Climate Contrasts

NOAA to Map Alaska's Increasingly Ice-Free Arctic Waters | Climate Central
the Arctic is warming faster than average

Ice-Free Arctic Has Normal Ice | Real Science
Temperatures in the Arctic are far below normal.

Above are two reports that are in disagreement. Do we believe NOAA or do we believe Real Science?

The arbitrator is, of course, Mother Nature. And she agrees with Real Science. Here is some more references provided by Real Science and if you check them out by going to the quoted websites you will realize that.

Alaskan Sea Ice Normal Or Above For More Than A Year

Ice Free Alaska

Bering Sea Ice Was Normal Or Above Every Day In 2012

Hopefully Alaska Is No Longer The Canary In The Coal Mine

Arctic Meltdown Update : Most Bering Sea Ice In At Least Four Decades

Bering Sea Ice Increasing – Blew Away All Records This Year

Bering Sea Ice Area Was 150% Of Normal This Past Winter

How come NOAA doesn’t know this?

Alaska is getting colder and Arctic temps are below normal.

NOAA seems to have disappeared down the rabbit hole to visit Alice and is reporting from Wonderland because the world above ground is not what they think it is.

Why The Public has trouble accepting CAGW

In the news (MSM) we see reports about glacier drainage that relate "Fast-flowing and narrow glaciers have the potential to trigger massive changes in the Antarctic ice sheet and contribute to rapid ice-sheet decay and sea-level rise, a new study has found."

But climate realists are also aware of studies that  indicate that conclusions about the Antarctic ice sheet melt are all wet. Antarctica is gaining ice mass according to GRACE.

So how is it possible to conclude that the science is settled when there are conflicting reports about the state of the Antarctic ice sheet? Excuse us our skepticism but conflicting reports about the same phenomenon is evidence of disagreement among scientists. The science is not settled. It is in flux as people try to sort out what is really going on.

We see a similar Armageddon approach to the record low ice melt in the Arctic in the summer of 2012. Proof positive that global warming via human CO2 emissions is happening. Predictions of an ice-free Arctic by summer 2015 and ice free year round by 2030 have followed.

Where have we heard these kind of predictions before? Similar concerns about Arctic warming were on the minds of people back in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. We are still waiting for the arrival of an ice free Arctic.

"We are in a planetary emergency," said Hansen, decrying "the gap between what is understood by scientific community and what is known by the public."

And yet others say 'Don't Panic' and present evidence that Arctic ice melt is nothing to get excited about because it has happened before and is due to natural causes.

What is a layperson to do? Who to believe?

And to make it worse some people claim the reduced Arctic ice will cause Northern Hemisphere winters to become worse while others decry the loss of the world's 'air-conditioner' and fear it is a harbinger of even greater global warming. Yet another study says N. Hemisphere winters may not get worse. Warmer winters; colder winters. Which is it? How about snowy winters?

Meanwhile at the south end of the planet Antarctic sea ice is at a maximum in direct contradiction to the direction predicted by astute climate models. That heat trapping gas, CO2, seems to act preferentially in the Northern Hemisphere. Maybe it is too cold for it in the South. And it is getting colder in Antarctica.

Warm in the Arctic; cold in the Antarctic.
Hot here; cold there.
Heat distribution not so rare.

Could it be that the atmosphere adjusts to warming in one area by inducing cold elsewhere?

And what are we to make of a Snow and Ice expert like Mark Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Centre in Colorado, who can't keep his story straight on what is going on in the Arctic.Click the link for an overview of his confusion.

There were 11 snowfall records set in the US state of Nevada on Sept 17, 2012 and yet we are told by global warming alarmists that snow is a thing of the past.

Then we get reports that say the sea ice volume in the Arctic is decreasing both slower and faster than the sea ice extent.

There is this bit of 'settled science' about American Crows reported at Tom Nelson's blog. Someone reports that crows are a threatened species and someone else can't stand the stench of their deposits as thousands of them converge on the town.

So what are people to think about what the experts 'know' when we are given such conflicting opinions? The state of climate science is reminiscent of the caffeine is good/bad for you studies and the latest man-made chemical that can cause cancer. People soon tune out and conclude that the 'experts' don't know what they are talking about. Conflicting media reports spawn skepticism and this is bad for science. Scientists need to come to the media and the public with their stories straight if they expect us to take them seriously. Otherwise, they enter the category of entertainment rather than providing the good guidance we would like to receive from our scientists.

But scientists have a vested interest in manufacturing and exaggerating scares because it keeps the funding coming. Conflicting results mean more studies are required. The MSM loves a good scare as it is good for advertising revenues. More viewers mean better ratings. And politicians rush to get on the bandwagon of the latest scare so they are seen to be taking the moral high road. This is good for their re-election prospects.

Meanwhile the truth gets lost until scientists finally sort it out. And since we are still here all previous 'end times' scares have turned out to be bogus or politicians claim that the actions they took were successful whether those actions were necessary or not.

