Monday, October 08, 2007

The Sound Of Knuckles Dragging

The flat earth society has found another bone to chew on, as though the entire argument falls apart:
Between winter 2005 and winter 2007, the perennial ice shrunk by an area the size of Texas and California combined. This severe loss continues a trend of rapid decreases in perennial ice extent in this decade. Study results will be published Oct. 4 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

The scientists observed less perennial ice cover in March 2007 than ever before, with the thick ice confined to the Arctic Ocean north of Canada. Consequently, the Arctic Ocean was dominated by thinner seasonal ice that melts faster. This ice is more easily compressed and responds more quickly to being pushed out of the Arctic by winds. Those thinner seasonal ice conditions facilitated the ice loss, leading to this year's record low amount of total Arctic sea ice.

Nghiem said the rapid decline in winter perennial ice the past two years was caused by unusual winds. "Unusual atmospheric conditions set up wind patterns that compressed the sea ice, loaded it into the Transpolar Drift Stream and then sped its flow out of the Arctic," he said. When that sea ice reached lower latitudes, it rapidly melted in the warmer waters.

"The winds causing this trend in ice reduction were set up by an unusual pattern of atmospheric pressure that began at the beginning of this century," Nghiem said.

The hilarious part, they cite a NASA study as evidence that global warming is a "fraud". NASA? Yes, they seize upon a scientific study, that comes to reasonable conclusions. They believe what NASA tells them, through their research and I do too. Other things NASA researchers tell us here, here, here, here, here or here. I'm glad we can all agree now, and defer to NASA for guidance in the future. Too funny.

9 comments:

Karen said...

Good grief Steve. Of course you are right With the humidity today, we broke all recorded records, it's 39 flipping degrees on this Thanksgiving Day.

To be honest, I'm done with deniers. The nonsense they spew isn't actually worth arguing. They are wrong, it's been proven, full stop.

I'm thinking, the more we argue, the more credence we give to the incredulous. Call them out for what they are. As you said, "flat earthers". That's apt.

Fight them, yes, debate, no...there is no debate people, NONE.

We've proclaimed in good conscience, they dig for a nonsense, lobby supported view and that is what we have to fight, imo.

Steve V said...

"To be honest, I'm done with deniers. The nonsense they spew isn't actually worth arguing. They are wrong, it's been proven, full stop."

I keep saying that, but then every once in a while I visit the Blogging Tory site and it's like a different planet. There they are, debating and deconstructing, so delusional some posit that 2007 is the year the myth of man-made global warming ended. It literally BLOWS MY MIND everytime, but it's educational, in the sense you realize that perception is entirely relative.

I should probably resist, and the title is cruel, but my goodness they just think they are so clever, the rest of us part of some "religion" and they are piercing through some fabricated conspiracy. I find it amazing.

Karen said...

I keep saying that, but then every once in a while I visit the Blogging Tory site and it's like a different planet.

It is indeed. Try to think of them as occupants of an imaginary planet. Their "religion" is to deny all that is and adopt all that is not.

To be honest, they become one of the richest portions of our society...fiction.

Sadly, they are the only ones who do not see, nor get that.

How could you, when you do not exist?

:)

900ft Jesus said...

knb - yes, some want to perpetuate the idea there is still a debate and some know full well there isn't one but use it to slow down action. You're right and pressure should be put more directly on policy makers.

BCL posted something on new technology being used - not to fight climate change, but to counter it. I find that a little scary since we could move from one money making group of energy producers to another money making group - technology miracle makers.

Oldschool said...

They have only been monitoring the ice for 30 years . . . I know that's a lifetime for most of you, but in the big picture its less than a second!!!
Nice to hear you "scientists" are comfortable in your "beliefs", but if Newton, Einstien and others had your outlook, you would probably be riding in an ox cart and craping in the back yard today.
Science is never "settled" that is a talking point of the uninformed and uneducated . . .
Only those with small, closed minds refuse to debate . . . the likes of Algore and the Suz come to mind.

I am still waiting for someone, anyone to explain to the world how a trace gas (CO2) can transform the world's climate . . . .
Water vapour is thousands of times more common in the atmosphere, is the main greenhouse gas and no one wants to keep it under control???
By the way . . . since 1998 the world has been cooling, especially here in BC . . . could another ice age be coming???

Anonymous said...

Oldschool "Only those with small, closed minds refuse to debate"

Nice try. The way scientific debate works is if you want to debate the science, you don't just make shit up, you actually present science which questions the mainline view. Sorry your side isn't doing that, because it can't. There can be no debate because your side has nothing scientific to say in a debate and instead just spreads bullshit that anyone with even a fourth graders knowledge of science should be able to see through.

"I am still waiting for someone, anyone to explain to the world how a trace gas (CO2) can transform the world's climate . . . ."

Really? Did you just get out a time machine from the 1870s? Because it was in the 1880s that Svante Arrhenius showed in scientific experiments which have been replicated since that increasing CO2 concentrations must increase the temperature.

"Water vapour is thousands of times more common in the atmosphere, is the main greenhouse gas and no one wants to keep it under control???"

Seriously are you that clueless? The way that scientists advocate keeping water vapour from rising is to stop CO2 concentrations from rising. Water vapour is a feedback factor, CO2 is a forcing factor. Increased CO2 concentrations lead to increased evaporation (again 4th grade science) which we have already seen with increases of 5 - 35% in rainfall in most parts of Canada in the last 50 years. The nice thing is that water vapour stays in the atmosphere for days, so if we could lower the CO2 concentration tomorrow we would instantly lower the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere. The not so nice thing is that CO2 stays in the atmosphere for over a century and that concentration is rising rapidly.

"By the way . . . since 1998 the world has been cooling, especially here in BC . . . could another ice age be coming???"

Bullshit. Not even you are stupid enough to believe that. 1998 was an unusually hot year because it had the effects of global warming potentiated by the effects of an especially strong ENSO. El nino's of course have been made much stronger because of global warming. How about you look at a f'n chart of global temperatures before you spew such nonsense. The trend line still points upwards - increasingly upwards. 28 consecutive years have been warmer than average globably. the last 15 have been much warmer than average.

900ft Jesus said...

wayward son - beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Thanks,

I am pretty sure I have explained all that to oldschool a half dozen times, so I probably should just follow knb's well worded advice advice:

"To be honest, I'm done with deniers. The nonsense they spew isn't actually worth arguing. They are wrong, it's been proven, full stop."

Steve V said...

"I am pretty sure I have explained all that to oldschool a half dozen times"

Noschool is a tad thick.