Cool Waterfall, Cold Lake, Hot Debate, Hot Acid March 10, 2009

This is So Cool...Watch It! Click The Pic or Link Below

You need to check this out:  I posted this some time ago but I wanted to bring it up again.  It is a Cool Japanese Mall Waterfall.  It’s one of those things that the creators were quite ingenius, but I also wonder if they used their time to…I dunno…build a better lightbulb or solve the energy crisis.  I’ve always wondered that about the folks who make those cool video games.  If they used their abilities toward something more functionally worthwhile, perhaps we’d have a few more answers and a few less problems.  But, I guess the money isn’t in doing things to helping mankind…its in video games.  Nevertheless, this waterfall in a giant shopping mall called Canal City in Fukouka, Japan.  You can read about it here…but check out the video, its worth your time.

Satellite View of Frozen Lake Superior...2nd time in 6 years

Cool Frozen Apostle Island Sea Caves Under Superior

What About Global Warming? 

Going Some Where?

Maybe those video game makers can come up with computer models that can be accurate in global climate modeling.  So far, the ones used by those who claim that Anthropogenic Global Warming (man made) haven’t been too good.  We’ve been in a stable or cooling peiod for the last several years and that wasn’t in the original data.  Now, to be certain, any given year cannot be used to make an argument one way or another and that is even more true when you look at just a certain part of the world.  But, we’ve already seen that in the US, 2008 the coldest in a decade.  We’ve seen that the ice on the Arctic region did not melt away as was trumpeted by some media outlets in 2008….instead the Arctic Ice Field  ice grew.  Now, at the tail end of the winter 2009, Lake Superior has frozen.  I believe that I read somewhere that the

Unwanted Visitor?

average for the biggest Great Lake freezing is about once every two decades.  Well, this is the second time in less than 10 years (2002-03)  it has frozen and the 3rd time (1995-96)  in the last 20. This is a contrast to a story two years ago that suggested a study said the Lake Superior was warming rapidly.   The photo from the Apostle Islands Sea Caves above is cool.  And now, folks on Lake Huron are losing their homes.  Not to flooding or tornadoes.  But instead, ice piling up on homes near Saginaw, MI (with video) from the lake after high winds. (here is a Bay City News story with a photo gallery) It looks like a big glacier is creeping into the neighborhood.  Snow totals have also been rather extreme across the northern and northeastern US in 2008 and 2009. 

Nevertheless, we have presidential proposals to go along with the “cap and trade” route to battle global warming and also taxing carbon users.  But, now comes a report that efforts to “save the planet” only have a 50-50 chance of working.  Perhaps in line with that type of thinking, Al Gore was challenged to a debate by Danish Global Warming skeptic Bjorn Lomberg regarding whether or not money could be better spent on Health and Education.  Mr. Gore refused to debate and got a little testy at the suggestion (story and video).  If that’s not enough, here is a story that claims “scientists”  (I love that catch-all description used by “journalists} who say that Global Warming Claims are exaggerated.

Confused now?  I thought the debate was over and a consensus had been reached.

Bell Demonstrates His Accidental Discovery..sans Acid

On This date in History: 

We all know that Alexander Graham Bell was given credit for inventing the telephone.  He discovered his invention on this date in 1876.  What do I mean by he discovered his invention?  Well, we all know the first words spoken were from Bell to his assistant Watson.  He shouted “Watson, come here! I want you!”  Watson was in another room but heard the words over a telephone.  Why was Bell in such a rush for Watson?  Did he want coffee?  Nope. Bell had spilled acid on his pants!  He was in great need of assistance, I would say.  Had he not spilled the acid, it’s no telling how long it would have taken for him to figure out that he had created the telephone. 

 

But, Bell was not the only one working on the telephone.  Just like yesterday’s story about the Monitor and the Virginia in which both the Confederates and Union came up with iron clads at the same time, another man was working on the telephone.  His name was Elisha Gray.  On February 14, 1876 Gray submitted a caveat for a new device with the US Patent Office.  This was more or less a precursor to a patent application because the device still didn’t work.  He called it a “talking telegraph.”  Trouble was, Bell had already come in to the office with his own caveat a couple of hours before.  Gray spent the rest of his life trying to prove that he invented the telephone and not Bell.  Early bird gets the worm, Elisha.

Slight Risk May Be Expanded During Following Evaluations

 

 

Weather Bottom Line:  It was a tornado in Lawrence County.  Estimated at EF3.  Think thats something like 135-150 mph winds.  Its not totally out of the question we get another round of rough weather on Tuesday evening.  A warm front will come through Tuesday morning….might bring a shower or two.  Then the temperatures jump to the upper 70′s to near 80.  A cold front comes sweeping down and, as I mentioned yesterday, we have an upper flow from the southwest to northeast as we did last weekend.  The polar and subtropical jet will be in phase.  I suspect that the dynamics will be such to support strong storms.  That will be especially true to our northwest as the storms will probably come in the heat of the day.  But, since we will be so warm and the sun goes down an hour later now, we will have to watch it carefully.  After that, we knock about 25-35 degrees off the temperatures for the rest of the week.

