iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--Bowing Down To The Science

Bowing Down To The Science

There ’ s a highly pertinent article in Canada ’ s Financial Post .
It is inevitable about COVID in Canada , where the lockdowns seem to be just as draconian as here .
But every word could have been written about climate change as well : In 2020 , lockdown diktats from our chief medical officers reminded me of an old joke .
A woman has died and is waiting in a long lineup at the Pearly Gates .
When an old , bearded gentleman wearing a lab coat and stethoscope skips the line and gets ushered right in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peter and demands an explanation .
“ Oh , that was God , ” Peter tells her , “ Sometimes he likes to play doctor.
” During this panic-demic , medical authority has become God-like .
“ Obey the science ” has come to mean “ Believe what we tell you and do as you are told.
” Pronouncements from medical officials deserve skepticism , not because they are bad doctors or scientists , but because they have lost sight of the limits of their own expertise .
They insist that because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family for Christmas and small businesses and restaurants must close .
Yet these are not medical or scientific questions .
Instead , they involve trade-offs : social , economic , psychological and political .
Trade-offs reflect values , and values are not scientific .
Scientific evidence may be relevant but never determinative .
Science is supposed to be in the business of neutral observation .
In 1840 , William Whewell described the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries as “ the transition from an implicit trust in the internal powers of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dependence upon external observation.
” Scientific discovery challenged established belief .
The sun does not , in fact , go around the Earth , and the world is not , in fact , flat .
Skepticism and dissent , not consensus and authority , fuel scientific progress .
Yet the scientific establishment has come to stand on consensus and authority .
It , not the Church , is now the despot .
“ Obey the science ” is an anti-scientific sentiment wielded to achieve public compliance with political agendas .
As C.S .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the men who want us under their thumb , if they have any sense , will put forward the particular pretension which the hopes and fears of that age render most potent .
… It has been magic , it has been Christianity .
Now it will certainly be science … Let us not be deceived by phrases about ‘ Man taking charge of his own destiny.
’ All that can really happen is that some men will take charge of the destiny of others.
” via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW @

By Paul Homewood
There’s a highly pertinent article in Canada’s Financial Post. It is inevitable about COVID in Canada, where the lockdowns seem to be just as draconian as here.
But every word could have been written about climate change as well:
In 2020, lockdown diktats from our chief medical officers reminded me of an old joke. A woman has died and is waiting in a long lineup at the Pearly Gates. When an old, bearded gentleman wearing a lab coat and stethoscope skips the line and gets ushered right in, the woman marches up to Saint Peter and demands an explanation. “Oh, that was God,” Peter tells her, “Sometimes he likes to play doctor.”
During this panic-demic, medical authority has become God-like. “Obey the science” has come to mean “Believe what we tell you and do as you are told.” Pronouncements from medical officials deserve skepticism, not because they are bad doctors or scientists, but because they have lost sight of the limits of their own expertise. They insist that because of COVID-19, you must not visit your family for Christmas and small businesses and restaurants must close. Yet these are not medical or scientific questions. Instead, they involve trade-offs: social, economic, psychological and political. Trade-offs reflect values, and values are not scientific. Scientific evidence may be relevant but never determinative.
Science is supposed to be in the business of neutral observation. In 1840, William Whewell described the scientific revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries as “the transition from an implicit trust in the internal powers of man’s mind to a professed dependence upon external observation.” Scientific discovery challenged established belief. The sun does not, in fact, go around the Earth, and the world is not, in fact, flat. Skepticism and dissent, not consensus and authority, fuel scientific progress.
Yet the scientific establishment has come to stand on consensus and authority. It, not the Church, is now the despot. “Obey the science” is an anti-scientific sentiment wielded to achieve public compliance with political agendas. As C.S. Lewis wrote, “In every age the men who want us under their thumb, if they have any sense, will put forward the particular pretension which the hopes and fears of that age render most potent. … It has been magic, it has been Christianity. Now it will certainly be science … Let us not be deceived by phrases about ‘Man taking charge of his own destiny.’ All that can really happen is that some men will take charge of the destiny of others.”
Full article here.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
https://ift.tt/2L2LGIs
December 27, 2020 at 03:54AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--Capturing 40 years of climate change for an endangered Montana prairie

Though cooler and wetter springs drive an increase in grass production compared to 1978 levels , hotter summers mean all that green goes brown faster–and plants have a harder time reinitiating production in the fall Over 40 years of monitoring , an endangered bunchgrass prairie became hotter , drier and more susceptible to fire annually–but dramatic seasonal changes ( not annual climate trends ) seem to be driving the biggest changes in plant production , composition , and summer senescence .
Gary Belovsky and Jennifer Slade of The University of Notre Dame , Indiana , present these findings in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Intermountain bunchgrass prairie is one of North America ’ s most endangered ecosystems , now covering less than 1 percent of the area it once did .
Over the past century , bunchgrass prairies have become warmer and drier , and human-driven climate change is expected to continue that trend , with potential impacts on bunchgrass ecosystems .
However , bunchgrass is often overlooked in studies of grasslands .
To better understand the effects of climate change on bunchgrass prairies , Belovsky and Slade studied the National Bison Range , a bunchgrass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They made repeated observations of plant growth and production , abundances of different plant species , and availability of nitrogen ( an important nutrient for plants ) , generating a comprehensive timeline of ecosystem changes .
Over the course of the study , annual temperatures rose and precipitation declined in the prairie , making it more susceptible to fire .
Surprisingly , the researchers found that annual aboveground primary production–the amount of plant material produced every year–rose by 110 percent , associated with increased precipitation and cooler temperatures during the important growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , this was associated with a change in plant composition , with a 108 percent increase in invasive species , more drought-tolerant species being favored overall , and declines in dicot non-grass plants ( decreasing by 65 percent ) over the 40-year study period .
The researchers also found that other ecosystem changes followed seasonal climate trends , instead of annual trends .
For instance , summer temperatures were higher than might be expected from annual trends , boosting summer senescence– the yearly “ browning ” of green plant material .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and seasonal changes when forecasting the effects of climate change on a given ecosystem .
The authors report that intermountain bunchgrass prairie could be morphing into a different type of grassland that may be previously unknown .
Dr. Belovsky adds : “ Forecasting climate change effects on plant production based on expected average annual increased temperature and decreased precipitation may not be appropriate , because seasonal climate changes may be more important and may not follow average annual expectations.
” Citation : Belovsky GE , Slade JB ( 2020 ) Climate change and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bunchgrass prairie .
PLoS ONE 15 ( 12 ) : e0243496 .
https : //doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243496 Funding : Funding to 1st author GEB : National Science Foundation : NSF – http : //www.nsf.gov NSF DEB-78-02069 , NSF BSR-83-07352 , NSF DEB-93-17984 , NSF DEB-97-07564 , NSF DEB-04-15390 , NSF DEB-09-18306 , NSF DEB-1456511 National Geographic Society Grant FY79 – https : //www.nationalgeographic.org ; University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School – https : //rackham.umich.edu/ ; University of Michigan Vice-President of Research Grant – https : //www.research.umich.edu ; USDA/GHIPM ( 1989-1994 ) – http : //www.ars.usda.gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Utah State University Agricultural Experiment Station ( 1992-1996 ) – https : //uaes.usu.edu/ ; USDA/ARS and USDA-CSREES/NRICGP ( 00-35101-9267 ) – http : //www.csrees.usda.gov/ The funders had no role in study design , data collection and analysis , decision to publish , or preparation of the manuscript .
Competing Interests : The authors have declared that no competing interests exist .
In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE : https : //journals.plos.org/plosone/article ?
id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243496

Though cooler and wetter springs drive an increase in grass production compared to 1978 levels, hotter summers mean all that green goes brown faster–and plants have a harder time reinitiating production in the fall
PLOS
Research News
IMAGE: THE INTERMOUNTAIN BUNCHGRASS PRAIRIE AT THE NATIONAL BISON RANGE, MONTANA, USA AT ONE OF THE STUDY AREAS. view more CREDIT: GARY BELOVSKY
Over 40 years of monitoring, an endangered bunchgrass prairie became hotter, drier and more susceptible to fire annually–but dramatic seasonal changes (not annual climate trends) seem to be driving the biggest changes in plant production, composition, and summer senescence. Gary Belovsky and Jennifer Slade of The University of Notre Dame, Indiana, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on December 23.
Intermountain bunchgrass prairie is one of North America’s most endangered ecosystems, now covering less than 1 percent of the area it once did. Over the past century, bunchgrass prairies have become warmer and drier, and human-driven climate change is expected to continue that trend, with potential impacts on bunchgrass ecosystems. However, bunchgrass is often overlooked in studies of grasslands.
To better understand the effects of climate change on bunchgrass prairies, Belovsky and Slade studied the National Bison Range, a bunchgrass prairie in Montana, for 40 years. They made repeated observations of plant growth and production, abundances of different plant species, and availability of nitrogen (an important nutrient for plants), generating a comprehensive timeline of ecosystem changes.
Over the course of the study, annual temperatures rose and precipitation declined in the prairie, making it more susceptible to fire. Surprisingly, the researchers found that annual aboveground primary production–the amount of plant material produced every year–rose by 110 percent, associated with increased precipitation and cooler temperatures during the important growth period of late May through June. However, this was associated with a change in plant composition, with a 108 percent increase in invasive species, more drought-tolerant species being favored overall, and declines in dicot non-grass plants (decreasing by 65 percent) over the 40-year study period.
The researchers also found that other ecosystem changes followed seasonal climate trends, instead of annual trends. For instance, summer temperatures were higher than might be expected from annual trends, boosting summer senescence– the yearly “browning” of green plant material.
These findings highlight the importance of considering local and seasonal changes when forecasting the effects of climate change on a given ecosystem. The authors report that intermountain bunchgrass prairie could be morphing into a different type of grassland that may be previously unknown.
Dr. Belovsky adds: “Forecasting climate change effects on plant production based on expected average annual increased temperature and decreased precipitation may not be appropriate, because seasonal climate changes may be more important and may not follow average annual expectations.”
###
Citation: Belovsky GE, Slade JB (2020) Climate change and primary production: Forty years in a bunchgrass prairie. PLoS ONE 15(12): e0243496. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0243496
Funding: Funding to 1st author GEB: National Science Foundation: NSF – http://www.nsf.gov NSF DEB-78-02069, NSF BSR-83-07352, NSF DEB-93-17984, NSF DEB-97-07564, NSF DEB-04-15390, NSF DEB-09-18306, NSF DEB-1456511 National Geographic Society Grant FY79 – https://www.nationalgeographic.org; University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School – https://rackham.umich.edu/; University of Michigan Vice-President of Research Grant – https://www.research.umich.edu; USDA/GHIPM (1989-1994) – http://www.ars.usda.gov (GHIPM program ended in 1994); Utah State University Agricultural Experiment Station (1992-1996) – https://uaes.usu.edu/; USDA/ARS and USDA-CSREES/NRICGP (00-35101-9267) – http://www.csrees.usda.gov/ The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0243496
From EurekAlert!
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--Late fall polar bear habitat 2020 compared to some previous years