To an interested public climate science is hopelessly confused.

Here is another example of muddled thinking on climate change. Some excerpts below, emphasis added.

"Heat waves. Drought. Flooding. Cold spells. Wildfires. The climate system is changing before our very eyes, and there is no more glaring proof than the record-shattering loss of Arctic sea ice this summer.
...It now appears, however, that a gradual warming may not be the primary concern, as the gases may also fuel extreme weather around the world.
...
The weather we experience at mid-latitudes is largely dictated by these waves in the jet stream. The slower the waves move, the longer the weather associated with them will persist. Essentially, “hot,” “dry,” “cold,” and “rainy” are all terms to describe very normal weather conditions. It’s only when those conditions persist in one area for too long that they are dubbed with the names of their extreme alter egos: heat waves, drought, cold spells, and floods. And these kinds of extreme events are precisely what we’ve seen more of in recent years.

Global warming now has a face and a fingerprint that directly touch each of our lives. Rather than just a gradual increase in temperature, we can recognize its influence in a shift toward more extreme weather events. A warmer atmosphere also means a moister atmosphere, so any given storm will have more moisture and energy to work with, increasing the chances of flooding or heavy snows."

Jennifer admits to a gradual warming that is responsible for both heat waves and cold spells. The warming may not be the most important result of GHG gases as they lead to more extreme weather. The warming atmosphere may also be responsible for heavy snows. So warm produces cold? It must be cold to be cold but somehow that nasty heat trapping CO2 manages to generate heavy snow and cold spells? It would be interesting to know the mechanism by which that takes place. Do the CO2 molecules congregate in the warm areas thus reducing CO2 in cold places? Is that why they are cold? How do CO2 molecules decide where  to hold their convention of warmth? Did they pick the US Midwest in the summer of 2012 and leave Britain and Sweden without sufficient protection so they had cold summers? Jennifer might like to re-check her info on the prevalence of extreme weather in our recent history. It has been on the decrease.Can we conclude that increasing CO2 in the atmosphere leads to less severe weather?

The pundits are parroting the conventional wisdom uncritically because it fits with their view of the world. It is getting warmer and humans are at fault. Pogo science. Those who know have a responsibility to educate and for their efforts they are called deniers which adds credence to the view that the issue of climate change is all about a political agenda and has nothing to do with the truth. The Club of Rome has said as much.

"In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill....All these dangers are caused by human intervention....and thus the “real enemy, then, is humanity itself....believe humanity requires a common motivation, namely a common adversary in order to realize world government. It does not matter if this common enemy is “a real one or….one invented for the purpose."


One invented for the purpose.... kind of says it all. And misanthropic Pogo science drives it.

Tunnel Vision

CAGW believers like to report instances of the climate that confirm their bias. They are not interested in educating the public but in pursuing a political agenda. If the weather supports the cause the alarm is raised in the press. Contrary evidence s ignored, downplayed or explained away. Mother Nature likes to make fools out of those who think they know her. The public is no fool. That leaves....

If the Arctic sea ice extent melts to a record low this is reported.

If the Antarctic sets a sea ice extent maximum record this is ignored or downplayed because it contradicts the climate model predictions. It seems ludicrous to try to make the connection between record high Antarctic ice extent and a warming world.

Back in 1975 some scientists wanted to melt the Arctic to deal the global cooling. Since we do not know what we are doing perhaps it is better to leave Mother Nature alone.

In the summer of 2012 temperatures in the mid west and eastern US were setting records. This was reported as confirmation of global warming.

Now that the tables are turned and in early October 2012 cold temperature records are being set we have silence from the MSM. It seems ludicrous to try to make the connection between record cold temperatures and a warming world.

When something unusual happens like the derecho in the US on June 29, 2012 alarmists are all over it pretending that it is another example of weather caused by CAGW and predicting apocalypse. As Lester Brown asked: Derecho. I mean, there we were, who knew what a Derecho was until it happened?

And yet a little research shows that a derecho has occurred many times in the past. It is easy to forget the past when we were not previously concerned about the phenomenon as an example of CAGW.

With a burst of tornadoes in 2011 the press exploded with dire predictions of climate doom if humans did not immediately cut their emissions of CO2. Some research showed that the frequency of severe tornadoes is on the decrease.

And so it goes with other instances of severe weather. An atmosphere with today's higher levels of CO2 seems to be a calmer place. This goes unreported. It seems ludicrous to try and make the case for increasing severe weather when the graphs slope downwards.

Making unsupported claims to instil fear is disingenuous and will be discovered by the public. The reputations of alarmist scientists and that of science itself will be tarnished and jokes will make the rounds when the next great apocalyptic fear is generated by the press. CAGW is a perfect real world example of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. This is a dangerous. Scientists should be among our most trusted people and not the butt of jokes. Caveat emptor applies to the scientific world as well as commercial markets.

