Weather
This entry was posted on 6/7/2007 2:07 PM and is filed under Global Warming.
My head is about to explode. No really. Yesterday, June 6, 2007, I attended the Preparing your community for climate and energy change conference.
It was put on by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Local government elected officials, staff and volunteers, Nonprofit organizations, including community and civic organizations and public interest groups, tribal governments, State agencies and interested individuals were invited to attend.
I describe myself as a interested individual with a climate background.
I grew up in a house where weather and climate were preached to me and my brothers and sister on a daily basis.
The speakers seemed knowledgeable in their fields and their talks were interesting.
As with most times when you speak you leave yourself open to questions on what you say and the information you use.
Climate change and Global Warming came up in the talks. I like to think I know something about these issues.
I take weather observations everyday. I chart temperature, sky, precip and a few other things. I've been doing this on a daily basis for the past 25 years. Before that my dad, who was Meteorologist/Climatologist, charted and studied the weather for around 60 years.
I have an extensive weather data collection, at least I like to think so. Enough about me.
What I saw and heard yesterday left me shaking my head in disbelief. There is so much truly bad weather information out there it is unbelievable. Your local government, your state government and most likely your federal government is making decisions based on poor data and conclusions.
First of all the Twin Cities is blessed with the 3rd longest weather data record in the United States. Weather records go back to 1820 when they were first recorded at Fort Snelling. I'm not talking about tree rings or ice core samples but people who used a thermometer. While your first instinct may say, The technology back then is not what it is today, well your right. It was better. They used a mercury thermometer back then while today digital thermometers are used. Up until the ban on mercury the mercury thermometer was used to calibrate the digital thermometers.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency distributes a pamphlet that states, As the global and Minnesota climates change due to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, evidence shows that Minnesota's climate will become more like that of Kansas, with hotter and drier summers.....
WHAT? What evidence?
In looking at temperature and precipitation data there is NO "evidence" that this is happing in summer. Comparing summertime monthly data from 1820 to 1970 vs the latest climatological normals, 1971-2000, summertime temperatures have not increased. They have remained flat. NO INCREASE.
When I pointed this out in a "breakout session" I was rebuffed by a gentleman who pointed out that climate models show our summers warming by 2100. I pointed out there is no evidence of this in the temperature data. He then pointed out that the climate model he was referencing that they had back dated the data and it the results match what was going on today.
What is going on today. There is NO increase in our summertime temperatures. Our Summers are becoming wetter not drier.
I guess having 187 years of documented weather evidence means nothing, especially if it doesn't fit your claim and your budget.
If you're are a city or state planner beware of what you hear.
I loved it when it was pointed out that our downpours are becoming more isolated and severe, like the one we had in Plymouth, MN last week. Plymouth, MN has grown quickly the past 10-20 years. What was farmland is now subdivisions, building and businesses. No one cared when it was a few acres of farmland that was flooded and a few trees toppled, no offense to farmers intended. Even then I'm not sure if the farm fields were flooded since most of it would have soaked into the ground rather than runoff your roof and streets. Not to many trees probably fell either since it was farm fields and not homes and trees.
With Doppler radar technology today we know where the heavy rainfall totals are, where as before we had to depend on if individual rain gauges. If it missed the rain gauge its like a tree that falls in the forest, no one hears it.
What we should be concerned about is what is happening to our winter and cold months. They are becoming warmer. Our frost and freeze season is shorter, making the growing season longer. Snow for outdoor activities is shorter. If your a business that depends on a winter climate change your way of thinking.
A few other things I know nothing about that I would like to comment about are:
Importing oil has been devastating for our economy.
My thought is, we can only produce 40% of our oil if we didn't import oil our economy and quality of life would be nowhere close to what it is now. Even at $65 for a barrel of oil the economy in going pretty good.
We need to move people and jobs into the rural cities.
My thought is, this is the same person who rails against Urban Sprawl but yet wants people to move into the rural areas, build homes and businesses. My questions where would they build the new homes and business, farmland maybe?
Farmers need to stop planting corn to make ethanol and start planting switchgrass to produce ethanol.
I made the point that what farmer is going to plant switch grass at .50 cents a bushel when he can get nearly $4.00 a bushel for corn.
A reply was that they would receive a Government subsidy.
My thought is how much is that going to cost? I looked it up. $270 an acre. It'll make how much were spending in Iraq look like a drop in a bucket.
A farmer caught up with me and echoed my thoughts about us city slickers and how naive we are.
