by Tony Heller, August 28, 2017 in ClimateChangeDispatch
Summer isn’t quite over yet, but it was another cool summer in the US with afternoon temperatures continuing a 125-year cooling trend.
Water Intrusion in the Chesapeake Bay Region: Is It Caused by Climate-Induced Sea Level Rise?
by Roger H. Bezdek, August 2017 in SciRes
Our findings indicate that the water intrusion problems in the region are due not to “sea level rise”, but primarily to land subsidence due to groundwater depletion and, to a lesser extent, subsidence from glacial isostatic adjustment. We conclude that water intrusion will thus continue even if sea levels decline. These findings are critical because the water intrusion problems in the Chesapeake Bay—and elsewhere—cannot be successfully solved unless their causes are correctly identified and appropriate remedies are devised.
Quantifying the causes of the recent decrease in US CO2 emissions
by Roger Andrews, August 23, 2017 in Energy Matters (blog)
Between 2007 and 2015 total annual US CO2 emissions decreased by 740 million tons (12%). An updated analysis shows that 35% of this decrease was caused by natural gas replacing coal in electricity generation, 30% by lower fuel consumption in the transportation sector, 28% by renewables replacing
Study validates East Antarctic ice sheet to remain stable even if western ice sheet melts
by Indiana University, August 17, 2017 in AAAS
There are models that predict that the interior of the East Antarctic ice sheet wouldn’t change very much, even if the West Antarctic ice sheet was taken away,” Licht said. According to these models, even if the ice sheet’s perimeter retreats, its core remains stable.
Quantifying climatic variability in monsoonal northern China over the last 2200 years and its role in driving Chinese dynastic changes
by J. Li, J. Dodson et al., March 1, 2017 in QuaternSciReviews
We suggest that solar activity may play a key role in driving the climatic fluctuations in North China during the last 22 centuries, with its quasi ∼100, 50, 23, or 22-year periodicity clearly identified in our climatic reconstructions.
We quantitatively illustrate that precipitation (67.4%) may have been more important than temperature (32.5%)…
It’s over – 4324 day major hurricane drought ends as Harvey makes landfall at Cat 4
by Anthony Watts, August 25, 2017, in WUWT
Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 ending the “major hurricane drought” we have been experiencing in the USA.
Réchauffement climatique : le CO2 atmosphérique n’a pas toujours été le coupable
by Alex Barral et al., 2017 (U. Lyon-CNRS)
La comparaison des fluctuations du CO2 atmosphérique retracées à partir de ces estimations avec des courbes des changements de température a révélé de fortes baisses du CO2 atmosphérique (200-300 ppm), couplées à de fortes hausses de la température moyenne à la surface du globe (5-8°C) à l’échelle de quelques millions d’années.
Hurricane Harvey: likely to be the next “Katrina” and “Sandy” for climate alarmists
by Anthony Watts, August 25, 2017 in WUWT
(…) Maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is possible, and Harvey is forecast to become a major hurricane before it reaches the middle Texas coast (…)
August Arctic Ice Un-Alarming
by Ron Clutz, August 25, 2017 in ClimateChangeDispatch
The animated image shown after the jump shows ice extents for day 233 from 2007 to 2017. Particularly interesting is the variation in the CAA (Canadian Arctic Archipelago), crucial for the Northwest Passage
Fat polar bears [and lots of them] drive public confidence in future of the species
by Susan Crockford, Polar Bear Science, 23 August 2017
What is causing the death of the polar bear as a climate change icon? Fat bears are part of it, but mostly it’s the fact that polar bear numbers haven’t declined as predicted.
Sea Level Manipulation
by Nils-Axel Mörner, August 5, 2017, in J. Eng.Sci.Invention
Sea level changes is a key issue in the global warming scenario. It has been widely claimed that sea is rising as a function of the late 20th’s warming pulse. Global tide gauge data sets may vary between +1.7 mm/yr to +0.25 mm/yr depending upon the choice of stations. At numerous individual sites, available tide gauges show variability around a stable zero level …
… In this situation, it is recommended that we return to the observational facts, which provides global sea level records varying between ±0.0 and +1.0 mm/yr; i.e. values that pose no problems in coastal protection.
See also here
Solar Cycle Continues To Be The Weakest In 2 Centuries
by F. Bosse and F. Vahrenholt, August 23, in NoTricksZone
The sun was completely free of spots on 11 days in July. Notable: while during last month the sun’s northern hemisphere was more active (in June all sunspots were in the northern hemisphere), last month the southern hemisphere was the most active part with 60% of the sunspots appearing there. The following diagram shows the course of solar cycle 24 thus far (…)
Discovery of Additional West Antarctic Volcanoes Furthers Natural over Man-Made Warming
by James E Kamis, August 23, in ClimateChangeDispatch
The now three-year-old Plate Climatology Theory is on the brink of total confirmation. This is the result of two just-released and very telling Antarctic research studies. Combining the results of these two studies with the massive amounts of pre-existing data it is possible to show with very high certainty that melting of West Antarctic glaciers is directly related to bedrock heat flow and chemically charged heated fluid flow from the 5,000-mile-long West Antarctic Rift System (see Figure 1).
