iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Sea levels fall during Grand Solar Minimums

On the Subject of Italian early snow during this modern Grand Solar Minimum ( GSM ) .
More research is now becoming accessible regarding the Roman Warm period and its ending with a Grand Solar Minimum during the Late Antique Little Ice Age ( LALIA ) 585-640 .
In addition , a solar minimum I have not yet researched is the Vandal Minimum 585 to 800AD .
Much of the research indicates Sea Level drops during this period , which are replicated in every other GSM period , including Dalton 1780 to 1820 and likely to be replicated in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the following recovery cycles out to 2053 .
Abstract Extract : Temperatures from 435 AD on rapidly descended , drought conditions set in , which greatly worsened living conditions on Earth .
For this reason , the time after 435 AD is named as Dark Age Cold Period , Vandal Minimum or LALIA ( Late Antique Little Ice Age ) , which led to the demise of a number of civilizations on Earth .
In its progressing descent , cooling conditions were worsened by two cosmic meteor impacts , Kanmare at 572 AD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Excerpt from Florida Museum article about lower sea levels during the Vandal Minimum : “ Using isotopic information from southern quahog clam shells and marine catfish otoliths ( ear bones ) collected at the site , Karen Walker and co-authors Ting Wang and Donna Surge of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirmed cooler and drier weather characterized southwest Florida from about A.D. 500 to 850 .
This time span correlates with a wide-scale climate episode known as the Vandal Minimum , which is also associated with lower sea levels .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the adjacent sound is shallow , they are particularly sensitive to climate change .
During the Vandal Minimum , lower sea levels likely forced the Calusa Indians , who inhabited Pineland in the first century , to temporarily abandon the site as early as A.D. 750 , Walker said.. ” The post Sea levels fall during Grand Solar Minimums appeared first on Ice Age Now .

On the Subject of Italian early snow during this modern Grand Solar Minimum (GSM).
______________
Sea levels fall during Grand Solar Minimums
J. H. Walker
More research is now becoming accessible regarding the Roman Warm period and its ending with a Grand Solar Minimum during the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA )585-640.
In addition, a solar minimum I have not yet researched is the Vandal Minimum 585 to 800AD. Much of the research indicates Sea Level drops during this period, which are replicated in every other GSM period, including Dalton 1780 to 1820 and likely to be replicated in this modern GSM 2008 to 2033 along with the following recovery cycles out to 2053.
https://www.knowledgeminer.eu/climate/pdf/hc6.pdf
Abstract Extract:
Temperatures from 435 AD on rapidly descended, drought conditions set in, which greatly worsened living conditions on Earth. For this reason, the time after 435 AD is named as Dark Age Cold Period, Vandal Minimum or LALIA (Late Antique Little Ice Age), which led to the demise of a number of civilizations on Earth. In its progressing descent, cooling conditions were worsened by two cosmic meteor impacts, Kanmare at 572 AD and Tabban at 680 AD.
__________
Excerpt from Florida Museum article about lower sea levels during the Vandal Minimum:
“Using isotopic information from southern quahog clam shells and marine catfish otoliths (ear bones) collected at the site, Karen Walker and co-authors Ting Wang and Donna Surge of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirmed cooler and drier weather characterized southwest Florida from about A.D. 500 to 850. This time span correlates with a wide-scale climate episode known as the Vandal Minimum, which is also associated with lower sea levels.
“Because Pine Island is low-lying and the adjacent sound is shallow, they are particularly sensitive to climate change. During the Vandal Minimum, lower sea levels likely forced the Calusa Indians, who inhabited Pineland in the first century, to temporarily abandon the site as early as A.D. 750, Walker said..”
https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/shedding-light-on-ancient-climate-change/
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December 12, 2020 at 04:34AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Jupiter and Saturn are converging for a rare “Great Conjunction” on the day of the winter solstice –

Jupiter and Saturn are converging for a rare “Great Conjunction” on the day of the winter solstice – December 21st

You may have already noticed two close together bright objects in the sunset sky in recent weeks which happen to be the giant gas planets of Jupiter and Saturn .
These two planets are actually converging for an even closer encounter in terms of their appearance to us here on Earth – the likes of which haven ’ t been seen in many , many centuries .
Jupiter and Saturn currently appear about 2 degrees apart and they will actually look only 0.1 degrees apart by the time we get to the winter solstice on December 21st – the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Jupiter and Saturn conjunctions are the rarest of bright-planet conjunctions due to their slow orbits around the sun .
Saturn takes nearly 30 years to complete its circle around the sun whereas Jupiter takes nearly 12 years .
So just about every 20 years , Jupiter catches up to Saturn as viewed from Earth causing what is referred to by astronomers as a “ great conjunction ” .
Why every 20 years ?
Each year , Saturn completes about 12 degrees of its orbit around the sun , whereas Jupiter completes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year , Jupiter closes the gap to Saturn by about 18 degrees .
In a period of 20 years , Jupiter gains 360 degrees on Saturn ( 18 x 20 = 360 degrees ) , meaning lapping Saturn once every 20 years .
This particular Jupiter/Saturn “ great conjunction ” is extremely rare because of how close the two planets will look to one another and how easy it will be to see .
Often , the glare of the sun makes their convergence difficult or even impossible to see from here on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special because the conjunction happens comfortably away from the sun .
Here are the dates of the “ great conjunctions ” from 2000 to 2100 : Jupiter and Saturn already appear close together in the sunset sky and they are about to get even closer from our vantage point here on Earth .
The last time these two gas giants have appeared this close together was in the year 1623 during Galileo ’ s times , but the sun ’ s glare that year very likely obscured the pair of planets to sky @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last time the two giant gas planets appeared so close together were so easy to see was during medieval times in the year 1226 .
While Jupiter and Saturn appear quite close together to us in the sunset sky , they are actually about 450 million miles apart from each other .
They will appear to get closer and closer each night during the next couple of weeks and – as an added bonus – the crescent Moon will join the planets on the 16th and 17th of December making for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By the time we get to the winter solstice on December 21 , Jupiter and Saturn will appear only 0.1 degrees apart , which is just 1/5 of a full moon diameter .
In fact , they will appear so close together that Saturn will actually look to us as close to Jupiter as some of its own moons .
The two planets may appear as a “ double planet ” to some depending on local viewing conditions or as one very bright star to others in the low southwest sky shortly after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as the “ Christmas Star ” because of the timing just a few days before Christmas .
Note- some Biblical scholars believe the “ Star of Bethlehem ” was a triple conjunction made up of the following : • Jupiter ( known as the king planet ) • Venus ( the brightest planet in our solar system ) • The star Regulus ( known as the kingly star ) in the constellation Leo .
Jupiter and Saturn should be visible within the same field-of-view on December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ backyard ” telescope along with four of Jupiter ’ s largest moons spread out in a straight line .
Beyond December 21 , Jupiter and Saturn will move away from each other rather quickly in terms of appearance to us here on Earth and this trend will continue for the next ten years before they start to converge again during the 2030s .
This will set up the next “ Great Conjunction ” of the year 2040 ; however , that one will not be as brilliant as this one .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t appear this close again until the year 2080 and in that late 21st century close encounter , Jupiter will completely cover Saturn which is an extremely rare event and won ’ t happen again until the year 7541 .
Make sure to mark your calendars specifically for December 21st to view this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event as this opportunity will be just a one-day affair.Just one day before and one day after , the planets will appear noticeably farther apart from each other and nowhere near as striking as on December 21st – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day of astronomical winter .
The best viewing on December 21st will be from about 30 minutes to an hour after sunset in the low southwestern sky until the time the two planets set ( ~8:23 PM ET ) .

