Jennifer Marohasy

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Thornton Peak

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Thornton Peak.jpg

I have risen early these passed two mornings, to capture the elusive spectacle of the sun’s first rays illuminating the descending moon over Thornton Peak. The greatest uncertainty was finding the mountain free of cloud, but as can be seen in the images, the variables of timing and clarity fell into splendid accord.

At 1374 metres, Thornton Peak is Queensland’s third highest mountain and almost certainly the recipient of Australia’s highest rainfall. Cooper Creek drains part of the eastern flank, traversing a remarkable landscape along its descent to the Coral Sea. This photograph was taken at 6.35 am at about 10 metres ASL and 4 kilometres or so from, or halfway between the mountain summit and the estuary mouth.

The eastern flank of Thornton Peak sustains one of the three greatest concentrations of endemic species in the world. It also harbours one of the greatest concentrations of plants and animals listed under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 as Threatened, Vulnerable and Rare.

Thornton Peak1.jpg

Oil on Saturn’s Moon Not from Buried Biomass: A Note from Louis Hissink

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A recent ABC report detailing the discovery of enormous volumes of hydrocarbons on Saturn’s moon, Titan, was accompanied with the comment that this may teach us more about our own planet’s oil reserves

One wonders whether the journalists writing this article were actually aware of what they were writing, for the Saturnine moon, 1.2 billion kilometres from the sun, where a warm day is -179 degrees Celsius, awash with oil, would cause some of us to ponder about the origin of hydrocarbons, especially when the prevailing belief is that hydrocarbons are assumed to be derived from buried biomass on earth.

To put Titan into perspective, it has a mass of 0.0075 that of earth, which makes it small indeed but then “has hundreds of times more liquid hydrocarbons than all the known oil and natural gas reserves on Earth, scientists report”. A satellite smaller than earth with no observed life, has more oil than earth? And it’s also a gigantic factory of organic chemicals?

Does this mean that there are carbon-based life-forms on Titan? Surely not, so how on earth are these hydrocarbons being formed. In fact the researchers are concentrating their work on how life evolved from these “organic” compounds, implying that the “oil” produced life, not the other way round.

Experimentally we now know that hydrocarbons are the high pressure polymorphs of the H-C system and according to the second law of thermodynamics impossible to be derived from biomass.

Considering these basic facts one is left with the conclusion that life is an epiphenomenon of oil. And if that is the case then Peak Oil theory is as much a crock as anthropogenic global warming, such theories being nothing more than pseudoscience.

Louis Hissink
Perth

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Carbon Dioxide versus Temperature

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According to Lance Endersbee:

The CO2 levels in the atmosphere are damped by the oceans.

The oceans are a huge source and sink for volatile gases.

The surface area of the oceans is vast in relation to the depth of the oceans and the atmosphere.

Thus we are dealing with a surface phenomenon.

Experience Curve of CO2 and SST to Jan 08 (feb08).jpg

The above chart is an actual experience curve relating actual CO2 levels with actual global average sea surface temperatures.

It is not a time scale, just the simple relation between two physical parameters.

The line is made up of the succession of actual monthly plotted points.

If we have regard to the possible errors of measurement of CO2 and SST, it is remarkably consistent.

The clear relationship is what would be expected from solubility data.

It is only evident in the temperature data from satellite sources.

The 21 year moving average covers the double solar cycle, including the change in solar polarity.

It also covers El Nino and La Nina events. It also recognizes the longer response time of the oceans.

This chart proves that human emissions of CO2 cannot accumulate in the atmosphere.

They are scavenged as they occur.

We can use the chart to predict the decreased levels of CO2 that will result from cooling.

From Joe D’Aleo:

Below is the monthly Hadley land and ocean and UAH MSU LT temperatures over the last decade with the CO2. Note the temperatures have not warmed, something even IPCC’s Pachauri took note of (paraphrasing him – as for the plateauing of temperatures in recent years, we have to see if there are natural factors offsetting greenhouse gases).

Note the correlation with CO2 has vanished the last decade for both data sets.

new graph.bmp

Updated graph above:

The reasons some years appeared 3 times and some 2 in the originally posted graph was that I inadvertently choose an interval of 5 months instead of 6 months. It is fixed in the new graph.

As for Ian Mott’s comments, I started with 1998 which was 10 years ago to get a decadal plot. The last data point was January 2008 which is why 2008 appears at the end.

Aside from the brief bounce coming out of the moderate/strong La Nina of 1999, there has been no increase despite the steady climb of CO2. If we were nearing that ‘tipping point’ Hansen and Gore love to talk about, surely, a decade is not too short a period to expect some thermal response to CO2 increases.

Joe D’Aleo

Is Recent Major Hurricane Activity Normal? Comment and Reply in Nature

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The debate over whether there is an observable link between global warming and hurricanes rumbles on.

