TheByte

siko

Same here... plus more we got some real extreme variations in the last week. one day it's +10, the next -15 (-27 with wind chill factor) ?! Now it's been around -5 for a few days but we are expecting temperature in the plus side this weekend. Now high variations are pretty common in Quebec, but not so frequent.

Harry Plopper

Have all the ice around you already melted?



j/k



I'm sure Scrat is the one responsible for global warming.

Gullwing

Global warming, are you kidding? It snowed today here in Las Vegas
Ok so it was just a little bit and it did not stick.
I would not jump to anything right now, one warm winter every few hundred years or so could be normal. But if next year the polar bears start braking into refrigerators to keep cool, then we have a problem.

Mirage77

Singapore had the highest rainfall last month than any month since 1887.

Also, New York has been snowless up till now... Something you shouldn't see!

Rob

Such strange fluctuations in temperature and weather conditions can be caused by a rise in global temperatures.

There is no controversy over the fact the world's atmospheric temperature is rising -- the argument is over what precisely is causing it.

One of the biggest ironies in this whole global warming issue is that the world is actually getting colder. In the late 1990s, paleoclimatologists studying marine sediment samples to determine sea temperatures discovered the world is naturally heading towards another ice age.

The Artist

these extreme weathers of this winter..is not much due to globall warming..
its more the el nino..
thats what a metrologist said on the radio..

so buy your S65´s and go on with your life

Mirage77

That's interesting Rob. I study in geography that we're actually still in the ice age but we're moving out of it, that's causing the rising temperatures and not so much the work of humans actually.

That's true artist... But isn't El Nino an effect of global warming, anyway?

The Artist

^lol well you got me there (partly i guess)

DocM

the question truly is: what is the human impact on current weather patterns?
Change is happening and has always been taking place but it's only until recently that we're monitoring closely and taking a greater interest , But are we truly responsible for this change? and if yes , then by how much?
True Humans have been trashing the planet ever since they settled in, and its also true that over the last century or so, we've become filthier (more cars, more planes, more everything...). but is this truly contributing to overall warming? advocates of global warming say that the answer is yes and that they have the necessary science to back it up.
But is this the only reason we are experiencing these changes in weather? Certainly not! This generalized warming that is taking place may just as well be the natural weather pattern for our planet during this time frame and we may as well have absolutely nothing to do with it all together. Nobody can predict how the weather is going to be like next year, heck they can't even get their weather predictions right for next week. if all of a sudden we decide to go green and environmental will we have snow again tomorrow? next month? next year? next 50 years? next hundred years? No one can answer this. Practically speaking it would impossible to do so as well. So what can be done? Have better respect for our environment, why not, but certainly not in a way that can impede on the lifestyle we've accustomed to.
On a personal note I have no problem with warmer temperature here in Montreal, it certainly is much better than your average -25 degree winter day.

Rob

Hmmm ...OK -- the research I am referring to is not so much related to atmospheric conditions but rather to the effects of Earths orbit around the sun.

Here is a link to an article from 1998 http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s14427.htm

It is interesting to note that the world has been significantly hotter in the [pre-historic] past than a present.

...and here is a recent article that is interesting.
2007 set to be the world's hottest ever year

SHÂN ROSS

THIS year is set to be the hottest ever recorded, climate changes experts have predicted.
The global temperature in 2007 is expected to be 0.54C above the 14C long-term average - and higher than the record set in 1998.

The forecast from the Met Office is being hailed as further evidence of the rapid progression of climate change and last night environmentalists called on politicians to do more to tackle the problem.

Each January for seven years, the Met Office, in conjunction with the University of East Anglia, has issued forecasts of annual global temperature. These have been remarkably accurate, with a mean error of just 0.06C.
The latest Met Office forecast shows there is a 60 per cent probability 2007 will be at least as warm as 1998, which was 0.52C above the long-term average calculated between 1961 and 1990.

The global forecast comes after 2006 was declared Britain's warmest on record, with a mean temperature of 9.7C, or 1.1C above the long-term average dating back to 1914.

As well as the effects of developing climate change, this year will also see the mercury rise because of a recurrence of El Niño - when warm currents flow east across the Pacific, raising sea temperatures and disrupting weather patterns.

However, Katie Hopkins, of Met Office Consulting, said: "This information represents another warning that climate change is happening around the world. Our work in the climate-change consultancy team applies Met Office research to help businesses mitigate against risk and adapt for success in the new environment."

Professor James Curran, recently climate-change expert for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, who left to campaign on the dangers of global warming, said: "There is no good news at all; in fact this is just the beginning. There are signs that climate change is progressing further, faster and deeper than computer models predicted.

"There is no natural weather any more. It is man-made and the current heavy rainfall and gales is symptomatic of climate change. We will be facing a future of warmer summers and milder winters with more rain and storms. I'm very pleased with this Met Office forecast. Although it is really devastating, it shows that every one of us needs to change the way we live."

Dr Richard Dixon, director of WWF Scotland, said: "The Met Office prediction will bring it home to the public that it is time for politicians to deliver on climate change rather than just trying to 'out-green' each other.

"Voters are becoming increasingly astute about the environment and it would not be advisable to dismiss their growing awareness."

The forecast takes into account factors such as solar effects, the El Niño phenomenon in the Pacific, and greenhouse gas concentrations.
GREENER JOURNEYS

DRIVERS could take the greenest rather than fastest route to their destination using an environmentally friendly satellite navigation system being developed by Swedish researchers.

A team from Lund University achieved fuel savings of 8.2 per cent using the device to navigate 22 streets.

The device, described in a report in New Scientist, takes account of the fuel consumption of using individual roads from factors such as their width, speed limit, junctions and traffic.

Trafficmaster, a sat-nav firm, said its most sophisticated models already diverted drivers away from congestion, which had a greater environmental impact.

Stuart Hay, the head of policy for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Anything that leads to more fuel-efficient vehicle use is positive, but technology such as sat nav is no substitute for cutting unnecessary journeys and switching to public transport where possible."

Scotsman.com