The “Great Conjunction” of December 21, 2020 will feature Jupiter and Saturn so close together that they will appear to most as one very bright star which some are already dubbing the ”Christmas-star”. Credit: Getty Images
By Paul Dorian
Overview
You may have already noticed two close together bright objects in the sunset sky in recent weeks which happen to be the giant gas planets of Jupiter and Saturn. These two planets are actually converging for an even closer encounter in terms of their appearance to us here on Earth – the likes of which haven’t been seen in many, many centuries. Jupiter and Saturn currently appear about 2 degrees apart and they will actually look only 0.1 degrees apart by the time we get to the winter solstice on December 21st – the day of the “Great Conjunction” of 2020.
Jupiter and Saturn will appear extremely close together on December 21st just after sunset in the low southwestern sky. [“Sky map” credit spaceweather.com]
Details
Jupiter and Saturn conjunctions are the rarest of bright-planet conjunctions due to their slow orbits around the sun. Saturn takes nearly 30 years to complete its circle around the sun whereas Jupiter takes nearly 12 years. So just about every 20 years, Jupiter catches up to Saturn as viewed from Earth causing what is referred to by astronomers as a “great conjunction”. Why every 20 years? Each year, Saturn completes about 12 degrees of its orbit around the sun, whereas Jupiter completes approximately 30 degrees. So in one year, Jupiter closes the gap to Saturn by about 18 degrees. In a period of 20 years, Jupiter gains 360 degrees on Saturn (18 x 20 = 360 degrees), meaning lapping Saturn once every 20 years.
This particular Jupiter/Saturn “great conjunction” is extremely rare because of how close the two planets will look to one another and how easy it will be to see. Often, the glare of the sun makes their convergence difficult or even impossible to see from here on Earth, but this year is very special because the conjunction happens comfortably away from the sun. Here are the dates of the “great conjunctions” from 2000 to 2100:
May 28, 2000
December 21, 2020
October 31, 2040
April 7, 2060
March 15, 2080
September 18, 2100
Jupiter and Saturn already appear close together in the sunset sky and they are about to get even closer from our vantage point here on Earth. The last time these two gas giants have appeared this close together was in the year 1623 during Galileo’s times, but the sun’s glare that year very likely obscured the pair of planets to sky watchers on Earth. In fact, the last time the two giant gas planets appeared so close together and were so easy to see was during medieval times in the year 1226. While Jupiter and Saturn appear quite close together to us in the sunset sky, they are actually about 450 million miles apart from each other. They will appear to get closer and closer each night during the next couple of weeks and – as an added bonus – the crescent Moon will join the planets on the 16th and 17th of December making for a beautiful sight assuming good viewing conditions.
By the time we get to the winter solstice on December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will appear only 0.1 degrees apart, which is just 1/5 of a full moon diameter. In fact, they will appear so close together that Saturn will actually look to us as close to Jupiter as some of its own moons. The two planets may appear as a “double planet” to some depending on local viewing conditions or as one very bright star to others in the low southwest sky shortly after sunset. Some are already referring to this great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as the “Christmas Star” because of the timing just a few days before Christmas. Note- some Biblical scholars believe the “Star of Bethlehem” was a triple conjunction made up of the following:
Jupiter (known as the king planet)
Venus (the brightest planet in our solar system)
The star Regulus (known as the kingly star) in the constellation Leo.
A look at Jupiter’s position in the sky relative to some of its largest moons which actually appear in a linear fashion. In January 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered four of Jupiter’s moons — now called Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. There are now thought to be as many as 79 moons of Jupiter with Europa being about the same size as Earth’s moon.
Jupiter and Saturn should be visible within the same field-of-view on December 21st whether using binoculars or a small “backyard” telescope along with four of Jupiter’s largest moons spread out in a straight line. Beyond December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will move away from each other rather quickly in terms of appearance to us here on Earth and this trend will continue for the next ten years before they start to converge again during the 2030s. This will set up the next “Great Conjunction” of the year 2040; however, that one will not be as brilliant as this one. In fact, the two planets won’t appear this close again until the year 2080 and in that late 21st century close encounter, Jupiter will completely cover Saturn which is an extremely rare event and won’t happen again until the year 7541.
Final Comments
Make sure to mark your calendars specifically for December 21st to view this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event as this opportunity will be just a one-day affair.Just one day before and one day after, the planets will appear noticeably farther apart from each other and nowhere near as striking as on December 21st – hopefully skies will cooperate on the first day of astronomical winter. The best viewing on December 21st will be from about 30 minutes to an hour after sunset in the low southwestern sky until the time the two planets set (~8:23 PM ET).
Meteorologist Paul Dorian
Perspecta, Inc.
perspectaweather.com
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Video discussion on “The Great Conjunction of December 21, 2020”.
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A few months ago , Nottingham City Council announced that it has lost tens of millions of pounds of public cash because its renewable energy company Robin Hood Energy ( RHE ) had collapsed with the loss of 230 ‘ green ’ jobs .
News reports have suggested that the taxpayers of Nottingham will be out of pocket to the tune of £38.1 million .
Robin Hood Energy also owes £12 million in environmental taxes to the Government , but has said it is not likely to be able to pay .
Now , the BBC is reporting that Nottingham @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of creating hundreds of green jobs , Nottingham ’ s renewable energy disasters and the looming bankruptcy of the Labour-run council threatens the city with a freeze on non-essential spending , putting thousands of real jobs at risk .
Nottingham City Council is at risk of having to declare bankruptcy without a significant bailout , a government inspector has warned .
A rapid review of the authority ’ s finances was ordered following the collapse of its company Robin Hood Energy .
It found the council could not afford to approve a legally-required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nottingham City Council said it accepted the review ’ s findings .
The investigation was instigated by the Ministry of Housing , Communities and Local Government after the collapse of Robin Hood Energy .
The council had set up the not-for-profit firm in 2015 , claiming it was the first local authority-run energy company in the UK .
It aimed to tackle fuel poverty but lost more than £38m and collapsed with the loss of 230 jobs .
The post appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum ( GWPF ) .

Renewable energy disasters threatens to destroy thousands of jobs
A few months ago, Nottingham City Council announced that it has lost tens of millions of pounds of public cash because its renewable energy company Robin Hood Energy (RHE) had collapsed with the loss of 230 ‘green’ jobs.
News reports have suggested that the taxpayers of Nottingham will be out of pocket to the tune of £38.1 million. Robin Hood Energy also owes £12 million in environmental taxes to the Government, but has said it is not likely to be able to pay.
Now, the BBC is reporting that Nottingham City Council is facing bankruptcy.
Instead of creating hundreds of green jobs, Nottingham’s renewable energy disasters and the looming bankruptcy of the Labour-run council threatens the city with a freeze on non-essential spending, putting thousands of real jobs at risk.
Nottingham City Council is at risk of having to declare bankruptcy without a significant bailout, a government inspector has warned.
A rapid review of the authority’s finances was ordered following the collapse of its company Robin Hood Energy.
It found the council could not afford to approve a legally-required budget for 2021-22 as it stands.
Nottingham City Council said it accepted the review’s findings.
The investigation was instigated by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government after the collapse of Robin Hood Energy.
The council had set up the not-for-profit firm in 2015, claiming it was the first local authority-run energy company in the UK.
It aimed to tackle fuel poverty but lost more than £38m and collapsed with the loss of 230 jobs.
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December 12, 2020 at 03:35AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Car makers warn electric car plans are “far removed from reality”

European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association calculates if EU targets of 30 million EVs by 2030 are to be met , their numbers must rise by almost 5,000 % Plans from the European Union to have 30 million electric cars on the road by 2030 are “ far removed from today ’ s reality ” , according to an association that represents the Continent ’ s car makers .
The European Automobile Manufacturers ’ Association ( ACEA ) highlights that last year , just 0.25 per cent ( 615,000 ) of the 243 million cars in the EU are zero-emission electric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set for just nine years in the future , that those 615,000 EVs rise in number to 30 million , the ACEA highlights that close to a 50-fold increase in numbers would be required .
That ’ s equivalent to a 4,778 per cent rise in the number of electric cars on the road .
“ Unfortunately this vision is far removed from today ’ s reality , ” the ACEA ’ s director general , Eric-Mark Huitema warned .
Highlighting that car makers in Europe already spend “ much ” of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decarbonisation , Huitema added that “ not all the right conditions are in place to make such a massive leap ” into such exponential growth of electric cars .
The ACEA also warns that it considers a further three million public chargepoints will be required by 2030 to reach these goals from the 200,000 points that existed in 2019 .
That means a 15-fold increase is needed to bridge the gap .
The post Car makers warn electric car plans are “ far removed from reality ” appeared first on The Global Warming @ @ @ @ @ @