Biomass Now A Greater Source Of Pollution Than Cars
by Paul Homewood, August 21, 2017
Earlier this year, DEFRA published a report by the Air Quality Expert Group into the impacts of biomass on air quality. The results make for startling reading.
Among the findings are: (…) (…)
Earth history: How continents were recycled
by Ruhr-Universitaet-Bochum, August 22, 2017 in ScienceDaily
Researchers have used computer simulations to analyse how plate tectonics have evolved on Earth over the last three billion years. They show that tectonic processes have changed in the course of the time, and demonstrate how those changes contributed to the formation and destruction of continents. The model reconstructs how present-day continents, oceans and the atmosphere may have evolved.
Big data finds the Medieval Warm Period – no denial here
by Jennifer Marohasy, August 22, 2017
Our results show up to 1°C of warming. The average divergence between the proxy temperature record and our ANN projection is just 0.09 degree Celsius. This suggests that even if there had been no industrial revolution and burning of fossil fuels, there would have still been warming through the twentieth century – to at least 1980, and of almost 1°C.
Chinese Academy of Sciences : see here and here, also here
Most of the Recent Warming Could be Natural
by Jennifer Marohasy, August 21, 2017
AFTER deconstructing 2,000-year old proxy-temperature series back to their most basic components, and then rebuilding them using the latest big data techniques, John Abbot and I show what global temperatures might have done in the absence of an industrial revolution. The results from this novel technique, just published in GeoResJ, accord with climate sensitivity estimates from experimental spectroscopy but are at odds with output from General Circulation Models.
Journalism And Science Quality Reaches Stunning New Record Low
by Tony Heller, August 21, 2017 in ClimateChangeDispatch
Last year, experts announced that the Arctic would be ice-free in 2017.
(…)
Biofuels from bacteria
by DOE/Sandia National Laboratories, August 21, 2017 in ScienceDaily
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Scientists are working toward a better understand whether cyanobacteria can be grown for biofuels on a large scale.
See also here
Dino-killing asteroid could have thrust Earth into two years of darkness
by National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, August 21, 2017 in ScienceDaily
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Tremendous amounts of soot, lofted into the air from global wildfires following a massive asteroid strike 66 million years ago, would have plunged Earth into darkness for nearly two years, new research finds. This would have shut down photosynthesis, drastically cooled the planet, and contributed to the mass extinction that marked the end of the age of dinosaurs.
The strange rise of coal in the Middle East
by Robin Mills, August 20, 207 UAE Ed The National
The Middle Eastern countries that are looking at coal are trying to diversify their fuel mix, and to reduce vulnerability to economic or supply shocks. Gas is cheap at the moment but its price is volatile, and states such as Dubai, Egypt and Turkey do not want to be too import-dependent. For Dubai, which attracted a very competitive bid from Acwa and Harbin, coal is a key part of strengthening its negotiating position with other suppliers. Iran and Turkey are trying to maximise the use of their domestic coal, and for Turkey, reliance on rivals Iran and Russia for two-thirds of its gas is dangerous.
Despite gas prices being low at the moment, coal is cheaper still — at least once the required import facilities are constructed. Chinese power and engineering companies, looking for other markets, are offering their expertise and low-cost financing.
Pétrole: Total réalise une méga-acquisition à plus de 7 milliards de dollars avec Maersk Oil
by Nicolas Stiel, 21 août 2017, in Challenge
Total rachète le Danois Maersk Oil pour plus de 7 milliards de dollars, soit sa plus grosse acquisition depuis celle d’Elf Aquitaine en 2000. Grâce à elle, le pétrolier vise 3 millions de barils-jours en 2019.
See also OGJ
Peak Oil And Peak Demand Have Entirely Different Outcomes
by Robert Rapier, August 15, 2017 in Forbes
That’s the peak oil argument in a nutshell, but the peak demand argument is entirely different. In this case, oil production falls — not because of geological factors — but because the world turns its back on oil as cleaner, cheaper options become available. Electric vehicles and ride-sharing on a massive scale are envisioned as two of the key factors that will make oil obsolete.
Will 2017 Set Records? (Now Includes June and July Data)
by Werner Brozek, August 20, 2017 in WUWT
In order to determine if records are possible in 2017, one must know the previous records as well as the average to date and what is required for the rest of the year in order for a particular data set to set a new record.
For the five data sets I cover, records were set in 2016. For now, I am not concerned about the statistical significance of the records, nor the number of decimal places. I merely want to know if the record can be beaten this year. At the end of the year, I plan on reporting any records and how statistically significant they are.
An Inconvenient Deception: How Al Gore Distorts Climate Science and Energy Policy
by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D., August 19, 2017 in GlobalWarming
Al Gore has provided a target-rich environment of deceptions in his new movie.
After viewing Gore’s most recent movie, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, and after reading the book version of the movie, I was more than a little astounded. The new movie and book are chock-full of bad science, bad policy, and factual errors.