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       #Post#: 358--------------------------------------------------
       Re: 🚩 Global Climate Chaos ☠️
       By: AGelbert Date: November 16, 2013, 2:12 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-161113150709.png[/img]
       #Post#: 359--------------------------------------------------
       Re: 🚩 Global Climate Chaos ☠️
       By: AGelbert Date: November 16, 2013, 4:08 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [move]Reposted from the Doomstead Diner where I am having a
       "debate" with Global Warming denier.
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/3ztzsjm.gif
       [/move]
       I think these scientists from a document written in 1984 don't
       have an agenda. How about you, Snowleapard? Can you trust what
       these fellows say?
       Solar Disinfection of Drinking Water and Oral Rehydration
       Solutions
       
       Guidelines for Household Application in Developing Countries
       Aftim Acra - Zeina Raffoul - Yester Karahagopian
       Department of Environmental Health
       Faculty of Health Science - American University of Beirut
       Beirut, 1984
       1.Foreword
       2.Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT) ◾The Revolution for
       Children
       ◾The Four Simple Technologies
       ◾Global Diarrhoeal Diseases Control Programs
       ◾Causes, Transmission, and Control of Childhood Diarrhoea
       3.Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) ◾The Practical Issues
       ◾Domestic Formulations
       ◾Disinfection by Boiling
       4.Solar Energy ◾Fundamental Considerations
       ◾From Sun to
       Earth
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/34y5mvr.gif
       ◾World Distribution
       ◾A Competitor
       ◾Some Practical Hints
       5.Solar Disinfection Studies ◾Drinking Water
       ◾Oral Rehydration Solutions
       6.Appendix
       Originally published by UNICEF
       Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa
       P.O.Box 811721 - Amman, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
       1984
       ----------------------------------------------------------------
       ----------------
       Created by the Documentation Center at AUB in collaboration with
       Al Mashriq of Høgskolen i Østfold, Norway.
       
       970730/wa-bl/980215/bl - Email: almashriq@hiof.no
       Solar Energy
       From Sun to Earth
       Outer Space
       The enormous amount of energy continuously emitted by the sun is
       dispersed into outer space in all directions. Only a small
       fraction of this energy  is intercepted by the earth and other
       solar planets.
       The solar energy reaching the periphery of the earth's
       atmosphere is considered to be constant for all practical
       purposes, and is known as the solar constant. Because of the
       difficulty in achieving accurate measurements, the exact value
       of the solar constant is not known with certainty but is
       believed to be between 1,353 and 1,395 W/m2 (approximately 1.4
       kW/m2, or 2.0 cal/cm2/min). The solar constant value is
       estimated on the basis of the solar radiation received on a unit
       area exposed perpendicularly to the rays of the sun at an
       average distance between the sun and the earth.
       In passing through outer space, which is characterized by
       vacuum, the different types of solar energy remain intact and
       are not modified until the radiation reaches the top of the
       earth's atmosphere.  In outer space, therefore, one would expect
       to encounter the types of radiation listed in Table 1, which
       are: gamma ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared radiations.
       Atmospheric Effects
       Not all of the solar radiation received at the periphery of the
       atmosphere reaches the surfaces of the earth. This is because
       the earth's atmosphere  plays an important role in selectively
       controlling   the passage towards the earth's surface of the
       various components of solar radiation.
       A considerable portion of solar radiation is reflected back into
       outer space upon striking the uppermost layers of the
       atmosphere, and also from the tops of clouds. In the course of
       penetration through the atmosphere, some of the incoming
       radiation is either absorbed  or scattered in all directions by
       atmospheric gases, vapours, and dust particles. In fact, there
       are two processes  known to be involved in atmospheric
       scattering of solar radiation. These are termed selective
       scattering and non-selective scattering. These two processes are
       determined by the different sizes of particles in the
       atmosphere.
       Selective scattering is so named because radiations with shorter
       wavelengths are selectively scattered much more extensively than
       those with longer wavelengths.  It is caused by atmospheric
       gases or particles that are smaller in dimension than the
       wavelength of a particular radiation. Such scattering could be
       caused by gas molecules, smoke, fumes, and haze. Under clear
       atmospheric conditions, therefore, selective scattering would be
       much less severe than when the atmosphere is extensively
       polluted from anthropogenic sources.
       Selective atmospheric scattering is, broadly speaking, inversely
       proportional to the wavelength of radiation and, therefore,
       decreases in the following order of magnitude: far UV > near UV
       > violet > blue > green > yellow > orange > red > infrared.
       Accordingly, the most severely scattered radiation is that which
       falls in the ultraviolet, violet, and blue bands of the
       spectrum. The scattering effect on radiation in these three
       bands is roughly ten times  as great as on the red rays of
       sunlight.   8)
       It is interesting to note that the selective scattering of
       violet and blue light by the atmosphere causes the blue colour
       of the sky. When the sun is directly overhead at around noon
       time, little selective scattering occurs and the sun appears
       white. This is because sunlight at this time passes through the
       minimum thickness of atmosphere. At sunrise and sunset, however,
       sunlight passes obliquely through a much thicker layer of
       atmosphere. This results in maximum atmospheric scattering of
       violet and blue light, with only a little effect on the red rays
       of sunlight. Hence, the sun appears to be red in colour at
       sunrise and sunset.
       Non-selective scattering occurring in the lower atmosphere is
       caused by dust, fog, and clouds with particle sizes more than
       ten times the wavelength of the components of solar radiation.
       Since the amount of scattering is equal for all wavelengths,
       clouds and fog appear white although their water particles are
       colourless.
       Atmospheric gases also absorb solar energy at certain wavelength
       intervals called absorption bands, in contrast to the wavelength
       regions characterized by high transmittance of solar radiation
       called atmospheric transmission bands, or atmospheric windows.
       The degree of absorption  of solar radiation passing through the
       outer atmosphere depends upon the component rays of sunlight and
       their wavelengths. The gamma rays, X-rays, and ultraviolet
       radiation less than 200 nm in wavelength are absorbed by oxygen
       and nitrogen.  Most of the radiation with a range of wavelengths
       from 200 to 300 nm is absorbed by the ozone (O3) layer in the
       upper atmosphere. These absorption phenomena are essential for
       living things because prolonged exposure to radiation of
       wavelengths shorter than 300 nm destroys living tissue.