In this week’s Nature journal there is a comment and reply arising from Nyberg et al, Nature 447, 698-701 (7 June 2007):

Low Atlantic hurricane activity in the 1970s and 1980s compared to the past 270 years:

Hurricane activity in the North Atlantic Ocean has increased significantly since 1995 (refs 1, 2). This trend has been attributed to both anthropogenically induced climate change(3) and natural variability(1), but the primary cause remains uncertain. Changes in the frequency and intensity of hurricanes in the past can provide insights into the factors that influence hurricane activity, but reliable observations of hurricane activity in the North Atlantic only cover the past few decades(2). Here we construct a record of the frequency of major Atlantic hurricanes over the past 270 years using proxy records of vertical wind shear and sea surface temperature (the main controls on the formation of major hurricanes in this region1, 3, 4, 5) from corals and a marine sediment core. The record indicates that the average frequency of major hurricanes decreased gradually from the 1760s until the early 1990s, reaching anomalously low values during the 1970s and 1980s. Furthermore, the phase of enhanced hurricane activity since 1995 is not unusual compared to other periods of high hurricane activity in the record and thus appears to represent a recovery to normal hurricane activity, rather than a direct response to increasing sea surface temperature. Comparison of the record with a reconstruction of vertical wind shear indicates that variability in this parameter primarily controlled the frequency of major hurricanes in the Atlantic over the past 270 years, suggesting that changes in the magnitude of vertical wind shear will have a significant influence on future hurricane activity.

The comment is from Urs Neu: Is recent major hurricane activity normal?

The first paragraph reads:

Arising from: Nyberg et al. Nature 447, 698–701 (2007);

The anomaly of the recent increase in Atlantic major hurricane activity (MHA) is controversial. From a reconstruction of past MHA, Nyberg et al. conclude that the present activity is not unusual by comparison with that of the past 270 years. However, here I estimate the uncertainty of average MHA in the hurricane record before 1945 and show that the reconstruction of Nyberg et al. differs strongly from that record, and probably overestimates past MHA. Owing to this and further reasons, I question whether their reconstruction provides an accurate basis for conclusions about past MHA.

Nyberg et al reply:

Neu suggests that the reconstruction of Atlantic major hurricane activity (MHA) (that is, frequency) in Nyberg et al. overestimates past MHA because it differs significantly from the known observational records of tropical storms and MHA before 1945 and overestimates the influence of vertical windshear |Vz|.

Nyberg et al point out that:

“Neu’s record shows a sudden rise in MHA around 1944, coincident with the start of aircraft reconnaissance, which allowed much better monitoring of tropical cyclones. Also, according to ref. 4, the undercount bias is up to six tropical cyclones per year between 1851 and 1885, and up to four per year between 1886 and 1910. These biases are higher than the ones Neu(1) uses in his record of major hurricane numbers. Furthermore, to quote from ref. 4, ‘‘conclusions from this paper on the number of missed tropical cyclones are likely conservative’’. Moreover, MHA shows a stronger variability, closely correlated to [Vz](ref. 2), than tropical storms and non-major hurricanes in the reliable record(1–3), indicating a varying MHA/tropical storm ratio back in time.”

and conclude:

“The proxies used in ref. 2 reflect the region where almost all Atlantic major hurricanes form (see Fig. 2 of ref. 2), and the nonlinear solution(2) allows for varying MHAin response to [Vz] and other influences such as SSTs. Absolute MHA values may change slightly given different model calibrations, but the proxies(2) still indicate a declining trend in MHA until the early 1990s superimposed on decadal and multi-decadal variability and that the conclusions in Nyberg et al(2) remain.”

1. Neu, U. Is recent major hurricane activity normal? Nature 451, doi: 10.1038/
nature06576 (2008).
2. Nyberg, J. et al. Low Atlantic hurricane activity in the 1970s and 1980s compared to
the past 270 years. Nature 447, 698–701 (2007).
2. Best track data of the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT). Æhttp://
www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hurdat/Data_Storm.htmlæ (data used as published 11 June
2007). (Hurricane Research Division, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.)
4. Landsea, C. W. Counting Atlantic tropical cyclones back to 1900. Eos 18, 197–208
(2007).
5. Landsea, C. W. et al. in Hurricanes and Typhoons: Past, Present and Future (eds
Murname, R. J. & Liu, K.-B.) 177–221 (Columbia Univ. Press, New York, 2004).
6. Swanson, K. L. Impact of scaling behavior on tropical cyclone intensities. Geophys. Res.
Lett. 34, L18815 (2007).
7. Miller, D. L. et al. Tree-ring isotope records of tropical cyclone activity. Proc. Natl Acad.
Sci. USA 103, 14294–14297 (2006).
8. George, S. E. & Saunders, M. A. North Atlantic oscillation impact on tropical north
Atlantic winter atmospheric variability. Geophys. Res. Lett. 28, 1015–1018 (2001).
9. Aiyyer, A. R. & Thorncroft, T. Climatology of vertical wind shear over the tropical
Atlantic. J. Clim. 19, 2969–2983 (2006).
10. Giannini, A., Cane, M. A. & Kushnir, Y. Interdecadal changes in the ENSO
teleconnection to the Caribbean region and the North Atlantic Oscillation. J. Clim. 14,
2867–2879 (2001).
11. Jury, M., Malmgren, B. A. & Winter, A. Subregional precipitation climate of the
Caribbean and relationships with ENSO and NAO. J. Geophys. Res. 112, D16107
(2007).
12. Hoerling, M. P., Hurrell, J. W. & Xu, T. Tropical origins for recent North Atlantic
climate change. Science 292, 90–92 (2001).
13. Osborn, T. N. et al. Evaluation of the North Atlantic oscillation as simulated by a
coupled climate model. Clim. Dyn. 15, 685–702 (1999).