It ’ s time to look at sea ice habitat at 15 December ( Julian Day 350 ) , now that virtually all bears except pregnant females throughout the Arctic are either out on the sea ice attempting to hunt for seals or hunkered down against the darkness .
As is usual at this time of year , the Canadian Archipelago , the Beaufort , East Siberian and Laptev Seas are well covered in ice ( see regions on map below ) .
As for the rest , despite what one polar bear specialist has implied there is no evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other peripheral seas of the Arctic negatively affects polar bear health or survival .
In fact , because of the attractiveness of the ice edge for seals in the fall , as I discussed last month , it ’ s possible that the longer the ice edge persists in fall , the more successful polar bears will be in hunting seals – except those above the Arctic Circle where lack of daylight from early November may cause polar bears to hunker down and rest rather than try to hunt through the darkness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sure , because bears have never been studied at this time of year – experts simply make assumptions about what happens ( e.g .
Stirling and Oritsland 1995 ) .
Sea ice thickness also varies year to year throughout the season but does not matter much to polar bears , who hunt most successfully in first year ice less than 2m in thickness , which comprises all of the regions currently purple in the ice thickness chart below .
This year at mid-December , there was more ice than usual in central and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ somewhat less than usual in the eastern portion .
However , the ice is forming so fast now that by 18 December there was hardly any open water remaing over Hudson Bay and the ice to the north was solidifying ( below ) .
Recall that a similar freeze-up pattern left a pod of a dozen or so killer whales stranded in mid-January 2013 and killed four others in 2016 .
Such ice-entrapment suggests that despite a ‘ warming ’ Arctic , freeze-up patterns would have to change very dramatically for Hudson Bay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whales .
A recent DFO report concluded : Compare Hudson Bay weekly stage of development charts ( below ) for this year back to 2014 , from the Canadian Ice Service archives .
You ’ ll see that this year appears to have more extensive 1st year ice ( light green , ca .
30-70 cm ) than any other year ( although last year had almost as much ) and that 2016 was notable as being a very late freeze-up year : Western Hudson Bay polar bears with collars or tags deployed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alberta crew ( below ) are spread out over the ice of the bay ( two on land are denning females ) , a number are on the thickest ice in the north but others are on thinner ice to the south and east : Ice covereage in the Canadian Eastern Arctic at mid-December is about average this year , according to CIS charts – only a bit of red and pink indicating ‘ below normal ’ in the east ( off of Greenland ) : Pack ice has moved down from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( below ) and will soon be off the coast of Labrador , which has somewhat less ice than usual this year at mid-December : The ice off Labrador at this time is shorefast ice developing and thickening in place ( below ) .
As far as we know , few polar bears summer on the northern Labrador coast , so this late ice development is unlikely to affect local bears .
However , pack ice will move down during January and February until it engulfs the area north of Newfoundland , bringing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Greenland Sea is progressing a bit faster than usual for the last five years ( below ) , but not remarkably so : Ice cover in the Barents Sea ( below ) has been slow so far but has been progressing faster over the last few weeks .
There is now ice off the east coast of Novaya Zemlya , shorefast ice that should allow any bears summering there to hunt for seals just as Western Hudson Bay bears do during early freeze-up stages .
Within the next few weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the Kara Sea , allowing bears to move more freely.Ice off Svalbard has been much below normal ( below ) , as it has been for years now , which is why virtually all Barents Sea pregnant females currently make maternity dens in Franz Josef Land or on the sea ice to the north .
These alternative areas for safely giving birth is the primary reason that the much reduced sea ice around Svalbard in recent years has not impacted Barents Sea polar bear health or survival .
Ice cover in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) is lower compared to the last five years but it ’ s unclear how much effect this will have on local polar bears .
Animals that have opted to spend the ice-free season on Novaya Zemlya or on the Russian mainland will have had a long wait for ice , but those that spent the summer on the Severnya Zemlya archipelago to the east had access to sea ice before the end of November .
There has been no word from Belushaya Guba on whether the polar bear problems they had because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2018 that went on until February 2019 have recurred this year .
Despite what Andrew Derocher claims ( below ) , there is no evidence that slightly less sea ice in the fall is detrimental to polar bear health or survival in the Kara Sea or elsewhere .
It is possible that it might but no one has studied it , so to suggest that low sea ice cover is ‘ trouble ’ for polar bears at this time of year is very misleading .
Sea ice cover over the Chukchi Sea is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the last few years , about as low as it was in 2017 ( below ) .
Chukchi Sea polar bears at 14 December ( below ) had abundant sea ice habitat .
In 2016 , when Chukchi polar bears were counted for the first time , there was a similar amount of ice at this time of year ( below ) : Stirling , I. and Øritsland , N. A .
1995 .
Relationships between estimates of ringed seal ( Phoca hispida ) and polar bear ( Ursus maritimus ) populations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 52 : 2594 – 2612. http : //www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/f95-849 # .VNep0y5v_gU

Reposted from Polar Bear Science
Posted on December 22, 2020 |
It’s time to look at sea ice habitat at 15 December (Julian Day 350), now that virtually all bears except pregnant females throughout the Arctic are either out on the sea ice attempting to hunt for seals or hunkered down against the darkness.
As is usual at this time of year, the Canadian Archipelago, the Beaufort, East Siberian and Laptev Seas are well covered in ice (see regions on map below). As for the rest, despite what one polar bear specialist has implied there is no evidence that a slower-than-usual fall freeze-up in the other peripheral seas of the Arctic negatively affects polar bear health or survival.
In fact, because of the attractiveness of the ice edge for seals in the fall, as I discussed last month, it’s possible that the longer the ice edge persists in fall, the more successful polar bears will be in hunting seals – except those above the Arctic Circle where lack of daylight from early November may cause polar bears to hunker down and rest rather than try to hunt through the darkness. But we’ll never know for sure, because bears have never been studied at this time of year – experts simply make assumptions about what happens (e.g. Stirling and Oritsland 1995).
Sea ice thickness also varies year to year throughout the season but does not matter much to polar bears, who hunt most successfully in first year ice less than 2m in thickness, which comprises all of the regions currently purple in the ice thickness chart below.
HUDSON BAY
This year at mid-December, there was more ice than usual in central and southern Hudson Bay (below) and somewhat less than usual in the eastern portion.
However, the ice is forming so fast now that by 18 December there was hardly any open water remaing over Hudson Bay and the ice to the north was solidifying (below). Recall that a similar freeze-up pattern left a pod of a dozen or so killer whales stranded in mid-January 2013 and killed four others in 2016. Such ice-entrapment suggests that despite a ‘warming’ Arctic, freeze-up patterns would have to change very dramatically for Hudson Bay to be an attractive place for killer whales. A recent DFO report concluded:
Killer whale ice entrapments are almost always fatal and can wipe out entire family groups, with long-lasting demographic impacts. Ice entrapments could therefore slow Arctic killer whale range expansions, particularly in areas where killer whales that are unfamiliar with sea-ice patterns fail to exit prior to ice formation in winter.
Compare Hudson Bay weekly stage of development charts (below) for this year back to 2014, from the Canadian Ice Service archives. You’ll see that this year appears to have more extensive 1st year ice (light green, ca. 30-70 cm) than any other year (although last year had almost as much) and that 2016 was notable as being a very late freeze-up year:
Western Hudson Bay polar bears with collars or tags deployed by Andrew Derocher and his University of Alberta crew (below) are spread out over the ice of the bay (two on land are denning females), a number are on the thickest ice in the north but others are on thinner ice to the south and east:
BAFFIN BAY, FOXE BASIN, AND DAVIS STRAIT
Ice covereage in the Canadian Eastern Arctic at mid-December is about average this year, according to CIS charts – only a bit of red and pink indicating ‘below normal’ in the east (off of Greenland):
Pack ice has moved down from the north through Baffin Bay into Davis Strait (below) and will soon be off the coast of Labrador, which has somewhat less ice than usual this year at mid-December:
The ice off Labrador at this time is shorefast ice developing and thickening in place (below). As far as we know, few polar bears summer on the northern Labrador coast, so this late ice development is unlikely to affect local bears. However, pack ice will move down during January and February until it engulfs the area north of Newfoundland, bringing some polar bears with it.
GREENLAND AND BARENTS SEA
Freeze-up in the Greenland Sea is progressing a bit faster than usual for the last five years (below), but not remarkably so:
Ice cover in the Barents Sea (below) has been slow so far but has been progressing faster over the last few weeks. There is now ice off the east coast of Novaya Zemlya, shorefast ice that should allow any bears summering there to hunt for seals just as Western Hudson Bay bears do during early freeze-up stages. Within the next few weeks, the Arctic pack ice will move south into the Kara Sea, allowing bears to move more freely.Ice off Svalbard has been much below normal (below), as it has been for years now, which is why virtually all Barents Sea pregnant females currently make maternity dens in Franz Josef Land or on the sea ice to the north. These alternative areas for safely giving birth is the primary reason that the much reduced sea ice around Svalbard in recent years has not impacted Barents Sea polar bear health or survival.
KARA SEA
Ice cover in the Kara Sea at 15 December (below) is lower compared to the last five years but it’s unclear how much effect this will have on local polar bears.
Animals that have opted to spend the ice-free season on Novaya Zemlya or on the Russian mainland will have had a long wait for ice, but those that spent the summer on the Severnya Zemlya archipelago to the east had access to sea ice before the end of November. There has been no word from Belushaya Guba on whether the polar bear problems they had because of poorly maintained garbage dumps in December 2018 that went on until February 2019 have recurred this year.
Despite what Andrew Derocher claims (below), there is no evidence that slightly less sea ice in the fall is detrimental to polar bear health or survival in the Kara Sea or elsewhere. It is possible that it might but no one has studied it, so to suggest that low sea ice cover is ‘trouble’ for polar bears at this time of year is very misleading.
CHUKCHI/BERING SEA
Sea ice cover over the Chukchi Sea is a bit lower than it has been over the last few years, about as low as it was in 2017 (below).
Chukchi Sea polar bears at 14 December (below) had abundant sea ice habitat.
In 2016, when Chukchi polar bears were counted for the first time, there was a similar amount of ice at this time of year (below):
REFERENCES
Stirling, I. and Øritsland, N. A. 1995. Relationships between estimates of ringed seal (Phoca hispida) and polar bear (Ursus maritimus) populations in the Canadian Arctic. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 52: 2594 – 2612. http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/f95-849#.VNep0y5v_gU
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--2020 Year in Review

