WWF Schedules Earth Hour During NCAA Basketball Tournament March 26, 2010

If WWF is successful, the US will go black from the East Coast to the West Coast but the NCAA tournament will be on. Which will win out?

Candle Power Used During Earth Hour Even Though Candles Release Carbon Dioxide. These People are Leaving a Carbon Footprint to Mark Earth Hour

Earth Hour?  We’ve all heard of Earth Day as it’s been around for about 40 years.   But now, there is Earth Hour.  This is brought to you by the WWF.  Before you go looking for a picture of Hulk Hogan carrying the earth on his shoulders like Atlas, it’s not the World Wrestling Federation.  Remember a few years ago the wrestlers were sued and so they had to change their name to World Wrestling Entertainment aka WWE.  This would be the World Wildlife Fund and they are encouraging people from around the world to ”…come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change…”  They claim that millions of people will participate and illustrate their concern by turning off the lights for one hour.  The time is to be March 27, 2010 at 8:30pm local time.  That means that if everyone did it, an observer from space would see the lights go off sequentially from east to west around the globe.   While it is a global effort, for some reason the United States is singled out and the Yanks are encouraged to show the way toward a ”cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America.”

How Thailand Was Supposed to Look Before and After For Earth Hour

This is not the first Earth Hour though as it was launched 3 years ago.  The WWF claims that last year over 1 billion people participated in 87 countries from 7 continents involving over 4100 cities including 80 million Americans in 318 cities.  This year, National Geographic is claiming 121 countries will participate.   On the one hand, it is called a “simple” gesture because all one has to do is to hit the light switch.  Yet, the WWF does direct you to  a “tool kit” to elaborate on how to participate.  This reminds of an Aggie Joke:  How many Aggies does it take to turn off a light?  What would be an event that is supposed to bring global civic awareness without having a promotional edge?  You can buy “Earth Hour Gear” if you want to express yourself by more than just turning off the lights.   I’m not sure if profit is the main motive behind this global effort but, like all good intentions, there can be unintended consequences.

Earth Hour, Earth Day, End of the World...Nothing will Prevent a UK Fan from Watching the 'Cats

Think about cigarettes.  State governments across America are raising cigarette taxes under the notion that it will discourage smoking with higher prices.  But, state budgets have become so reliant on revenue from the cigarette tax, if they were successful in their official motivation and everyone stopped smoking, then state government deficits would be such that sovereign state bankruptcy might be a real issue.  In the case of Earth Hour, if everyone participates, there might be steep consequences.  An official Earth Hour event in Thailand was cancelled due to safety concerns.  A big crowd of people at night whom the bad guys know would be shrouded in darkness?  Sounds pretty enticing or even inviting.  But it apparently was a concern about “Red Shirt” demonstrators.   Then there are technical issues.  When you have a power grid designed for certain power load and their is a sudden change, that can tax the capability of that system.  We normally think of power surges or excessive usage in a heat waver or something that disrupts the system. In this case, Earth Hour can cause complications from a sudden power drop off such that utlities have to take precautions to prevent the dark hour from becoming a dark night.  But, in some parts of the states, it seems to me that the biggest obstacle may be the NCAA.  Those guys went and scheduled the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament during Earth Hour!  They should have checked  the schedule.  I can promise that, in Kentucky, when the University of Kentucky is playing in prime time for a shot at the Final Four, no one will turn off their TV and I doubt if any UK fans will be watching the game in the dark….after all…you need to make it safe for trips to the refrigerator or bathroom.

Cave Hill Cemetery is Beautiful In the Spring

Weather Bottom Line:  Snow White and I took advantage of the fact that the clouds were chased away ahead of my schedule and so we went and fed the ducks at Cave Hill Cemetery.  It was such a nice day, Lee Squires left early and who can blame him?  Several geese and swans are sitting on their eggs which may be hatched for Easter, but we didn’t see any mallards on their nest.  I think that it’s because the mallards are too smart to put their nests where just anyone can find them.  We did have a couple of errant snow reports early this morning but, as I had warned, it was not consequential.  One thing that I did fail to mention was the howling wind overnight.  At one point, I thought that it was raining hard but instead it was just a pressure equalization occuring in rapid fashion.  It will be cool overnight and Saturday still looks to be outstanding with highs back in the mid to upper 60′s.  With that kind of turn around, a cold front must be on the way…and it is. 

