University of Washington Team Beclowns Themselves Over 2012 Arctic Cyclone

Published on by sunshinehours16 Comments

A “team” of “University” of Washington “scientists” have beclowned themselves trying to claim the massive 2012 Arctic Cycle did not speed up the ice melt.

Their argument comes down to: “By September, most of the ice that melted would have melted with or without the cyclone.”

If you take two ice cubes and smash one into tiny pieces, which one melts first?  The smashed one of course.

But the ice BESIDE the smashed ice would also melt quicker because the smashed ice would have provided support and cold/insulation if it had not been smashed.

For those of us old enough to remember fridge freezers that ice up and did not defrost themselves, we remember smashing as much ice with knives or screwdrivers to expose ice further back so it could melt sooner.

 

The UW team should be ashamed of themselves.

Antarctic Sea Ice Sets Record For Most Ice On This Day

Published on by sunshinehours16 Comments

UPDATE 2: And Another.

UPDATE: Another record.

Antarctic Sea Ice Extent set a record on day 43 (Feb 12 2013) for most ever on this day. at 3.80037 million sq km.

The old record was in 2008. The record for most ice ever at minimum was also in 2008. 3.69176 million sq km. There is a decent chance that record will be broken.

Antarctic_Sea_Ice_Extent_Zoomed_2013_Day_43_1981-2010

Antarctic Sea Ice 24% Above Average (and only 8300 sq km short of a record)

Published on by sunshinehours11 Comment

UPDATE: The next day set a record.

Antarctic Sea Ice on day 42 (Feb 11 2013) is  24% above average (770,000 sq km) and and only 8300 sq km short of a record.

There is a chance of an all-time record of the highest minimum ever in the coming days. The record is from 2008 – 3.69176 million sq km – on day 51.

Antarctic_Sea_Ice_Extent_Zoomed_2013_Day_42_1981-2010

Stop AGW – Try For 55% Unemployment Like Spain

Published on by sunshinehours11 Comment

Study: Global Warming Can Be Slowed By Working Less

“Want to reduce the effects of global warming? Stop working so hard. Working fewer hours might help slow global warming, according to a new study released Monday by the Center for Economic Policy and Research.

A worldwide switch to a “more European” work schedule, which includes working fewer hours and more vacation time, could prevent as much as half of the expected global temperature rise by 2100, according to the analysis, which used a 2012 study that found shorter work hours could be associated with lower carbon emissions.

The Center for Economic Policy and Research is a liberal think tank based in Washington.”

A “more European” work schedule???

Like Spain?

Spain unemployment rate hit a record: youth rate at 55%

Spain’s unemployment rate has hit a modern day record, and joblessness among young people has topped 55%.

Official data showed that the jobless rate in the last three months of 2012 rose 1% to 26%, or 5.97 million people.

The figure, the highest since the mid-1970s, follows Spain’s prolonged recession and deep spending cuts.Spain unemployment rate hit a record: youth rate at 55%

(h/t Tom Nelson)

UK Decembers Tmax Cooling -.45C/decade for 30 years and Sunshine is Up Too

Published on by sunshinehours14 Comments

Using UK Met data from here, I noticed that Tmax for Decembers are cooling at -.45C / decade for 30 years.  Thats a lot!

And then I wondered why? A theme I have returned to over and over is that hours of bright sunshine has increased because of cleaner air. Could more sunshine in December lead to cooler Decembers since clear skies can lead to colder temperatures in winter?

Guess what. Sunshine is up an average of 5.5 hours per year in December for the last 30 years. And compared to 1988 sunshine is up 80% in December. Instead of 28 hours of sunshine in December, the average is closer to 48.

Click on the graphs to enlarge.

Dec UK Met Last 30 Years - UK - Temp

 

Dec UK Met Last 30 Years - UK - Sunshine Hours

 

Good News! Onshore Wind Turbines Will Slaughter Birds For Only 12 – 15 Years!

Published on by sunshinehours11 Comment

Good News. Wind Turbines will wear out a lot quicker than previously estimated. Which means the slaughtering of Eagles and other birds will be more expensive.

“The Renewable Energy Foundation today published a new study, The Performance of Wind Farms in the United Kingdom and Denmark, showing that the economic life of onshore wind turbines is between 10 and 15 years, not the 20 to 25 years projected by the wind industry itself, and used for government projections.

The work has been conducted by one of the UK’s leading energy & environmental economists, Professor Gordon Hughes of the University of Edinburgh, and has been anonymously peer-reviewed. This groundbreaking study applies rigorous statistical analysis to years of actual wind farm performance data from wind farms in both the UK and in Denmark.

The results show that after allowing for variations in wind speed and site characteristics the average load factor [performance] of wind farms declines substantially as they get older, probably due to wear and tear. By 10 years of age the contribution of an average UK wind farm to meeting electricity demand has declined by a third.

This decline in performance means that it is rarely economic to operate wind farms for more than 12 to 15 years. After this period they must be replaced with new machines, a finding that has profound consequences for investors and government alike.”

(h/t The Hockey Schtick)

Are Toronto City Councillors Dumber Than A Sack Of Hammers?

Published on by sunshinehours12 Comments

Are Toronto City Councillors  Dumber Than A Sack Of Hammers?

Some climate committee wants them to spend billions to deal with huge new increases in projected rainfall.

“Toronto must overhaul its aging infrastructure to adapt to dramatic new climate change projections — a process that could cost billions — say some councillors and environmentalists.”

“The city’s roads, sewers, storm drains and electrical grids were simply not built to withstand the new climate, said Councillor Gord Perks, a member of the committee.”

What new climate??????

Here is rainfall data from Environment Canada for Toronto’s Pearson Airport from 1950.

There is no new trend in rainfall. Click on the graph to make it bigger. Values on the left are % of the 1971-2000 average. Each month with data is a dot. The blue line is the Loess Curve.

Toronto_Rainfall