A subscription to Nature is required in order to view the complete comment, reply and original article.

UPDATE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 21, 2008

*** NEWS FROM NOAA ***
NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON, DC
Contact: Dennis Feltgen, NOAA 305-229-4404

Increased Hurricane Losses Due to More People, Wealth Along Coastlines, Not Stronger Storms, New Study Says
A team of scientists have found that the economic damages from hurricanes have increased in the U.S. over time due to greater population, infrastructure, and wealth on the U.S. coastlines, and not to any spike in the number or intensity of hurricanes.

“We found that although some decades were quieter and less damaging in the U.S. and others had more land-falling hurricanes and more damage, the economic costs of land-falling hurricanes have steadily increased over time,” said Chris Landsea, one of the researchers as well as the science and operations officer at NOAA’s National Hurricane Center in Miami. “There is nothing in the U.S. hurricane damage record that indicates global warming has caused a significant increase in destruction along our coasts.”

Full paper:

Normalized Hurricane Damage in the United States: 1900–2005

Roger A. Pielke Jr.1; Joel Gratz2; Christopher W. Landsea3; Douglas Collins4; Mark A. Saunders5; and
Rade Musulin6

Which Countries have a Lifestyle Consistent with an 80 per cent Reduction in Carbon Dioxide Emissions?

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Below is a graph of per capita carbon dioxide emissions for various countries around the world. Which countries have an emissions level consistent with an 80 percent reduction from the world’s current total emissions?

hypothetical%20emissions.png

The answer is is Haiti and Somalia.

From Prometheus: ‘Carbon Emissions Success Stories’

Professor Ross Garnaut says that Australia should promote strong global action on climate change and be prepared to match the commitments of other developed nations. Well, 80 per cent, rather than 60, seems to be the preferred rate, so good luck!

Alan Moran on the Garnaut Review: Mission Impossible

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In his Interim Climate Change Review for the Australian government Professor Ross Garnaut is looking to the world stabilising emission levels at year 2000 levels “soon after 2020”. Following this he sees a need for halving them by 2050 and reducing them to a quarter of 2000 levels by 2100.

He also considers that emissions must be based on some level of equality on a per capita basis. Realistically he recognises that there would need to be a phase to this and that population trends would need to be taken into consideration.

But, notwithstanding the cheer squad who were able to comment on detail about the report as soon as it was released, Garnaut barely scratches the surface in recognising the enormity of the task. Throw away lines like stabilisation at a uniform per capita level mask economic turmoil.

Australia’s emissions per capita are presently 16 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Largely because much of the OECD has (unlike Australia) outsourced its heavy energy intensive industries, the OECD average is 11.5 tonnes. The world average is 4.5 tonnes. Given population growth, that would have to fall to under 4 tonnes by 2030 to get to stabilisation.

In other words, to meet the level that Garnaut sees as necessary, Australia would be emitting only one quarter of its present level of CO2.

That degree of self discipline is possible only by accepting returning the economy to living standards similar to those currently experienced in the developing world. Nobody purposefully emits CO2 (though until a few years ago it was not a concern). The simple fact is that its emission is a by-product of earning income. We know of no other way to enrich ourselves and raise living standards of the poorest countries than to do so using energy and that means carboniferous sources.

As Garnaut acknowledges, easy gains in emission reductions have been made, especially with the dismantling of the command economies of the Soviet bloc and China. Those countries’ CO2 intensities have now stopped falling, in fact are rising. Indeed, China ahs already surpassed the magic 4 tonnes per capita and has only pulled a fifth of its population out of poverty. It is a pipe dream to think that Indonesia and PNG could become vast sinks to offset other countries’ emission levels. Only by foregoing the use of oil, gas and coal is it possible to reduce CO2 emissions.

For Australia this is even more difficult. Our economy is built on low cost coal based energy. Coal is also one of our most important exports. Even if we were to restructure our electricity industry so that it became fundamentally nuclear based (forget the fairies at the bottom of the garden calling for solar) we would still be twice the 4 tonnes per capita level.

And in moving to that position the corollary must be a vast jump in prices. There is no other way of ensuring the constricted use of the energy. Already in Australia with what to the environmental lobby is seen as totally inadequate measures at mitigation, prices of electricity are rising. Anticipating the measures foreshadowed the wholesale price of electricity for delivery in the first half of 2011 in Victoria and NSW is 50 per cent above present levels. And we have seen nothing yet.

Garnaut is surely correct in those of his recommendations that council gradualism and further study. He is also correct that the Kyoto agreement that all signatories including Australia have found it impossible to meet without cheating is only the start. But achieving the goal, even with the loathed nuclear future, is Mission Impossible unless some totally unexpected technical breakthrough comes along.

Alan Moran
Melbourne