       Solar radiation in the red and infrared regions of the spectrum
       at wavelengths greater than 700 nm is absorbed to some extent by
       carbon dioxide, ozone, and water   present in the atmosphere in
       the form of vapour and condensed droplets (Table 1). In fact,
       the water droplets present in clouds not only absorb rays of
       long wavelengths, but also scatter some of the solar radiation
       of short wavelengths.
       Ground Level
       As a result of the atmospheric phenomena involving reflection,
       scattering, and absorption of radiation, the quantity of solar
       energy that ultimately reaches the earth's surface is much
       reduced in intensity as it traverses the atmosphere. The amount
       of reduction varies with the radiation wavelength, and depends
       on the length of the atmospheric path through which the solar
       radiation traverses. The intensity of the direct beams of
       sunlight thus depends on the altitude of the sun, and also
       varies with such factors as latitude, season, cloud coverage,
       and atmospheric pollutants.
       The total solar radiation received at ground level includes both
       direct radiation and indirect (or diffuse) radiation. Diffuse
       radiation is the component of total radiation caused by
       atmospheric scattering and reflection of the incident radiation
       on the ground. Reflection from the ground is primarily visible
       light with a maximum radiation peak at a wavelength of 555 nm
       (green light). The relatively small amount of energy radiated
       from the earth at an average ambient temperature of 17°C at its
       surface consists of infrared radiation  with a peak
       concentration at 970 nm.  This invisible radiation is dominant
       at night.
       During daylight hours, the amount of diffuse radiation may be as
       much as 10% of the total solar radiation at noon time even when
       the sky is clear. This value may rise to about 20% in the early
       morning and late afternoon.
       In conclusion, therefore, it is evident that in cloudy weather
       the total radiation received at ground level is greatly reduced,
       the amount of reduction being dependent on cloud coverage and
       cloud thickness. Under extreme cloud conditions a significant
       proportion of the incident radiation would be in the form of
       scattered or diffuse light. In addition, lesser solar radiation
       is expected during the early and late hours of the day. These
       facts are of practical value for the proper utilization of solar
       radiation for such purposes as destruction of microorganisms.
  HTML http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/600/610/614/solar-water/unesco/21-23.html
  HTML http://almashriq.hiof.no/lebanon/600/610/614/solar-water/unesco/21-23.html
       Agelbert NOTE: The conclusion " it is evident that in cloudy
       weather the total radiation received at ground level is greatly
       reduced..." DOES NOT mean, as the Global Warming deniers have
       tried to make us believe, that the ATMOSPHERE heats up less. It
       means that to disinfect water (kill the microrganisms) the
       radiation arriving on the SURFACE needs to have less cloud
       cover.
       But as you read further up, inside the atmosphere (at cloud
       level well below the ozone layer) the absorption frequencies of
       gases can scatter the radiation throughout the atmosphere. The
       reflected light (visible spectrum) from clouds and surface DOES
       exit the planet. HOWEVER, the Earth CONSTATLY radiates in the IR
       band which CO2, water and methane trap quite handily because of
       their ABSORPTION FREQUENCIES. So all that increased albedo
       business that Global Warming deniers want to push on us, while
       it will increase VISIBLE light reflection, won't do BEANS to
       stop the ONLY HEAT that is radiated by this planet (IR).
       BOTTOM LINE: Absorption frequencies are the KEY to understanding
       how the atmosphere heats or cools. The particulate scattering
       plays a role but the absorption frequencies are the 800 pound
       gorilla.
       [img width=640
       height=400]
  HTML http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Breakdown_of_the_incoming_solar_energy.svg[/img]
  HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
  HTML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
       Now lets get back to sun spots for a bit of humor. Question:
       What percentage of the suns TOTAL OUTPUT IN ENERGY reaches top
       levels of the atmosphere BEFORE it is further selectively
       reduced by the atmosphere? [/I]
       I'll save you the math:  [img width=30
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-141113185047.png[/img]<br
       />[quote][i]The Earth intercepts only about one-half of
       one-billionth of the Sun's total energy output. :o[/quote]
  HTML http://cybele.bu.edu/courses/gg312fall02/documents/lab01.pdf
  HTML http://cybele.bu.edu/courses/gg312fall02/documents/lab01.pdf
       Do you now understand why all that BS about sunspot lessened
       activity and a "weakening" sun doesn't mean JACK SHIT to us on
       this planet. The "weakening" of the sun has to be hundreds of
       thousands of time greater than the piddling amount observed to
       amount to a hill of temperature BEANs on Earth.
       That's why I have told Snowleapard that what he is pushing is
       baseless, but CLEVER, pro-fossil fuel, context free, IRRELEVANT
       propaganda. [img width=80
       height=80]
  HTML http://www.imgion.com/images/01/Angry-animated-smiley.jpg[/img]<br
       />
       Snowleapard. I CHALLENGE YOU to doubt the three sources I just
       gave as to accuracy and TRUTH. If you do, you are bought or
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/p8.gif.
       [url=
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/index.php]Renewable<br
       />Revolution
  HTML http://dl3.glitter-graphics.net/pub/465/465823jzy0y15obs.gif
       #Post#: 360--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 16, 2013, 4:43 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Hey Snowleopard, how about these folks from Oklahoma? Are they
       trustworthy? I think so! Does that mean YOU DON'T? (full
       explanation for this type of behavior, when it isn't a conscious
       decision, here
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/who-can-you-trust/mechanisms-of-prejudice-hidden-and-not-hidden/msg348/#msg348)
       Oklahoma Climatological Survey
       Earth's Energy Budget
       Part 2
       
       Principle
       
       Absorption and re-emission of radiation at the earth's surface
       is only one part of an intricate web of heat transfer in the
       earth's planetary domain. Equally important are selective
       absorption and emission of radiation from molecules in the
       atmosphere. If the earth did not have an atmosphere, surface
       temperatures would be too cold to sustain life.
