This from today's Independent reports that scientists on Melville Island, usually one of the coldest places within the Arctic circle, recorded a summer temperature of 22C. This is where the daily summer temperature rarely goes above 5C.
Now 22C is about as warm as I can remember it getting where I live in the UK this summer! Whether or not you believe global warming is man-made, man-enhanced or just simply a natural cycle, an Arctic circle temperature of 22C is pretty damned significant evidence, along with a record ice melt year, that something rather strange is happening to the climate of our little lump of planetary rock.
ADDENDUM (by Junkk Male) -
I'll be impressed that any can deny that something darned odd isn't happening!
However, just to show that the causes (enviROI+ mitigation being a given, at least on this blog) may not be so clear cut... yet: Carbon Dioxide Did Not End The Last Ice Age, Study Says
What I loved was the Google ad:
Global Warming
If you are aged 11-18 you can win a trip to see the impact first hand
climatechallenge.gov.uk/competition
That'll sort it!
Real Climate - Cosmic rays don’t die so easily - now that little lot takes some wading through!
2 comments:
Peter,
I've just looked at the scientific paper behind the "carbon dioxide did not end the last ice age, study says".
Well, what the paper actually said was that an initial warming occurred, which then triggered CO2 rises in the atmosphere. So CO2 is still held responsible for much of the warming, but it wasn't the thing that started it.
The initial jolt was the 'wobbles' (to use non-technical term) in the earth's orientation to the sun, which started antarctic ice melting. This meant that the darker ocean surface absorbed more heat, and the resulting rise in CO2 ensured that the whole planet did a switch into 'non-ice-age mode'.
Lawrence
Phew, at least I did little more than post what I saw - without much in the way of comment - without having read what the thing referred to! Thank you for doing so.
Sometimes there is just not enough time to delve into the detail of every report, which shows the importance of cocking an eyebrow at the summaries we often get from those paid to do so for major media.
Still, ignoring what the 'kicker' is, with ice melting for whatever eventually accpted reason, it's not the most optimistic scenario, is it?
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