2020 Year in Review

A year ago , there were many things about 2020 that no one anticipated .
A few reflections on 2020 .
Are there any insights to be gleaned from this crazy year ?
1.Falsification of WHO ’ s prediction : “ Climate change is the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century.
” – World Health Organization ( 2018 ) 3.Triumph of Uncertain T. Monster .
Hubris , overconfidence , wrong predictions about COVID-19 have fed the monster .
With fallout implications for other fields of science .
4.Changing notions of expertise .
Many credentialed experts on COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least diametrically changed their mind ; people from outside medicine and epidemiology made important contributions to our understanding .
5.Unpalatability of the ‘ precautionary principle.
’ COVID-19 illustrates that many people will not follow precautions deemed necessary by policy makers , even when their own lives could be at risk in the near term .
Backlash against overly restrictive lockdowns and hypocrisy from public health officials saying it is ok to violate lockdowns for political protests .
Technological solutions preferred over abstinence , restrictions .
6.Climate change takes a back seat .
COVID-19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emergency looks like .
Desperate measures by climate activists to keep climate change relevant by trying to ride COVID-19 coat tails .
8 .
‘ Greens ’ shoot themselves in the foot .
The current U.S. omnibus bill includes sensible clean energy R & D , including carbon capture and storage and nuclear power .
Greens object since CCS gives a ‘ get out of jail free card ’ to the petroleum companies , and they seem to hate nuclear more than fossil fuels .
In France , they are decommissioning nuclear power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the need for natural gas power plants to deal with intermittency .
9.U.S .
politics – states matter .
States have been on the front-lines of the COVID-19 response .
Electoral College and a few states dominated the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election 10.Brexit .
Apart from whether you were pro or con Brexit , the management of this has been suboptimal to say the least .
No idea what lessons to draw here , but it does make me worried about relying too much on a popular vote when the populace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and what the outcomes would look like .
11.Redefinition of ‘ essential workers.
’ The real essential workers are health care workers , the entire food supply chain , utilities workers , truck drivers and delivery workers , teachers , etc .
NOT the Silicon Valley types , traders of stocks and bonds , etc .
Essential workers aren ’ t adequately paid and there is little in the way of a safety net for them ( at least in the U.S. ) 12.The year we all stayed home .
The definition of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be that you can do your work from home .
Personally I love working from home .
Wondering how many people will return to the office with onerous commutes .
The IPCC figured out that it can write reports without having thousands of scientists travel all over the world for meetings .
13.C @ ncel culture and woke-dom runs amok .
Totally out of control , but there is growing backlash .
In academia , University of Chicago and Univ of Texas – Austin are leading the way out of this mess .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ totally out of control and absolutely pernicious for democracy .
This seems to be driven by the political preferences of the owners of the major social media platforms .
15.Mainstream media becomes completely politicized – U.S. Joe Biden got a free pass from the U.S. media , in a monolithic effort to get him elected as President .
A very unhealthy situation re the media ; hopefully they will rediscover some integrity and critical faculties about the Biden Presidency once President Trump is out of the picture .
16.Uncertainty in climate models increases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ range of climate sensitivity values , notably on the high end .
17.RCP8.5 is on its way out .
Growing support for eliminating RCP8.5 ( IPCC high end emissions/concentration scenario ) from policy considerations .
18.Emissions are down , but atmospheric CO2 keeps rising .
The CO2 ‘ control knob ’ appears to be not very sensitive I look forward to your thoughts on this .
On a personal note , I have been crazy busy – not traveling was a boon to my productivity , but hyper active Atlantic hurricane season wiped @ @ @ @ @ @ @ writing a lot , but nothing that is ( yet ) available for the blog .
I am under contract to write a book , I will provide some occasional snippets .
I will have another post on Jan 1 , looking forward to 2021 .
Best wishes to all for the holidays .

by Judith Curry
A year ago, there were many things about 2020 that no one anticipated.
A few reflections on 2020. Are there any insights to be gleaned from this crazy year?
1.Falsification of WHO’s prediction: “Climate change is the greatest threat to global health in the 21st century.” – World Health Organization (2018)
2.Triumph of ‘normal’ science: rapid sequencing the COVID-19 virus, developing vaccines.
3.Triumph of Uncertain T. Monster. Hubris, overconfidence, wrong predictions about COVID-19 have fed the monster. With fallout implications for other fields of science.
4.Changing notions of expertise. Many credentialed experts on COVID-19 were proven to be wrong or at least diametrically changed their mind; people from outside medicine and epidemiology made important contributions to our understanding.
5.Unpalatability of the ‘precautionary principle.’ COVID-19 illustrates that many people will not follow precautions deemed necessary by policy makers, even when their own lives could be at risk in the near term. Backlash against overly restrictive lockdowns and hypocrisy from public health officials saying it is ok to violate lockdowns for political protests. Technological solutions preferred over abstinence, restrictions.
6.Climate change takes a back seat. COVID-19 reminds us what a real crisis and emergency looks like. Desperate measures by climate activists to keep climate change relevant by trying to ride COVID-19 coat tails.
8. ‘Greens’ shoot themselves in the foot. The current U.S. omnibus bill includes sensible clean energy R&D, including carbon capture and storage and nuclear power. Greens object since CCS gives a ‘get out of jail free card’ to the petroleum companies, and they seem to hate nuclear more than fossil fuels. In France, they are decommissioning nuclear power plants and adding wind/solar, which increases the need for natural gas power plants to deal with intermittency.
9.U.S. politics – states matter. States have been on the front-lines of the COVID-19 response. Electoral College and a few states dominated the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election
10.Brexit. Apart from whether you were pro or con Brexit, the management of this has been suboptimal to say the least. No idea what lessons to draw here, but it does make me worried about relying too much on a popular vote when the populace is ill-informed about what is at stake and what the outcomes would look like.
11.Redefinition of ‘essential workers.’ The real essential workers are health care workers, the entire food supply chain, utilities workers, truck drivers and delivery workers, teachers, etc. NOT the Silicon Valley types, traders of stocks and bonds, etc. Essential workers aren’t adequately paid and there is little in the way of a safety net for them (at least in the U.S.)
12.The year we all stayed home. The definition of ‘non essential worker’ seems to be that you can do your work from home. Personally I love working from home. Wondering how many people will return to the office with onerous commutes. The IPCC figured out that it can write reports without having thousands of scientists travel all over the world for meetings.
13.C@ncel culture and woke-dom runs amok. Totally out of control, but there is growing backlash. In academia, University of Chicago and Univ of Texas – Austin are leading the way out of this mess.
14.Censorship from social media. This is totally out of control and absolutely pernicious for democracy. This seems to be driven by the political preferences of the owners of the major social media platforms.
15.Mainstream media becomes completely politicized – U.S. Joe Biden got a free pass from the U.S. media, in a monolithic effort to get him elected as President. A very unhealthy situation re the media; hopefully they will rediscover some integrity and critical faculties about the Biden Presidency once President Trump is out of the picture.
16.Uncertainty in climate models increases. CMIP6 results provide a much larger range of climate sensitivity values, notably on the high end.
17.RCP8.5 is on its way out. Growing support for eliminating RCP8.5 (IPCC high end emissions/concentration scenario) from policy considerations.
18.Emissions are down, but atmospheric CO2 keeps rising. The CO2 ‘control knob’ appears to be not very sensitive
I look forward to your thoughts on this.
——-
On a personal note, I have been crazy busy – not traveling was a boon to my productivity, but hyper active Atlantic hurricane season wiped out that advantage. I have been writing a lot, but nothing that is (yet) available for the blog. I am under contract to write a book, I will provide some occasional snippets.
I will have another post on Jan 1, looking forward to 2021.
Best wishes to all for the holidays.
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December 27, 2020 at 05:09PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--Fraser Island fire caused by “stupendous heatwave”

Our ABC reporting a bushfire expert .
The Fraser Island fire burnt for ~60 days after a campfire on 14 Oct was not put out .
ABC says quote [ Bowman points to the K ’ gari-Fraser Island blaze , which burnt through nearly half the World Heritage-listed site before being contained by heavy rain .
The problem , he says , is “ the lining up of the heatwaves and the flooding events ” .
“ Unfortunately , what happened in south-east Queensland is that there was this stupendous heatwave that enabled a fire to occur during a La @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding : “ We wouldn ’ t have predicted such an intense fire ” .
“ And now , literally in days , it switched from an uncontrolled bushfire burning Fraser Island to this side of a category one cyclone in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales .
“ So … we ’ re talking about really major extremes.
” ] Hervey Bay Airport BoM # 40405 looks the nearest reliable temperature data and no data looks remotely “ stupendous ” to me .
The main lesson to take-away IMHO is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fires out – but there was an election in Queensland .