European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association calculates if EU targets of 30 million EVs by 2030 are to be met, their numbers must rise by almost 5,000%
Plans from the European Union to have 30 million electric cars on the road by 2030 are “far removed from today’s reality”, according to an association that represents the Continent’s car makers.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) highlights that last year, just 0.25 per cent (615,000) of the 243 million cars in the EU are zero-emission electric models.
To meet the target, set for just nine years in the future, that those 615,000 EVs rise in number to 30 million, the ACEA highlights that close to a 50-fold increase in numbers would be required. That’s equivalent to a 4,778 per cent rise in the number of electric cars on the road.
“Unfortunately this vision is far removed from today’s reality,” the ACEA’s director general, Eric-Mark Huitema warned. Highlighting that car makers in Europe already spend “much” of their annual €60.9-billion research and development budget on decarbonisation, Huitema added that “not all the right conditions are in place to make such a massive leap” into such exponential growth of electric cars.
The ACEA also warns that it considers a further three million public chargepoints will be required by 2030 to reach these goals from the 200,000 points that existed in 2019. That means a 15-fold increase is needed to bridge the gap.
The post Car makers warn electric car plans are “far removed from reality” appeared first on The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF).
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December 12, 2020 at 02:59AM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Novel cathode design significantly improves performance of next-generation battery

A team led by Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering and Environment Prof. ZHAO Tianshou , Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of HKUST Energy Institute , has proposed a novel cathode design concept for lithium-sulfur ( Li-S ) battery that substantially improves the performance of this kind of promising next-generation battery .
Li-S batteries are regarded as attractive alternatives to lithium-ion ( Li-ion ) batteries that are commonly used in smartphones , electric vehicles , and drones .
They are known for their high energy density while their major component , sulfur , is abundant , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Li-S batteries can potentially offer an energy density of over 500 Wh/kg , significantly better than Li-ion batteries that reach their limit at 300 Wh/kg .
The higher energy density means that the approximate 400km driving range of an electric vehicle powered by Li-ion batteries can be substantially extended to 600-800km if powered by Li-S batteries .
While exciting results on Li-S batteries have been achieved by researchers worldwide , there is still a big gap between lab research and commercialization of the technology on an industrial scale .
One key issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ batteries that causes progressive leakage of active material from the cathode and lithium corrosion , resulting in a short life cycle for the battery .
Other challenges include reducing the amount of electrolyte in the battery while maintaining stable battery performance .
To address these issues , Prof. Zhao ’ s team collaborated with international researchers to propose a cathode design concept that could achieve good Li-S battery performance .
The highly oriented macroporous host can uniformly accommodate the sulfur while abundant active sites are embedded inside the host to tightly absorb the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lithium metal corrosion .
By bringing up a design principle for sulfur cathode in Li-S batteries , the joint team increased the batteries ’ energy density and made a big step towards the industrialization of the batteries .
“ We are still in the middle of basic research in this field , ” Prof. Zhao said .
“ However , our novel electrode design concept and the associated breakthrough in performance represent a big step towards the practical use of a next-generation battery that is even more powerful and longer-lasting than today ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was recently published in Nature Nanotechnology under the title “ A high-energy and long-cycling lithium-sulfur pouch cell via a macroporous catalytic cathode with double-end binding sites ” .
Team members from HKUST include Prof. Zhao and his current PhD students ZHAO Chen , ZHANG Leicheng , and former PhD student REN Yuxun ( 2019 graduate ) .
Other collaborators include researchers from Argonne National Laboratory and Stanford University in the US , Xiamen University in Mainland China , and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia .

HONG KONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Research News
IMAGE: AN ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION FOR THE DESIGN STRATEGY OF MACROPOROUS HOST WITH DOUBLE-END BINDING SITES. view more CREDIT: HKUST
A team led by Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering and Environment Prof. ZHAO Tianshou, Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of HKUST Energy Institute, has proposed a novel cathode design concept for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery that substantially improves the performance of this kind of promising next-generation battery.
Li-S batteries are regarded as attractive alternatives to lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that are commonly used in smartphones, electric vehicles, and drones. They are known for their high energy density while their major component, sulfur, is abundant, light, cheap, and environmentally benign.
Li-S batteries can potentially offer an energy density of over 500 Wh/kg, significantly better than Li-ion batteries that reach their limit at 300 Wh/kg. The higher energy density means that the approximate 400km driving range of an electric vehicle powered by Li-ion batteries can be substantially extended to 600-800km if powered by Li-S batteries.
While exciting results on Li-S batteries have been achieved by researchers worldwide, there is still a big gap between lab research and commercialization of the technology on an industrial scale. One key issue is the polysulfide shuttle effect of Li-S batteries that causes progressive leakage of active material from the cathode and lithium corrosion, resulting in a short life cycle for the battery. Other challenges include reducing the amount of electrolyte in the battery while maintaining stable battery performance.
To address these issues, Prof. Zhao’s team collaborated with international researchers to propose a cathode design concept that could achieve good Li-S battery performance.
The highly oriented macroporous host can uniformly accommodate the sulfur while abundant active sites are embedded inside the host to tightly absorb the polysulfide, eliminating the shuttle effect and lithium metal corrosion. By bringing up a design principle for sulfur cathode in Li-S batteries, the joint team increased the batteries’ energy density and made a big step towards the industrialization of the batteries.
“We are still in the middle of basic research in this field,” Prof. Zhao said. “However, our novel electrode design concept and the associated breakthrough in performance represent a big step towards the practical use of a next-generation battery that is even more powerful and longer-lasting than today’s lithium-ion batteries.”
###
Their research work was recently published in Nature Nanotechnology under the title “A high-energy and long-cycling lithium-sulfur pouch cell via a macroporous catalytic cathode with double-end binding sites”.
Team members from HKUST include Prof. Zhao and his current PhD students ZHAO Chen, ZHANG Leicheng, and former PhD student REN Yuxun (2019 graduate). Other collaborators include researchers from Argonne National Laboratory and Stanford University in the US, Xiamen University in Mainland China, and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia.
From EurekAlert!
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Knocked Out: Irish Delighted at Decision to Rid County of Hideous Wind Turbines

Knock Iveagh ’ s community defenders have been fighting for remove hideous wind turbines from their emerald green landscape for years .
Now , having delivered the knockout blow , locals are understandably delighted with their hard-fought victory .
Get turbine down without delay – Knock Iveagh campaigners ’ delight as council calls for removal The County Down Outlook Matthew Dawson 3 December 2020 THE Friends of Knock Iveagh have expressed their delight at receiving the backing of the local council in their campaign to have a wind turbine at the historic Knock Iveagh removed .
Armagh , Banbridge and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it is having an adverse environmental impact on the integrity of the setting of the scheduled monument at Knock Iveagh and the visual amenity and landscape character of the site .
The council will now be writing to the Department for Infrastructure ( DfI ) requesting that it uses its legal powers to discontinue the use of the land for wind energy generation , and to specify steps for the removal of the turbine .
And the Friends of Knock Iveagh say they are “ extremely keen that the DfI commence this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ special meeting of the council last week , members unanimously agreed the turbine should be removed and that the Department for Infrastructure should foot the bill for the removal of the turbine .
The Friends also criticised the length of time it took the council to get to this point .
However , the council stated that “ due to the complexities of this case , it was necessary for council to thoroughly investigate and consider this matter in detail .
This required input from a range of specialists which inevitably meant the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoped.
” The council said it would be “ seeking full reimbursement for all associated costs attributed with this process ” of having the turbine removed .
Speaking following the ruling , the Friends said : “ Before the turbine was erected , the Friends of Knock Iveagh and the Historic Monuments Council each wrote independently to ABC Council and the Department for Infrastructure confirming that both had the legal powers required to stop the turbine being built and explaining why it was important that they use those powers without delay .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resulting in further damage to Knock Iveagh .
Three very costly years later , ABC Council have finally reached the same conclusion – that the turbine must come down .
“ Now that the Council has officially stated its intent to request the Department of Infrastructure take steps to discontinue the use of the land for wind energy and specify steps for removal of the turbine and works at the site , or to exercise its powers of enforcement , the Friends are extremely keen that the DfI commence this work without delay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department for Communities ’ Historic Environment Division archaeologists.
” The County Down Outlook

