What's
up with the weather Down-Under?
Seemorerocks
We
are enjoying beautiful cloudless (and quite stable)weather at the
moment in New Zealand, but the days are uncharacteristically balmy.
I
remember Guy McPherson saying something along the lines that anyone under the age of 30-40 has no idea of what a “normal” climate is.
So
it is for this part of the world.
When
I was growing up (and when my father and grandfather were growing up)
May would mark the transition to winter and certainly down in
Canterbury the mornings would have a real bite to them. There was a
stability to the weather back then and anticyclones would hang around
for a week or two.
Instead
of that we see rapidly changing weather – one day it will be cold
with a southerly blowing; the next will see howling northerlies with
perhaps one day of fine weather.
The
other difference I have observed over the years is an increased level
of cloud cover. There are now relatively few fine days and the
nighttime sky is nothing like my stargazing childhood.
This
autumn is a little different. The weather has been stable, the skies
(relatively) clear.
The
main thing has been that it has been warm. I am feeling
slightly overheated in my sweater whereas normally during an
anticyclone I would be feeling the bite of a frost.
Most
people, as 'clever apes' do not notice.
They
simply rejoice in the warm weather and complain when the rain comes,
even if we are in the midst of a drought.
I
can feel it in my bones – that something serious is up with the
climate (and forget all that claptrap about weather being unrelated
to climate) and the following maps seem to back up my inner feelings, although the map shows New Zealand being cooler than average.
If it is then (and temepratures in Wellington are below average) I'll gladly eat my hat!
Meanwhile
in the northern hemisphere there is an extradordinary situation with
very high temperatures in northern Europe/Greenland.
And
tell me please, what is up with the Jet Stream. I've never
seen it so 'broken-up' before.
Guy actually said "anyone UNDER the age of 30-40 has no idea of what a 'normal' climate is".
ReplyDeleteTruthfully, that's how I read it... 'cause that's what made sense I suppose.
DeleteCorrected!
DeleteThe problem I face at the moment is how to keep from slapping some folks who oughta know better upside th' head when they look at maps like those and say, "Well, anybody with a set of water colors can do that."
ReplyDeleteDoes global climate destabilisation and ocean acidification due to human produced gasses pose threats to the web of life, to the fate of humanity, to national security? Should those in positions of political and corporate leadership who fail to act with due diligence to these threats, who are obstructing legislation or sabotaging legislation face criminal prosecution for ecocide the crime of causing extensive damage to our environment? Democracy does not permit criminal negligence in response to threats to national security? To find out about the campaign to prosecute ecocide visit www.eradicatingecocide.com
ReplyDeleteRef The northern hemisphere map, where there is an extraordinary situation with very high temperatures in northern Europe/Greenland.But the F/ C chart is out of wack as 20 C = 68 F
ReplyDelete