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| Source: Science in Seconds |
"God must be an Aggie," my classmate said as the weather was beautiful: average temperature felt about 70 degrees Fahrenheit...in November. We won in a 59-12 blowout. I left after the halftime show: 31-6 then.
So, out of curiosity, I went to the archives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association Weather Forecast Service for Raleigh/Durham. I'd last attended #GHOE in 1999 right after my father's passing; the archives only went to 2000 (all admitted "eyeball" approximations of November average temperatures). I recall it being cold enough for a coat and ski cap in that November:
2000: 50 degrees
2001: 52 degrees
2002: 50 degrees
2003: 58 degrees
2004: 70 degrees
2005: 50 degrees
2006: 52 degrees
2007: 50 degrees
2008: 50 degrees
2009: 60 degrees
2010: 52 degrees
2011: ~50 degrees or less
2012: 50 degrees
2013: ~68 degrees
Greensboro and Durham, NC are both 36 and 40 degrees respectively for the moment. Climate change is murky because people either want a clear demonstration that it IS happening - Louisiana may be gone in 10 years. Once we've reached that stage, only star ships or biblical rapture could save the human species.
Ironically, the NOAA posts a disclaimer: "Climate data on this page is PRELIMINARY (unofficial). CERTIFIED (official) climate data is available from the National Climate Data Center (NDCC)."
Except, when you click on the link you get this message:
404 Not Found
The requested URL /rah/cliplot/www.ncdc.noaa.gov was not found on this server.
The actual URL I did find, and it has some useful information, but sadly seems as well-designed as the health care exchange site. I'm not saying the information is NOT there: it's just going to take some patience on your and my part since neither of us are environmental engineers.
I'm posting not just due to a week from Hurricane Sandy's anniversary: the "quick fix" solution promoted (and I've reported on this blog) has been geoengineering, i.e. seeding the clouds with sulfate aerosols deliberately to cool the temperature of the planet. I had a strong reaction to this: One of my process engineering projects had been eliminating chlorofluorocarbons from [then] our Polysilicon Etch processes. The problem with the whole aerosol spray thing is there could possibly be less rain, and since the planet and our bodies are made of ~70% melted comet snow balls, that presents problems only Bedouins so far have successfully adapted to. Of course, the Bedouins kind of "know" where the water is for their survival. Quick fixes seem to be the norm in the post-Google world of downloading information versus studying to master it; we've lost an appreciation for the process of discovery and problem solving: both take time, and soon that luxury will not be afforded us.
In Caveat Emptor, I pointed out a large percentage of the elements/rare earths for so-called green technology are found in the country of our banker, China.
We appear to be painting ourselves into a very narrowing corner, our options are few and sadly due to the elevation of the politics of deliberate science ignorance at the highest level: self-constricting...
PSA: It's election day, and every one counts. Go out and vote for the representatives that can answer these questions: ScienceDebate.org. Money becomes free speech only when free people stay home.
Technology Review: One Potential Problem With Geoengineering: Less Rain
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