Giant Red Star’s in the Arctic – HADCRUT3 gridded data

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I’ve graphed HADCRUT3 before.  It shows a flat temperature trend over the last 15 years (actually a very small negative trend). So I thought I would take a look at the gridded data (HADCRUT3 Zipped Ascii) and find out which grid cells (5 x 5)  are warming and which are cooling by how much.

I’m using the R package RGoogeMaps which I’ve used before. So I started by calculating  the trend in Celsius / Decade for each grid roughly near North and South America. The code puts an asterisk * at the middle of each grid square. Red for warming and blue for cooling. And I used this formula to set the size of the asterisk:

tCex = 1 + (abs(grid$Trend[i]) * 1)

Which means each asterisk starts at 1 and then the absolute Trend is added on. So if a grid square was warming at 1C / Decade, there would be a red asterisk 2 units in size.

So thats when I saw the giant red asterisk. One of the grid squares is warming at 247C / Decade. Of course it turns out there are only two measurements in those 15 years.

The grid square is Latitude 75 to 80 and Longitude -110 to -105. Somewhere near Melville Island in the Canadian North.

Arctic Sea Ice – Earliest Minimum Ever?

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Arctic Sea Ice – Earliest Minimum Ever?

Could that mean a record breaking maximum is on the way? Mar/Apr/May of 2012 flirted with 98% of the 1980s average.

 

National Ice Center dropped only 30,000 sq km from September 1st to 2nd (still 580,000 sq km more than 2007)

 

 

 

 

Global Warming solved

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Just like Polar Bears, if you stop killing whales, they stop dying in large numbers and the damage “caused” by global warming disappears.  (h/t Tom Nelson)

But to be politically correct you still have to blame global warming.

“An institute that tracks the population of Humpback whales that reproduce along Brazil’s coast says the number of the once-threatened mammals has tripled over the last 10 years.

The Humpback Whale Institute says in a news release there are now almost 10,000 humpbacks off the Brazilian coast. In 2002, the institute counted approximately 3,000 whales.

Institute chief Milton Marcondes says the whales’ fat once was used as fuel for public lighting and in construction. Hunting was banned in 1966, when only about 1,000 whales were left.

Marcondes says restoration efforts have helped the species recover in spite of global warming, accidents with boats and fishing nets.”

Global Warming, the mass killer of whales … or was that harpoons? They both look alike … to climate scientists.

Arctic Sea Ice Above 2007 at National Ice Center

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A commenter at Real Science Ron C.  says:

 

“There are two different methods of measuring arctic ice coverage. That is a good thing, just as it is good that we have both land stations and satellites to measure air temperature.
Microwave indices see more water than ice, while NIC index sees more ice than water in mixed conditions. So they will each have distinct results and trends.
My only concern is that the news only reports the microwave results, and ignores the equally valid NIC index. As of today NIC shows artic ice extent tracking slightly above 2007.

The data is available here. Select start year 2006 and month of August.”

Here is the graph:

 

Arctic Ice 2012 – A little Perspective

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To keep the Arctic Sea Ice in perspective, March , April and May of 2012 saw many days where ice extent was 97 or 98% of the 1980s average, which is higher than it has been in years.

Maximum is growing.

Month Day 2012 extent

as % of 80s average
4 16 98.94
4 15 98.9
4 20 98.56
4 17 98.52
4 21 98.46
4 24 98.42
3 20 98.27
4 3 98.26
4 14 98.23
3 31 98.2
4 1 98.16
3 19 98.08
4 4 98.05
3 30 98
4 2 97.99
3 17 97.97
4 22 97.94
3 21 97.91
3 28 97.91
4 19 97.91
4 23 97.91
3 29 97.87
3 26 97.84
4 25 97.84
3 18 97.83
4 13 97.83
3 7 97.82
3 6 97.8
3 4 97.75
3 3 97.74
3 22 97.72
3 23 97.72
5 9 97.71
3 27 97.68
3 16 97.64
4 29 97.58
4 10 97.49
5 8 97.49
5 10 97.49
4 7 97.48
5 11 97.42
4 26 97.38
3 5 97.35
4 18 97.32
4 6 97.29
4 12 97.22
4 5 97.21
3 11 97.17
4 28 97.17
4 11 97.1
5 7 97.09
3 2 97.03
4 8 97.03
3 8 97

NOAA July 2012 – Lowest Precipitation per Month by State / Region

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This is a table of the lowest precipitation for each month using NOAA data (regional data at bottom) using data up to July 2012.

Blue are records set in the last 12 months. Yellow are records set before 2000.

No state recorded a low precipitation for July 2012.

State Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Alabama 1927 1947 1918 1915 1941 1902 1983 1925 1984 1963 1924 1980
Arizona 1972 1972 1959 1989 2002 1951 1993 1962 1953 1952 1999 1917
Arkansas 1986 1895 1966 1987 1911 1952 1930 2000 2004 1963 1949 2005
California 1984 1964 1956 1909 2001 1901 1940 2002 1974 1995 1929 1989
Colorado 1931 1954 2012 2002 1974 1924 1939 1960 1956 1952 1904 1976
Connecticut 1970 1987 1915 1942 1903 1949 1968 1981 1914 1924 1976 1955
Delaware 1981 2012 2006 1985 1964 1988 1974 2008 1941 1963 1917 1988
Florida 1950 1911 2006 1967 1927 1931 1932 1938 1921 2010 1931 1933
Georgia 1927 1898 2004 1915 2007 1990 1980 1925 2005 1963 1931 1955
Idaho 1985 1920 1965 1977 1924 1919 1953 1940 1987 1978 1936 1986
Illinois 1986 1947 1910 1971 1934 1988 1930 1953 1979 1964 1904 1976
Indiana 1981 1947 1910 1962 1934 1988 1901 1897 1897 1908 1904 1958
Iowa 1981 1970 1994 1926 1934 1933 1936 1984 1939 1952 1976 2002
Kansas 1986 2006 1936 1989 1966 1911 1935 1913 1956 1952 1989 1976
Kentucky 1981 1947 1910 1915 1941 1936 1930 1925 1897 1963 1976 1965
Louisiana 2003 2000 1910 1965 1998 1936 1924 1980 1953 1952 1903 1958
Maine 1970 1987 1915 1966 1903 1913 1952 2002 1948 1947 1939 1943
Maryland 1981 2009 2006 1985 1964 1988 1983 1930 1941 1963 1917 1955
Massachusetts 1955 1987 1915 1999 1903 1912 1968 1907 1914 1924 1917 1943
Michigan 1961 1987 1910 1946 1925 1988 1936 1930 1979 1924 1904 1913
Minnesota 1931 1968 1910 1987 1900 1910 1936 1930 1952 1952 1939 1913
Mississippi 1914 1947 1910 1915 1951 1930 1924 1954 1897 1963 1924 1896
Missouri 1986 1947 1910 2000 1911 1933 1930 1909 1897 1964 1904 1955
Montana 1944 2005 1926 1977 1937 1919 1917 2001 1990 1987 1939 1913
Nebraska 1986 1996 1994 1928 1966 1933 1936 1947 1899 1933 1939 1905
Nevada 1919 1896 1956 2008 1924 1974 1963 1944 1922 1952 1929 1976
New Hampshire 1981 1987 1915 1941 1903 1913 1955 1996 1914 1924 1939 1943
New Jersey 1981 2009 2006 1963 1903 1949 1955 1964 1941 1924 1917 1955
New Mexico 1928 1999 1956 1972 1998 2011 2003 1962 1956 1952 1945 1950
New York 1981 1987 1915 2001 1903 1912 1983 1907 1964 1963 1904 1943
North Carolina 1907 1968 2006 1976 1936 1990 1983 1997 1990 2000 1922 1965
North Dakota 1973 1934 1930 1987 1901 1974 1936 1961 1897 1952 1939 1944
Ohio 1981 1978 1910 1971 1934 1988 1930 1951 1908 1924 1904 1955
Oklahoma 1986 1996 1971 1989 1988 1933 1980 2000 1956 1952 1910 1950
Oregon 1985 1920 1965 1939 1924 2003 1953 1955 1999 1895 1936 1976
Pennsylvania 1981 1968 1910 1946 1903 1966 1909 1930 1943 1963 1917 1955
Rhode Island 1955 1987 1915 1942 1939 1949 1952 1984 1941 1946 1917 1955
South Carolina 1907 1947 2004 1986 1941 1905 1980 1925 2005 2000 1931 1955
South Dakota 1942 1985 1926 1926 1924 1936 1936 2001 1952 1952 1939 1986
Tennessee 1986 1941 1910 1915 1941 1988 1902 1953 1897 1963 1917 1965
Texas 1971 1916 1971 1984 1998 1933 2000 2000 1931 1952 1949 1917
Utah 1919 1964 1956 1977 1972 1935 1900 1985 1979 1952 1904 1976
Vermont 1981 1987 1915 1941 1903 1995 1959 1957 1908 1963 1939 1943
Virginia 1981 1968 2006 1942 1911 1986 1983 1930 2005 2000 2001 1965
Washington 1985 1920 1965 1956 1924 1922 1960 1967 1975 1987 1936 1985
West Virginia 1981 1968 1910 1900 1911 1988 1930 1957 1985 1963 1904 1965
Wisconsin 1981 1958 1910 1946 1925 1910 1936 1930 1952 1952 1904 1943
Wyoming 1961 1970 2004 1987 1934 2012 2003 1944 1979 1952 1939 1986
Northeast Region 1981 1987 1915 1896 1903 1988 1968 1957 1914 1924 1917 1955
East North CentralRegion 1961 1987 1910 1946 1934 1910 1936 1930 1952 1952 1904 1943
Central Region 1981 1947 1910 1915 1934 1988 1930 1953 1897 1963 1904 1958
Southeast Region 1927 1898 2006 1986 1941 1931 1983 1930 1919 1963 1931 1955
West North Central Region 1961 1973 1994 1926 1934 1933 1917 1967 1952 1952 1939 1905
South Region 1914 1916 1966 1987 1998 1933 1980 2000 1956 1952 1949 1917
Southwest Region 2003 1972 1956 1989 1974 2012 2003 1962 1956 1952 1904 1976
Northwest Region 1985 1920 1965 1977 1924 1919 1953 1967 1975 1987 1936 1976
West Region 1984 1964 1956 1909 1924 1935 1963 1956 1974 1995 1929 1989
USA Contiguous 48 States 1981 1947 1910 1987 1934 1933 1930 1929 1956 1952 1917 1958