Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Explaining recent global warming's impacts on weather

Below are three lectures that discuss important aspects and observed dynamics of our global heat distribution engine. They come from last years "Breckenridge Weather and Climate Summit."

Weather and Climate Summit - Day 3, Session 6

Dr. Jennifer Francis, Rutger's University

Wacky Weather and Disappearing Arctic Sea Ice: Are They Connected?

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Weather and Climate Summit - Day 5, Session 9

Dr. Jennifer Francis, Rutger's University

The Arctic Paradox

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Weather and Climate Summit - Day 5, Session 10

Dr. Jim White, University of Colorado

Climate Change Impacts Are Happening Faster and Faster-

Greenland, Sea Level Rise and Some Atmospheric Chemistry

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2012 Breckenridge Weather and Climate Summit:

http://www.stormcenter.com/wxcs2012/index.html

2013 Glen Gerberg Weather and Climate Summit - January 2013

The Weather and Climate Summit was established in 1985 to bring together television weathercasters and meteorologists from top U.S. and Canadian markets with leading scientists and researchers. This summit allows for dynamic and frequent interchange between the media and scientists in order to foster improved communication and collaboration between these diverse professions.

The Weather and Climate Summit enables television meteorologists to learn more about upcoming technologies and research findings that will lead to improved public awareness. The Weather and Climate Summit also helps the attendees and scientists understand how each one operates, produces information, conducts research and communicates. The ultimate outcome of this summit is the establishment of improved media-scientist relationships that fosters continued dialogue for improved scientific communication to the public.

Goal of Summit Participants

To learn about advanced technologies that can help improve weather forecasting and warning dissemination;

To understand the latest on the state of the climate and climate science research;

To better understand how extreme weather and climate change may impact their viewers;

Foster improved relationships with the speakers, scientists and subject matter experts.

http://www.stormcenter.com/wxcsummit/

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For an encore here's a short video from Potholer54 examining the most recent round of "it's not warming" claims.

24 - Global warming has stopped? Again??

Published on Oct 18, 2012

No, sadly the Mail on Sunday has got it wrong... yet again.

Here's what's behind the sensational news that global warming ended in 1997,

and how it comes from misreporting, misquotes and omissions.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Hydraulic Fracturing ~ Collection of information sources

updated August 14, 2013 - to add this cautionary tale from Texas.

Considering, Swift Energy Company is proposing to drill in the heart of "The Dry Side" where we are already experiencing an increasingly serious water situation, for instance, the only public well near Marvel is threatening to dry up and local water officials seem powerless to do anything about it.

The area water table is dropping fast... where is Swift Energy Company going to get it's water?... and what will happen to that water after they've use it and soiled it?

This is an issue that needs to be addressed - before giving Swift the green light.

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"A Texan tragedy: ample oil, no water"
Fracking boom sucks away precious water from beneath the ground, leaving cattle dead, farms bone-dry and people thirsty.

Suzanne Goldenberg in Barnhart, Texas
theguardian.com, Sunday 11 August 2013
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/11/texas-tragedy-ample-oil-no-water

"... Across the south-west, residents of small communities like Barnhart are confronting the reality that something as basic as running water, as unthinking as turning on a tap, can no longer be taken for granted.

Three years of drought, decades of overuse and now the oil industry's outsize demands on water for fracking are running down reservoirs and underground aquifers. And climate change is making things worse.

In Texas alone, about 30 communities could run out of water by the end of the year, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Nearly 15 million people are living under some form of water rationing, barred from freely sprinkling their lawns or refilling their swimming pools. In Barnhart's case, the well appears to have run dry because the water was being extracted for shale gas fracking. ..."

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[updated 2/22/2013]

I attended a local meeting recently, held by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission as part of the regulatory process for an energy company that plans to come into our area to drill a couple test holes; do some fracking; with an eye towards commercial development.

I don't know much about "Fracking" My gut instincts are skeptical towards it, but then I've never done any serious studying on it, so I'm in no position judge. I'll admit to being impressed with some of the statistics and other information the oil/gas people were sharing. At home, after the meeting, my initial searches kept reinforcing the feeling that: well, perhaps the dangers have been over hyped after all. But then other stuff started coming across conflicting with the confident security displayed by the many pro-drilling websites.

At the moment I remain agnostic ~ but since a neighbor and friend asked me to do my thing on this issue and compile a collection of informative sources to share with others ~
Here it is, without any further commentary.

Contents:

Of blog moderation and citizen GCM audits

The following came out of a conversation I had with a character along with some interesting experiences in the 'echo-chamber.' You see, I've become the butt end of some vicious below the belt insults and labels and it occurred to me that perhaps it was time for me to start getting down'n personal too.

But, rather than the denialist penchant for attacking the 'opponent,' I figure maybe I should get down'n personal about myself. It might help shed some light on folks like me and what drives our various blogging missions to expose more folks to the rational aspect of climate science... the things that Republicans and their professional denialists do everything to distracting us from.