   DAY 2 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1225 PM CDT MON MAR 09 2009
  
   VALID 101200Z – 111200Z
  
   …THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS THE MIDWEST SWWD INTO
   THE OZARKS…
  
   …SYNOPSIS…
   THE PHASING OF THE SUB-TROPICAL AND POLAR STREAMS OVER THE SRN PLNS
   LATE TONIGHT WILL CARRY AN AMPLIFYING MID-LVL SHORTWAVE TROUGH INTO
   THE UPR GRTLKS/MIDWEST REGIONS TUE/TUE NIGHT.  SFC LOW WILL DEEPEN
   STEADILY FROM THE MID-MO VLY NEWD TO ERN LKSUP/NWRN ONT BY 12Z WED.
   S OF THE LOW…A CDFNT WILL SWEEP SEWD AND SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR
   STG/SVR TSTMS FROM THE MIDWEST/GRTLKS REGIONS TO THE SRN PLNS.
  
   …MIDWEST/MID-MS VLY…
   ELEVATED CONVECTION WILL BE ONGOING EARLY TUE ACROSS THE MID-MS/OH
   VLYS…GENERALLY N OF A NWD ADVANCING WRMFNT.  WARM ADVECTION/
   ELEVATED MSTR TRANSPORT WILL BE QUITE STG AND GIVEN PRESENCE OF
   STEEP LAPSE RATES ABOVE H7…STRONGER TSTMS MAY YIELD ISOLD LARGE
   HAIL.
  
   MORE SUBSTANTIAL SVR RISKS WILL DEVELOP TUE AFTN/EVE ALONG AND AHEAD
   OF THE DEEPENING SFC LOW/CDFNT.  LLVL MOISTURE… CHARACTERIZED BY
   50S/60S SFC DEW POINTS…IS EXPECTED TO QUICKLY SURGE NWD INTO THE
   MIDWEST BY TUE AFTN.  COUPLED WITH POTENTIAL SUNSHINE…MODEST
   BUOYANCY WILL DEVELOP…PARTICULARLY ACROSS CNTRL IL/WRN IND SWWD
   INTO THE OZARKS WHERE MLCAPES WILL RANGE FROM 500-1000 J PER KG.
  
   SFC-BASED TSTM INITIATION WILL LIKELY TAKE PLACE BY MID-AFTN INVOF
   THE SEWD MOVING CDFNT FROM NWRN IL SWWD INTO NERN MO.  MAGNITUDE OF
   FORCING WILL LIKELY RESULT IN A BKN-BAND OF STORMS RATHER QUICKLY.
   INCREASINGLY NEG-TILT TO THE UPR SYSTEM WILL ENHANCE THE DEEP LAYER
   WIND FIELDS WITH VERTICAL SHEAR IN EXCESS OF 70 KTS.  EARLY TSTMS
   WILL LIKELY EXHIBIT SUPERCELL CHARACTERISTICS WITH CELL
   SPLITS/MERGERS GIVING LARGE HAIL/ISOLD TORNADO THREATS.
   EVENTUALLY…AN ORGANIZED BAND OF LOW-TOPPED STORMS WILL RESULT LATE
   TUE AFTN/EVE AS ACTIVITY MOVES ACROSS THE MIDWEST/MID-MS VLY WITH A
   TRANSITION TO MORE OF A DMGG WIND THREAT.  NIGHTTIME PORTION OF THE
   LINE MAY POSE AN ISOLD RISK FOR HAIL/HIGH WINDS AS FAR E AS WRN
   OH/SRN LWR MI.
  
   …SE OK/NCNTRL-NERN TX/WRN AR…
   ISOLD-WDLY SCTD TSTMS WILL ALSO DEVELOP SWWD FROM THE MID-MS VLY
   SWWD INTO NCNTRL/NERN TX TUE LATE AFTN/EVE ALONG THE SEWD MOVING
   CDFNT.  LARGER SCALE SUPPORT WILL BE COMPARATIVELY WEAKER THAN
   FARTHER TO THE NE AS A BRIEF PERIOD OF WEAK LARGE SCALE RIDGING
   SPREADS ACROSS THE REGION IN WAKE OF THE MATURING CYCLONE.
   NEVERTHELESS…STRONG/VEERING WIND PROFILES JUXTAPOSED WITH AROUND
   60/LOWER 60S F SFC DEW POINTS WOULD CONDITIONALLY SUPPORT A RISK FOR
   SVR HAIL TUE LATE AFTN/EVE.
  
