Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The State of the Climate, Late Spring 2008
The sea ice around Antarctica is a million and a half square kilometers more extensive than it was at this time last year, and last year was a record since we've recorded the view of the whole of the Southern Ocean from space. It's about 1.2 million square kilometers above 'normal.' It's growing as the Southern Hemisphere plunges towards Winter.
In the North, the Spring thaw is in progress and the Northern Ocean's sea ice is down from 'normal' about .6 million square kilometers; but seven of the 14 areas the Northern Ocean is subdivided into have more ice than this time last year and three are the same. Four are down. We'll see if this Summer repeats last Summer's record melt. I'd bet against it.
On the sun, there are no spots (although a big flare was observed over the horizon lately), and there have been hardly any for years now. The flux density number from the Canadian Space Agency is 64 point something, about as low as it ever gets, and it's been in the high 60s for weeks.
The reliable satellite measurements of global mean temperature in the lower troposphere (where we live) are just barely above 'normal' having recovered from 2007's near straight line plunge; but neither still has a rising anomaly from the mean temperature between 1979 and 2000.
It was cold here this morning and a mixture of rain and snow. Pretty late for such snow but not unheard of. All the snow packs in the state are above normal. That's good.
Another beautiful Spring/Autumn on our beautiful planet.
Labels: Science; Global Warming
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 7:43 PM 