SPC T'storm Chances Saturday

Our timing will work out well again as during the heat of day, the storm system will be to our west.  And, like the last system, this one will pass South.  So, if there are stronger or frequent thunderstorms, they will be west and south of the area.  Since this guy is coming through in the evening and with no sun (or lights for Earth Hour) then it will be very difficult to get sufficient lift to either form storms or keep them going.  So, perhaps some rumbles of thunder Saturday night followed by clouds and rain on Sunday.  The sun returns with mild but not too terrible conditions for the first part of the new week.

Iceland Volcano Not Necessarily Precursor to Global Calamity March 22, 2010

Click For More On Iceland Volcano Exploding from Ice Cap

Myrdalsjokull Glacier Looms

Several weeks ago, I spoke of the threat of a volcanic eruption in Iceland. Correct headline, correct country, wrong volcano. I was speaking of news regarding Mt. Hekla and how some observations had been made that the summit was absent of snow and that there was speculation that may have indicated an impending eruption. I wonder if there is a connection. It’s purely speculation on my part and I have a very limited background in geology and vulcanology, but I wonder if perhaps magma was coming to the surface at Mt. Hekla while at the same time was rising to the surface elsewhere and the pressure was instead released with the recent eruption at the Eyjafjallajokull (AYA-feeyapla-yurkul) volcano.   Eyjafjallajokull is apparently considered to be a relatively small volcano and there is some concern due to its close proximity to the glacier of the same name.  If you heat up a bunch of ice, it tends to melt and then there is a big flood.  But, there is a larger concern.

Hot Spot Volcanic Island Life Cycle

Now the last time that Eyjafjallajokull erupted was in 1821 and it was boring eruption which oozed lava in a rather slow, pedestrian manner for a couple of days.   Keep in mind that Iceland was settled by the Vikings in the 9th century and is known as the land of fire and ice because its covered in glaciers but is also an island of volcanoes.  Islands such as Iceland are created by thermal plumes in the earth’s crust that create hot spots.  Iceland and island chains like Hawaii are formed by hot spots in which a volcano emerges from the depths and and island forms.  The earth’s crust moves and so the next time a plume develops, a new island forms after the old one has moved on.  Unlike Hawaii which is in the tropical region, Iceland is pretty close to the Arctic Circle so its not the same kind of paradise as Hawaii.  Now, one of the more active volcanoes on Iceland is the previously mentioned Hekla volcano which gained the moniker of the “Gateway to Hell” during the Middle Ages because the locals believed that souls were dragged below.

Mt Katla Has Interesting Ignatius Formations Similar to Devils Post Pile and also areas found in Pacific Northwest

The fear now is not the current eruption, but instead that it could create a larger fissure that would be the catalyst for an eruption of nearby Mount Katla.  Experts say that historical evidence suggests that when Eyjafjallajokull blows, Katla follows. But, they don’t know when. So, it could be tomorrow or years from now.  But, leave it to the media to not miss the chance for a dramatic headline.  NBC goes so far as to say that the volcano that is only speculated to maybe erupt at some distant time could have “world consequences.”     That is because in1783, the Laki volcano erupted, causing scores to die of famine when livestock and crops were destroyed and changing weather patterns across Europe.  Some historians link the climate disruption to the French Revolution and in 1784, the US had one of its coldest winters on record with the Mississippi River supposedly freezing at New Orleans. 

Iceland Glaciers Create Cool Waterfalls...Volcanoes can make waterflow extreme

The Katla volcano, which lies under the thick Myrdalsjokull icecap, has not erupted since 1918. Since Eyjafjallajokull hasn’t erupted since 1821, that would suggest that Katla is not necessarily terminally linked to Eyjafjallajokull.  So, that would seem to me to allow for the possibility that an Eyjafjallajokull eruption does not necessarily mean a Katla eruption.  Now, the idea that these two volcanoes do have some sort of apparent historical link, it makes me wonder if it is so unreasonable for me to speculate whether the Mt. Hekla observations are somehow connected.   Who knows? And who knows if there would be gloom and doom for the world with a Mt. Katla eruption.  No doubt, it would cause a huge flooding problem with the melting of the adjacent glacier.  But, the doomsday scenario that is being trumpeted as a potential since it happened in the late 18th century is a bit misleading.  You can’t necessarily take one incident in history and then say that if that event happened again, the results would be the same 240 years later.  And in this case, they aren’t even talking about the same volcano.  So, here’s the real lowdown:  Eyjafjallajokull eruptions have been known to preceed a larger eruption of Katla but not all Katla eruptions are preceeded by a Eyjafjallajokull eruption and the Laki eruption in 1783 created global consequences and we’re talking about Mt. Katla in 2010, not 1783.  Possible, not necessarily probable and certainly not worthy of scare tactic headlines.