Our ABC reporting a bushfire expert. The Fraser Island fire burnt for ~60 days after a campfire on 14 Oct was not put out. ABC says quote [Bowman points to the K’gari-Fraser Island blaze, which burnt through nearly half the World Heritage-listed site before being contained by heavy rain.
The problem, he says, is “the lining up of the heatwaves and the flooding events”.
“Unfortunately, what happened in south-east Queensland is that there was this stupendous heatwave that enabled a fire to occur during a La Nina year,” he says, adding: “We wouldn’t have predicted such an intense fire”.
“And now, literally in days, it switched from an uncontrolled bushfire burning Fraser Island to this side of a category one cyclone in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.
“So … we’re talking about really major extremes.”]
Hervey Bay Airport BoM# 40405 looks the nearest reliable temperature data and no data looks remotely “stupendous” to me. The main lesson to take-away IMHO is that fire authorities should act quicker to put fires out – but there was an election in Queensland.
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December 27, 2020 at 04:31PM


The New Theme

Here ’ s a thread for everyone to list all their complaints , and even the occasional compliment on the @ @ @ @ @ new theme .
We ’ ve seen comments coming in through through emails and the @ @ @ @ @ here is a centralized repository for comment .

Here’s a thread for everyone to list all their complaints, and even the occasional compliment on the operation and appearance of the new theme.
We’ve seen comments coming in through through emails and the contact us forms, but here is a centralized repository for comment.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--A Reminder That You Don’t Exist

A Reminder That You Don’t Exist

‘ Of course he exists .
The Party exists .
Big Brother is the embodiment of the Party.
’ ‘ @ @ @ @ @ same way as I exist ?
‘ You do not exist , ’ said O @ @

Does Big Brother exist?’
‘Of course he exists. The Party exists. Big Brother is the embodiment of the Party.’
‘Does he exist in the same way as I exist? ‘
You do not exist,’ said O’Brien
– George Orwell 1984


COVID-CO2 Link

The invisible menaces of COVID and CO2 have teamed up , but it isn ’ t clear if CO2 causes @ @ @ @ @ around .
Green Party leader Eamon Ryan says there ’ s a ‘ clear climate @ @ @ @ @ | Ireland | … Continue reading →

The invisible menaces of COVID and CO2 have teamed up, but it isn’t clear if CO2 causes COVID or the other way around. Green Party leader Eamon Ryan says there’s a ‘clear climate link to Covid-19 outbreak’ | Ireland | … Continue reading →
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December 27, 2020 at 01:10PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--New Year’s Eve storm to move across US

New Year’s Eve storm to move across US

A new storm is forecast to cross the country , from California to New York , with heavy rain , @ @ @ @ @ winds .
On Sunday night , the storm will move into San Francisco and Los @ @ @ @ @ gusty winds and mountain snow .
By Tuesday and Wednesday , the storm will move @ @ @ @ @ heavy snow – 3 to 6 inches or even more – for Iowa , Minnesota @ @ @ @ @ is forecast fall along the Mississippi River Valley , and strong to severe thunderstorms could @ @ @ @ @ possible ( though I don ’ t think probable ) that Dallas could even see @ @ @ @ @ .
The post New Year ’ s Eve storm to move across US appeared first @ @ @ @ @

A new storm is forecast to cross the country, from California to New York, with heavy rain, snow, ice and strong winds.
On Sunday night, the storm will move into San Francisco and Los Angeles with heavy rain, gusty winds and mountain snow.
By Tuesday and Wednesday, the storm will move into the central U.S. with heavy snow – 3 to 6 inches or even more – for Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Heavy rain is forecast fall along the Mississippi River Valley, and strong to severe thunderstorms could inundate Texas.
It is possible (though I don’t think probable) that Dallas could even see a small amount of snow.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/new-years-eve-storm-to-move-across-us-with-heavy-snow-winds-severe-thunderstorms/ar-BB1cgqbH?li=BBnb7Kz
The post New Year’s Eve storm to move across US appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 27, 2020 at 12:24PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--More than 250,000 lose power as Christmas storm slams East Coast

Record snowfall in New York – Almost 2 feet ( 60 cm ) of snow in some areas .
Cold @ @ @ @ @ Coast brought almost 2 feet of snow to western New York Saturday , knocking out @ @ @ @ @ in New York , Pennsylvania and New Jersey .
A daily snowfall record of 18.4 @ @ @ @ @ Buffalo International Airport .
Also , up to 14 inches of snow fell in western @ @ @ @ @ 13.5 inches in the Cleveland metro area .
In a topsy-turvy twist , many Northeast @ @ @ @ @ in history , from 61 degrees in Worcester , Massachusetts , to 64 degrees in @ @ @ @ @ Scranton , Pennsylvania .
Meanwhile , a freeze warning was issued for central Florida , @ @ @ @ @ temperature Friday night into Saturday morning were expected to fall to 29 degrees ( -1.7C @ @ @ @ @ than 250,000 lose power as Christmas storm slams East Coast appeared first on Ice Age @ @

Record snowfall in New York – Almost 2 feet (60 cm) of snow in some areas.
Cold Arctic air in the East Coast brought almost 2 feet of snow to western New York Saturday, knocking out power for more than 250,000 in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
A daily snowfall record of 18.4 inches was recorded Saturday at Buffalo International Airport.
Also, up to 14 inches of snow fell in western Pennsylvania, and up to 13.5 inches in the Cleveland metro area.
In a topsy-turvy twist, many Northeast cities saw their warmest Christmas in history, from 61 degrees in Worcester, Massachusetts, to 64 degrees in Burlington, Vermont, and Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, a freeze warning was issued for central Florida, including Orlando, where the temperature Friday night into Saturday morning were expected to fall to 29 degrees (-1.7C).
https://abcnews.go.com/US/100000-wake-power-christmas-storm-slams-east-coast/story?id=74907015
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/new-years-eve-storm-to-move-across-us-with-heavy-snow-winds-severe-thunderstorms/ar-BB1cgqbH?li=BBnb7Kz
The post More than 250,000 lose power as Christmas storm slams East Coast appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 27, 2020 at 12:17PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--EU Turns to Magic to Progress their Clean Energy Agenda

The European Union is so desperate for their clean energy push to yield a viable solution , they have just given €3,999,870 to a Palladium electrolysis cold fusion research team .
The HERMES project is revisiting the cold fusion concept , which emerged back in 1989 with the claimed discovery by the electrochemists Martin Fleischmann from Britain and Stanley Pons from France of excess heat production during electrolysis of heavy water ( deuterium oxide ) using a palladium electrode at room temperature .
At the time , the discovery was thought to offer a pathway to cheap clean energy but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of replicability .
Recently interest in the topic has revived with the scientific advances of the intervening years .
HERMES intends to draw on these to study the effects of hydrogen and deuterium loaded in palladium at room and intermediate ( up to about 800oC ) temperatures .
Such modern characterisation techniques also allow reproducibility .
In pursuit of the cold fusion dream as a solution to the world ’ s energy needs In 1989 , electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons made headlines with their claim to have produced excess heat using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their experiment involved loading deuterium in a palladium metal .
As many experimenters failed to replicate their work , cold fusion remains a controversial topic in the scientific community .
Nevertheless , a vociferous minority still believes in this elusive phenomenon .
Since 2015 , Google has been funding experiments into cold fusion .
Although no evidence has been found for this phenomenon , it is clear that much pioneering research remains to be conducted in this poorly explored field .
The EU-funded HERMES project will employ advanced techniques and tools developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anomalous effects of deuterium-loaded palladium at room and intermediate temperatures .
Disruptive energy generation technologies are urgently required to stave off catastrophic climate change .
Now , more than ever , is the time to also to consider unconventional options .
The subtopic c. Breakthrough zero-emissions energy generation for full decarbonisation of this call aims to answer this need .
All of the research areas identified by the call are highly unconventional .
As electrochemists , we will contribute to this call by working on hydrogen-metal systems .
We propose to study hydrogen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions , i.e .
on metal-hydrides and the main motivation for this work is based on the recent Nature perspective “ Revisiting the cold case of cold fusion ” .
When loading deuterium into the Pd lattice , there is a chance that something very interesting will happen , resulting in production of excess heat .
The first report of such reaction was published 30 years ago , but quickly dismissed by the scientific community .
But what if there is really something ?
Can we afford to not to investigate this further @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Google has recently funded a research project in this area , getting some interesting results but failing to produce excess heat .
However , the team concluded that it was very difficult to achieve the required conditions reported for starting the excess heat production , and that “ there remains much interesting science to be done in this underexplored parameter space.
” This is a high risk/high reward project , but with aid of all the improved techniques and tools developed in the last 30 years , we believe that it is worth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state-of-the-art technologies to prepare , characterize and study electrochemical Pd-D system , both at room temperature and at temperatures up to 1100 K. We will focus on method development , with the special emphasis on reproducibility .
If no nuclear effects are observed , we will gain information of the isotope effects for hydrogen evolution .
The Nature article “ Revisiting the cold case of cold fusion ” on which this snowball of research funding is based was published in May this year .
At least with hot fusion there is a measurable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nobody has to argue about whether you were squinting at the calorimeter just right .
I guess if you have a burning urge to investigate ways of extracting zero point energy from empty space , or a plan to send a robotic mission to the forest moon Pandora to retrieve a sample of unobtanium , now might be a good time to ask the EU for funding .
Remember to mention the climate crisis .