       If too many gases which absorb and emit infrared radiation were
       present in the atmosphere, surface temperatures would be too hot
       to sustain life.
       
  HTML http://okfirst.mesonet.org/train/meteorology/EnergyBudget2.html
       #Post#: 372--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 17, 2013, 3:13 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Global Warming Since 1997 Underestimated by Half
       Filed under: Climate Science
       Instrumental Record
       — stefan @ 13 November 2013
       A new study by British and Canadian researchers shows that the
       global temperature rise of the past 15 years has been greatly
       underestimated. The reason is the data gaps in the weather
       station network, especially in the Arctic. If you fill these
       data gaps using satellite measurements, the warming trend is
       more than doubled in the widely used HadCRUT4 data, and the
       much-discussed “warming pause” has virtually disappeared.
       Obtaining the globally averaged temperature from weather station
       data has a well-known problem: there are some gaps in the data,
       especially in the polar regions and in parts of Africa. As long
       as the regions not covered warm up like the rest of the world,
       that does not change the global temperature curve.
       But errors in global temperature trends arise if these areas
       evolve differently from the global mean. That’s been the case
       over the last 15 years in the Arctic, which has warmed
       exceptionally fast, as shown by satellite and reanalysis data
       and by the massive sea ice loss there. This problem was analysed
       for the first time by Rasmus in 2008 at RealClimate, and it was
       later confirmed by other authors in the scientific literature.
       The “Arctic hole” is the main reason for the difference between
       the NASA GISS data and the other two data sets of near-surface
       temperature, HadCRUT and NOAA. I have always preferred the GISS
       data because NASA fills the data gaps by interpolation from the
       edges, which is certainly better than not filling them at all.
       A new gap filler
       Now Kevin Cowtan (University of York) and Robert Way (University
       of Ottawa) have developed a new method to fill the data gaps
       using satellite data.
       It sounds obvious and simple, but it’s not. Firstly, the
       satellites cannot measure the near-surface temperatures but only
       those overhead at a certain altitude range in the troposphere.
       And secondly, there are a few question marks about the long-term
       stability of these measurements (temporal drift).
       Cowtan and Way circumvent both problems by using an established
       geostatistical interpolation method called kriging – but they do
       not apply it to the temperature data itself (which would be
       similar to what GISS does), but to the difference between
       satellite and ground data. So they produce a hybrid temperature
       field. This consists of the surface data where they exist. But
       in the data gaps, it consists of satellite data that have been
       converted to near-surface temperatures, where the difference
       between the two is determined by a kriging interpolation from
       the edges. As this is redone for each new month, a possible
       drift of the satellite data is no longer an issue.
       Prerequisite for success is, of course, that this difference is
       sufficiently smooth, i.e. has no strong small-scale structure.
       This can be tested on artificially generated data gaps, in
       places where one knows the actual surface temperature values but
       holds them back &#8203;&#8203;in the calculation. Cowtan and Way
       perform extensive validation tests, which demonstrate that their
       hybrid method provides significantly better results than a
       normal interpolation on the surface data as done by GISS.
       The surprising result
       Cowtan and Way apply their method to the HadCRUT4 data, which
       are state-of-the-art except for their treatment of data gaps.
       For 1997-2012 these data show a relatively small warming trend
       of only 0.05 °C per decade – which has often been misleadingly
       called a “warming pause”. The new IPCC report writes:
       Due to natural variability, trends based on short records are
       very sensitive to the beginning and end dates and do not in
       general reflect long-term climate trends. As one example, the
       rate of warming over the past 15 years (1998–2012; 0.05 [–0.05
       to +0.15] °C per decade), which begins with a strong El Niño, is
       smaller than the rate calculated since 1951 (1951–2012; 0.12
       [0.08 to 0.14] °C per decade).
       But after filling the data gaps this trend is 0.12 °C per decade
       and thus exactly equal to the long-term trend mentioned by the
       IPCC.
       [img width=640
       height=470]
  HTML http://www.realclimate.org/images//Cowtan.png[/img]
       Cowtan
       The corrected data (bold lines) are shown in the graph compared
       to the uncorrected ones (thin lines). The temperatures of the
       last three years have become a little warmer, the year 1998 a
       little cooler.
       The trend of 0.12 °C is at first surprising, because one would
       have perhaps expected that the trend after gap filling has a
       value close to the GISS data, i.e. 0.08 °C per decade. Cowtan
       and Way also investigated that difference. It is due to the fact
       that NASA has not yet implemented an improvement of sea surface
       temperature data which was introduced last year in the HadCRUT
       data (that was the transition from the HadSST2 the HadSST3 data
       – the details can be found e.g. here and here). The authors
       explain this in more detail in their extensive background
       material. Applying the correction of ocean temperatures to the
       NASA data, their trend becomes 0.10 °C per decade, very close to
       the new optimal reconstruction.
       Conclusion
       The authors write in their introduction:
       While short term trends are generally treated with a suitable
       level of caution by specialists in the field, they feature
       significantly in the public discourse on climate change.
       This is all too true. A media analysis has shown that at least
       in the U.S., about half of all reports about the new IPCC report
       mention the issue of a “warming pause”, even though it plays a
       very minor role in the conclusions of the IPCC. Often the tenor
       was that the alleged “pause” raises some doubts about global
       warming and the warnings of the IPCC. We knew about the study of
       Cowtan & Way for a long time, and in the face of such media
       reporting it is sometimes not easy for researchers to keep such
       information to themselves. But I respect the attitude of the
       authors to only go public with their results once they’ve been
       published in the scientific literature. This is a good principle
       that I have followed with my own work as well.
       The public debate about the alleged “warming pause” was
       misguided from the outset, because far too much was read into a
       cherry-picked short-term trend. Now this debate has become
       completely baseless, because the trend of the last 15 or 16
       years is nothing unusual – even despite the record El Niño year
       at the beginning of the period. It is still a quarter less than
       the warming trend since 1980, which is 0.16 °C per decade. But
       that’s not surprising when one starts with an extreme El Niño
       and ends with persistent La Niña conditions, and is also running
       through a particularly deep and prolonged solar minimum in the
       second half. As we often said, all this is within the usual
       variability around the long-term global warming trend and no
       cause for excited over-interpretation.