Weather Bottom Line:  Told you we wouldn’t get out of the 40′s on Monday.  Official high was in low 50′s but that was just after midnight.  Doesn’t count unless you are our adopted stray cat, Paintbrush.  But, Snow White has a nice warm bed for him on our front porch so the falling temperatures weren’t a problem.  After a chilly night, Paintbrush and the rest of us will warm up nicely to the low 60′s on Tuesday and then mid 60′s on Wednesday with the sun doing its job.  Low to mid 60′s Thursday will help fuel rain and perhaps a few rumbles of thunder as another cold front swings through.

US Army Meets Its Match in World War II March 18, 2010

Even Bombers Have Limitations

An Unstoppable Invader Came to Cercola, Italy

On This Date in History:   In 1943, the Allies began the attack on what Winston Churchill called the “soft underbelly of Europe.”   It started with the invasion of Sicily in July.   By September, allied troops crossed the straight of Messina to land on the “toe” of Italy.   The American 8th Army bulled its way through Calabria with other yankee troops moving in near Salerno.  Canadian forces landed near Reggio Calabria and faced light opposition.  The Canucks took advantage and rapidly moved inland in about two weeks and secured Potenza, which is about 50 miles east of Salerno.  Now, the Italians had had enough of Mussolini and of the war and so they finally got rid of Il Duce and also unconditionally surrendered.  Their German allies quickly disarmed all of the Italian forces that they could find and decided to make a slow, fighting withdrawl from the peninsula to the North.  So, in January 1944, the allies came up with a plan.

Vesuvius Did to the B-25s What the Germans Could Not

It involved another amphibious landing at Anzio, which is along the coast about 30 miles South of Rome.  It was also about 45 miles behind the German lines.  It so surprised the Germans that the allies landed with no resistance.  That surprised the American commander.  Now, back in September 1943, the Canadians took advantage of a similar situation and moved rapidly inland.  But, Maj. General John P. Lucas headed the American landing and his orders were a bit vague.  He was to draw as much of the enemy fire from the frontlines to his south and prepare a defensive position.  Part of that included gaining control of the Alban Hills which were within easy reach with such limited resistance.  But, Lucas apparently took note of the part of preparing a defensive postion.  Instead of exploiting the opportunity to advance, he took a slow, defensive posture.  That allowed the Germans to react and the soldiers ended up with a long tough fight over land that might otherwise have been taken largely uncontested. 

Vesuvius Still Blowing Its Top on Mar 23 1944

But, as it turns out, the Germans may not have been the most prohibitive foe that the allies faced.  Because, on this date in 1944, Mount Vesuvius awakened for an eruption that lasted 5 days.  So fearsome was the volcano known for its burial of Pompeii that the USS Philadelphia retreated for the only time during its 8 years in service.   But, that was a ship at sea and it was able to flee rather easily.  Forces on the ground weren’t so lucky.  By March 23, most of the 340th Bombardment Groups B-25 Mitchells were covered in hot ash that burned the control surfaces  and melted or glazed the plexiglass.   A few planes were so weighted down that they tipped on their tails.  Somewhere between 78 and 88 planes were destroyed, which was more than the 340th suffered in a Luftwaffe attack in Corsica 3 months later.   There were no deaths or major casualties at the Pompeii airfield but, despite the best efforts of the 12th Air Force, the aircraft were out of commission for some time.   The 340th wasn’t the only group affected as several bomber and fighter groups had to deal with Mount Vesuvius as did the ground troops.  Presumably, Vesuvius caused problems for the Germans too as an equal opportunity nemesis. 

Vesuvius Left Quite an Impression with the US Air Corps

Other air military operations were affected greatly such as  the 57th Fighter Group at Cercola, Itlay.  The general population had more hardship brought on top of that brought on by warfare.  Ash covered gardens and homes all the way from Vesuvius to Salerno and many civilians were homeless.  Lava covered many roads and caused great disruption.   Germany eventually surrendered and the Americans eventually got the bomb that brought the war to a close.  But, no army on earth can stand against Mother Nature.  Hurricanes, tornados, floods and earthquakes don’t care which side you are on and will devastate the mightest of armed forces.  And Mount Vesuvius still stands as the unconquered champion of the Italian peninsula, ready to awaken in an angry fit to vanquish all potential foes.  Keep in mind, that the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius during World War II was the last time the mountain came alive.  Seems like its due.   Check out these photos from Mt. Vesuvius Mar 18-23 1944.

