

You will no doubt recall my report last month, Miami Beach Turning Into Modern Day Atlantis–Fake News BBC, about a BBC World at One item.

 

The segment discussed sea level rise at Miami, and the BBC correspondent made two outrageous claims:

1) Rising seas and flooding are turning Miami Beach into a modern day Atlantis, the city being submerged by water”

2) Sea levels at Miami are rising at ten times the global rate.

 

I filed a complaint, both about these two specific fallacious claims, but also about the general tenor of the programme, which failed dismally to present any actual facts.

I have just received this reply:

 

 

Thanks for contacting us about Radio 4’s ‘The World at One’ on 27 March.

We understand you feel the programme allowed inaccurate comments about the sea levels in Florida.

This piece was about President Trump signing an order undoing President Obama’s climate change policies; it went on to talk about flooding in the southern coast of Florida – predicted rising sea levels in Florida being something that’s been widely reported across various media outlets. The presenter here explained that because the area is built on porous limestone, the water seeps up through the ground.

We reported the concerns of the local residents who pointed out scientists agree that the flood defences will soon offer inadequate protection. We also heard from a Trump supporter who didn’t think the issue was caused by climate change, and so was also voicing her opinions.

We’re committed to impartial and balanced coverage of climate change. Furthermore we accept that there is broad scientific agreement on the issue and reflect this accordingly. Across our programmes the number of scientists and academics who support the mainstream view far outweighs those who disagree with it. We do however on occasion, offer space to dissenting voices where appropriate as part of the BBC’s overall commitment to impartiality.

 

In other words, they are claiming that they were simply “reporting the concerns of residents”. This, of course, totally ignored the fact that their own correspondent made two grossly inaccurate claims, both clearly designed to ramp up the climate scare.

There was no balance to the programme, and nowhere were facts used to challenge these outlandish claims.

 

I have refused to accept their reply, and have sent this resubmission:

 

I have now received a reply to the above complaint, which is wholly unacceptable.

There is no point restating the facts via the online form, so I will outline my reasons here, so that you can resubmit my complaint.

The gist of the segment on World at One was that sea levels were rising rapidly around Miami Beach.

The correspondent actually stated “rising seas and flooding are turning Miami Beach into a modern day Atlantis, the city being submerged by water”

It was later claimed that sea levels at Miami are rising at ten times the global rate. (It was not clear whether it was the correspondent who stated this, due to very poor editing)

An interviewee then claimed that Miami had 30 yrs left. At no stage were we told who he was, nor was he challenged.

The facts concerning sea level rise are very clear. NOAA have a database of sea level data from tide gauges. As the link below shows, sea levels around Florida have been rising at a rate of about 2mm/yr since the early 20thC. Approximately a quarter of this is due to the land sinking.

http://ift.tt/2ntyspI

Furthermore, sea levels were rising as fast as now during the early 20thC, before slowing down around the 1960s and 70s when the world was cooling:

http://ift.tt/2opbiS1

In other words there is no acceleration in rise.

Photographic evidence shows that the few inches of sea level rise since the early 20thC has had no noticeable effect whatsoever at Miami Beach.

It is also fact that Miami Beach was a swamp before being developed, and parts are actually below sea level. Unsurprisingly then, floods occasionally happen.

As you will see from the reply from the BBC, the programme was claimed to be simply reporting the views of residents. However, this does not stand up to scrutiny. It was the correspondent himself who talked in completely fallacious, inflammatory and irresponsible fashion about a modern day Atlantis. The claim about at ten times the global rate is also wholly wrong.

We are not told who the interviewee is, nor that he is a resident who clearly knows nothing about the subject. Instead, the whole segment is presented as “fact”.

Your reply uses the usual get out clause that you are only reflecting the broad scientific agreement on the issue. Clearly however, this has nothing to do with “science”, and everything to do with “facts”, which don’t support the wild claims made.

