It is no longer global warming because it isn't.

It is climate change because it does.

Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely.

— Thomas B. Macaulay (1800-1859), Essay on Southey's Colloquies

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.


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Friday, December 30, 2011

Is it the S U N and not the S U V?

New paper links the Sun to temperatures on earth. The comments after the article are instructive.

TSI is not the only factor. There are amplifications of solar influences. There is a 22 year Hale magnetic cycle that correlates with global temperatures.

Some other considerations on the Sun-Earth temperature link,


Polar Bears in Trouble - Expert

Ian Stirling, a biologist who has been studying polar bears for 41 years predicts that we will lose two thirds of the world's polar bears by the middle of this century.  He blames the ice loss in the Arctic for this tragedy. Dr. Stirling has been wrong before. Is he aware of the 60-70 year Arctic cycle??

If we actually knew how many polar bears there were and we could check at mid-century I would bet Mr Stirling that he is wrong. It is estimated that there are 20,000-25,000 polar bears in the world. It is an estimate. We don't actually know how many there are. Estimates are based on a number set for a generation of polar bears among other variables. Canada uses 12 years. The Americans use 15 years. It makes a difference. Recent research suggests that 10 years would be a better number to use.And that would mean more bears in the future.

Arctic sea ice melts in the summer. This is not news. What do the bears do? Do they need summer ice to survive? Maybe not. Since they have survived times that were warmer than now. it seems that they can and have learned to adapt to warmer climates. They seem to enjoy their time in the San Diego Zoo. Watch them in the background as the narrators explain how they need sea ice to survive. Check out the menu of the polar bears in the wild and what they are fed at the San Diego Zoo. It is not just seals that they munch on.

There are reports that suggest  that the polar bears are doing just fine. Here is the opinion of another expert on polar bears. Since the bears have survived previous warmings in the Arctic Mr Mitchell considers it irrational to suggest that they will become extinct as a result of the modern warming. That article is worth the read and there is a cute picture of Knut. If you don't tow the party line on human induced CO2 as the cause of the modern warming you aren't invited to conferences. Science is turning into politics.

Keep up to date on the Churchill polar bears at Polar Bear Alley or here. They survived another ice-free summer. Somehow they managed to survive the years when Hudson Bay had little to no ice in Novembers past.

There is lots of stupid stuff purveyed by the mainstream media about polar bears. Here is one from ABC.

Perhaps the media hysteria over melting arctic sea ice is overblown even as it sells advertising and generates funding for scientists to continue investigating.  Here are some recent facts about the sea ice rebound. Although the sea ice extent did reach a recent low in 2007 it has rebounded since then. 2011 has seen a very rapid freeze. And it doesn't look like this all the time in the Arctic. Here is the latest (Jan 2012) research on Arctic sea ice melt.

It appears that contrary to popular belief there will be plenty of ice in the winter on which the polar bears can forage. Nuuk in Greenland is not warming. It is cold in Barrow, Alaska. November temps are on the decline in Fairbanks, Alaska. How many want to live at Summit Camp, Greenland? And it is currently -16C in Churchill, Manitoba on Dec. 30, 2011. Good for the bears.

They will survive!

Here is the latest on the Churchill Polar Bears.






Thursday, December 29, 2011

Life 1993



It was a tough year for weather. Guess there have been other notable years for bad weather besides 2011.

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