NAM Snow Total by 8AM Sunday

Weather Bottom Line:  First off, beware…the “S” word is still in the dictionary.  Now,  I’m sure that some published or broadcast forecasts made some mention that the clouds on Wednesday just didn’t cooperate.   The truth is that they amazingly behaved exactly like the models said that they would.  We were right on the fringe of the clouds deck almost all day.  My guess is that we had a high deck over the low deck.  Late in the day,  the high clouds thinned out and the sun did a job on the low deck with Louisville breaking out in some sunshine by about 5 pm.  Otherwise, the day was as I warned about and that was with clouds and mid 50′s.  It was not until the sun came out that we nudged over 60.  Now, that will move out and look for sunshine for Thursday and Friday with highs generally in the mid 60′s, possibly some upper 60′s on Friday for some.  Saturday just about everyone will be in the mid to upper 60′s with the exception being those who tickle 70.  That sets the stage for rain with perhaps t’storms on Saturday night. 

GFS Snow Total Sunday 8AM

Now, I mentioned it a few days ago and were getting closer to it. I know that most forecasts call for highs in the 40′s or 50′s on Sunday.  But,  from where I sit, we may not get out of the 30′s.  And both the GFS and NAM have snow falling in the wake of the front on Sunday morning.  Both feature the most significant snowfall to our east…like Lexington.  But, its not out of the question for snow around here early Sunday morning…which may make for an interesting drive to church.  I doubt if it will be too troublesome though because the ground will be warm and it probably won’t be as extensive as the GFS is saying, which is almost two inches.  But, it’s there…after all…Spring just starts on Saturday so its not unheard of.  Monday will be cloudy and in the low to mid 40′s before the sun returns and warms things up pretty quickly for the rest of the week.  This should be interesting to see how it shakes out.

Feb. 26 Death Toll: Volcano 0,Terrorists 6, Corporation 125 February 26, 2010

Mt. Hekla Put On A Spectacular Show in 1970. Is it Showtime Again?

Mt. Hekla Looms Over Iceland

On This Date in History:  Iceland is a rather ironic name for an island-nation that is not only formed from volcanic activity but is also a vulcanologist’s fantasy land.  It is known as the land of Fire and Ice because of Iceland’s climate, that is cold but not as cold as one might think due to the proximity of the Gulf Stream,  and the number of volcanoes that dot the landscape.  One source claims that there is some 200 volcanoes in Iceland, the Global Volcansim Program features 32 volcanoes on Iceland while the Michigan Technological University Volcanoes Page indicates 6 active volcanoes on the island.  I suppose the differences have to do with the parameters one uses to define a volcano and it’s state of activity.  Anyway, one volcano that goes on every list is Mt. Hekla.  From the top, you can take spectacular summit view video from Mt. Hekla.   It is active and has a recent history of erupting about every 10 years.  It hasn’t always been that regular though.   

Hekla's 2000 Plume rose to at least 13 km

A history of Mt. Hekla reveals that it erupted in 1104 and then did so for the 17th time since then in 1991.    The last time Mt. Hekla erupted was on this date in 2000.  And now, University of Iceland Earth Science Professor Freysteinn Sigmundsson says that recent activity suggests that Hekla may be up to no good again.  In December and January 2010, reports were circulating that the top of the big guy was void of snow, which is unusual in the middle of winter and especially since the past several months have been particularly cold.  Apparently, it could be a clue because it may mean the top is heating up.  But, not necessarily…well have to wait and see.  After all February 26 has at least a small history of disasters but the two I’m thinking of had everything to do with man and very little with Mother Nature. 