  HTML http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2013/11/global-warming-since-1997-underestimated-by-half/#more-16173
       [move][i]A couple CHOICE comments from the
       bought-and-paid-for-Denier-Squad  [img width=80
       height=055]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-241013183046.jpeg[/img]<br
       />and the informed, erudite and clear smack down
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/cowboypistol.gif
       of the Real
       Climate Blog Scientists   [img width=40
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.clker.com/cliparts/c/8/f/8/11949865511933397169thumbs_up_nathan_eady_01.svg.hi.png[/img]<br
       />:[/I][/move]
       [quote]
       Blair Dowden says:
       13 Nov 2013 at 4:40 PM
       Dr. Kevin Cowtan
       (
  HTML http://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/academic/a-c/kcowtan/
  HTML http://www.york.ac.uk/chemistry/staff/academic/a-c/kcowtan/)
       is
       a chemist at the University of York specializing in X-ray
       crystallography. I do not see any hint of a connection with his
       work to climate change. Robert Way
       (
  HTML http://uottawa.academia.edu/RobertWay
  HTML http://uottawa.academia.edu/RobertWay)
       is a graduate student in
       geography at the University of Ottawa, but at least one of his
       few papers is somewhat relevant. These are not the
       qualifications I would expect for the authors of such a ground
       breaking paper. (This comment seemed to get lost, so I am
       posting it again.)
       [Response: With the amount of open data available for anyone to
       analyse, this is not such a stretch. There are many good papers
       from 'outsiders' in the literature and in general this kind of
       constructive input should be welcomed (as with work done by Zeke
       Hausfather, Troy Masters etc.). - gavin]
       [Response: p.s. It is well worth looking at his impressive
       citation record. I think it is excellent if top scientists from
       other fields make methodological contributions to climate
       science. -stefan]
       12
       Peter Lilley says:
       13 Nov 2013 at 4:47 PM
       Why do nearly all data reanalyses on this site show the warming
       is greater than the raw data?
       [Response: Not true.
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/2rzukw3.gif
       The raw SST data show much larger trends that turned out to be
       spurious due to changes in measuring techniques. The GISTEMP
       analyses correct for an urban heating effect that would
       otherwise lead to a (slightly) stronger trend globally.
       Homogeneity corrections at GHCN go both ways. The analysis in
       this instance is correcting for an obvious hole in the HadCRUT4
       data (mainly the Arctic) which even you know has been warming
       faster.
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/gen152.gifYour
       question
       therefore smacks of a desire to have lower trends for reasons
       that are not clear.  [img width=40
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
       />
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/snapoutofit.gif
       I prefer to take
       the info as it comes rather than wishing it were otherwise. -
       gavin] [img width=50
       height=50]
  HTML http://www.imgion.com/images/01/Angry-animated-smiley.jpg[/img]<br
       />
       [/quote]
       #Post#: 394--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 19, 2013, 12:49 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       October 2013 Antarctic ice largest extent since records began in
       1979! Is Snowleopard vindicated? Does Agelbert have to eat a
       snowball with his crow? :P
  HTML http://www.smileyvault.com/albums/stock/thumb_smiley-sign0105.gif
       October was a RECORD HOT MONTH GLOBALLY!
       [move][b]Nevertheless, expect the Global Warming Deniers to do
       some world class mendacious "Antarctic ice is growing at a
       record pace!
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/acigar.gif
       Global
       Warming is a hoax!"[/I]
  HTML http://www.u.arizona.edu/~patricia/cute-collection/smileys/lying-smiley.gif<br
       />cherry picking. [img width=40
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
       />[/move]
       [move][i]Read the EVIDENCE that Global WARMING hasn't "paused"
       but is, in fact, worsening![/move]
       [img width=640
       height=320]
  HTML http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/service/global/extremes/201310.gif[/img]
       During October 2013, most of the world land areas experienced
       warmer-than-average temperatures, with the most notable
       departures from the 1981–2010  average across Alaska,
       northwestern Canada, northwestern Africa, and parts of north
       central and southern Asia.
       The departure from the 1981–2010 average in these locations
       varied between +2°C to +5°C or greater. When comparing the
       October 2013 departure from average with the location's period
       of record (minimum of 80 years), parts of Alaska, northwestern
       Canada, northwestern Africa, and southern Australia experienced
       their warmest October temperature on record.
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/service/global/map-percentile-mntp/201310.gif[/img]
       As shown in the anomalies map, some areas that had departures
       that were above the 1981–2010 average, but lower in
       magnitude—such as Australia, Mexico, most of Africa, western and
       central Europe, northern and southern Argentina, and parts of
       the Caribbean—fell in the much-warmer-than-average category, as
       shown in the percentiles map, with some locations in the
       Caribbean having their warmest October on record.
       Some locations across the globe experienced departures that were
       below the 1981–2010 average. These areas include most of the
       western half of the United States, northern parts of the Middle
       East, and parts of central South America, western Russia and the
       Russian Far East. When comparing each location's October 2013
       temperature with their respective period of record, the northern
       Middle East experienced much-cooler-than-average temperatures,
       while the rest had near-average to cooler-than-average
       temperatures. There were no land areas that experienced record
       coldest temperatures.
       Averaged as a whole, the temperature across the land surfaces
       was 0.98°C (1.76°F) higher than the 20th century average of
       9.3°C (48.7°F)—tying with 2012  as the eighth warmest October
       since records began in 1880.
       This was also the 21st consecutive October with a
       warmer-than-average temperature. The last October with
       below-average temperatures occurred in 1992,  when the global
       land temperature was 0.04°C (0.07°F) below the 20th century
       average.
       The last below-average global land temperature for any month was
       February 1994. When averaging the temperature across the land
       surfaces across each hemisphere, the Northern Hemisphere
       experienced its seventh warmest October on record, with a
       departure from the 20th century average of +1.01°C (+1.82°F),
       while the Southern Hemisphere's October 2013 land surface
       temperature was +0.90°C (+1.62°F) higher than the 20th century
       average—the eighth warmest October on record.
