writeaboutwarming

August 19, 2013 – Back in the halcyon days of warnings about a far off event called climate change   (as opposed to   the actual occurrence of climate change, which is what we’re stuck with now), Americans were warned that if certain tendencies in the climate asserted themselves, they would encourage the climate’s unpredictability, thereby leading to more change.   When an action leads to results that reinforce the original action, a feedback loop has been established.   Say, for instance, that a student who dislikes school because he gets poor grades, decides that because of his disliking school he’d rather play soccer with friends than study for a test.   The consequences are quite predictable: because he doesn’t study for the test, he performs poorly on the test, leading to an even greater dislike of school.   That’s a feedback loop. In the early days, right after World War II, all that scientists knew was that the earth was warming.   Becaus...

February 14, 2012 - Happy Valentine's Day - here's wishing you the pleasures of loving and being loved.  I'm late because of a nasty cold, but it's time to get myself pulled together.  Climate Change waits for no one! Mostly, I've been hearing about the cold snap in Europe this winter.  I haven't kept up with how the British are faring, but past brutal winters have caused an alarming death rate amongst old-age pensioners; perhaps the British government will have understood by now that their intervention can make the difference between life and death.  Not surprisingly, the homeless are a primary source of unhappy statistics elsewhere.  In Australia, Queenslander's are once again dealing with widespread flooding. While none of us wishes Europeans or Australians ill, these two groups face climatic challenges armed with copious amounts of information, and at least the possiblity of paying for the necessary shelters, fuel, and damage control.  The same...

April 12 – Lots of people are wondering about the number of severe earthquakes experienced recently. Our perception that there has been an increase in the number of earthquakes of significant magnitude is difficult to verify. The little bit of hard data available, courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey, does not indicate an increase, though it does depend upon what magnitude you’re researching, and which years. Are the media giving earthquakes more coverage than they used to? That possibility certainly cannot be discounted. I’ve heard an interesting theory that’s been offered to explain an increase, and I thought I’d share it with you. It is highly theoretical, and, as I say, the numbers pro or con are difficult to verify. Figures lie, and liars figure. Slicing and dicing numbers can lead in many different directions. This theory is, in my opinion, worth pondering, so – for whatever it’s worth – here it is: we know that an enormous amount of Arctic ice has melted. The water t...

October 13, 2009 – October has been a mixed bag, thus far, though a few more of those bright, blue-sky days that serve as a backdrop to the colors of the changing leaves wouldn’t hurt at all. The weekend was sunny and brisk, perfect for working outside. I observed some interesting things while gardening that I thought I would share. First, and not at all amazingly, the chickadees are steady, noisy customers at the sunflower buffet. I think they’re helping themselves to Echinacea seeds, too. A bit more surprising, perhaps, is the plenteousness of bird activity I’m seeing. All the birds seem to have a lot to say these days; it’s a very songful bunch I have in the backyard. The continuing abundance of rain coupled with warm nighttime temperatures is causing some flowers to re-bloom. Hydrangea, gazania and hibiscus are the three stand-outs in my yard. My floribunda rose, Distant Drums, continues to wend its gorgeous way through the year. My most startling observation was – a grassho...