People Might Not Be Aware of the Extent of 1993 WTC Substructure Damage

Did you Forget that on This date in History… 

 the World Trade Center was bombed? Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing on Sept. 11, 2001…but the first attempt to bring down the towers happened on February 26, 1993. The above photo is from the ATF files of the incident. Nice hole, huh? I suspect the bad guys got closer to undermining the integrity of the substructure than we were led to believe. No matter, they came back again 8 years later after we forgot about their intentions. While everyone remembers Sept. 11, 2001 and the events of the day I sometimes wonder if we remember enough that we take seriously the possibility that they will come back again, just as they did following their near-miss of February 26, 1993. With all of the justified pre-occupation with the economy, how certain are you that the new administration is as vigilante as it can be to thwart any more attacks? Or perhaps, do you think that there will be no more attacks? 

West Virginia Town Wiped Out

Now, as I said I suspect that a mega disaster was narrowly avoided at the World Trade Center in 1993 and there is no question that September 2000 was just an catastrophic day on many many levels.  Those were both man made events perpetrated by those whose clear aim was to destroy the buildings, kill many people, severely disrupt the American economy and terrorize it’s citizens.  

But, other man made disasters don’t have to be deliberate.  They can come about do to negligence or just plain stupidity.  There is no way that the Buffalo Mining Company purposely courted disaster.  Even the most cynical opponent to corporate America would agree the financial cost to the company would make such an assertion foolish.  But, it can be said that they were neglegent on safety issues, perhaps in an effort to control costs.  And there is no question that negligence was foolish from a financial perspective, a human perspective and from the viewpoint of a Patriot.   On This Date in 1972 a cascade of water funnelled down Buffalo Creek in Logan County, West Virginia. 4000 homes and buildings in 17 towns were washed away and at least 118 people lost their lives. Marshall Univeristy has a “virtual museum” dedicated to the event. The culprit was a rather ironic foe. The irony lay in that the killer was also the lifeline to many of those who died. (Photo Gallery-Huntington Herald-Dispatch)  

Debris Piled Up on Bridge

The Buffalo Mining Company was one of a number of companies exploiting West Virginia’s greatest natural asset (aside from its beauty) which is coal. Much of the state’s wealth and economy is based on coal. But a problem with coal mining is what to do with the wastes. If you put them on a mountain, you get landslides and if you put them in a valley, you spoil the creek or river. The great idea of the Buffalo group was to build a dam. Actually, it was a series of three dams. Because of the type of dam they were, they weren’t really regulated much. There really wasn’t much of an engineering study done or anything. The waste from coal mining is inherently unstable and makes for a lousy dam. The first dam gave way, putting pressure on the second dam which failed and the huge amount of water spilling down caused the main dam to collapse. 

When you look at the steep terrain of West Virginia, it makes you wonder, “what were they thinking?” It’s one of those things in which it seems so obvious that using unstable material in such an area that a three-year-old could figure it out that it wouldn’t work. To say that its an example of corporate greed is probably a bit over-the-top as I’m sure those with the company didn’t want that to happen. Even if you have cynical view of the corporation, from their fiscal standpoint, it cost them a huge amount of money. However, the company was a subsidiary of the Pittston Mining Company and that company had a history of shabby safety practices. So, it would be fair to say that it appears that the company’s saving money on safety issues was the root cause of the disaster. But, given what it cost them from lawsuits, lost revenues, fines and other costs it seems that a greedy fellow would have prevented that from happening in order that they may keep more of their money. The result was from short sighted, stupid business practices and its a shame that we have to have government watch dogs to force some businesses to do what is not only smart from a corporate standpoint, but the right thing to do from a human perspective and for a business that relies on the efforts of their fellow citizens of the United States of America for their success. 

NAM In Mid to Upper 30's by 1 PM Sunday

 

GFS Critical Thickness Lines SW of Louisville Sun 1 PM and moving Northeast

Weather Bottom Line

Okay, I get it now, but I’m not sure that I’m buyin’ it.   The models were in a bit of flux but now I’m seeing some consistency and support for the idea of warmer temperatures for the weekend; particularly Sunday.  Not warm, mind you, but something closer to seasonal.  Then we get colder again.  But, I wouldn’t hold your breath.  Yes, the data has some consistency but it’s not making sense.  We’ll see.  I do think though that it’s a certainty that a big old storm should  come up out of the Gulf early in the week.  Snow White and my friend at Apple Hill Farm in the Mountains of North Carolina may get dumped on with snow on Tuesday and Wednesday.    She’s had a very large amount of snow this year.  But, the alpacas are just fine…they’re from the mountains of South America.   The trend has been for the storm to track a bit farther west and if this trend continues and it does track farther west than is progged now, then we may see another round of snow.  But, again, we’ll see.