While tunnel vision is a real disease it can also show up as a mind filter that allows in confirming evidence of personal beliefs and excludes contrary indications that disrupt a fervently held opinion. In view of the evidence above CAGW is a willful example of self-delusion. Is it deliberate? You be the judge.

"In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill....All these dangers are caused by human intervention....and thus the “real enemy, then, is humanity itself....believe humanity requires a common motivation, namely a common adversary in order to realize world government. It does not matter if this common enemy is “a real one or….one invented for the purpose." ~ Club of Rome

 "That, of course, entails getting loads of media coverage. So we have to offer up scary scenarios, make simplified, dramatic statements, and make little mention of any doubts we might have." ~ Stephen Schneider, environmentalist

“No matter if the science is all phoney, there are collateral environmental benefits.... climate change [provides] the greatest chance to bring about justice and equality in the world.” ~ Christine Stewart, former Minister of Environment, Canada

Cathartic Arctic

A review of the modern  history of the Arctic should prove cathartic for the end times worriers among us.

Modern catastrophic anthropogenic global warmists view the loss of sea ice in the Arctic as a harbinger of disaster for the earth if we do not cut our emissions of CO2. In the summer of 2012 a new modern record low was set. Hysteria has followed. It is our Earth waving the white flag of surrender on climate change.

To remind them of the history of Arctic change in the last century will perhaps allay their fears.

1923 hitherto unheard of high temperatures in the Arctic

1940 warmer in the North by 6 degrees

1947 warming of climate causes concern

The 1920s to 1950s were a period of rapid warming in the last century. Our current worries about the Arctic are mirrored in the press of yesteryear. Scientists then speculated about the catastrophic results of a continued warming. It didn't happen and we are again in a warm period for the Arctic even as world temperatures taper off. Contemporary scientists are engaged in a guessing game as to when the Arctic will be ice free in the summer. Several predictions have passed without success. There is no consensus.

An explanation for the current conditions in the Arctic is provided here by meteorologist, Joe Bastardi.The Arctic Oscillation also contributes to the periodic changes that we have witnessed in the Arctic.

Arctic melting has been survived many times in the past.

Climate change is cyclical. Learning what drives these cycles and how to predict them should go a long way towards alleviating our fears. There is nothing out of the ordinary going on in the Arctic that hasn't happened there in the past. Change is what the climate does. We can all breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the warmth of the interglacial and hope that the return of the next glacial period is tardy.

CO2 has been exhaled during the creation of this post. No living thing was harmed. Some even liked it.

Watch what they do not what they say

Global warmists assure us that the Arctic and Antarctic are warming up faster than anywhere else on earth. The ice sheets are melting, sea levels are rising, we are doomed and all because soccer moms are driving around in vans.

Then we have the story about the US needing a bigger, faster, stronger icebreaker to plow through the Antarctic ice so they can keep their scientific camps operational. There was the need to send the Healy to Nome  in Alaska to accompany Russian supply ships and break through the ice to make sure Nomians would have enough fuel to last through the 2011-2012 winter.




Do you see the irony in these stories? Arctic is supposed to be melting at unprecedented rates and to be ice free by summer of 2012?

And they need a new, bigger, faster, stronger icebreaker? What for?

Kinda like the sinking-below-the-ocean-waves Maldives building resorts and airports to welcome and house all their expected tourists.

Or the Aussies building desalination plants because the rains won't return. People died needlessly in floods because of  political responses to a non-problem. Build dams, store water on land, watch life spread and the desert recede. Someone has blood on their hands down under.

It's no joke! Actions always speak louder than words. Some people are conning other people out of their funds and their lives.

CAGW: Conning A Gullible World

CO2 has been exhaled during the creation of this post. No living thing was harmed. Some even liked it.

In a warming world

In a warming world winters are supposed to get warmer so that the ice and snow will become a thing of the past at 30-60 latitude and snow and ice will melt in the 60-90 thus raising sea levels.

How is that progressing this year (winter 2011-2012).

Arctic death spiral.

Terrifying loss of Arctic ice.

Ice extent nearing mean.

Flowers in Greenland in March.

Polar Bears can't find any ice around Greenland. Here is the latest on the Churchill Polar Bears.

Spring has sprung in Greenland. Ice rapidly melting.

Arctic ice extent makes new record.

Spring into Spring in Alaska.

Spring arrives in Siberia. Pity the permafrost.

Here's my global warming, dude!

Update on the Arctic

From Watts Up with That? Measuring Arctic Sea Ice extent and determining a trend from 30 years worth of data.

And then there is this: ...melting ice in the Arctic regions and widespread cold outbreaks in the Northern Hemisphere.

Arctic sea ice extent about to beat NORSEX maximum.

Arctic sea ice extent for 2011-2012 almost back to one standard deviation of 30 year average.

From ICECAP: Winter Cold and Arctic Ice