Guest essay by Eric Worrall
The European Union is so desperate for their clean energy push to yield a viable solution, they have just given €3,999,870 to a Palladium electrolysis cold fusion research team.
EU announces funding for four next-gen clean energy solutions December 24, 2020 HERMES – hydrogen-metal systems for clean energy The HERMES project is revisiting the cold fusion concept, which emerged back in 1989 with the claimed discovery by the electrochemists Martin Fleischmann from Britain and Stanley Pons from France of excess heat production during electrolysis of heavy water (deuterium oxide) using a palladium electrode at room temperature. At the time, the discovery was thought to offer a pathway to cheap clean energy but the finding remained controversial due to lack of replicability. Recently interest in the topic has revived with the scientific advances of the intervening years. HERMES intends to draw on these to study the effects of hydrogen and deuterium loaded in palladium at room and intermediate (up to about 800oC) temperatures. Such modern characterisation techniques also allow reproducibility. … Read more: https://www.powerengineeringint.com/renewables/eu-announces-funding-for-four-next-gen-clean-energy-technologies/
From the project website;
Breakthrough zero-emissions heat generation with hydrogen-metal systems Project description In pursuit of the cold fusion dream as a solution to the world’s energy needs In 1989, electrochemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons made headlines with their claim to have produced excess heat using a simple apparatus working at room temperature. Their experiment involved loading deuterium in a palladium metal. As many experimenters failed to replicate their work, cold fusion remains a controversial topic in the scientific community. Nevertheless, a vociferous minority still believes in this elusive phenomenon. Since 2015, Google has been funding experiments into cold fusion. Although no evidence has been found for this phenomenon, it is clear that much pioneering research remains to be conducted in this poorly explored field. The EU-funded HERMES project will employ advanced techniques and tools developed over the last few decades to investigate anomalous effects of deuterium-loaded palladium at room and intermediate temperatures. Objective Disruptive energy generation technologies are urgently required to stave off catastrophic climate change. Now, more than ever, is the time to also to consider unconventional options. The subtopic c. Breakthrough zero-emissions energy generation for full decarbonisation of this call aims to answer this need. All of the research areas identified by the call are highly unconventional. As electrochemists, we will contribute to this call by working on hydrogen-metal systems. We propose to study hydrogen (and deuterium) evolution in unconventional conditions, i.e. on metal-hydrides and the main motivation for this work is based on the recent Nature perspective “Revisiting the cold case of cold fusion”. When loading deuterium into the Pd lattice, there is a chance that something very interesting will happen, resulting in production of excess heat. The first report of such reaction was published 30 years ago, but quickly dismissed by the scientific community. But what if there is really something? Can we afford to not to investigate this further, considering the current climate crisis? Google has recently funded a research project in this area, getting some interesting results but failing to produce excess heat. However, the team concluded that it was very difficult to achieve the required conditions reported for starting the excess heat production, and that “there remains much interesting science to be done in this underexplored parameter space.” This is a high risk/high reward project, but with aid of all the improved techniques and tools developed in the last 30 years, we believe that it is worth revisiting the topic. We will use state-of-the-art technologies to prepare, characterize and study electrochemical Pd-D system, both at room temperature and at temperatures up to 1100 K. We will focus on method development, with the special emphasis on reproducibility. If no nuclear effects are observed, we will gain information of the isotope effects for hydrogen evolution. Read more: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/952184
The Nature article “Revisiting the cold case of cold fusion” on which this snowball of research funding is based was published in May this year.
At least with hot fusion there is a measurable release of energy and fusion neutrons. Nobody has to argue about whether you were squinting at the calorimeter just right.
I guess if you have a burning urge to investigate ways of extracting zero point energy from empty space, or a plan to send a robotic mission to the forest moon Pandora to retrieve a sample of unobtanium, now might be a good time to ask the EU for funding. Remember to mention the climate crisis.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--Christmas Day 2020 at Shady Grove Farm West Virginia – Solar Panels need Swept!

“ The thing about solar panels , is that you have to clear them when the snow comes down , @ @ @ @ @ Currently the temperature is about 12 Fahrenheit ( -11.1C ) , but with the wind @ @ @ @ @ about minus 3 ( -19.4C ) .
” Thanks to Caroline Snyder for this video @ @ @ @ @ at Shady Grove Farm West Virginia – Solar Panels need Swept !
appeared first on @ @ @ @

Video – 25 Dec 2020 – “It’s bloomin’ cold,” says reader Caroline Snyder.
“The thing about solar panels, is that you have to clear them when the snow comes down,” says Caroline. “Currently the temperature is about 12 Fahrenheit (-11.1C), but with the wind chill it’s actually about minus 3 (-19.4C).”
https://ift.tt/38AHxUc
Thanks to Caroline Snyder for this video
The post Christmas Day 2020 at Shady Grove Farm West Virginia – Solar Panels need Swept! appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 27, 2020 at 12:02PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-27--Siberia braces for close to record-breaking cold over New Year

Temperatures predicted to hit -50 degrees ( -58 F ) .
Meteorologist says this is due to global warming .
Really !
Russia ’ s Hydrometeorological Center has forecast that Western and Central Siberia will see temperatures as low as -50 celsius before the end of the year – around 20 degrees lower than the typical December cold .
“ Extremely cold weather in Siberia has not happened for a long time , ” explained meteorologist Roman Vilfand , the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center , noting that the upcoming freeze will come close to the all-time record .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ degrees below normal .
For example , in the center of the Krasnoyarsk Region , it will reach -50 degrees.
” Vilfand says this is due to global warming : “ According to Vilfand , extreme cold is also a consequence of climate change , pointing out that “ global warming is not only high temperatures , but also a large amplitude of variability.
” However , this article disagrees with Vilfand .
The volatility of temperatures is caused by the meandering of the Jet Stream , explains astrophysicist Piers Corbyn .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the equator .
So the theory of Vilfand can easily be debunked .
High temperature records only last for a ( very ) short time .
But low temperature records last far much longer .
And the Jet Stream is not influenced by one more or less molecules in 10.000 in our atmosphere , but by the activity of the sun .
Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link The post Siberia braces for close to record-breaking cold over New Year appeared first on Ice Age Now .

Temperatures predicted to hit -50 degrees (-58 F). Meteorologist says this is due to global warming. Really!
Russia’s Hydrometeorological Center has forecast that Western and Central Siberia will see temperatures as low as -50 celsius before the end of the year – around 20 degrees lower than the typical December cold.
“Extremely cold weather in Siberia has not happened for a long time,” explained meteorologist Roman Vilfand, the scientific director of the Hydrometeorological Center, noting that the upcoming freeze will come close to the all-time record. “The temperature is 20 to 24 degrees below normal. For example, in the center of the Krasnoyarsk Region, it will reach -50 degrees.”
Vilfand says this is due to global warming:
“According to Vilfand, extreme cold is also a consequence of climate change, pointing out that “global warming is not only high temperatures, but also a large amplitude of variability.”
However, this article disagrees with Vilfand.
The volatility of temperatures is caused by the meandering of the Jet Stream, explains astrophysicist Piers Corbyn. The circumpolar vortex is also moving closing to the equator. So the theory of Vilfand can easily be debunked. High temperature records only last for a (very) short time. But low temperature records last far much longer. And the Jet Stream is not influenced by one more or less molecules in 10.000 in our atmosphere, but by the activity of the sun.
https://www.rt.com/russia/510740-central-siberia-record-cold-december/
Thanks to Argiris Diamantis for this link
The post Siberia braces for close to record-breaking cold over New Year appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 27, 2020 at 11:06AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--COVID-19 Has Cured The Flu

COVID-19 Has Cured The Flu

Number of Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths Only one pediatric flu death during the past 28 weeks in the US .
Notifications @ @ @ @ @ .
6

Number of Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths Only one pediatric flu death during the past 28 weeks in the US. Notifications Notifications Notifications, current page. 6
via Real Climate Science
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December 28, 2020 at 05:07AM


Autumn Rainfall Data

Reports of Storm In A Teacup Bella reminded me to look at autumn rainfall data .
Overall it has been @ @ @ @ @ with no part of the country experiencing anything remotely unusual .
The England data in @ @ @ @ @ of any long term trends at all .
We await the December data , but @ @ @ @ @ anything out of the ordinary this month either .
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE @ @

By Paul Homewood
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-actual-and-anomaly-maps
Reports of Storm In A Teacup Bella reminded me to look at autumn rainfall data.
Overall it has been a remarkably unremarkable autumn, with no part of the country experiencing anything remotely unusual. The England data in particular shows a notable absence of any long term trends at all.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-temperature-rainfall-and-sunshine-time-series
We await the December data, but I am not aware of anything out of the ordinary this month either.
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December 28, 2020 at 04:12AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Fauci on Moving the Goalposts

