19 November 2009

Climate change "stagnating"


Global warming appears to have stalled. Climatologists are puzzled as to why average global temperatures have stopped rising over the last 10 years. Some attribute the trend to a lack of sunspots, while others explain it through ocean currents...

The planet's temperature curve rose sharply for almost 30 years, as global temperatures increased by an average of 0.7 degrees Celsius (1.25 degrees Fahrenheit) from the 1970s to the late 1990s. "At present, however, the warming is taking a break," confirms meteorologist Mojib Latif... "There can be no argument about that," he says. "We have to face that fact."

Even though the temperature standstill probably has no effect on the long-term warming trend, it does raise doubts about the predictive value of climate models, and it is also a political issue...

The differences among individual regions of the world are considerable. In the Arctic, for example, temperatures rose by almost three degrees Celsius, which led to a dramatic melting of sea ice. At the same time, temperatures declined in large areas of North America, the western Pacific and the Arabian Peninsula. Europe, including Germany, remains slightly in positive warming territory...

"Perhaps we suggested too strongly in the past that the development will continue going up along a simple, straight line. In reality, phases of stagnation or even cooling are completely normal," says Latif...
Much more at the Der Spiegel link, including suggestions regarding why the trend has levelled off.

4 comments:

  1. don't believe 'em. Al Gore is the true prophet!

    Oh, sorry... just had to get that out of my system.

    Seriously though, perhaps everything is just moving towards equilibrium? (second law of thermodynamics)

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  2. Could have reached a plateau, could be approaching a cool off... or it's just the calm before the storm.

    Who the hell knows? Humanity is too damn stupid and stubborn to try and do anything about it, so just stock up on some sunscreen and sun umbrellas and enjoy your life until either your dead or the surface of the Earth has been scoured of all life that can't withstand the change.

    Oh, the Earth isn't going to die, there is life in places you wouldn't believe here, far too stubborn to just die off... Us though? Yea, we're toast.

    And good riddance.

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  3. Isn't there a theory that increased temperatures will increase water vapor in the air which will then cool temperatures? Isn't that how the ice ages supposedly started...lots of cloud cover blocking the sun? Maybe there is some counter reaction like that occurring...

    Either way, the climate should still be studied as much as possible so future scientists can make more sense of it.

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  4. LOL Mike. Al Gore is on the path to being the world's first carbon billionaire -- a nice side effect of the climate hysteria he encourages. But I'm sure there's no conflict of interest there....

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