Knock Iveagh’s community defenders have been fighting for remove hideous wind turbines from their emerald green landscape for years. Now, having delivered the knockout blow, locals are understandably delighted with their hard-fought victory.
Get turbine down without delay – Knock Iveagh campaigners’ delight as council calls for removal
The County Down Outlook
Matthew Dawson
3 December 2020
THE Friends of Knock Iveagh have expressed their delight at receiving the backing of the local council in their campaign to have a wind turbine at the historic Knock Iveagh removed.
Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough (ABC) Council ruled that it is having an adverse environmental impact on the integrity of the setting of the scheduled monument at Knock Iveagh and the visual amenity and landscape character of the site.
The council will now be writing to the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) requesting that it uses its legal powers to discontinue the use of the land for wind energy generation, and to specify steps for the removal of the turbine.
And the Friends of Knock Iveagh say they are “extremely keen that the DfI commence this work without delay”.
At a special meeting of the council last week, members unanimously agreed the turbine should be removed and that the Department for Infrastructure should foot the bill for the removal of the turbine.
The Friends also criticised the length of time it took the council to get to this point.
However, the council stated that “due to the complexities of this case, it was necessary for council to thoroughly investigate and consider this matter in detail. This required input from a range of specialists which inevitably meant the matter taking longer than would have been hoped.”
The council said it would be “seeking full reimbursement for all associated costs attributed with this process” of having the turbine removed.
Speaking following the ruling, the Friends said: “Before the turbine was erected, the Friends of Knock Iveagh and the Historic Monuments Council each wrote independently to ABC Council and the Department for Infrastructure confirming that both had the legal powers required to stop the turbine being built and explaining why it was important that they use those powers without delay.
“Despite this, the development proceeded, resulting in further damage to Knock Iveagh. Three very costly years later, ABC Council have finally reached the same conclusion – that the turbine must come down.
“Now that the Council has officially stated its intent to request the Department of Infrastructure take steps to discontinue the use of the land for wind energy and specify steps for removal of the turbine and works at the site, or to exercise its powers of enforcement, the Friends are extremely keen that the DfI commence this work without delay, with the active involvement of the Department for Communities’ Historic Environment Division archaeologists.”
The County Down Outlook


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--SCOTUS drops Texas case: Tex GOP asks if law abiding states should form new United States

By a 7-2 decision The Supreme Court apparently decided that 18 States did not suffer if 4 States committed blatant election fraud by breaching their own and the national constitution .
Only Justices Alito and Thomas voted to proceed with the case .
There is still a long way to go .
The case can be resubmitted by different parties who have “ standing ” to sue .
It was not rejected on merits .
Still no court has heard all the evidence of voter fraud .
The drums of civil war can be heard in the distance .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution.
” JustTheTweets : Dec 10 One anonymous whistle blower was OK to impeach the President of the United States but , 1000′s of sworn affidavits of election fraud is not enough to investigate ?
Trumps Team to file more suits which may yet get to the Supreme Court Epoch Times : Attorneys on President Donald Trump ’ s legal team , Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis , shared on Friday that the team is considering filing separate lawsuits @ @ @

By a 7-2 decision The Supreme Court apparently decided that 18 States did not suffer if 4 States committed blatant election fraud by breaching their own and the national constitution. Only Justices Alito and Thomas voted to proceed with the case. There is still a long way to go. The case can be resubmitted by different parties who have “standing” to sue. It was not rejected on merits. Still no court has heard all the evidence of voter fraud.
The drums of civil war can be heard in the distance. The Texas GOP says “Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution.”
@Kyle Becker
..
JustTheTweets: Dec 10 One anonymous whistle blower was OK to impeach the President of the United States but, 1000′s of sworn affidavits of election fraud is not enough to investigate? Trumps Team to file more suits which may yet get to the Supreme Court Epoch Times: Attorneys on President Donald Trump’s legal team, Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, shared on Friday that the team is considering filing separate lawsuits […]
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December 11, 2020 at 11:33PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--500 Years of Global SST Variations from a 1D Forcing-Feedback Model

As part of a DOE contract John Christy and I have , we are using satellite data to examine climate model behavior .
One of the problems I ’ ve been interested in is the effect of El Nino and La Nina ( ENSO ) on our understanding of human-caused climate change .
A variety of ENSO records show multi-decadal variations in this activity , and it has even showed up in multi-millennial runs of a GFDL climate model .
Since El Nino produces global average warmth , and La Nina produces global average coolness , I have been using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperatures ( published by Spencer & Braswell , 2014 ) to examine how the historical record of ENSO variations can be included , by using the CERES satellite-observed co-variations of top-of-atmosphere ( TOA ) radiative flux with ENSO .
I ’ ve updated that model to match the 20 years of CERES data ( March 2000-March 2020 ) .
I have also extended the ENSO record back to 1525 with the Braganza et al .
( 2009 ) multi-proxy ENSO reconstruction data .
I intercalibrated it with the Multivariate ENSO Index ( MEI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and further extended into mid-2021 based upon the latest NOAA ENSO forecast .
The Cheng et al .
temperature data reconstruction for the 0-2000m layer is also used to calibrate the model adjustable coefficients .
I had been working on an extensive blog post with all of the details of how the model works and how ENSO is represented in it , which was far too detailed .
So , I am instead going to just show you some results , after a brief model description .
The model assumes an initial state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temperature response to changes in radiative equilibrium of the global ocean-atmosphere system using the CMIP5 global radiative forcings ( since 1765 ) , along with our calculations of ENSO-related forcings .
The model time step is 1 month .
The model has a mixed layer of adjustable depth ( 50 m gave optimum model behavior compared to observations ) , a second layer extending to 2,000m depth , and a third layer extending to the global-average ocean bottom depth of 3,688 m. Energy is transferred between ocean layers proportional to their difference in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
The proportionality constant ( s ) have the same units as climate feedback parameters ( W m-2 K-1 ) , and are analogous to the heat transfer coefficient .
A transfer coefficient of 0.2 W m-2 K-1 for the bottom layer produced 0.01 deg .
C of net deep ocean warming ( below 2000m ) over the last several decades which Cheng et al .
mentioned there is some limited evidence for .
The ENSO related forcings are both radiative ( shortwave and longwave ) , as well as non-radiative ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deep ocean during La Nina , and the opposite during El Nino ) .
These are discussed more in our 2014 paper .
The appropriate coefficients are adjusted to get the best model match to CERES-observed behavior compared to the MEIv2 data ( 2000-2020 ) , observed SST variations , and observed deep-ocean temperature variations .
The full 500-year ENSO record is a combination of the Braganza et al .
( 2009 ) year data interpolated to monthly , the MEI-extended , MEI , and MEIv2 data , all intercalibrated .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over its full period , 1525-1982 .
The following plot shows the 1D model-generated global average ( 60N-60S ) mixed layer temperature variations after the model has been tuned to match the observed sea surface temperature temperature trend ( 1880-2020 ) and the 0-2000m deep-ocean temperature trend ( Cheng et al.
, 2017 analysis data ) .
Note that the specified net radiative feedback parameter in the model corresponds to an equilibrium climate sensitivity of 1.91 deg .
C. If the model was forced to match the SST observations during 1979-2020 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from these values also occurred if I used HadSST1 or HadSST4 data to optimize the model parameters .
The ECS result also heavily depends upon the accuracy of the 0-2000 meter ocean temperature measurements , shown next .
The 1D model was optimized to match the 0-2000m temperature trend only since 1995 , but we see in Fig .
2 that the limited data available back to 1940 also shows a reasonably good match .
Finally , here ’ s what the full 500 year model results look like .
Again , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I assume zero before that ) , while the combined ENSO dataset begins in 1525 .
The simple 1D model is meant to explain a variety of temperature-related observations with a physically-based model with only a small number of assumptions .
All of those assumptions can be faulted in one way or another , of course .
But the monthly correlation of 0.93 between the model and observed SST variations , 1979-2020 , is very good ( 0.94 for 1940-2020 ) for it being such a simple model .
Again , our primary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activity affects our interpretation of warming trends in terms of human causation .
For example , ENSO can then be turned off in the model to see how it affects our interpretation of ( and causes of ) temperature trends over various time periods .
Or , one can examine the affect of assuming some level of non-equilibrium of the climate system at the model initialization time .
If nothing else , the results in Fig .
3 might give us some idea of the ENSO-related SST variations for 300-400 years before anthropogenic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ variations affected temperature trends on various time scales .
For if those naturally-induced temperature trend variations existed before , then they still exist today .