It is the BBC’s duty to inform. If members of the public are given a platform to spout nonsense, they should surely be challenged. Clearly the correspondent either did no know the facts, or did not care.

Please resubmit my complaint

Many thanks

Paul Homewood

via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT http://ift.tt/16C5B6P

April 11, 2017 at 06:00AM

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Meteorologist: US Southwest “Permanent” Drought Totally Gone! …US “Now As Good As It Gets”!

Meteorologist: US Southwest “Permanent” Drought Totally Gone! …US “Now As Good As It Gets”!

via NoTricksZone
http://notrickszone.com

What follows is another example climate-scare prediction turned folly.

The NOAA’s and the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) National Drought Mitigation Center’s (NDMC) US drought monitor map that follows now shows extraordinarily little drought conditions across the USA, despite earlier predictions of permanent drought and misery over vast regions.

Meteorologist Paul Dorian of vencoreweather.com here in fact writes that moisture conditions across the US are now “about as good as it gets“.

He reports that “severe”, “extreme” or “exceptional” drought conditions are limited to a puny 1.6% of the continental US. Going back to the year 2000, only February and March of 2010 had similar limited drought conditions on a nationwide basis that we are enjoying today.

In fact the news may actually get better with the next drought monitor update as the numbers cited in today’s posting reflect only precipitation data registered through last Tuesday, April 4th and does not include the substantial rainfall that fell late last week in California and across the southern and eastern US.

<img src=”http://ift.tt/2ow90B2” alt=”Western US drought conditions from one year ago (left) to current (right); courtesy NOAA/CPC” />

Western US drought conditions from one year ago (left) to current (right); courtesy NOAA/CPC

Western US drought conditions from one year ago (left) to current (right); courtesy NOAA/CPC

Discussion on current and recent conditions

In recent years, much of the western US was suffering through widespread and deep drought conditions, but that has changed dramatically in recent months; especially, in the state of California. One year ago, much of California was in the midst of an “exceptional” drought – the worst category of drought as classified by NOAA – but all of that has changed dramatically this winter season with a tremendous amount of rainfall throughout the state.

Today nowhere is California classified by NOAA/NDMC as experiencing “exceptional” (D4) or “extreme” (D3) drought conditions and less than one percent of California is currently experiencing “severe” (D2) drought.

<img src=”http://ift.tt/2ow92c8” alt=”Sierra Nevada Mountains provide more than 60% of California’s developed water supply” />

Sierra Nevada Mountains provide more than 60% of California's developed water supply

Massive Sierra Nevada snowpack

Figure right: Sierra Nevada Mountains provide more than 60% of California’s developed water supply

In addition to the recent rainfall in California, there has been an extreme amount of snow this winter season in the higher elevations of the Sierra Mountains across eastern California.  Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada region plays a critical role in California’s water supply as a natural form of water storage. More than 60% of California’s water originates in the Sierra Nevada region.

There has actually been so much snow this winter in some of the higher elevation locations that the National Guard has been called out to help with the removal of the snow. Another 3 or 4 feet of fresh snow piled up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on Friday of last week in the latest major storm to affect California with significant rain and snow.

Now “as good as it gets.”

Also much of the south-central and eastern US experienced dry weather during the fall and winter seasons and this led to the declaration by NOAA/NDMC of “abnormally dry” (D0) or “moderate” (D1) drought conditions in many areas. But like California, recent significant rainfall events during a very active weather pattern have improved overall conditions in many regions across the south-central and eastern US.

<img src=”http://ift.tt/2owajj4” alt=”The Palmer drought index, sometimes called the Palmer drought severity index and often abbreviated PDSI, is a measurement of dryness based on recent precipitation and temperature. The Palmer Drought Index is based on a supply-and-demand model of soil moisture. Drought conditions were extremely widespread and severe in July 1934 during the midst of the “Dust Bowl” era. ” />

The Palmer drought index, sometimes called the Palmer drought severity index and often abbreviated PDSI, is a measurement of dryness based on recent precipitation and temperature. The Palmer Drought Index is based on a supply-and-demand model of soil moisture. Drought conditions were extremely widespread and severe in July 1934 during the midst of the “Dust Bowl” era. 