Fauci on Moving the Goalposts

.
@ DanaBashCNN presses Dr. Fauci on his comments about “ moving the goal posts ” on herd immunity based @ @ @ @ @ weren ’ t you straight with the American people about this to begin with ?
@ @ @ @ @ deflects multiple times .
She presses and he says it ’ s just a “ @ @ @

.@DanaBashCNN presses Dr. Fauci on his comments about “moving the goal posts” on herd immunity based on polling. “Why weren’t you straight with the American people about this to begin with?” she asks.
He deflects multiple times. She presses and he says it’s just a “guesstimate.” pic.twitter.com/kquQvlwZ8j
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) December 27, 2020


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Scientists discover Arctic warming of Greenland ice sheet driven by geothermal activity

A team of researchers understands more about the melting of the Greenland ice sheet .
They discovered a flow of hot rocks , known as a mantle plume , rising from the core-mantle boundary beneath central Greenland that melts the ice from below .
The results of their two-part study were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research .
The North Atlantic region is awash with geothermal activity .
Iceland and Jan Mayen contain active volcanoes with their own distinct mantle plumes , whilst Svalbard — a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean — is a geothermal area .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their interconnectedness has largely been unexplored .
The research team discovered that the Greenland plume rose from the core-mantle boundary to the mantle transition zone beneath Greenland .
The plume also has two branches in the lower mantle that feed into other plumes in the region , supplying heat to active regions in Iceland and Jan Mayen and the geothermal area in Svalbard .
Their findings were based on measurements of the 3-D seismic velocity structure of the crust and whole mantle beneath these regions .
To obtain the measurements , they used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times were inverted to obtain 3-D images of the underground structure .
The method works similarly to a CT scan of the human body .
Toyokuni was able to utilize seismographs he installed on the Greenland ice sheet as part of the Greenland Ice Sheet Monitoring Network .
Set up in 2009 , the project sees the collaboration of researchers from 11 countries .
The US-Japan joint team is primarily responsible for the construction and maintenance of the three seismic stations on the ice sheet .
Looking ahead , Toyokuni hopes to explore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ This study revealed the larger picture , so examining the plumes at a more localized level will reveal more information.
” The post Scientists discover Arctic warming of Greenland ice sheet driven by geothermal activity appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .

Newly discovered Greenland hot rock mantle plume drives thermal activities in the Arctic
A team of researchers understands more about the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. They discovered a flow of hot rocks, known as a mantle plume, rising from the core-mantle boundary beneath central Greenland that melts the ice from below.
The results of their two-part study were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
Knowledge about the Greenland plume will bolster our understanding of volcanic activities in these regions and the problematic issue of global sea-level rising caused by the melting of the Greenland ice sheet,” said Dr. Genti Toyokuni, co-author of the studies.
The North Atlantic region is awash with geothermal activity. Iceland and Jan Mayen contain active volcanoes with their own distinct mantle plumes, whilst Svalbard — a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean — is a geothermal area. However, the origin of these activities and their interconnectedness has largely been unexplored.
The research team discovered that the Greenland plume rose from the core-mantle boundary to the mantle transition zone beneath Greenland. The plume also has two branches in the lower mantle that feed into other plumes in the region, supplying heat to active regions in Iceland and Jan Mayen and the geothermal area in Svalbard.
A schematic diagram showing the main tectonic features and mantle plumes beneath Greenland and the surrounding regions. Vp = P wave velocity; MAR = the Mid-Atlantic Ridge; MTZ = the mantle transition zone (410-660 km depths); CMB = the core-mantle boundary at 2889 km depth. Credit: Tohoku University
Their findings were based on measurements of the 3-D seismic velocity structure of the crust and whole mantle beneath these regions. To obtain the measurements, they used seismic topography. Numerous seismic wave arrival times were inverted to obtain 3-D images of the underground structure. The method works similarly to a CT scan of the human body.
Toyokuni was able to utilize seismographs he installed on the Greenland ice sheet as part of the Greenland Ice Sheet Monitoring Network. Set up in 2009, the project sees the collaboration of researchers from 11 countries. The US-Japan joint team is primarily responsible for the construction and maintenance of the three seismic stations on the ice sheet.
A map view of P wave velocity tomography at 5 km depth beneath Greenland and surrounding regions (left). Blue and red colors denote high and low velocity perturbations, respectively, whose scale (in %) is shown beside the map. The white dotted lines are the thermal tracks of Iceland and Jan Mayen plumes that are affected by the Greenland plume. The area surrounded by the black dotted lines is where the flow, caused by melting at the bottom of the ice sheets, exists (Northeast Greenland Ice Stream); its water source is located at the intersection of the two heat tracks. A vertical cross-section of whole-mantle tomography passing through central Greenland and Jan Mayen (right). We can see that the Greenland plume is the heat source for the Jan Mayen volcano. Credit: Tohoku University
Looking ahead, Toyokuni hopes to explore the thermal process in more detail. “This study revealed the larger picture, so examining the plumes at a more localized level will reveal more information.”
The post Scientists discover Arctic warming of Greenland ice sheet driven by geothermal activity appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF).
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December 28, 2020 at 03:33AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Demand for lithium-based EV batteries could exceed supply of materials before 2025, say researchers

Researchers cite lithium and cobalt production as the most likely to fall short of expected demand levels in the next few years , if EV take-up grows as desired or mandated by many political leaders .
In short , new discoveries of supplies will be required if present battery technology is to be maintained .
Failing that , ‘ net zero ’ may need a plan B .
– – – As the world shifts to electric vehicles to reduce climate change , it is important to quantify future demands for key battery materials , says TechXplore .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steubing and a research team at the Leiden University , Netherlands and the Argonne National Laboratory in the U.S. showed how the demands of a lithium , nickel , cobalt and manganese oxide dominated battery will increase by many factors between 2020 to 2050 .
As a result , supply chains for lithium , cobalt and nickel will require significant expansion and likely additional resource discovery .
Nevertheless , uncertainties are large relative to the development of electrical vehicle fleets and battery capacities per vehicle .
While closed-loop recycling plays a minor but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ material demand until 2050 , researchers must implement advanced recycling strategies to economically recover battery-grade materials from end-of-life batteries .
This work is now published on Nature Communications Materials .

Researchers cite lithium and cobalt production as the most likely to fall short of expected demand levels in the next few years, if EV take-up grows as desired or mandated by many political leaders. In short, new discoveries of supplies will be required if present battery technology is to be maintained. Failing that, ‘net zero’ may need a plan B.
– – –
As the world shifts to electric vehicles to reduce climate change, it is important to quantify future demands for key battery materials, says TechXplore.
In a new report, Chengjian Xu, Bernhard Steubing and a research team at the Leiden University, Netherlands and the Argonne National Laboratory in the U.S. showed how the demands of a lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese oxide dominated battery will increase by many factors between 2020 to 2050.
As a result, supply chains for lithium, cobalt and nickel will require significant expansion and likely additional resource discovery.
Nevertheless, uncertainties are large relative to the development of electrical vehicle fleets and battery capacities per vehicle.
While closed-loop recycling plays a minor but increasingly important role to reduce the primary material demand until 2050, researchers must implement advanced recycling strategies to economically recover battery-grade materials from end-of-life batteries.
This work is now published on Nature Communications Materials.
Continued here.
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December 28, 2020 at 03:27AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Record snowfall in New York State

Record snowfall in New York State

“ Western New York ’ s Christmas present this year was a White Christmas , and then some , ” @ @ @ @ @ of 10 p.m. Saturday , December 26 ( with two more hours left in the @ @ @ @ @ had reported more than 20 inches ( 50.8 centimeters ) snowfall in one day .
@ @ @ @ @ , Eden , Cheektowaga , Clarence , Lackawanna and Hamburg , to name a few @ @ @ @ @ of snow fell at the Buffalo Airport on Saturday , making for a new one-day @ @ @ @ @ .
Thanks to Clay Olson for this link The post Record snowfall in New York @ @ @ @ @ Age Now .

“Western New York’s Christmas present this year was a White Christmas, and then some,” according to wgrz.com.
As of 10 p.m. Saturday, December 26 ( with two more hours left in the day), many towns had reported more than 20 inches(50.8 centimeters) snowfall in one day.
Those towns included Elma Center, Eden, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Lackawanna and Hamburg, to name a few.
Also, 18.4 inches of snow fell at the Buffalo Airport on Saturday, making for a new one-day snowfall record for December 26.
https://www.wgrz.com/amp/article/weather/substantial-snowfall-totals-across-western-new-york/71-662521c1-e7d0-4203-9ec0-e81ba48a9947
Thanks to Clay Olson for this link
The post Record snowfall in New York State appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 28, 2020 at 03:24AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Record Christmas Day Snowfall in Pittsburgh

According to the National Weather Service , a new snowfall record was set at Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , on December @ @ @ @ @ inches of snow was recorded for the day .
This breaks the old all-time Christmas-day @ @ @ @ @ 85 years ago in 1935 .
Thanks to Clay Olson for these links The post @ @ @ @ @ Pittsburgh appeared first on Ice Age Now .

