NC Media Watch

Climate Confusion

Russ Steele

Roy Spencer's new book Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor arrived on the door step yesterday. I am three chapters in to this very readable book. There are no intimidating equations and scientific terminology that requires the reader to check a dictionary frequently, or do Wikipedia searches  to continue reading with clear understanding.
(Thank Prof. Bob Carter for the graphic)

Spencer is the co-developer with Professor John Christy of a process for using satellites to measurement global temperatures, a method that has been used since 1979. The graphic accompanying this post shows some of the results with a best-fitted spline curve representing longer term temperature trends.

Here is a perfect example of the hysteria that Spencer is writing about:

Vast Antarctic Ice Shelf on Verge of Collapse - Latest Sign of Global Warming’s Impact Shocks Scientists, Andrea Thompson Livescience.

A vast ice shelf hanging on by a thin strip looks to be the next chunk to break off from the Antarctic Peninsula, the latest sign of global warming’s impact on Earth’s southernmost continent. Scientists are shocked by the rapid change of events. Glaciologist Ted Scambos of the University of Colorado was monitoring satellite images of the Wilkins Ice Shelf and spotted a huge iceberg measuring 25 miles by 1.5 miles (37 square miles) that appeared to have broken away from the shelf. Scambos alerted colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that it looked like the entire ice shelf - about 6,180 square miles (about the size of Northern Ireland)- was at risk of collapsing. The region where the Wilkins Ice Shelf lies has experienced unprecedented warming in the past 50 years, with several ice shelves retreating in the past 30 years. Six of these ice shelves have collapsed completely: Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen Inlet, Larsen A, Larsen B, Wordie, Muller and the Jones Ice Shelf.  MSNBC version here.

Then Joseph D’Aleo, CCM at ICECAP puts the whole ice shelf hysteria into a little perspective.

Just the Temps M'am (Updated)

Russ Steele

Anthony Watts has a great Sgt. Joe Friday parody today on the location of the LA Weather Station at Watts Up With That this morning.  See How Not to Measure Temperature, Part 54: Los Angles, the city.

Moving the station from downtown Los Angeles to USC in 1999 caused a major hiccup in the local climate history. After the move Los Angeles became dryer and cooler, biasing long-term climatic studies. In this case the warming stopped and the cooling started. So, location, location, location does count. This plot below is from Anthony's site, showing the  temperature  drop. 

CARB coming to it's senses, what about Nevada City?

Russ Steele

Last night I was reading the latest issue of Wired Magazine, enticed by the article on Apples Evil Genus, when I discovered this article on the failure of ZAP to deliver on it's promise of electric cars for the masses. Hype Machine: Searching for ZAP's Fleet of No-Show Green Cars.

Then this morning, this report from the San Diego Union-Tribune indicating CARB is backing down on the zero emission electric vehicles. 

A staff report recommends that the board greatly reduce the required number of purely electric vehicles that automakers offer for sale and instead focus on more readily available and less expensive hybrids that would still cut pollution dramatically. It's a difference that would save the auto industry more than $2 billion through 2017.

Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols said any new approach must reflect the limits of technology but at the same time steer automakers toward adding electric and fuel-cell-powered cars to their fleets.

It appears the ZAP cars imported from China have a few problems. The all-electric sedans did not come close to achieving the 40-mph speed and 40-mile range, and they stalled on steep hills and, worst of all only had a range of less than 20 miles.  Buyer of these electric car were an unhappy lot.    

Nevada City is buying electric cars in their quest to become green. It will be interesting to see how well these electric cars work in the steep hills of Nevada City, and if they have the advertised range. It is true the cars Nevada City is buy are not ZAP cars.  Could it be that CARB realized that electric cars are flat land vehicles, and many of us live in the hills, thus a smaller market for electric vehicles?  Or, could it be that 40 miles round trip range is not very practical in spread out California.

More Cycle 23 sunspots are emerging

Russ Steele

Two sets of sun spots have emerged on the sun, and they are growing. But, they are Cycle 23 spots, we are sill waiting for Cycle 24 to start. Check out the growing spots here.  Why are we worried about Cycle 24 starting? Details here.

Finding the unexpected

Russ Steele

Anthony Watts has a very interesting discussion this morning on the Bee Colony Collapse, suggesting reductions in the Sun's ultra violet emissions and geomagnetic activity may be responsible. In researching the Sun's impact on our weather and climate, Anthony came across some information about how bees navigate by a geomagnetic sensor and UV vision, and he was aware that both of these emissions from the Sun have declined since 2005.  He asks if these two factors could be related to colony collapse.  Interesting theory, more at Watts Up With That.

This will be a very interesting story to follow. Another case where an amateur scientist may have made an important discovery. How will the professionals respond?  In the past, not well as egos get tangled in the science.  Stay tuned.

Are reporters a dying breed? (Updated)

Russ Steele

Steve Boriss is the Associate Director of the Center for the Application of Information Technology (CAIT) at Washington University in St. Louis, teaches a class called “The Future of News,” and he thinks that reporters are a dying breed, and that’s a good thing.