The Palmer drought index shows that drought conditions were extremely widespread and severe in July 1934 during the midst of the “Dust Bowl” era, far worse than what was experienced over the past years. Chart: NOAA

The worst heat and drought conditions by far occurred in 1930s

Meteorologist Dorian explains that any drought talk of recent years really pales in comparison to what happened in this country during the decade of the 1930’s. In the “The Grapes of Wrath”, John Steinbeck vividly captured the plight of millions of Americans whose lives had been crushed by what is referred to as the “Dust Bowl” era – a time when “climate gas” CO2 levels were far lower.

The 1930’s still ranks as the hottest and driest in US recorded history and the “Dust Bowl” was truly a significant event in our national history.

<img src=”http://ift.tt/2pqhE1c” alt=”The figure on the left shows the annual values of the U.S. Heat Wave Index from 1895 to 2015 for the contiguous 48 states. An index value of 0.2, for example, could mean that 20 percent of the country experienced one heat wave, 10 percent of the country experienced two heat waves, or some other combination of frequency and area resulted in this value.  Data source: Kunkel, 2016 (EPA).  The figure on the right shows the number of all-time maximum temperature records at USHCN weather stations that reached extreme heights in 1936 – far and away above any other year.” />

The figure on the left shows the annual values of the U.S. Heat Wave Index from 1895 to 2015 for the contiguous 48 states. An index value of 0.2, for example, could mean that 20 percent of the country experienced one heat wave, 10 percent of the country experienced two heat waves, or some other combination of frequency and area resulted in this value.  Data source: Kunkel, 2016 (EPA).  The figure on the right shows the number of all-time maximum temperature records at USHCN weather stations that reached extreme heights in 1936 - far and away above any other year.

The figure on the left shows the annual values of the U.S. Heat Wave Index from 1895 to 2015 for the contiguous 48 states. An index value of 0.2, for example, could mean that 20 percent of the country experienced one heat wave, 10 percent of the country experienced two heat waves, or some other combination of frequency and area resulted in this value. Data source: Kunkel, 2016 (EPA).

The above figure on the right shows the number of all-time maximum temperature records at USHCN weather stations that reached extreme heights in 1936 – far and away above any other year.

Tens of thousands of “climate refugees”

Conditions were so dry in such a widespread part of the country that dust storms formed numerous times in the Central Plains as loose soil turned to dust which the prevailing winds blew away in huge clouds that blackened the skies – even as far away as the east coast. The drought came in three waves during this decade, 1934, 1936 and 1939-1940, and tens of thousands of families had to abandon their farms.

Dorian summarizes today’s conditions:

Yes, these are pretty fortunate times we are currently living through across the US.”

See Vencore meteorologist Paul Dorian’s full report here.

 

via NoTricksZone http://notrickszone.com

April 11, 2017 at 05:57AM

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Climate change causes quietest cyclone season in Southern Hemisphere

Climate change causes quietest cyclone season in Southern Hemisphere

via JoNova
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Spot the effect of man-made CO2 in this graph.

Terror, terror I tell you — as the accumulated energy of cyclones in the southern half of the planet reaches a new low, far below anything seen in records that go back to 1971.

From the Daily Caller, and @Ryan Maue

Meteorologist Ryan Maue of Weatherbell Analytics noted tropical cyclone activity in the Southern Hemisphere for the 2016-2017 season is the “quietest on record, by far” based on records going back nearly five decades.

So far, the Southern Hemisphere has seen 13 named storms, including four hurricane-strength storms. Only two of those storms became major hurricanes, Category 3 or higher, according to data compiled by Colorado State University.

I don’t think Al Gore won’t be mentioning this is his inconvenient advertising.

h/t GWPF

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April 11, 2017 at 05:29AM