Snowiest Christmas in Pittsburgh history
According to the National Weather Service , a new snowfall record was set at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 25, 2020.
5.1 inches of snow was recorded for the day.
This breaks the old all-time Christmas-day record of 3.5 inches set 85 years ago in 1935.
Notable snowfall totals in other states:
Snowfall reports received as of noon Christmas Day. The highest reports thus far by state:
OH-South Euclid 16.2"
TN-Gatlinburg 12"
PA-Edinboro 9.3"
KY-Florress 9.2"
NY-Hamburg 8"
WV-Summersville 7.1"
NC-Marshall 7"
VA-Baywood 6"
GA-Blairsville 1.5" pic.twitter.com/3tVidA7Ren — NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) December 25, 2020
https://twitter.com/NWSPittsburgh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1342723764790824962%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpittsburgh.cbslocal.com%2F2020%2F12%2F26%2Fwinter-weather-brings-white-christmas-to-western-pennsylvania%2F
Thanks to Clay Olson for these links
The post Record Christmas Day Snowfall in Pittsburgh appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 28, 2020 at 03:10AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--A Social Conscience Is Nice, But Business Is Business!!

Reposted from NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT Norway ’ s top court dismissed an attempt by climate activists to halt Arctic oil exploration by Western Europe ’ s biggest petroleum-producing nation .
The Nordic government beat back a lawsuit by environmental groups in the country ’ s Supreme Court , which ruled on Tuesday the authorities had acted lawfully by awarding exploration licenses in the Barents Sea to companies including Equinor ASA , Aker BP ASA and Lundin Petroleum AB .
Greenpeace and Nature and Youth , a local environmental organization , argued in the lawsuit that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sea breaches Norway ’ s constitution and its commitments under the Paris Agreement .
Of course , it is great news that the world will have some more oil reserves , if the exploration is successful .
But I do find it slightly ironic , because we are constantly being told how “ green ” Norway is .
After all , they are getting rid of all their petrol cars , building wind farms in the North Sea ( with the help , of course , of oil money ) .
Yet , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dollars , all of that goes out the window !

Reposted from NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
DECEMBER 27, 2020
By Paul Homewood
h/t Ian Magness
Good news from Bloomberg:
Norway’s top court dismissed an attempt by climate activists to halt Arctic oil exploration by Western Europe’s biggest petroleum-producing nation.
The Nordic government beat back a lawsuit by environmental groups in the country’s Supreme Court, which ruled on Tuesday the authorities had acted lawfully by awarding exploration licenses in the Barents Sea to companies including Equinor ASA, Aker BP ASA and Lundin Petroleum AB.
Greenpeace and Nature and Youth, a local environmental organization, argued in the lawsuit that the 2016 license award in the Arctic Barents Sea breaches Norway’s constitution and its commitments under the Paris Agreement.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-22/norway-top-court-rules-against-climate-activists-over-arctic-oil
Of course, it is great news that the world will have some more oil reserves, if the exploration is successful.
But I do find it slightly ironic, because we are constantly being told how “green” Norway is. After all, they are getting rid of all their petrol cars, building wind farms in the North Sea (with the help, of course, of oil money).
Yet, when it comes to down to petrol dollars, all of that goes out the window!
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Traitors inside the Whitehouse

Traitors inside the Whitehouse

Friday week ago , a four hour meeting took place with President Trump , Sidney Powell , Rudy Guiliani , Michael Powell and key Whitehouse legal staff .
Patrick Byrne ( billionaire Founder of Overstock , fighter against Wall St corruption ) was there .
Byrne has done several interviews in the last week .
This one with Jerome Corsi was probably the most detailed .
Worth watching , as an extraordinary history unfolds .
He tells a tale of insider white-anting at the Whitehouse where senior legal staff have apparently been offered million dollar salary packages by outsiders and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they don ’ t play the right game , which is to talk Trump into conceding .
The senior team are leaning on the juniors .
The self-serving lawyers are shockingly disrespectful , sexist and Byrne would sack them in an instant if they worked for him .
According to Byrne — Trump is the smartest man in the room ( Byrne has a PhD from Stanford ) — a gentleman , very different to what the media portrays , and “ too nice ” almost too a flaw .
Byrne is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t vote for Trump , but appears to have become one of his biggest supporters since meeting him .
But he stresses , [ … ]

Friday week ago, a four hour meeting took place with President Trump, Sidney Powell, Rudy Guiliani, Michael Powell and key Whitehouse legal staff. Patrick Byrne (billionaire Founder of Overstock, fighter against Wall St corruption) was there.
“Betrayed from within”
Byrne has done several interviews in the last week. This one with Jerome Corsi was probably the most detailed. Worth watching, as an extraordinary history unfolds. He tells a tale of insider white-anting at the Whitehouse where senior legal staff have apparently been offered million dollar salary packages by outsiders and threatened to be “cancelled”, if they don’t play the right game, which is to talk Trump into conceding. The senior team are leaning on the juniors. The self-serving lawyers are shockingly disrespectful, sexist and Byrne would sack them in an instant if they worked for him.
According to Byrne — Trump is the smartest man in the room (Byrne has a PhD from Stanford) — a gentleman, very different to what the media portrays, and “too nice” almost too a flaw. Byrne is a small L liberal who didn’t vote for Trump, but appears to have become one of his biggest supporters since meeting him. But he stresses, […]
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December 27, 2020 at 10:22PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--LA Times: Children “literally organizing out of climate anxiety”

LA Times reports that children are so distressed by what they have been taught about the alleged climate crisis , @ @ @ @ @ Others are embracing radical climate activism as a coping mechanism for their climate mental health @ @ @ @ @ With That ?

LA Times reports that children are so distressed by what they have been taught about the alleged climate crisis, some are committing suicide. Others are embracing radical climate activism as a coping mechanism for their climate mental health crisis.
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December 27, 2020 at 08:09PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-29--The Crimes of WHO Director Tedros Adhanom

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , the darling of the MSM and Big Tech , was known as an international criminal even before his appointment to WHO Director General .
The following are select quotes from “ Irrespective of the final outcome , the fact that an individual accused of systematic genocidal violence and human right violations by his opponents , who could even be subject to criminal investigations in the future at his own country or at International level , became one of the top three contenders for WHO Director General position is by itself an indication that the foundational principles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at International Public Health Organizations are violated .
This paper details how the former Ethiopian Minister of Federal Ministry of Health ( FMOH ) and Foreign Affairs , Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , is accused by his political opponents for the role he played in systematic genocidal violence and gross human right violations including but not limited to arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial executions… ” ( emphasis is added ) • Discrimination/Marginalization : Dr. Ghebreyesus implemented preferential treatment of “ Tigray region ” at the expense of other “ Regions ” especially “ Amhara @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health coverage and outcomes between “ Tigray region ” and “ Amhara region ” .
… • Crime against Humanity : Dr. Ghebreyesus and his government should be accountable for distributing iodine deficient salt to Ethiopians , affecting pediatric brain development permanently especially “ Amhara region ” children where the land is normally iodine deficient compared to other parts of the country .
… • Systematic genocidal violence : The TPLF has historically labelled the Amharas as the historical enemy of the Tigray people .
This is expressed in the TPLF manifesto published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister of Ethiopian FMOH , he used his Ministry to play a role in accomplishing the objectives of TPLF .
… Dr. Ghebreyesus has served to accomplish agenda of TPLF to depopulate Amharas … • Biased policies , inaction and impartiality : Though HIV/AIDS affected “ Amhara region ” than any other “ Regions ” in Ethiopia for reasons not yet known , appropriate measures should have been taken before , during and after Dr. Ghebreyesus era under TPLF led government to minimize the impact of the disease .
Unfortunately , in “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ HIV treatment achievement was by far less than “ Tigray region ” , a “ Region ” with less success on contraceptives use compared to “ Amhara region ” .
… • Disregard for Humanity : Dr. Ghebreyesus ’ s party , the TPLF , has often been accused of using aid as a weapon .
Many International organizations brought evidence that the TPLF led Ethiopian government is using aid to suppress political dissent by conditioning access to essential government programs on support for the ruling party where many families of opposition members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or “ safety net ” program .
… • Incompetency/Inaction : Because of Dr. Ghebreyesus leadership incompetency , Ethiopia was affected by Cholera almost every year during his tenure and actually his refusal to declare epidemic actually caused the disease to be disseminated throughout the country .
… In addition , when ISIS slit the throats of migrant Ethiopians in Libya , Dr. Ghebreyesus , who was the Foreign Minister at that time , took an embarrassingly long time before he identified the victims as Ethiopians and was unwilling to identify them individually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ … • Lack of accountability : Dr. Ghebreyesus is still proud of his role as a TPLF executive member and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of TPLF/EPRDF led government making him accountable to each and every atrocity committed by TPLF on Ethiopians during his tenure , especially the ethnic cleansing and genocidal violence committed against the Amharas .
” ( emphasis is either added or in the original ) “ Ethiopia is an ancient country with a history more than 3000 years .
It is one of the few African countries that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ethiopia was ruled by successive Emperors and Kings with a Semi-feudal government up until 1974.
” “ Dr .
Ghebreyesus has been the member of TPLF/EPRDF ’ s top leaders and has personally participated in decisions that claimed the lives of many innocent Ethiopians including the post 2005 election massacre of peaceful hundreds of demonstrators for which no one has been accountable to date.
” ( emphasis is added ) “ Dr .
Ghebreyesus is still proud of his role as TPLF Executive Member and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of TPLF/EPRDF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ atrocities committed by TPLF on Ethiopians and especially the systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide against Amharas.
” ( emphasis is added )