Reposted from Dr. Roy Spencer’s Blog
December 11th, 2020 by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.
As part of a DOE contract John Christy and I have, we are using satellite data to examine climate model behavior. One of the problems I’ve been interested in is the effect of El Nino and La Nina (ENSO) on our understanding of human-caused climate change. A variety of ENSO records show multi-decadal variations in this activity, and it has even showed up in multi-millennial runs of a GFDL climate model.
Since El Nino produces global average warmth, and La Nina produces global average coolness, I have been using our 1D forcing feedback model of ocean temperatures (published by Spencer & Braswell, 2014) to examine how the historical record of ENSO variations can be included, by using the CERES satellite-observed co-variations of top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative flux with ENSO.
I’ve updated that model to match the 20 years of CERES data (March 2000-March 2020). I have also extended the ENSO record back to 1525 with the Braganza et al. (2009) multi-proxy ENSO reconstruction data. I intercalibrated it with the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) data up though the present, and further extended into mid-2021 based upon the latest NOAA ENSO forecast. The Cheng et al. temperature data reconstruction for the 0-2000m layer is also used to calibrate the model adjustable coefficients.
I had been working on an extensive blog post with all of the details of how the model works and how ENSO is represented in it, which was far too detailed. So, I am instead going to just show you some results, after a brief model description.
1D Forcing-Feedback Model Description
The model assumes an initial state of energy equilibrium, and computes the temperature response to changes in radiative equilibrium of the global ocean-atmosphere system using the CMIP5 global radiative forcings (since 1765), along with our calculations of ENSO-related forcings. The model time step is 1 month.
The model has a mixed layer of adjustable depth (50 m gave optimum model behavior compared to observations), a second layer extending to 2,000m depth, and a third layer extending to the global-average ocean bottom depth of 3,688 m. Energy is transferred between ocean layers proportional to their difference in departures from equilibrium (zero temperature anomaly). The proportionality constant(s) have the same units as climate feedback parameters (W m-2 K-1), and are analogous to the heat transfer coefficient. A transfer coefficient of 0.2 W m-2 K-1 for the bottom layer produced 0.01 deg. C of net deep ocean warming (below 2000m) over the last several decades which Cheng et al. mentioned there is some limited evidence for.
The ENSO related forcings are both radiative (shortwave and longwave), as well as non-radiative (enhanced energy transferred from the mixed layer to deep ocean during La Nina, and the opposite during El Nino). These are discussed more in our 2014 paper. The appropriate coefficients are adjusted to get the best model match to CERES-observed behavior compared to the MEIv2 data (2000-2020), observed SST variations, and observed deep-ocean temperature variations. The full 500-year ENSO record is a combination of the Braganza et al. (2009) year data interpolated to monthly, the MEI-extended, MEI, and MEIv2 data, all intercalibrated. The Braganza ENSO record has a zero mean over its full period, 1525-1982.
Results
The following plot shows the 1D model-generated global average (60N-60S) mixed layer temperature variations after the model has been tuned to match the observed sea surface temperature temperature trend (1880-2020) and the 0-2000m deep-ocean temperature trend (Cheng et al., 2017 analysis data).
Fig. 1. 1D model temperature variations for the global oceans (60N-60S) to 50 m depth, compared to observations.
Note that the specified net radiative feedback parameter in the model corresponds to an equilibrium climate sensitivity of 1.91 deg. C. If the model was forced to match the SST observations during 1979-2020, the ECS was 2.3 deg. C. Variations from these values also occurred if I used HadSST1 or HadSST4 data to optimize the model parameters.
The ECS result also heavily depends upon the accuracy of the 0-2000 meter ocean temperature measurements, shown next.
Fig. 2. 1D model temperature changes for the 0-2000m layer since 1940, and compared to observations.
The 1D model was optimized to match the 0-2000m temperature trend only since 1995, but we see in Fig. 2 that the limited data available back to 1940 also shows a reasonably good match.
Finally, here’s what the full 500 year model results look like. Again, the CMIP5 forcings begin only in 1765 (I assume zero before that), while the combined ENSO dataset begins in 1525.
Fig. 3. Model results extended back to 1525 with the proxy ENSO forcings, and since 1765 with CMIP5 radiative forcings.
Discussion
The simple 1D model is meant to explain a variety of temperature-related observations with a physically-based model with only a small number of assumptions. All of those assumptions can be faulted in one way or another, of course.
But the monthly correlation of 0.93 between the model and observed SST variations, 1979-2020, is very good (0.94 for 1940-2020) for it being such a simple model. Again, our primary purpose was to examine how observed ENSO activity affects our interpretation of warming trends in terms of human causation.
For example, ENSO can then be turned off in the model to see how it affects our interpretation of (and causes of) temperature trends over various time periods. Or, one can examine the affect of assuming some level of non-equilibrium of the climate system at the model initialization time.
If nothing else, the results in Fig. 3 might give us some idea of the ENSO-related SST variations for 300-400 years before anthropogenic forcings became significant, and how those variations affected temperature trends on various time scales. For if those naturally-induced temperature trend variations existed before, then they still exist today.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Canada’s Trudeau Promises $170 / Ton Carbon Tax by 2030

Canada PM Justin Trudeau has promised to make manufacturers pay $ 170 / ton of CO2 for the crime of providing Canadians with jobs and economic security .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped up efforts to hit Canada ’ s emissions targets by 2030 , pledging billions in new money to combat climate change and increasing his marquee carbon tax .
The measures , announced Friday in Ottawa by Trudeau and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson , seek to put the resource-rich northern nation on track to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as 40 per cent below 2005 levels by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current 30 per cent goal .
Central to achieving that will be an increase in the government ’ s carbon price to $ 170 ( US $ 133 ) per metric ton by 2030 .
It was already on track to hit $ 50 two years from now , and will increase by $ 15 a year after that .
Though revenue from the levy is returned to the provinces via consumer rebates , it ’ s being challenged in the courts by oil-producing Alberta and others .
“ There are still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be free again , ” Trudeau told reporters .
“ We are going to continue to increase the price on pollution and give more money back to Canadians and their families .
”

Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Canada PM Justin Trudeau has promised to make manufacturers pay $170 / ton of CO2 for the crime of providing Canadians with jobs and economic security.
Trudeau hikes carbon tax, positions Canada to hit climate goal
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped up efforts to hit Canada’s emissions targets by 2030, pledging billions in new money to combat climate change and increasing his marquee carbon tax.
The measures, announced Friday in Ottawa by Trudeau and Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, seek to put the resource-rich northern nation on track to cut greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as 40 per cent below 2005 levels by the end of this decade, versus the current 30 per cent goal.
Central to achieving that will be an increase in the government’s carbon price to $170 (US$133) per metric ton by 2030. It was already on track to hit $50 two years from now, and will increase by $15 a year after that. Though revenue from the levy is returned to the provinces via consumer rebates, it’s being challenged in the courts by oil-producing Alberta and others.
“There are still places in this country that want pollution to be free again,” Trudeau told reporters. “We are going to continue to increase the price on pollution and give more money back to Canadians and their families.”
…


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--South Australia, at lonely heights

South Australia, at lonely heights

It is often claimed that energy sources like solar and wind are cheap or even cheaper than some conventional power sources like coal , gas or nuclear .
If this is really true , than one would expect that energy prices in countries with more solar and wind go down or at least being less than in countries powered by conventional sources .
That doesn ’ t seem to be the case , on the contrary .
I already looked at energy prices of Denmark and Germany a couple years ago .
I then came to the conclusion that these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the highest share of solar and wind , but also by far the highest consumer prices .
What about South Australia ?
It also has a high share of solar and wind , how does its electricity price for consumers compare to the other states within Australia ?
In that post on electricity prices in Denmark and Germany , I made the comparison between electricity prices and capacity of solar and wind per capita .
This week , I tried to do the same thing for Australia .
Initially , I was looking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population ) separately .
The census data was very easy to find , contrary to the capacity data .
In the end , I found this table in the State Renewable Energy report of 2019 of the Climate Council , which gave me the exact data that I was looking for : I found electricity pricing data on the Canstar Blue website ( h/t Chris Morris ) .
The average prices on this site are however rather recent ( from September 2020 ) , the report on the other hand used data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Canstar Blue webpage also had a snapshot of the average prices from November 2018 : The South Australia consumer price is between 30 % and 55 % higher than that of the others .
After throwing the capacity per capita numbers and average consumer prices into Calc , I made this quick graph : Victory , Queensland and New South Wales have similar capacity per capita and form a cluster of data points , while South Australia is the lonely satellite at the top right of the graph… Four data points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will not draw a trend line in there .
However , one thing is for sure .
At least for the few data points that I found , not only is South Australia at lonely heights when it comes to its share of solar and wind , it is also at lonely heights when it comes to the price of consumer electricity .

