Saturday 5 September 2015

The Dying Earth - 09/04/2015

El Nino Effects Are Already Severe And They May Get Worse

Record flooding in Texas and Oklahoma may be a sign of things to come, according to scientists who say El Nino events may be getting stronger.


by Sebastian Martinez


2 September 2, 2015

"The force of the water that's being let out and how deep and wide it is in areas that I've never seen water in," Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin said.

"If your local elected officials tell you to evacuate, it is essential that you heed those warnings," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned on KPRC.

"The water got right up to this lip on the counter," one witness told CNN.

The record floods that hit Oklahoma and Texas this spring caused millions of dollars in damage and took dozens of lives. (Video via KJRH)

KTRK reporter said: "The body of a 50-year-old woman was also found on Ardmore. The body of another man was found late this evening in the Brays Bayou."

And while the incidents were unusual, scientists say they weren't a fluke. Instead, they may be a sign of things to come. (Video via KXAN)

A paper from researchers at Utah State University suggests warmer temperatures prompted this year's El Nino to produce much more intense rain than usual. 

El Nino is a phenomenon that periodically brings warmer water temperatures in off the Pacific causing a host of effects across the Americas. 

The scientists argue a warmer atmosphere has made those effects more severe, like causing heavier-than-usual rainfall in the southern Great Plains. (Video via 
KGTV)

Add to that the prediction that this year's El Nino could be the worst in 50 years, and it gets easier to understand the extent of the flooding. (Video via KGTV)

2011's La Nina, El Nino's cold phase, was the warmest on record and also led to weather extremes, including more severe tornadoes in the Midwest and increased hurricanes in the North Atlantic. (Video via CBS)

Then, like now, the warming atmosphere was credited with amplifying the typical effects of La Nina.

And yet planning for the effects of climate change isn't popular with the conservative political establishment in states like Texas and Oklahoma. (Video via Austin American-StatesmanKXAN)

Still, scientists say their findings — the link between a warmer climate and extreme El Nino events — can help predict future extreme weather.






As 2015 smashes temperature records, it's hotter than you think



The Arctic sea ice pack north of Alaska in September 2013, as seen by the Aqua satellite.
Credit: NASA


Summer Sea Ice Likely to Drop to 4th Lowest on Record



Calcutta: Hottest day in 90 years!



Thursday, September, 3, turned out to be the hottest day of the month nearly in the last 90 years with the city recording a day temperature of 36.4 degree Celsius. The day’s temperature broke the earlier record of 36.1 degree Celsius recorded on September 15, 1927.

According the Indian Meteorological Department officials, 36 degree Celsius during September is something unusual for the city where the temperatures hover between 34 and 36 degree Celsius. Similarly, on August 19, the city recorded the highest temperature of 37.6 degree Celsius while on August 3 – 37 degree Celsius.

A week after heatwave, snow 


falls in Bavaria


From 30C to snow in under a week? It's possible in Germany where seven centimetres of the white stuff fell at the top of the Bavarian Alps on Friday.

A week after heatwave, snow falls in Bavaria
Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain. File Photo: DPA


It might seem like summer was only last week in Germany – and that's because it was.

With blazing sunshine and temperatures topping 30C over the weekend, the onset of winter couldn't have been further from most Germans' minds.
But in the Bavarian Alps, autumn has been skipped out altogether.

At Zugspitze – Germany's highest peak, at 2,962m – seven centimetres of snow have already fallen, reports the Münchner Merkur.

"The peaks are already lightly sprinkled with snow, and some more could come over the weekend," said a spokesperson from the German Meteorological Service in Munich on Friday.

dann fangen wir halt wieder an mit Schneeräumen...
Zugspitze (@zugspitze2962) September 4, 2015
"Time to start clearing away the snow again.."

Zugspitze is the highest peak of the Wetterstein mountain range, which straddles the border between Bavaria and Tyrol.

The peaks are a popular destination for mountaineers, hikers and tourists.
Most Germans probably haven't even thought of getting the hat and scarf out yet - but with more snow expected over the weekend, visitors 


Heatwave cuts power in Poland, disrupts Romania ship traffic




11 August, 2015

A heatwave has forced Poland to sharply cut electricity supply to industry for the first time in over a decade, pushing some companies to limit production.



Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz called the situation "very serious" as weather forecasts for the coming days showed high temperatures will persist.



The local unit of the world's largest steel maker ArcelorMittal halted some of its operations, describing the situation as "very difficult."



The heatwave and lack of rain cut the amount of water needed to cool coal-fired power plants, from which Poland generates about 90 percent of its electricity. The country has virtually no solar energy generating capacity

Drought in Syria

Years of Living Dangerously Season 1: Episode 1 Clip - Drought




1997 and 2015 El Niño Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies




Today's significant weather 09 03 2015
The Laptev Sea is getting churned by a storm with high winds. Huge amounts of methane hydrates line the Laptev Sea floor.
Climate Reanalyzer and NASA World View.





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