       Select national information is highlighted below. (Please note
       that different countries report anomalies with respect to
       different base periods. The information provided here is based
       directly upon these data):
       •For the 15th consecutive month (since August 2012), Australia
       experienced above-average temperatures. The nationally averaged
       October maximum temperature was the third warmest on record with
       a departure from the 1961–1990 average of +2.1°C. Minimum
       temperatures were also above average, but did not rank among the
       top ten warmest on record. The mean national temperature was
       1.43°C above average—the seventh warmest since national
       temperature records began in 1910,  according to Australia's
       Bureau of Meteorology. Also, the 12-month (November 2012 to
       October 2013) mean temperature for the nation was 1.3°C above
       the 1961–1990 average—the highest 12-month period average for
       the nation. This value surpasses the previous record set the two
       previous months, +1.25°C (October 2012 to September 2013) and
       +1.11°C (September 2012 to August 2013). This is also 0.22°C
       higher than any 12-month period prior to 2013.
       •Spain experienced warm temperatures during October, with an
       average monthly temperature of 17.5°C or 2.1°C above the
       1971–2000 average. This resulted in the sixth warmest October
       since national records began in 1961.
       •In Austria, the October 2013 temperature was 1.1°C warmer than
       the 1981–2010 average—the warmest October since 2006 and the
       25th warmest October since national records began in 1767.
       •The national temperature in Germany was 10.6°C or 1.4°C warmer
       than the 1981–2010 average, resulting in the 11th warmest
       October since national records began in 1881.
       Across the oceans, temperature departures from 1981–2010 tend to
       be smaller than across the land surfaces. According to the
       percentiles map, much-warmer-than-average conditions were
       present across the tropical Atlantic Ocean, and along the
       European and the northeastern United States coasts, the tropical
       Western Pacific Ocean, the south-central Pacific Ocean, and
       across parts of the Indian Ocean. Some ocean areas in the
       Caribbean, western and south-central Pacific Ocean, and Indian
       Ocean experienced their warmest October temperature on record.
       ENSO-neutral (neither El Niño nor La Niña) conditions persisted
       across much of the tropical Pacific Ocean during October.
       According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, neutral
       conditions are favored through the Northern Hemisphere spring
       2014. Averaged globally, the global ocean temperature was 0.50°C
       (0.90°F) above the 20th century average, ranking as the eighth
       warmest October on record.
       [img width=640
       height=480]
  HTML http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/service/global/map-percentile-mntp/201310.gif[/img]
       Averaging the globe as a whole, the temperature across land and
       ocean surfaces combined during October 2013 was 0.63°C (1.13°F)
       above the 1901–2000 average of 14.0°C (57.1°F)—the seventh
       warmest October since records began in 1880. It also marked the
       37th consecutive October and 344th consecutive month (more than
       28 years) with a global temperature above the 20th century
       average. The last below-average October global temperature was
       October 1976 and the last below-average global temperature for
       any month was February 1985.  The warmest October on record
       occurred in 2003 when global land and ocean surface temperatures
       were 0.74°C (1.33°F) above the 20th century average, while the
       coldest October occurred in 1912 [-0.57°C (-1.03°F)].
  HTML http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/
       #Post#: 400--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 19, 2013, 5:34 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Simple physics and climate
       Filed under: Climate modelling
       Climate Science
       Greenhouse gases
       Sun-earth connections
       — rasmus @ 12 November 2013
       No doubt, our climate system is complex and messy. Still, we can
       sometimes make some inferences about it based on well-known
       physical principles. Indeed, the beauty of physics is that a
       complex systems can be reduced into simple terms that can be
       quantified, and the essential aspects understood.
       A recent paper by Sloan and Wolfendale (2013) provides an
       example where they derive a simple conceptual model of how the
       greenhouse effect works from first principles. They show the
       story behind the expression saying that a doubling in CO2 should
       increase the forcing by a factor of 1+log|2|/log|CO2|. I have a
       fondness for such simple conceptual models (e.g. I’ve made my
       own attempt posted at arXiv) because they provide a general
       picture of the essence – of course their precision is limited by
       their simplicity.
       However, the main issue discussed in the paper by Sloan and
       Wolfendale was not the greenhouse effect, but rather the
       question about galactic cosmic rays and climate. The discussion
       of the greenhouse effect was provided as a reference to the
       cosmic rays.
       Even though we have discussed this question several times here
       at RC, Sloan and Wolfendale introduce some new information in
       connection with radiation, ionization, and cloud formation. Even
       after having dug into all these other aspects, they do not find
       much evidence for the cosmic rays playing an important role.
       Their conclusions fit nicely with my own findings that also
       recently were published in the journal Environmental Research
       Letters.
       The cosmic ray hypothesis is weakened further by observational
       evidence from satellites, as shown in another recent paper by
       Krissansen-Totton and Davies (2013) in Geophysical Research
       Letters, which also concludes that the there is no statistically
       significant correlations between cosmic rays and global albedo
       or globally averaged cloud height. Neither did they find any
       evidence for any regional or lagged correlations.
       It’s nice to see that the Guardian has picked up these findings.
       Agelbert NOTE: IT will ALSO be nice as well as EDUCATIONAL and
       significant   [img width=40
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
       />to observe who DIDN'T pick up on these findings (e.g.
       Globalresearch.org - Et tu Brute?  [img width=50
       height=50]
  HTML http://www.imgion.com/images/01/Angry-animated-smiley.jpg[/img]<br
       /> ).
       Earlier in October, Almeida et al., 2013 had a paper published
       in Nature on results from the CLOUD experiment at CERN. They
       found that galactic cosmic rays exert only a small influence on
       the formation of sulphuric acid–dimethylamine clusters (the
       embryonic stage before aerosols may act as cloud condensation
       nuclei). The authors also reported that the experimental results
       were reproduced by a dynamical model, based on quantum chemical
       calculations.
       Some may ask why we keep revisiting the question about cosmic
       rays and climate, after presenting all the evidence to the
       contrary.  ???