Boriss writes:

One of journalists’ recurring put-downs of bloggers is that they are simply recycling someone else’s news — that there will always be a need for reporters to produce it. Yet, America had a reporterless past and will likely have a reporterless future. And, news will be better for it.

Here is the money paragraphs in his article at Pajama Media.

Now, the Internet is eliminating the reporter as middleman by connecting audiences directly with the real sources of news — politicians’ offices, PR firms, whistleblowers, think tanks, courts, police departments, and everyone else with a news ax to grind. These entities have always been capable of writing their own stories in a usable form, but have previously needed reporters to get their stories distributed. Nor will we miss investigative reporters, who had always been dangerously untrained in the skills needed to do their job properly (e.g. forensics, law) and often unfairly destroyed the reputations of innocents. Society has many alternative, more responsible ways to right wrongs, and the blogosphere can easily fill this void.

We will continue to have news middlemen, but those that survive must create real value for their audiences. Editors can create value by aggregating, analyzing, adding opinions, and gathering like-minded audiences for advertisers. Bloggers do the same. But, reporters are repeaters. They, not bloggers, are unnecessary recyclers of news.

Are reporters a dying breed?  Are they just another middle man that needs to be eliminated to improve efficiency and accuracy?   What do you think?

Digging through the news for an expert opinion

Russ Steele

Here is a tip for readers using Google for their news sources and research data base. Some times a search can bring up more sources that one can wade through, especially when you are looking for an expert opinion. Google recently announced that you can view all the comments that Google News is offering from expert sources. For example type in source:google_news “global warming” you only get expert opinion. All two of them.  This tip is from ReseachBuzz.

Dalton Minimum Update

Russ Steele

I have been following the sunspot cycle and the lack of sunspots and the impact on our weather.  There seems to be a relationship between the length of solar cycle climate trends, longer cycles produces cooler climate on earth, shorter cycles warmer.  I have posted an update on Dalton Minimum Returns.  Let me know what you think, as Solar Cycle 23 continues to lengthen day by day, week by, week and month by month. You can track the changes at SpaceWeather.com

Forecast: Great Easter Weather in Northern California

Russ Steele

We are so fortunate to have some great early spring weather here in Northern California. Ellen and I are planning a trip across county later this year, and have been calling across the US and Canada for camp ground reservations.  Given the record snow fall in Canada and the eastern states, I am concerned that lingering snow pack will delay some campground openings in late May and early June. Ellen has been asking about snow depths and opening dates. Most are confident they snow will be gone by the time we get there, but several campground owner remarked that they have not seen weather like they are having now since the 1950s. One lady said, "we have a 108 inches of snow on the deck, the last time that happened was in the 50s." The picture is of snow in eastern Canada.

Early indications are that the Pacific Ocean has shifted to a cool phase and we can expect more weather like we had in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, during the last cool phase. This can bring some late spring frosts. Here some historical late frost dates for our area:

Auburn: May 9th
Grass Valley  May 19th
Nevada City: June 18th
Rocklin: May 1st
Sacramento: March 27th
Truckee: July 30th
Placerville: June 12th.

Anthony Watts at Watts Up With That notes some Easter Weather from across the Northern Hemisphere, we are so lucky to be living in Northern California.

News shoot out, who is right, The Union or KNCO?

Russ Steele.

I have been following The Highlands development demise and I wanted to post some thought on this attempt to provide affordable work force housing.  Doing some research I found this discontinuity in the reported facts:

The Union. Soumitro Sen writes in Staving off foreclosure

Last-minute house sale convinces bank to postpone courthouse auction

Bill and Susan Ross’ Grass Valley housing development was set to be sold at auction on the courthouse steps Thursday, but a last-minute house sale is giving them another chance to hang onto their investment.

But then I heard this on KNCO

The foreclosure sale of The Highlands development in Grass Valley didn't happen as planned today because Citizens Bank needed the paperwork to be more complete. The foreclosure -- Citizens first ever --- meant the remaining homes in the development would go on the auction block for $8 million. The sale has been pushed back 2 weeks and now is scheduled April 3. Developer Bill Ross said he does have another of the homes in escrow now, but that didn't have any bearing on the postponement of the foreclosure sale.

According to The Union the sale saved the development from auction. According to KNCO the house sale had no bearing on the postponement of the foreclosure sale. And, this information comes from the owner. Where did The Union get their information? Which was right? I think KNCO had the right information, but I could be wrong.

It is unfortunate that the Ross' dream of affordable work force house dream did not become a reality. But, this is what happens when government rules and regulations get in the way of the free market. It was a disaster in Massachusetts time and time again, as reported in university studies that we reported on this blog. Why would it work in Grass Valley?  Mike McDaniel has some thoughts on the SESF Blog: Grass Valley Affordable Housing Program Zero, Free Market One