Comments on: One Degree Makes Huge Difference

By: Xman

Xman — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:23:58 +0000

Some people need to “see” it for themselves, I guess.

It’s easy to see:

1. Glaciers are melting and/or gone.
2. Many island peoples and low lying civilizations have already had to leave and many others are trying to find a place to relocate their societies.

Can’t argue that ice melts because it is getting warmer, not colder.
Can’t argue that when you have to sand bag your island, the water is getting higher.

By: JoeC

JoeC — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:50:29 +0000

“So you believe that…”
Yes.
“How big is that error bar?”
Not as big as you imagine.
The big temperature change still exists, even if you factor in the .2 degree error between old and new readings. Also, many of the sites where the old readings were taken were in remote points at sea and in the wilderness that are still remote today…they weren’t all taken in rural areas that are now urban. There’s no question that the average global temperature has risen in the past hundred years.

By: Pe

Pe — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:08:02 +0000

So you believe that the method and meaning of average temperature from 100+ years ago equates to the same method and meaning of average temperature today? A manual reading of a glass thermometer (maybe accurate to 0.2 degree) from a ship in the North Atlantic shipping lanes (i.e., nearer the Arctic than the tropics) has the same meaning as a satellite derived and remote buoy sensed average temperture which includes ALL the tropical seas?

And that similar methods and readings on land (in mostly rural settings) relate directly to continuous computer readings accurate to maybe 0.01 degree taken in nearly all Urban areas and from big concrete airport heat islands (where most “official” temperatures are recorded)?

How big is that error bar? Pretty much wipes out any so-called trend.

By: JoeC

JoeC — Sat, 12 May 2007 16:35:12 +0000

I agree that everybody should keep an open mind…but at a minimum, we should at least start being really really cautious. I mean, if you think there’s a rabid dog in the neighborhood, you take precautions even if you don’t know it’s there or not. We’re pretty sure CO2 is at least part of the problem (if not the MAJOR part of the problem…) but corporations are hardly taking any precautions…just keep churning out the low-mileage super SUVs and trucking in fruit from South America instead of helping to promote and sell local food.

Speaking of the orbiting solar sail, isn’t it about time we start moving OFF the planet? Your mention of an orbiting solar sail reminded me of the gigantic Gerard O’Neill space habitat plans circulating in the 1970s: Space Habitat. Thought we’d be there by now.

By: RichardB

RichardB — Sat, 12 May 2007 13:36:24 +0000

I agree. Lifestyle changes or the lack thereof do not in themselves prove anything. My point is I don’t think the majority of even the proponents of anthropogenic global warming are totally convinced. Why? Because the data isn’t convincing. There’s not enough discovered fact supporting any position right now.

A percentage of smokers and obese people do do something about their situation. But I see zero percent of my coworkers riding their bikes during rush hour. Where’s the conviction? No real activity… just hot air!

According to wikipedia (where you pointed me), solar activity has only been accurately measured for the last few decades. The current warming trend started a century ago. So how does anyone KNOW that global warming can’t be attributed mostly to solar activity and not CO2? No one can know that.

I’ll tell you the sticking point for me. The pictures posted above are startling. We can all agree that huge volumes of ice are melting worldwide. But how can this be if the average air temperature has only gone up an average of 1 or 2 degrees C? Could it be because of variations in radiant solar energy, which doesn’t necessarily correspond to a linear increase in air temperature? Radiant energy heats different media differently. And certain wavelengths could heat snow and ice more dramatically more than air. That could explain the mass meltings without a corresponding significant air temperature increase.

And I was just kidding about the umbrella thing. What we really need is an orbiting solar sail! It could encircle the earth like a giant ring and double as a power source.