       One reason is that science is never settled, and there are still
       some lingering academic communities nourishing the idea that
       changes in the sun or cosmic rays play a role.  ;) For this
       reason, a European project was estaqblished in 2011, COST-action
       TOSCA (Towards a more complete assessment of the impact of solar
       variability on the Earth’s climate), whose objective is to
       provide a better understanding of the “hotly debated role of the
       Sun in climate change” (not really in the scientific fora,
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/34y5mvr.gif
       but more in the
       general public discourse
  HTML http://www.u.arizona.edu/~patricia/cute-collection/smileys/lying-smiley.gifhttp://www.pic4ever.com/images/2rzukw3.gif).<br
       />
       ps  [img width=30
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-141113185047.png[/img]<br
       />
       Oldenborgh et al. (2013) also questioned the hypothesised link
       between extremely cold winter conditions in Europe and weak
       solar activity, but their analysis did not reproduce such
       claims.
       References
       1. T. Sloan, and A.W. Wolfendale, "Cosmic rays, solar activity
       and the climate", Environmental Research Letters, vol. 8, pp.
       045022, 2013.
  HTML http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/045022
       
       2. J. Krissansen-Totton, and R. Davies, "Investigation of cosmic
       ray-cloud connections using MISR", Geophysical Research Letters,
       vol. 40, pp. 5240-5245, 2013.
  HTML http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/grl.50996
       
       3. J. Almeida, S. Schobesberger, A. Kürten, I.K. Ortega, O.
       Kupiainen-Määttä, A.P. Praplan, A. Adamov, A. Amorim, F.
       Bianchi, M. Breitenlechner, A. David, J. Dommen, N.M. Donahue,
       A. Downard, E. Dunne, J. Duplissy, S. Ehrhart, R.C. Flagan, A.
       Franchin, R. Guida, J. Hakala, A. Hansel, M. Heinritzi, H.
       Henschel, T. Jokinen, H. Junninen, M. Kajos, J. Kangasluoma, H.
       Keskinen, A. Kupc, T. Kurtén, A.N. Kvashin, A. Laaksonen, K.
       Lehtipalo, M. Leiminger, J. Leppä, V. Loukonen, V. Makhmutov, S.
       Mathot, M.J. McGrath, T. Nieminen, T. Olenius, A. Onnela, T.
       Petäjä, F. Riccobono, I. Riipinen, M. Rissanen, L. Rondo, T.
       Ruuskanen, F.D. Santos, N. Sarnela, S. Schallhart, R.
       Schnitzhofer, J.H. Seinfeld, M. Simon, M. Sipilä, Y. Stozhkov,
       F. Stratmann, A. Tomé, J. Tröstl, G. Tsagkogeorgas, P.
       Vaattovaara, Y. Viisanen, A. Virtanen, A. Vrtala, P.E. Wagner,
       E. Weingartner, H. Wex, C. Williamson, D. Wimmer, P. Ye, T.
       Yli-Juuti, K.S. Carslaw, M. Kulmala, J. Curtius, U.
       Baltensperger, D.R. Worsnop, H. Vehkamäki, and J. Kirkby,
       "Molecular understanding of sulphuric acid–amine particle
       nucleation in the atmosphere", Nature, vol. 502, pp. 359-363,
       2013.
  HTML http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12663
       
       4. G.J. van Oldenborgh, A.T.J. de Laat, J. Luterbacher, W.J.
       Ingram, and T.J. Osborn, "Claim of solar influence is on thin
       ice: are 11-year cycle solar minima associated with severe
       winters in Europe?", Environmental Research Letters, vol. 8, pp.
       024014, 2013.
  HTML http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/2/024014
       
  HTML http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2013/11/simple-physics-and-climate/
       #Post#: 447--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 25, 2013, 1:58 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [img width=640
       height=410]
  HTML http://www.motherjones.com/files/images/methane1_h1.preview.jpg[/img]
       Arctic releasing twice as much methane as previously thought
       [move]
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-106.gif<br
       />Twice as Much Methane Escaping Arctic Seafloor[/move]
       LiveScience.com, Nov. 24, 2013
       The Arctic methane time bomb is bigger than scientists once
       thought and primed to blow, according to a study published today
       (Nov. 24) in the journal Nature Geoscience.
       About 17 teragrams of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, escapes
       each year from a broad, shallow underwater platform called the
       East Siberian Arctic Shelf, said Natalia Shakova, lead study
       author and a biogeochemist at the University of Alaska,
       Fairbanks. A teragram is equal to about 1.1 million tons; the
       world emits about 500 million tons of methane every year from
       manmade and natural sources. The new measurement more than
       doubles the team's earlier estimate of Siberian methane release,
       published in 2010 in the journal Science.
       "We believe that release of methane from the Arctic, in
       particular, from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, could impact
       the entire globe, not just the Arctic alone," Shakova told
       LiveScience. "The picture that we are trying to understand is
       what is the actual contribution of the [shelf] to the global
       methane budget and how it will change over time."
       [move]
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-106.gif<br
       />Waiting to escape[/move]
       Arctic permafrost is an area of intense research focus because
       of its climate threat. The frozen ground holds enormous stores
       of methane because the ice traps methane rising from inside the
       Earth, as well as gas made by microbes living in the soil.
       Scientists worry that the warming Arctic could lead to rapidly
       melting permafrost, releasing all that stored methane and
       creating a global warming feedback loop as the methane in the
       atmosphere traps heat and melts even more permafrost.
       Researchers are trying to gauge this risk by accurately
       measuring stores of methane in permafrost on land and in the
       ocean, and predicting how fast it will thaw as the planet warms.
       Though methane gas quickly decays once it escapes into the
       atmosphere, lasting only about 10 years, it is 30 times more
       efficient than carbon dioxide at trapping heat (the greenhouse
       effect).
       Shakova and colleague Igor Semiletov of the Russian Academy of
       Sciences first discovered methane bubbling up from the shallow
       seafloor a decade ago in Russia's Laptev Sea. Methane is trapped
       there in ground frozen during past ice ages, when sea level was
       much lower.