It is often claimed that energy sources like solar and wind are cheap or even cheaper than some conventional power sources like coal, gas or nuclear. If this is really true, than one would expect that energy prices in countries with more solar and wind go down or at least being less than in countries powered by conventional sources. That doesn’t seem to be the case, on the contrary. I already looked at energy prices of Denmark and Germany a couple years ago. I then came to the conclusion that these two countries not only had by far the highest share of solar and wind, but also by far the highest consumer prices.
What about South Australia? It also has a high share of solar and wind, how does its electricity price for consumers compare to the other states within Australia?
In that post on electricity prices in Denmark and Germany, I made the comparison between electricity prices and capacity of solar and wind per capita. This week, I tried to do the same thing for Australia. Initially, I was looking for all the data (capacity and population) separately. The census data was very easy to find, contrary to the capacity data. In the end, I found this table in the State Renewable Energy report of 2019 of the Climate Council, which gave me the exact data that I was looking for:
I found electricity pricing data on the Canstar Blue website (h/t Chris Morris). The average prices on this site are however rather recent (from September 2020), the report on the other hand used data from 2018. No worries, the archive of the Canstar Blue webpage also had a snapshot of the average prices from November 2018:
The South Australia consumer price is between 30% and 55% higher than that of the others.
After throwing the capacity per capita numbers and average consumer prices into Calc, I made this quick graph:
Victory, Queensland and New South Wales have similar capacity per capita and form a cluster of data points, while South Australia is the lonely satellite at the top right of the graph…
Four data points is very limited, so I surely will not draw a trend line in there. However, one thing is for sure. At least for the few data points that I found, not only is South Australia at lonely heights when it comes to its share of solar and wind, it is also at lonely heights when it comes to the price of consumer electricity.
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December 12, 2020 at 04:04PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Wilson of the Cloud Chamber – broadcast in 1959

‘ Charles Thomson Rees Wilson , CH , FRS ( 14 February 1869 – 15 November 1959 ) was a Scottish physicist and meteorologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention of the cloud chamber .
.
.
.
The invention of the cloud chamber was by far Wilson ’ s signature accomplishment , earning him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1927 .
The Cavendish laboratory praised him for the creation of “ a novel and striking method of investigating the properties of ionized gases ” .
The cloud chamber allowed huge experimental leaps forward in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ field of particle physics , generally .
Some have credited Wilson with making the study of particles possible at all.
’ — Wikipedia .
A potted biography , including cloud chamber images and a diagram of the global atmospheric electrical circuit , can be found here .
The link to the broadcast script is below the introduction .
– – – Our historical scientific instrument collection at the University of Aberdeen includes more than just instruments , for there are in addition instrument catalogues and manuals , invoices , photographs , slides , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , notebooks , in fact a selection of paraphernalia that one would expect to accompany University teaching and research .
It is of course all relevant to staff interests over the decades and indeed the centuries .
One area of staff interest has been atmospheric physics , from the low atmosphere of meteorology to upper atmospheric phenomena such as noctilucent clouds , the aurora and night-glow .
Included in the collection are photographs , slides and papers at one time belonging to C T R Wilson , of whom I used to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won the Nobel Prize in Physics .
In 2016 he was joined by Michael Kosterlitz and David Thouless .
This material nicely complements the Balfour Stewart Collection of documents relevant to atmospheric physics held in the University archives .
( As well as the overlapping of scientific interest , Balfour Stewart had taught Wilson at Owens College , Manchester ) .
C T R Wilson is still famous for the invention of his cloud chamber and the discovery that it can be used to display ion tracks created by subatomic particles , enabling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The cloud chamber proved to be a key tool that led to other Nobel Prizes and helped unlock the mechanisms involved when ionising radiation dissipates its energy .
We have in our collection two small cloud chambers made for teaching purposes and the kind of instruments that CTR would have used for his work on atmospheric electricity , such as a Dolezalek electrometer by the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Co. Our own Nobel Prize winning physicist , G P Thomson , was a student of Wilson ’ s in Cambridge , which adds interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ T R Wilson for the Home Service that reviewed his life and work .
The following is the script of the programme , courtesy of his daughter , the late Jessie Wilson , in which CTR on the occasion of his 90th birthday describes his own life and work .
Later that year he wrote a more extensive ‘ reminiscences of my early years ’ , covering the period up to 1900 , that were published in Notes and Records of the Royal Society , vol .
14 , No.2 , pp 163-173 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a second programme , for the BBC European Service , for which we also have a transcript .
He died in November 1959 .

‘Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, CH, FRS (14 February 1869 – 15 November 1959) was a Scottish physicist and meteorologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his invention of the cloud chamber.
. . .
The invention of the cloud chamber was by far Wilson’s signature accomplishment, earning him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1927. The Cavendish laboratory praised him for the creation of “a novel and striking method of investigating the properties of ionized gases”. The cloud chamber allowed huge experimental leaps forward in the study of subatomic particles and the field of particle physics, generally. Some have credited Wilson with making the study of particles possible at all.’ — Wikipedia.
A potted biography, including cloud chamber images and a diagram of the global atmospheric electrical circuit, can be found here.
The link to the broadcast script is below the introduction.
– – –
Introduction
Our historical scientific instrument collection at the University of Aberdeen includes more than just instruments, for there are in addition instrument catalogues and manuals, invoices, photographs, slides, reprints of papers and drafts of talks, notebooks, in fact a selection of paraphernalia that one would expect to accompany University teaching and research. It is of course all relevant to staff interests over the decades and indeed the centuries.
One area of staff interest has been atmospheric physics, from the low atmosphere of meteorology to upper atmospheric phenomena such as noctilucent clouds, the aurora and night-glow.
Included in the collection are photographs, slides and papers at one time belonging to C T R Wilson, of whom I used to say he was the only Scot to have won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 2016 he was joined by Michael Kosterlitz and David Thouless.
This material nicely complements the Balfour Stewart Collection of documents relevant to atmospheric physics held in the University archives. (As well as the overlapping of scientific interest, Balfour Stewart had taught Wilson at Owens College, Manchester).
C T R Wilson is still famous for the invention of his cloud chamber and the discovery that it can be used to display ion tracks created by subatomic particles, enabling the particles themselves to be identified.
The cloud chamber proved to be a key tool that led to other Nobel Prizes and helped unlock the mechanisms involved when ionising radiation dissipates its energy.
We have in our collection two small cloud chambers made for teaching purposes and the kind of instruments that CTR would have used for his work on atmospheric electricity, such as a Dolezalek electrometer by the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Co.
Our own Nobel Prize winning physicist, G P Thomson, was a student of Wilson’s in Cambridge, which adds interest to the radio interview given by C T R Wilson for the Home Service that reviewed his life and work.
The following is the script of the programme, courtesy of his daughter, the late Jessie Wilson, in which CTR on the occasion of his 90th birthday describes his own life and work.
Later that year he wrote a more extensive ‘reminiscences of my early years’, covering the period up to 1900, that were published in Notes and Records of the Royal Society, vol. 14, No.2, pp 163-173, 1960.
He was interviewed for a second programme, for the BBC European Service, for which we also have a transcript. He died in November 1959.
John S. Reid
– – –
Wilson of the Cloud Chamber – BBC Broadcast 1959
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December 12, 2020 at 01:03PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Finding: Mass Extinctions of Land-Dwelling Animals Occur in 27-Million-Year Cycle

Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals—including amphibians , reptiles , mammals , and birds—follow a cycle of about 27 million years , coinciding with previously reported mass extinctions of ocean life , according to a new analysis published in the journal Historical Biology .
The study also finds that these mass extinctions align with major asteroid impacts and devastating volcanic outpourings of lava called flood-basalt eruptions—providing potential causes for why the extinctions occurred .
“ It seems that large-body impacts and the pulses of internal Earth activity that create flood-basalt volcanism may be marching to the same 27-million-year drumbeat as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Galaxy , ” said Michael Rampino , a professor in New York University ’ s Department of Biology and the study ’ s lead author .
Sixty-six million years ago , 70 percent of all species on land and in the seas , including the dinosaurs , suddenly went extinct , in the disastrous aftermath of the collision of a large asteroid or comet with the Earth .
Subsequently , paleontologists discovered that such mass extinctions of marine life , in which up to 90 percent of species disappeared , were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come in a 26-million-year cycle .
In their Historical Biology study , Rampino and co-authors Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Yuhong Zhu of NYU ’ s Center for Data Science , examined the record of mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals and concluded that they coincided with the extinctions of ocean life .
They also performed new statistical analyses of the extinctions of land species and demonstrated that those events followed a similar cycle of about 27.5 million years .
What could be causing the periodic mass extinctions on land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are not the only events occurring in cycles : the ages of impact craters—created by asteroids and comets crashing to the Earth ’ s surface—also follow a cycle aligning with the extinction cycle .
Astrophysicists hypothesize that periodic comet showers occur in the Solar System every 26 to 30 million years , producing cyclical impacts and resulting in periodic mass extinctions .
The Sun and planets cycle through the crowded mid-plane of the Milky Way Galaxy about every 30 million years .
During those times , comet showers are possible , leading to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impacts can create conditions that would stress and potentially kill off land and marine life , including widespread dark and cold , wildfires , acid rain , and ozone depletion .
“ These new findings of coinciding , sudden mass extinctions on land and in the oceans , and of the common 26- to 27-million-year cycle , lend credence to the idea of periodic global catastrophic events as the triggers for the extinctions , ” said Rampino .
“ In fact , three of the mass annihilations of species on land and in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ occurred at the same times as the three largest impacts of the last 250 million years , each capable of causing a global disaster and resulting mass extinctions.
” The researchers were surprised to find another possible explanation beyond asteroids for mass extinctions : flood-basalt eruptions , or giant volcanic eruptions that cover vast areas with lava .
All eight of the coinciding mass die-offs on land and in the oceans matched times of flood-basalt eruptions .
These eruptions also would have created severe conditions for life , including brief periods of intense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destruction and increased radiation ; longer term , eruptions could lead to lethal greenhouse heating and more acid and less oxygen in the ocean .
“ The global mass extinctions were apparently caused by the largest cataclysmic impacts and massive volcanism , perhaps sometimes working in concert , ” added Rampino .

Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals—including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds—follow a cycle of about 27 million years, coinciding with previously reported mass extinctions of ocean life, according to a new analysis published in the journal Historical Biology.
The study also finds that these mass extinctions align with major asteroid impacts and devastating volcanic outpourings of lava called flood-basalt eruptions—providing potential causes for why the extinctions occurred.
“It seems that large-body impacts and the pulses of internal Earth activity that create flood-basalt volcanism may be marching to the same 27-million-year drumbeat as the extinctions, perhaps paced by our orbit in the Galaxy,” said Michael Rampino, a professor in New York University’s Department of Biology and the study’s lead author.
Sixty-six million years ago, 70 percent of all species on land and in the seas, including the dinosaurs, suddenly went extinct, in the disastrous aftermath of the collision of a large asteroid or comet with the Earth. Subsequently, paleontologists discovered that such mass extinctions of marine life, in which up to 90 percent of species disappeared, were not random events, but seemed to come in a 26-million-year cycle.
In their Historical Biology study, Rampino and co-authors Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science and Yuhong Zhu of NYU’s Center for Data Science, examined the record of mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals and concluded that they coincided with the extinctions of ocean life. They also performed new statistical analyses of the extinctions of land species and demonstrated that those events followed a similar cycle of about 27.5 million years.
What could be causing the periodic mass extinctions on land and in the seas? Mass extinctions are not the only events occurring in cycles: the ages of impact craters—created by asteroids and comets crashing to the Earth’s surface—also follow a cycle aligning with the extinction cycle.
Astrophysicists hypothesize that periodic comet showers occur in the Solar System every 26 to 30 million years, producing cyclical impacts and resulting in periodic mass extinctions. The Sun and planets cycle through the crowded mid-plane of the Milky Way Galaxy about every 30 million years. During those times, comet showers are possible, leading to large impacts on the Earth. The impacts can create conditions that would stress and potentially kill off land and marine life, including widespread dark and cold, wildfires, acid rain, and ozone depletion.
“These new findings of coinciding, sudden mass extinctions on land and in the oceans, and of the common 26- to 27-million-year cycle, lend credence to the idea of periodic global catastrophic events as the triggers for the extinctions,” said Rampino. “In fact, three of the mass annihilations of species on land and in the sea are already known to have occurred at the same times as the three largest impacts of the last 250 million years, each capable of causing a global disaster and resulting mass extinctions.”
Lichen-covered flows from the Siberian flood basalts. Photo: Linda Elkins-Tanton
The researchers were surprised to find another possible explanation beyond asteroids for mass extinctions: flood-basalt eruptions, or giant volcanic eruptions that cover vast areas with lava. All eight of the coinciding mass die-offs on land and in the oceans matched times of flood-basalt eruptions. These eruptions also would have created severe conditions for life, including brief periods of intense cold, acid rain, and ozone destruction and increased radiation; longer term, eruptions could lead to lethal greenhouse heating and more acid and less oxygen in the ocean.
“The global mass extinctions were apparently caused by the largest cataclysmic impacts and massive volcanism, perhaps sometimes working in concert,” added Rampino.
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iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--Telegraph’s Puff For Green Energy