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the darling of the MSM and Big Tech, was known as an international criminal even before his appointment to WHO Director General. The following are select quotes from
Opposition to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Candidacy for WHO
Director General Position, Amhara Professionals Union, 2017, USA
“Irrespective of the final outcome, the fact that an individual accused of systematic genocidal violence and human right violations by his opponents, who could even be subject to criminal investigations in the future at his own country or at International level, became one of the top three contenders for WHO Director General position is by itself an indication that the foundational principles in the recruitment policy for leadership role at International Public Health Organizations are violated. This paper details how the former Ethiopian Minister of Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is accused by his political opponents for the role he played in systematic genocidal violence and gross human right violations including but not limited to arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial executions…” (emphasis is added)
”
Discrimination/Marginalization: Dr. Ghebreyesus implemented preferential treatment of “Tigray region” at the expense of other “Regions” especially “Amhara region” resulting in significant disparities in health coverage and outcomes between “Tigray region” and “Amhara region”. … Crime against Humanity: Dr. Ghebreyesus and his government should be accountable for distributing iodine deficient salt to Ethiopians, affecting pediatric brain development permanently especially “Amhara region” children where the land is normally iodine deficient compared to other parts of the country. … Systematic genocidal violence: The TPLF has historically labelled the Amharas as the historical enemy of the Tigray people. This is expressed in the TPLF manifesto published in 1975. When Dr. Ghebreyesus was Minister of Ethiopian FMOH, he used his Ministry to play a role in accomplishing the objectives of TPLF. … Dr. Ghebreyesus has served to accomplish agenda of TPLF to depopulate Amharas … Biased policies, inaction and impartiality: Though HIV/AIDS affected “Amhara region” than any other “Regions” in Ethiopia for reasons not yet known, appropriate measures should have been taken before, during and after Dr. Ghebreyesus era under TPLF led government to minimize the impact of the disease. Unfortunately, in “Amhara region” both HIV testing and HIV treatment achievement was by far less than “Tigray region”, a “Region” with less success on contraceptives use compared to “Amhara region”. …
…
Disregard for Humanity: Dr. Ghebreyesus’s party, the TPLF, has often been accused of using aid as a weapon. Many International organizations brought evidence that the TPLF led Ethiopian government is using aid to suppress political dissent by conditioning access to essential government programs on support for the ruling party where many families of opposition members were barred from participation in the food-for-work or “safety net” program. … Incompetency/Inaction: Because of Dr. Ghebreyesus leadership incompetency, Ethiopia was affected by Cholera almost every year during his tenure and actually his refusal to declare epidemic actually caused the disease to be disseminated throughout the country. … In addition, when ISIS slit the throats of migrant Ethiopians in Libya, Dr. Ghebreyesus, who was the Foreign Minister at that time, took an embarrassingly long time before he identified the victims as Ethiopians and was unwilling to identify them individually to help the victims’ family. … Lack of accountability: Dr. Ghebreyesus is still proud of his role as a TPLF executive member and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of TPLF/EPRDF led government making him accountable to each and every atrocity committed by TPLF on Ethiopians during his tenure, especially the ethnic cleansing and genocidal violence committed against the Amharas.
” (emphasis is either added or in the original)
“Ethiopia is an ancient country with a history more than 3000 years. It is one of the few African countries that have maintained its independence from Colonialism. Ethiopia was ruled by successive Emperors and Kings with a Semi-feudal government up until 1974.”
“Dr. Ghebreyesus has been the member of TPLF/EPRDF’s top leaders and has personally participated in decisions that claimed the lives of many innocent Ethiopians including the post 2005 election massacre of peaceful hundreds of demonstrators for which no one has been accountable to date.” (emphasis is added)
“Dr. Ghebreyesus is still proud of his role as TPLF Executive Member and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of TPLF/EPRDF led government making him suspect for the atrocities committed by TPLF on Ethiopians and especially the systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide against Amharas.” (emphasis is added)
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December 28, 2020 at 07:33PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Blowing Hot And Cold

Blowing Hot And Cold

My mind runs to curious things .
Today it went to this one of Aesop ’ s Fables : A man and a satyr once poured out libations together in token of a bond of alliance being formed between them .
One very cold wintry day , as they talked together , the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew on them .
On the satyr inquiring the reason of this , he told him that he did it to warm his hands , they were so cold .
Later on in the day they sat down to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scalding .
The man raised one of the dishes a little towards his mouth and blew in it .
On the satyr again inquiring the reason of this , he said that he did it to cool the meat , it was so hot .
“ I can no longer consider you as a friend , ” said the Satyr , “ a fellow who with the same breath blows hot and cold.
” What brought this to mind was looking at the temperature trends for the planet .
I ’ ve always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ varied somewhat around the world .
But I was surprised to see how much of the world was cooling .
Here ’ s a Pacific and a corresponding Atlantic centered view of the cooling : Some of this I expected .
The Southern Ocean , for example .
But I certainly wouldn ’ t have guessed that most of South America is among the fastest cooling areas of the planet .
Here , the oddity is that almost the entire North Atlantic is cooling … didn ’ t see that coming .
Same @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ocean .
Intrigued by that , I thought I ’ d take a corresponding look at the hot spots .
Here are the same views , but this time showing the areas which are warming faster than 0.25°/decade .
The entirety of the eastern Pacific is warming fast … as is the center of the southern Indian Ocean .
And Australia has it in spades .
Part of Eastern Brazil is warming fast … and western Brazil is cooling fast .
Northern Africa is warming … and southern Africa is cooling .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ?
I draw no overarching conclusions about this , except that I was surprised to find out that a quarter of the world is cooling … My best to all .
Me , I ’ m gon na stay up late on New Year ’ s Eve , but not to welcome 2021 in .
I ’ m doing it to make sure that 2020 leaves …

Guest Post by Willis Eschenbach
My mind runs to curious things. Today it went to this one of Aesop’s Fables:
A man and a satyr once poured out libations together in token of a bond of alliance being formed between them. One very cold wintry day, as they talked together, the man put his fingers to his mouth and blew on them. On the satyr inquiring the reason of this, he told him that he did it to warm his hands, they were so cold. Later on in the day they sat down to eat, the food prepared being quite scalding. The man raised one of the dishes a little towards his mouth and blew in it. On the satyr again inquiring the reason of this, he said that he did it to cool the meat, it was so hot. “I can no longer consider you as a friend,” said the Satyr, “a fellow who with the same breath blows hot and cold.”
What brought this to mind was looking at the temperature trends for the planet. I’ve always sort of assumed that the temperature trend varied somewhat around the world. But I was surprised to see how much of the world was cooling. Here’s a Pacific and a corresponding Atlantic centered view of the cooling:
Some of this I expected. The Southern Ocean, for example. But I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that most of South America is among the fastest cooling areas of the planet.
Here, the oddity is that almost the entire North Atlantic is cooling … didn’t see that coming. Same thing for the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Intrigued by that, I thought I’d take a corresponding look at the hot spots. Here are the same views, but this time showing the areas which are warming faster than 0.25°/decade.
The entirety of the eastern Pacific is warming fast … as is the center of the southern Indian Ocean. And Australia has it in spades.
Part of Eastern Brazil is warming fast … and western Brazil is cooling fast. Northern Africa is warming … and southern Africa is cooling. And all of Siberia is warming … say what?
I draw no overarching conclusions about this, except that I was surprised to find out that a quarter of the world is cooling …
My best to all. Me, I’m gonna stay up late on New Year’s Eve, but not to welcome 2021 in.
I’m doing it to make sure that 2020 leaves …
w.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--Texas snowfall almost as far south as Austin

One of the reasons I moved to Texas was to get away from the snow .
And now this .
@ @ @ @ @ Texas , which should drop snow almost as far south as Austin.. .
As they @ @ @ @ @ plans… ” The post Texas snowfall almost as far south as Austin appeared first on @ @ @ @

One of the reasons I moved to Texas was to get away from the snow. And now this.
Powerhouse winter storm headed for Texas, which should drop snow almost as far south as Austin..
.
As they say, “The best-laid plans…”
See entire story:
The post Texas snowfall almost as far south as Austin appeared first on Ice Age Now.
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December 28, 2020 at 01:19PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--2020 Review: Observational And Modeling Studies Show Temperature Falls As CO2 Rises

Click to email this to a friend ( Opens in new window )

So the science is settled, right?
Image Source: Zhang et al., 2020 ( abstract pdf
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December 28, 2020 at 12:52PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-28--A smart thermostat spy in voting machines sent data direct to China

It seems US state governors made it easy for China to spy on the election Russell Ramsland speaks at the @ @ @ @ @ data being sent directly to China .
It ’ s looks like… there is a @ @ @ @ @ the tabulation rooms in Savannah Georgia that is reporting the votes back to China .
@ @ @ @ @ check that out .
In 29 States your votes were going to Frankfurt Germany… I @ @ @ @ @ have seen the photographs , the computer forensics , and the IP traces back to @ @ @ @ @ whose name has long been linked to CP .
Perhaps people in China were getting @ @ @ @ @ US were ?
Would you like a 17 % swing with that tabulator ?
Fully @ @ @ @ @ decided by adjudicators in Antrim County .
Ramsland also found in the Antrim County Report @ @ @ @ @ that an incredible 17 % of all the votes went to adjudication .
There was @ @ @ @ @ rate ” , but because there can be up to [ … ]

It seems US state governors made it easy for China to spy on the election
Russell Ramsland speaks at the Georgia Election Hearing about election data being sent directly to China.
It’s looks like… there is a smart thermostat in one of the tabulation rooms in Savannah Georgia that is reporting the votes back to China. We’re going to check that out.
In 29 States your votes were going to Frankfurt Germany…
Patrick Byrne says:
I vouch for this. I have seen the photographs, the computer forensics, and the IP traces back to China. To a corporation whose name has long been linked to CP.
Georgia Tabulating Machine Sent Results to China
Perhaps people in China were getting results before people in the US were?
Simone Gao interviews Ramsland at The Thinking Conservative
Would you like a 17% swing with that tabulator?
Fully 17% of votes were decided by adjudicators in Antrim County.
Ramsland also found in the Antrim County Report (in Michigan), that an incredible 17% of all the votes went to adjudication. There was a “68% error rate”, but because there can be up to […]
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December 28, 2020 at 12:41PM