2012 turned out to be quite a weather year globally

[begreen]

This has been a record setting year in many parts of the world. There have been several extreme events. Some, like Hurricane Sandy have been catastrophic. The findings so far are that about half are related to climate change. I wonder what it's going to take before this has the planet's full attention?

http://news.sciencemag.org/climate/2013/09/half-extreme-weather-impacted-climate-change

 

[DevilsBrew]

Don't all gang up on me at once but Sandy was not extreme. The East Coast is always hit by hurricanes. The only difference between now and the 1800s is that you have an insanely dense population on the coast. I've lived in 3 states on the coast, including the Gulf. I've lived right on the beach. Hurricanes are all part of nature. I remember a college professor predicting Katrina about 15 years before it happened. The only change that has occurred is our luck.

 

[Flatbedford]

I have lived about 40 miles North of NYC all my life, since 1970. While we have had a few hurricanes make it up our way over the years, non have brought the damage that Sandy did. Storm surges were in excess of 10' 40+ miles up the Hudson River. The tunnels in and out of NYC have never flooded. We also had a significant snow storm less than a week after the storm. I can only recall this happening once in my life and that was in 2011, the year of the second biggest hurricane event in my area in my life when there was a crippling snow storm days before Halloween. I am no scientist, and I haven't carefully checked weather history, but the last couple years have brought the most extreme storm events that I can remember.

 

[DevilsBrew]

1938 or the Year without a Summer. Stuff happens.

 

[begreen]

Regional weather does not make a global climate. And as they say in the finance world, past performance is no assurance of future gains.

 

[DevilsBrew]

Man, I miss living by the ocean. Sorry, this thread got me going down memory lane.

 

[begreen]

This paper is a worthwhile read. Yes, there have been and will be big storms and droughts. The question is are their effects more severe or frequent and if so, why? For example, Sandy flooded areas that no storm has flooded because of rising sea levels, while the Arctic ice pack was at a record low. The probabilities point toward a post-industrial influence.

(broken link removed to http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/explaining-extreme-events-2012-climate-perspective)

 

[BrotherBart]

Here comes Humberto.

THIS SYSTEM HAS A MEDIUM CHANCE...30 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 48 HOURS...AND A HIGH CHANCE...80 PERCENT...OF BECOMING A TROPICAL CYCLONE DURING THE NEXT 5 DAYS. THE LOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE WESTWARD AT AROUND 10 MPH NEAR OR SOUTH OF THE CAPE VERDE ISLANDS DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND THEN NORTHWESTWARD OVER THE OPEN EASTERN ATLANTIC.

 

[NortheastAl]

Deforestation has a lot to do with climate change, although it isn't mentioned as much anymore. Lots of carbon dioxide gets taken in and sequestered in rain forests. The output of oxygen is another biggie. In the north, the winter season sees oxygen levels drop by 1-1.5%.

I remember when methane was a problem gas. It was blamed on cow flatulence. The largest producers of methane are the termites in trees in rain forests, believe it or not. Man/woman has the ability to change his/her environment. We are the only creature that can do it on a large scale. Identifying cyclical weather patterns and man made influences will be more and more of a practical field of endeavor. We want to be able to control the weather and to use it to our advantage. The technology will be there to colonize, mine, and import raw materials from other planets. As long as we don't pollute, incinerate, flood or otherwise blow up this planet first. I'm sure if the species survives we will manage to be off this rock when it is used up.

 

[BrotherBart]

I'm sure if the species survives we will manage to be off this rock when it is used up.

If we can find a way to not take those farting termites with us.

 

[begreen]

You can be sure there will be gassy cockroaches aboard. They will outlive us no matter what.

 

[NortheastAl]

If we can find a way to not take those farting termites with us.

That's what I like about you BB...always thinking ahead.

 

[Doug MacIVER]

This paper is a worthwhile read. Yes, there have been and will be big storms and droughts. The question is are their effects more severe or frequent and if so, why? For example, Sandy flooded areas that no storm has flooded because of rising sea levels, while the Arctic ice pack was at a record low. The probabilities point toward a post-industrial influence.

(broken link removed to http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/news/explaining-extreme-events-2012-climate-perspective)

article mentions army corps of engineers threat recognized back in the '80s. one could say that nyc would have flooded, even without the 4" rise in sea levels.http://go.bloomberg.com/hurricane-sandy/2012/10/30/high-tide-storm-was-a-known-risk-for-new-york/ here is a good history of nyc storms from nyc office of emergency mgmt.(broken link removed to http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/hazards/storms_hurricanehistory.shtml)

 

[Doug MacIVER]

this might qualify as extreme
not one trop cyclone on earth as of sept 8(broken image removed)

 

[begreen]

Looks like tropical depression #9 is developing off of Africa as I type.


Picture the temps in the center of the country for the entire week, very high. Heavy rain in CA, AZ, UT causing floods.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/wild-weather-coastal-extremes-20195897

 

[BrotherBart]

Looks like tropical depression #9 is developing off of Africa as I type.

That will be Humberto in a couple of days.

 

[JOHN BOY]

1938 or the Year without a Summer. Stuff happens.

Weve had no summer this year at all. It rained practically everyday for the month of june and july . has'nt been hot at all low 90's mid 80's all year. I hope its
cold as canada this year, bugs have nasty for the past 2 years.

 

[Gasifier]

It will have the full planet's attention when it chages the weather patterns enough that the human population can not grow enough food. Hopefully that won't happen. But we should not rely on hope for food.