   ..RACY.. 03/09/2009

Remember the Vets! Remember the Melting Polar Ice Caps? November 11, 2008

On This Day, Thank a Veteran:

Original "Armistice Day" Honoree

Too often we run around saying we “support the troops” or are grateful for living in this nation but never thank those who are responsible. November 11, 1919 was proclaimed “Armistice Day” to commemorate the end of the “Great War” now better known as World War I, on November 11, 1918; on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It was thought at the time that there would never be a greater

Sir, we salute you.

conflict. By the 1940′s, it was evident that was not the case. In 1920 at the urging of church groups, President Wilson named the nearest Sunday to November 11 “Armistice Sunday.” In 1921, Congress approved the building of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery and designated November 11, 1921 as a Federal holiday for all who participated in the “Great War.” In 1926, Congress called on the President to give an address each Armistice Day and most states in the decade mark the occasion with a holiday.

Now, in 1938 Congress adopted November 11 as a Federal holiday. But, Congress only holds the power to grant Federal employees holidays. It’s up to the states to designate holidays but since most states already have the holiday, the Federal government really followed the states lead in contrast to most other national holidays in which the states follow the Fed’s lead. World War II and Korea come and go so President Eisenhower officially changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.

It Doesn't Take Much Effort

For some reason, Congress in 1968 messed with the tradition. I don’t know if they were caught up in the turbulent 60′s or what but they decided to make the 4th Monday in October Veterans Day, taking effect in 1971. All the states moved their holidays except for Mississippi and South Dakota. By 1975, the majority of the states had moved it back to the original November 11. The Federal Government capitulated and changed the Federal holiday back, beginning with November 11, 1978. Not only was the day considered sacred at its inception, it somehow held that same position later in the 20th century because when the government tried to change it, the citizens through the state legislatures, basically told the Feds to shove off and returned it to its proper place. This is not Memorial Day, but if you choose to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation, then please do so. But, Veterans Day to me is for the living…so if you don’t go to a ceremony or church service today, take the time to thank a veteran. I do it everytime I meet someone who served. Like Mother’s Day, I don’t just tell my mother that I love her on Mother’s Day. In any event, it’s not hard, just reach out your hand and say “thank you.” They earned it.

Rain Total Through Thursday Evening

Wet Week Upon Us: A system is ejecting very quickly out of the southern plains and will be spreading moisture all over the Ohio Valley on Tuesday through Wednesday. Thursday, it comes to an end before a strong cold front comes through Friday morning. Look for clouds and cold conditions over the weekend. It’s not totally out of the question that we may get a few insignificant snowflakes on Sunday morning.

Figure 1. Arctic sea ice extent for October 2008 was 8.40 million square kilometers (3.24 million square miles) The magenta line shows the 1979 to 2000 average extent for October. The black cross indicates the geographic North Pole

What About the Warmer than Average Winter and the Melting Arctic Ice Cap? Now, this is still the autumn and a few cold days does not a season make….but remember a few days ago I posted that the outlook was for a warmer than average winter in our area. I did mention that it was a 40%-50% chance. We’ll see. Also, do you remember my hooting about the headlines that claimed that the Arctic Ice might melt away completely in 2008? Turns out the writer was either stupid, looking for headlines or had an agenda because that is not what the researchers said. One guy said it was possible but no one forecast that. They had kids crying for polar bears and Santa Claus. Well, as it turns out, the ice over the Arctic actually increased rather significantly this summer. But, instead of saying that the ice increased, the headlines said that it was the second smallest amount of Arctic Ice on record, which was true. But saying that would have made the previous headlines look foolish and also perhaps make eyebrows raise about Global Warming.

Well, now it seems that the summer low of September 14 was about 1.74 million square miles. By October 31, the ice covered some 3.5 million square miles. In 6 weeks, the sea-ice doubled in size. That marks a near-record ice growth rate. If you see some stories talking about how the temperatures rose quickly in the Arctic in October, make sure that you understand that it’s normal. When ice forms in the ocean, the ocean releases heat into the atmosphere. So, if you have rapid ice formation, you get an increase in air temperatures. What is interesting is that there was more sea-ice at the end of the spring than anticipated. Then, there was a record ice loss in the late summer followed by a near record ice growth in the early fall. The National Snow and Ice Center (Full Monthly NSIC Report) concludes its monthly report by saying that what we are seeing has never been observed before. I think it’s safe to say that the IPCC computers didn’t predict this and shows what I have been saying all along. We don’t know enough to be making proclamations. Al Gore had no business saying that “the debate is over.” That is utter nonsense. We need, as humans, to show some humility and say that we don’t know everything and in the big scheme of things, probably don’t know much. It will be interesting to see how the winter shakes out for us weather wise and for the polar bears in the Arctic.