SA set to break heatwave record  

Tuesday recorded temperature was 36C, so the record has been broken. The BOM forecasts heatwave conditions out to at least next Tuesday, which will make it a prodigious record. And remember it is now autumn here - the sun is noticably lower in the sky. My neighbour's bore is sucking mud for the first time ever this year. She is afraid she's burn it out so has stopped using it. The tall trees are looking stressed. The water crisis and the heatwave are the number one topic of conversation - the citizens are talking of little else.

There's a sentiment among the people which is genuinely new. I won't say panic, but finally the "man on the street" has "got it". On the heels of a story that a major coastal development has been rejected in the supreme court due to council concerns of rising sea levels, people are finally connecting the dots.

Alex Fiedler
Adelaide, SA

Global warming is the engine. In a previous comment, I cited the cool winter and reduction of temperature, not just here in the United States, but across the world in the last year or so. You didn't respond. In this post, you cite a record heat wave, while acknowledging Australia has had a cool summer before the current hot spell. But does one heat wave constitute evidence of global warming?

Do you accept that there has been global cooling in the last year? And if so, how long does it have to persist before the cooling has to be taken into account?

It seems that your view of peak oil and global warming has, in turn, spurred you focus on alternative energy technology.

I agree that alternative energy technology is important and needs to progress even if global warming and peak oil are over stated.

You challenged me on global warming in our initial dialogue. I'm interested in what you think in regards to evidence of recent global cooling.

Respectfully,

Jim

Jim,

I said Australia has just had a record breaking hot summer, not a cool one.

Sydney, and some parts of the east coast directly adjacent to the Pacific ocean, have had a cool summer. The rest is scorching.

The La Nina effect (the reason the east coast temp has been low) is a powerful (and regularly occurring) phenomenon that has an impact on global weather, but it has not stopped the long term trend of rising global temperatures. If you have any evidence that this is the case, please show it.

I don't think there is any evidence of global cooling. When La Nina (which usually only lasts one year) turns back to El Nino, heating will most likely further accelerate...

Alex - thanks for the update. I had lunch with a guy from Adelaide yesterday and he was also talking about how much of an impact the drought has had on the outlook of the local citizens.

Big Gav,
Here is a story from The Washington Times dated Dec. 19, 2007. Google under Global Cooling. There are others. The data is there.

Google, a drop in world temperatures last winter. What you will find is that Hadley, NASA's GISS, UAH, and RSS, all confirm a drop in temperatures in the last twelve months.

It's understandable that a local anecdotal heat wave would impact your thinking, but that isn't scientifically indicative.

Take a look at the google sites I mention, or look it up yourself, "12 month-long drop in world temperatures."

Jim

Alex,
could you provide a link to that supreme Court Story pleas?
SP

SP - sounds like this one - pretty recent news :

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23353161-2682,00.html

Supreme Court rejects development due to rising sea

AN 80-lot subdivision at popular holiday destination Marion Bay has been knocked back due to rising sea levels and environmental impact.

The Supreme Court decision to reject the developer's appeal for the subdivision to be allowed is believed to be the first to consider the impact of rising sea levels on coastal development.

It has also put developers on notice to carefully consider council development plans when it comes to projects along the state's coastline - with the chance proposals may have to be moved further from shore.

Big Gav,
I offerred citations of global cooling, with specifics of where the data came from. But you won't acknowledge I provided the information.

You have an agenda, developed over the last four years. Anything that threatens that agenda is to be suppressed.

That's too bad, because you may reinforce people who already think as you do, but you can't reach out and attract new people.

Time will tell. Temperature has dropped over the last year, that's scientific fact, whether you like it or not. Will it stay cooler? Will temperatures drop even more? Will it warm back up?

I don't know.

What I do know, is that your perception of global warming is what drives you. Of course you are convinced. So much so, that any contradicting evidence is to be ignored.

In that sense, you are in the same boat with the rest of the peak oil folks, and that is why you are fringe: because your position is based on ignoring evidence, as much as citing evidence.

Until you overcome that tendency you will continue to be fringe.

That's why you try to stay away from talking about the division that exists in your insular, clique ridden, peak world.

You recognize division is weakness, and the 'doomers' are the crazy uncle in the attic. Problem is, they aren't satisfied with staying in the attic.

They want to be on the front porch and lead, but their message is sick. You got a problem mate.

JIm - you cited he Washington Times (which isn't a source -mit has as much credibility as the National Inquirer and other lunatic fringe periodicals) then told me to go and so some research.

Your frantic requests are very low on my list of priorities.

You also ignored my point that you cite a very local phenomenon (Sydney weather) while ignoring the national trend (much hotter than average) - you just cherry pick data to try and support your conspiracy theories.

Short term trends are affected by a variety of factors - in this case, you seem to be confusing the impact of the (regular) La Nina event with global cooling.

Global warming is the scientific consensus - your fringe ideas don't hold that that much interest for me. You just make wild claims then ask me to research them for you. As I've told you before, I have better uses of my time.

Why don't *you* build a detailed case to support your assertions about abiotic oil and (no) global warming, write them up on your own blog, then come back here and point to your assembled "evidence".

Then I might look into it further.

Here is some basic learning for you to absorb before you get started :

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2805
http://www.aip.org/history/climate/
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/02/antarctica-is-cold/
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/01/what-if-you-held-a-conference-and-no-real-scientists-came/
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/03/the-global-cooling-mole/

So far the crazy person around here seems to be you.

I agree that the doomers are very dodgy, and I point this out frequently - your smears are just rantings - they won't get published here again.

Go away.

Sorry - one more link, addressing your "global cooling" theory :

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/01/uncertainty-noise-and-the-art-of-model-data-comparison/