Telegraph’s Puff For Green Energy

There have been some pretty absurd articles in the Telegraph lately concerning all things green , but this one must be in the running for the Dross of the Year Award !
The swarms of young people moving back home during coronavirus lockdowns will have left many parents paying higher household bills .
One exception to this is the family of 24-year-old Grace Stencil , from Bury St Edmunds , Suffolk , who helped her parents save more than £7,000 a year on their bills by switching to an eco-friendly lifestyle .
Ms Stencil , who runs her own company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her parents when lockdown struck and quickly realised that they were spending far more on energy bills than they needed to .
When her parents received a monthly energy bill of £713 , equivalent to £8,556 a year , she set about looking for ways to cut costs – and their carbon footprint .
“ My mum mentioned in passing how much they were paying .
Over the years , we ’ d had a pool put in , which costs a lot to heat , and started heating our conservatory in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Ms Stencil said .
“ I thought the cost was absurd .
So , we all sat down together and went through the changes we could make.
” While the aim was to save money , Ms Stencil was also keen to nudge her family towards a greener lifestyle .
After trawling a price comparison website , the family found they could cut their energy bill by £4,380 a year by switching from their old supplier ’ s expensive Economy 7 tariff to a cheaper deal with Pure Planet , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same time cutting their carbon dioxide emissions to zero .
Ms Stencil ’ s father , who commuted less during lockdown , also decided to sell the family ’ s petrol-powered Jaguar and switch to an electric Tesla , which they expect to reduce their running costs by more than £1,800 a year .
Ms Stencil said : “ My dad has always liked cars and thought he would save money in the long run by switching to electric .
As he wasn ’ t travelling to London too much during the lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On top of switching energy supplier and swapping petrol for electric , the family decided to convert the Aga from an oil-burning model to an electric one , saving them around £1,680 a year .
They also installed a better swimming pool cover to reduce heat loss by 85pc and cut running costs by a third , saving £780 a year .
In their mission to go green , the Stencils even replaced their lightbulbs with more efficient LED versions .
“ Once we got going , we just thought , ‘ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ms Stencil said .
Without taking into account the cost or savings of the new Tesla , the family spent a total of £2,800 on home improvements , which they should recoup through energy bill savings in roughly four months .
Including the outlay for the Tesla Model X , it would take just over five years to make up for the expenditure with savings .
There is plenty of research suggesting that most people would like to be more environmentally friendly , but according to the Pure Planet People & Power Report @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do more to be sustainable at home .
The survey found that almost two thirds of the public think it is more expensive to lead a sustainable lifestyle , while only 5pc think it is cheaper to be green .
Almost a third of 18-to-35-year-old said they could not afford to be more sustainable , compared to one-in-five over-55s .
Cordelia Samson , of comparison website Uswitch , said : “ It ’ s a common misconception that renewable energy plans are more expensive than other types of tariff .
Green energy is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be cheaper to produce than ever before .
This means that green energy plans can be some of the cheapest on the market.
” Ms Stencil added : “ There are so many statistics coming out on how we ’ re ruining the world , and I think every little helps .
If everyone does their part , it ’ s going to make an impact .
“ I recommend going green completely – it really wasn ’ t difficult .
“ Our life hasn ’ t changed dramatically .
It took a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sit down and figure out what changes to make .
The changes then happened within a week .
Now we have better consciences.
” And cheaper bills , too .
For a start , what normal family spends £7000 on energy every year , never mind saves that much .
The “ swimming pool ” might have given the game away !
In fact , the “ house ” concerned is a dirty great manor house .
No doubt the sort of property that the Telegraph think we all live in .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ going green ” – they saved it by using a price comparison website , which would have turned up multiple deals from a variety of companies at the same sort of price .
Incidentally , their old deal was Economy 7 , which is aimed at getting customers to take advantage of lower prices at night .
Unfortunately you pay through the nose for daytime usage with these deals !
And the new supplier , Pure Planet , is not supplying 100 % renewable energy – it merely buys Renewable Energy Guarantees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As for the implication that green energy can be cheaper than other deals , this is only possible because renewable energy is subsidised by all energy users , meaning that it is sold on the market well below cost .
Naturally , USwitch would love to attract more customers to use their website , because they get paid commission .
In fact , this whole story is no more than a puff piece for green energy suppliers and USwitch , something the Telegraph has neglected to mention .
As for young Ms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite as gullible when she is running her company !
Needless to say , the author , Will Kirkman , is yet another of those wet behind the ears , young reporters , only a few years out of University .
Little wonder that the Telegraph has become such a joke .
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood
h/t Patsy Lacey
There have been some pretty absurd articles in the Telegraph lately concerning all things green, but this one must be in the running for the Dross of the Year Award!
The swarms of young people moving back home during coronavirus lockdowns will have left many parents paying higher household bills.
One exception to this is the family of 24-year-old Grace Stencil, from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, who helped her parents save more than £7,000 a year on their bills by switching to an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Ms Stencil, who runs her own company selling CBD-infused products, moved in with her parents when lockdown struck and quickly realised that they were spending far more on energy bills than they needed to.
When her parents received a monthly energy bill of £713, equivalent to £8,556 a year, she set about looking for ways to cut costs – and their carbon footprint.
“My mum mentioned in passing how much they were paying. Over the years, we’d had a pool put in, which costs a lot to heat, and started heating our conservatory in the winter. Things just started adding up,” Ms Stencil said.
“I thought the cost was absurd. So, we all sat down together and went through the changes we could make.”
While the aim was to save money, Ms Stencil was also keen to nudge her family towards a greener lifestyle.
After trawling a price comparison website, the family found they could cut their energy bill by £4,380 a year by switching from their old supplier’s expensive Economy 7 tariff to a cheaper deal with Pure Planet, a renewable energy supplier, while at the same time cutting their carbon dioxide emissions to zero.
Ms Stencil’s father, who commuted less during lockdown, also decided to sell the family’s petrol-powered Jaguar and switch to an electric Tesla, which they expect to reduce their running costs by more than £1,800 a year.
Ms Stencil said: “My dad has always liked cars and thought he would save money in the long run by switching to electric. As he wasn’t travelling to London too much during the lockdown, it was a convenient option.”
On top of switching energy supplier and swapping petrol for electric, the family decided to convert the Aga from an oil-burning model to an electric one, saving them around £1,680 a year.
They also installed a better swimming pool cover to reduce heat loss by 85pc and cut running costs by a third, saving £780 a year. In their mission to go green, the Stencils even replaced their lightbulbs with more efficient LED versions. “Once we got going, we just thought, ‘we are on a roll’,” Ms Stencil said.
Without taking into account the cost or savings of the new Tesla, the family spent a total of £2,800 on home improvements, which they should recoup through energy bill savings in roughly four months. Including the outlay for the Tesla Model X, it would take just over five years to make up for the expenditure with savings.
There is plenty of research suggesting that most people would like to be more environmentally friendly, but according to the Pure Planet People & Power Report, 81pc of adults admit they could do more to be sustainable at home. The survey found that almost two thirds of the public think it is more expensive to lead a sustainable lifestyle, while only 5pc think it is cheaper to be green.
Almost a third of 18-to-35-year-old said they could not afford to be more sustainable, compared to one-in-five over-55s.
Cordelia Samson, of comparison website Uswitch, said: “It’s a common misconception that renewable energy plans are more expensive than other types of tariff. Green energy is advancing rapidly, meaning renewable energy can be cheaper to produce than ever before. This means that green energy plans can be some of the cheapest on the market.”
Ms Stencil added: “There are so many statistics coming out on how we’re ruining the world, and I think every little helps. If everyone does their part, it’s going to make an impact.
“I recommend going green completely – it really wasn’t difficult. “Our life hasn’t changed dramatically. It took a maximum of four hours for us to sit down and figure out what changes to make. The changes then happened within a week. Now we have better consciences.” And cheaper bills, too.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/going-green-saved-family-nearly-7000-year-energy-bills/
For a start, what normal family spends £7000 on energy every year, never mind saves that much. The “swimming pool” might have given the game away! In fact, the “house” concerned is a dirty great manor house. No doubt the sort of property that the Telegraph think we all live in.
Little Manor, Risby, Bury St Edmonds
And the Stencils did not save £7000 by “going green” – they saved it by using a price comparison website, which would have turned up multiple deals from a variety of companies at the same sort of price.
Incidentally, their old deal was Economy 7, which is aimed at getting customers to take advantage of lower prices at night. Unfortunately you pay through the nose for daytime usage with these deals!
And the new supplier, Pure Planet, is not supplying 100% renewable energy – it merely buys Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin certificates. (REGOs).
As for the implication that green energy can be cheaper than other deals, this is only possible because renewable energy is subsidised by all energy users, meaning that it is sold on the market well below cost. Naturally, USwitch would love to attract more customers to use their website, because they get paid commission.
In fact, this whole story is no more than a puff piece for green energy suppliers and USwitch, something the Telegraph has neglected to mention.
As for young Ms Stencil, I hope she is not quite as gullible when she is running her company!
Needless to say, the author, Will Kirkman, is yet another of those wet behind the ears, young reporters, only a few years out of University.
Little wonder that the Telegraph has become such a joke.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
https://ift.tt/3gF1exu
December 12, 2020 at 12:54PM


iowaclimatescienceeducation--2020-12-12--How’s that censorship working out ?

How’s that censorship working out ?

The Democrat-n-Tech-Giants pretend there is no evidence of fraud while they award themselves a non-gendered Pronoun of the Year Prize @ @ @ @ @ “ most extensive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics.
” The Supreme @ @ @ @ @ calm the mood tonight in Washington .
They do not look like they will go @ @ @ @ @ .
Word of the Swamp corruption is seeping out , despite the bans .
If @ @ @ @ @ the nation they would listen and investigate the grievances .
They would check the signatures @ @ @ @ @ investigate the fraud .
The media has failed , the FBI failed , and The @ @ @ @ @ get another chance to solve this .
Let ’ s hope there is a peaceful @ @ @ @ @ video of the Proud boys arriving in Washington .
( How long will the Youtube @ @ @ @ @

The Democrat-n-Tech-Giants pretend there is no evidence of fraud while they award themselves a non-gendered Pronoun of the Year Prize — apparently for creating the “most extensive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics.”
The Supreme Court decision has really helped calm the mood tonight in Washington.
They do not look like they will go quietly into that good night.
Word of the Swamp corruption is seeping out, despite the bans. If the Democrats wanted to heal the nation they would listen and investigate the grievances. They would check the signatures.
Some institution needs to investigate the fraud. The media has failed, the FBI failed, and The Supreme Court.
SCOTUS may get another chance to solve this. Let’s hope there is a peaceful way back.
h/t Stephen W.
Another Bitchute video of the Proud boys arriving in Washington. (How long will the Youtube one above last?)
Rating: 10.0/10 (2 votes cast)
Rating: 10.0/10 (2 votes cast)
via JoNova
https://ift.tt/3nc5eIk
December 12, 2020 at 10:36AM