       [move]
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-106.gif<br
       />Shallow waters [/move]
       In their latest study, Shakova and her colleagues reported
       thousands of measurements of methane bubbles taken in summer and
       winter, between 2003 and 2012.
       But the team also sampled seawater temperature and drilled into
       the ocean bottom, to see if the sediments are still frozen. Most
       of the survey was in water less than 100 feet (30 meters deep).
       The shallow water is one reason so much methane escapes the
       Siberian shelf — in the deeper ocean, as methane-eating microbes
       digest the gas before it reaches the surface, Shakova said. But
       in the Laptev Sea, "it takes the bubbles only seconds, or at
       least a couple of minutes, to escape from the water column,"
       Shakova said.
       Arctic storms that churn the sea also speed up the release of
       methane from ocean water, like stirring a soft-drink releases
       gas bubbles, Shakova said. During the surveys, the amount of
       methane in the ocean and atmosphere dropped after two big Arctic
       storms passed through in 2009 and 2010, the researchers
       reported.
       The temperature measurements revealed the water just above the
       ocean bottom warms by more than 12 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees
       Celsius) in some spots during the summer, the researchers found.
       And the drill core revealed that the surface sediment layers
       were unfrozen at the drill site, near the Lena River delta.
       "We have now proved that the current state of subsea permafrost
       is incomparably closer to the thaw point than that of
       terrestrial permafrost," Shakova said.
       Shakova and her colleagues attribute the warming of the
       permafrost to long-term changes initiated when sea levels rose
       starting at the end of the last glacial period. The seawater is
       several degrees warmer than the frozen ground, and is slowly
       melting the ice over thousands of years, they think.
       [move]
  HTML http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons/emoticon-object-034.gif<br
       />Massive burst [/move]
       But other researchers think the permafrost warming started only
       recently. "This is the first time in 12,000 years the Arctic
       Ocean has warmed up 7 degrees in the summer, and that's entirely
       new because the sea ice hasn't been there to hold the
       temperatures down," said Peter Wadhams, head of the Polar Ocean
       Physics Group at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., who
       was not involved in the study. The summer ice melt season has
       lasted longer since 2005, giving the sun more time to warm the
       ocean.
       "If we do have a methane burst it's going to be catastrophic,"
       Wadhams said. Earlier this year, Wadhams and colleagues in
       Britain calculated that a mega-methane release from the Siberian
       shelf could push global temperatures up by 1 degree Fahrenheit
       (0.6 degrees Celsius). The suggestion, published in the journal
       Nature, was widely debated by climate researchers. Climate
       change experts and international negotiators have said that
       keeping the rise in Earth's average temperature below 2 degrees
       Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) is necessary to avoid
       catastrophic climate change.
       Shakova said much more research is needed to understand the
       factors that control how much methane is released from the
       entire East Siberian Arctic Shelf, which covers 772,000 square
       miles (2 million square kilometers), or nearly one-fifth the
       size of the United States.
       "Ten years ago we started from zero knowledge in this area,"
       Shakova said. "This is the largest shelf in the world's oceans.
       That's why it's very challenging to understand the natural
       processes behind the methane emissions in this area."
  HTML http://news.yahoo.com/twice-much-methane-escaping-arctic-seafloor-041738506.html<br
       />
       #Post#: 465--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 27, 2013, 10:40 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Snowleopard said about the following image:[img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://arctic.atmos.uiuc.edu/cryosphere/IMAGES/seaice.area.antarctic.png[/img]
       [quote]Do YOU see a significant trend here, hot or cold?  I
       don't.  IF there is a GLOBAL trend currently, the Antarctic ice
       seems immune.
       [/quote]
       [move]Agelbert Responds:[/move]
       Globe BELOW:
       Antarctic region
       HERE---->
  HTML http://dl2.glitter-graphics.net/pub/1087/1087832pmq26zqtt4.gif
       NOTE: When discussing GLOBAL TRENDS, it is customary to include
       the ENTIRE GLOBAL surface area.  [img width=50
       height=50]
  HTML http://www.imgion.com/images/01/Angry-animated-smiley.jpg[/img]<br
       />That means, like, adding up the hotter than baseline normal
       areas and subtracting, in appropriate percentile segments  ;),
       the cooler than baseline normal areas.
       IOW Antarctica is not the globe, as in [I]"Global Trend"[/i],
       get it?  ;)
       But since you fine fellows are all fired up about all that ice
       in the OCEAN around Antarctica, let's talk about ALL of
       Antarctica.  [img width=30
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-141113185047.png[/img]<br
       />
       
       [quote]All the sea ice talk aside, it is quite clear that really
       when it comes to Antarctic ice and sea levels, sea ice is not
       the most important thing to measure. In Antarctica, the largest
       and most important ice mass is the land ice of the West
       Antarctic and East Antarctic ice sheets.
       Therefore, how is Antarctic land ice doing?
       Shepherd et al. 2012
       Figure 2: Estimates of total Antarctic land ice changes and
       approximate sea level contributions using a combination of
       different measurement techniques (Shepherd, 2012). Shaded areas
       represent the estimate uncertainty (1-sigma).
       Estimates of recent changes in Antarctic land ice (Figure 2,
       bottom panel) show an increasing contribution to sea level with
       time, although not as fast a rate or acceleration as Greenland.
       Between 1992 and 2011, the Antarctic Ice Sheets overall lost
       1350 giga-tonnes (Gt) or 1,350,000,000,000 tonnes into the
       oceans, at an average rate of 70 Gt per year (Gt/yr).  Because a
       reduction in mass of 360 Gt/year represents an annual
       global-average sea level rise of 1 mm, these estimates equate to
       an increase in global-average sea levels by 0.19 mm/yr.
       There is variation between regions within Antarctica (Figure 2,
       top panel), with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the Antarctic
       Peninsula Ice Sheet losing ice mass, and with an increasing
       rate.[I] The East Antarctic Ice Sheet is growing slightly over
       this period but not enough to offset the other losses.[/I]
       There are of course uncertainties in the estimation methods but
       independent data from multiple measurement techniques (explained
       here) all show the same thing, Antarctica is losing land ice as
       a whole, and these losses are accelerating quickly.
