I’m running another test of the settings of the plugin to send posts to facebook.
The figure provided with this test is a trend of satellite determined temperature variation for the lower atmosphere of the entire planet. The figure is published monthly. The temperature variation (or anomaly) is plotted as a temperature departure from the average value from January 1981 to December 2010.
The high peaks of the running 13 month average at 1998 and 2009 occurred from periods with strong El Ninos. The drop at the end of the figure corresponds to La Nina periods
This new satellite image, acquired January 7, 2012, suggests that the eruption has risen nearly completely above water. A plume of steam, other volcanic gases, and ash spews from a distinct cone. The land surrounding the vent has grown, and is now about 530 by 710 meters (1,700 by 2,300 feet) across. Once above water, past eruptions in the Zubair Islands were primarily effusive, with relatively runny lava forming thin lava flows. In contrast to the fragmented rock that forms when lava interacts directly with water, lava that solidifies on land is tough, so this new island is likely to stick around.
International Space Station Commander Dan Burbank captured spectacular imagery of Comet Lovejoy as seen from about 240 miles above the Earth’s horizon on Wednesday, Dec. 21.
A new Norwegian study predicts that the annual mean temperature in Svalbard will drop 3.5°C over the period of 2009 to 2020 and mean winter temperature will drop 6°C. The study is based on solar activity and the duration of solar cycles. While the study is specific to Norway, if this actually occurs, temperatures will also drop significantly in other areas.
Cooling ‘til 2068?
A recent Chinese study of Tibetan tree rings indicates that there is nothing abnormal about the current climate conditions. The research team determined that several different natural cycles – 2-3 years, 100 years, 199 years, 800 years, and 1,324 years – combined to produce the climate history seen in the varying tree ring properties from the Tibetan Plateau.
The study indicate that temperatures have peaked and predicts that they will drop until 2068 AD, rising again after that.
The studies are two of a number of studies that run counter to the anthropogenic global warming theory so prominent in today’s media.
Global warming or global cooling?
If I had a choice, I’d prefer warming.
(I’d also prefer that governments not waste money in futile efforts that aren’t going to make a significant difference. If we’re going to spend money like that, let’s do something worthwhile – like eradicating malaria or making sure more people in the world have clean water, something that would make a real difference instead of lining the pockets of bureaucrats or eco-snobs.)
I set this up last night, but didn’t get any of the northern lights, just some flickering red glow from behind the trees. For some reason the camera shut down early or I might have gotten some images of the northern light display caused by material from a solar coronal mass ejection interacting with the magnetosphere. Click on the HD icon on the player to get a better resolution video.