Effects of Global Warming ??

[Sabbatical II]

Just wondering what effects you are experiencing of global warming in your area.

On the East coast of Australia (NSW) we are having a strange summer for the second year in a row. Maybe the water is a bit warmer but the result seems to be cooler temperatures, more unsettled weather patterns and much more rain. Today we have just been forecast 40 days of rain ahead for the month of March. The last time that much rain was forecast, those who managed to get aboard a boat were the only ones to survive.

How widespread is this?

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by Sabbatical II

Just wondering what effects you are experiencing of global warming in your area.

On the East coast of Australia (NSW) we are having a strange summer for the second year in a row. Maybe the water is a bit warmer but the result seems to be cooler temperatures, more unsettled weather patterns and much more rain. Today we have just been forecast 40 days of rain ahead for the month of March. The last time that much rain was forecast, those who managed to get aboard a boat were the only ones to survive.

How widespread is this?

What was the 40 days of rain blamed on the last time it happened? If it happened the 70's I would venture to guess Global Cooling was the reason. They were predicting a new ice age back then.

How widespread is the wet weather?? It may be a good question to ask the villagers in the Sahara!

For me...I am looking at about 3 to 4 feet of snow on the ground. Not much global warming in sight for another month or so.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Supermarkets now charge 5p for each plastic carrier bag.

Of course they were never "free", but now they are very profitable.

Did it cure our plastic bag pollution problem - no!, but that because we didn't have one because the locals here mostly don't like living in a sh#thole.

But it is free propaganda, plus allows folks to claim that something has been done.......not noticed any effect on the weather yet.......

[Reefmagnet]

When the cyclones start forming off the coast of Brisbane on a regular basis, I'll start believing the Earth is warming. As an aside, in the early 1980's, the Sydney region had something in the order of 3 months of consecutive wet weekends.

Back on topic, if you look at all recorded cyclone data for the east coast of Australia, you will see that Port Maquarie has been hit by a cyclone in times past. In fact if you visit this site Historical Impacts Along The East Coast, it lists all the recorded cyclones along the east coast. Amazingly, I didn't need to get past the 19th century to see a carbon copy of the current conditions:

12 14 February 1898 This cyclone of monsoon origin tracked from the continent over Brisbane and down the NSW coast. The bar (at sea level) in Brisbane at 4pm Sunday 13th was 997.7 hPa. The brig Amy (220 tons) after leaving Woolongong at 9 am 14th was driven ashore near Bulli and the crew of 8 all drowned. Another man died on the beach from shock. The brigantine Malcolm foundered at Bulli and the crew of 6 hands were lost and 150 m of the Bellambi jetty was washed away. The ship Atocama was abandoned on the 12th 500 nm off the coast and the Captain and 3 of the crew were saved but 13 of the crew were lost at sea. The Schooner Mary Peverill was beached in the Whitsunday Passage though the crew survived. 2 men drowned at Bungendore (near Canberra) in floods on the 15th. In Sydney trees were uprooted, verandas were carried away and the ferries were suspended. The yacht Greyland was capsized in the harbour. There were 30 known deaths associated with this event.

[MarkJ]

I recently did a 2 week passage in the Atlantic and the water was definitly deeper.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

... if it happened the 70's I would venture to guess Global Cooling was the reason. They were predicting a new ice age back then ...

During the 1970s, when some would have you believe scientists were predicting a coming ice age, they were doing no such thing.

The dominant view, even then, was that increasing levels of greenhouse gases were likely to dominate any changes we might see in climate on human time scales.

Actually, between 1965 and 1979, 44 scientific papers predicted warming, 20 were neutral and just 7 predicted cooling.

So while predictions of cooling may have recieved more media attention, the majority of scientists were predicting warming even then.

See: “The Myth of the 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus”

Here ➥ http://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/131047.pdf

Or ➥ An Error Occurred Setting Your User Cookie

[boatman61]

Didn't they like mountains n ice n stuff...

[bgallinger]

If Global Warming doesn't hurry up and come soon, I'm movin' to florida.

[catakate]

Anyone thinking Tenerife for next winter?

[Gelfling]

Average mean temps are higher and glaciers are smaller. But with solar flare activity at all time high, maybe man isn't the problem. Not that I support all the pollutants that are injected into the atmosphere......that is just unhealthy.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by GordMay

During the 1970s, when some would have you believe scientists were predicting a coming ice age, they were doing no such thing.

and just 7 predicted cooling.

Ah Gord...

[barnakiel]

In the North, it seems the NW passage has been more accessible over last couple of years. Otherwise I can't see any. In fact, over vast areas of EU winters are now more harsh than they used to be, sort of contrary to the assumed trend.

b.

[David M]

The Earth is indeed in a warming trend. The cause or causes are what is debatable.

[Thames 4 Blood]

Causes aside the UK has had the weirdest weather on record in the last year. In April 2012 the drought of the preceeding 2 years was so severe that a hosepipe ban was put in place. That week it started raining and didnt really stop until December. Wettest year on record... Either something is up with the climate or Mother Nature has a very ironic sense of humour and a grudge against weather men?
Either way Ive had enough. Im off to the Med for summer 2013.

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by David M

The Earth is indeed in a warming trend. The cause or causes are what is debatable.

Earth warming has seriously slowed in the last 15 years, about 0.15 deg C for the period. The warming is just not as cut and dry as one might imagine. On top of that, as you said the causes are murky.