       Last updated on 10 July 2013 by mattking. View Archives[/quote]
       See images referenced in the quote at the link below along with
       the full and well referenced article. :emthup:
  HTML http://www.skepticalscience.com/antarctica-gaining-ice.htm
       The image below shows dovetails with images in the article
       quantifying the rapidly depleting Antarctic LAND ICE. As the
       article above claims, the CAUSE of the rapidly expanding
       Antarctic SEA ICE is the rapidly depleting LAND ICE.
       Are you going to tell me these scientific facts and observations
       are "not considered 'CFS' to the lay person"? It doesn't pass
       the sniff test? Do you smell a global warming agenda rat here?
       I don't. Check the reference!
       [img width=640
       height=540]
  HTML http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/antarctica2.jpg[/img]
       [img width=640
       height=380]
  HTML http://lucidating.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/eatcrow.gif[/img]
       [move]Gentlemen Snowleopard and MKing, the specialty of the
       house, Hot Antarctic Crow, is served. Bon appetit!
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/5yjbztv.gif
       [/I][/move]
       Note: if you don't like crow, the meal may be substituted for
       standing at the door of the Doomstead Diner and [i]repeating the
       word, "UNCLE" for several days.
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/290.gif
       
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/245.gif
       #Post#: 469--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 28, 2013, 5:52 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Snowleopard changes the subject of GLOBAL WARMING TRENDS with a
       question:[quote]How many more of these volcanoes remain
       undiscovered????[/quote]
       You don't like crow? You refuse to say, "UNCLE"?
       Such a proud, persistent prevaricator.
       For the viewing audience, Snowleopard's "question" CARRIES AN
       UNDERLYING STATEMENT.
       AND THAT "STATEMENT" is a, nauseatingly consistent,
  HTML http://www.pic4ever.com/images/www_MyEmoticons_com__burp.gif<br
       />propaganda point that Global Warming Deniers in the service of
       DIRTY ENERGY cling tenaciously and mendaciously to:
       Snowleopard continues to claim day and night, 24/7 that "WE JUST
       DON'T
       KNOW".
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-311013200859.png
       How convenient.  [img width=40
       height=40]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-051113192052.png[/img]<br
       />
       [move]I guess it's true that A LEOPARD WILL NEVER CHANGE ITS
       SPOTS!   [/move]
  HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usDzh7l5HZw&feature=player_embedded
       Video on Antarctic Land Ice measuring science
  HTML http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/06/de-ice-antarctica/
       Snowleopard, please look up "order of magnitude". It will help
       you establish a proper perspective on total planetary volcanic
       heat versus Anthropogenic CO2 emissions caused HEAT.
       [quote] Annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions exceed annual
       volcanic CO2 by two orders of magnitude, and probably exceed the
       CO2 output of one or more super-eruptions***. Thus there is no
       scientific basis for using volcanic CO2 emissions as an excuse
       for failing to manage humanity’s carbon footprint.[/quote]
  HTML http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2011/08/volcanic-vs-anthropogenic-co2/
       #Post#: 473--------------------------------------------------
       Re: &#128681; Global Climate Chaos &#9760;&#65039;
       By: AGelbert Date: November 29, 2013, 10:22 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Two Subglacial Lakes Discovered in Greenland
       Nov 28, 2013 by Sci-News.com
       A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge’s Scott
       Polar Research Institute has discovered two lakes about 800 m
       below the ice sheet near the town of Qaanaaq in northwestern
       Greenland.
       [img width=640
       height=680]
  HTML http://cdn4.sci-news.com/images/2013/11/image_1581_1-Greenland-lakes.jpg[/img]
       This map shows the location of two subglacial lakes near the
       town of Qaanaaq in northwestern Greenland.
       Subglacial lakes are likely to influence the flow of the ice
       sheet, impacting global sea level change. The discovery of the
       lakes in Greenland will help researchers to understand how the
       ice will respond to changing environmental conditions.
       The Cambridge scientists used airborne radar measurements to
       reveal the lakes underneath the ice sheet.
       The two lakes are roughly 8-10 km2, and at one point may have
       been up to 3 times larger than their current size.
       They are found in the northwest sector of the Greenland Ice
       Sheet, about 40 km from the ice margin, and below 757 and 809 m
       of ice, respectively.
       “Our results show that subglacial lakes exist in Greenland, and
       that they form an important part of the ice sheet’s plumbing
       system. Because the way in which water moves beneath ice sheets
       strongly affects ice flow speeds, improved understanding of
       these lakes will allow us to predict more accurately how the ice
       sheet will respond to anticipated future warming,” said Dr
       Steven Palmer, the lead author of the study published online in
       the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
       The lakes are unusual compared with those detected beneath
       Antarctic ice sheets, suggesting that they formed in a different
       manner.
       [img width=640
       height=880]
  HTML http://cdn4.sci-news.com/images/2013/11/image_1581_2-Greenland-lakes.jpg[/img]
       This radar map shows subglacial bed elevations near the town of
       Qaanaaq; lines show contours of the newly discovered subglacial
       lakes; dashed lines show possible previous larger contours.
       Image credit: Palmer SJ et al.
       The scientists propose that, unlike in Antarctica where surface
       temperatures remain below freezing all year round, the newly
       discovered lakes are most likely fed by melting surface water
       draining through cracks in the ice. A surface lake situated
       nearby may also replenish the subglacial lakes during warm
       summers. This means that the lakes are part of an open system
       and are connected to the surface, which is different from
       Antarctic lakes that are most often isolated ecosystems.
       While nearly 400 lakes have been detected beneath the Antarctic
       ice sheets, the two newly discovered lakes are the first to be
       identified in Greenland.
       ______
       Bibliographic information: Palmer SJ et al. 2013. Greenland
       subglacial lakes detected by radar. Geophysical Research
       Letters, published online; doi: 10.1002/2013GL058383
  HTML http://www.phenomenica.com/pin/e97ee2054defb209c35fe4dc94599061
       *****************************************************
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