Much of the nation is digging out of a massive blizzard, thanks to a large winter storm affectionately named Hercules. Cue the usual suspects:
An intense blizzard, appropriately named Hercules, is about to blanket the Northeast. Antarctic ice locked in a Russian ship containing a team of scientists—en route, no less, to do climate research. Record low temperatures have been seen in parts of the US, and in Winnipeg, temperatures on December 31 were as cold as temperatures on...Mars. So as is their seasonal wont, here come the climate skeptics. Exhibit A: "This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bullshit has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps, and our GW scientists are stuck in ice" -- Donald Trump.
Who could have possibly predicted a powerful snowstorm could hit the upper U.S. in January? Clearly, that kind of rare fluke event is far beyond the ability of mere climate researchers and weather experts to see coming—they must be utterly baffled! The fact that winter up here is summer down under doesn't count: Ignore the blistering 120 degree fueled drought laying waste to Australia this week and pay no attention to the funny man behind the curtain with the bad toupee.
Global average temperatures will rise at least 4°C by 2100 and potentially more than 8°C by 2200 if carbon dioxide emissions are not reduced according to new research published in Nature. ... Previously, estimates of the sensitivity of global temperature to a doubling of carbon dioxide ranged from 1.5°C to 5°C. This new research takes away the lower end of climate sensitivity estimates, meaning that global average temperatures will increase by 3°C to 5°C with a doubling of carbon dioxide.
- Other climate scientists may be baffled by the cold weather, but the intrepid paleo-climatologist Michael Mann, renowned researcher and author, has been searching diligently to resolve the mystery. He now claims the Earth is tilted on its axis, causing a phenomenon he refers to by the scientific term" "Winter." This "Winter," as Mann calls it, may well play a role in the recent bout of cold temps and snowfall reported by residents in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.
- Last but certainly not least, after a long, scary 2013 -- that started with a heart attack and only got worse -- all my blood counts and other signs are back in the pink. I was so fired up and feeling so energetic I spent all week putting together an exhaustively well researched article about a needless obstacle to space exploration in 2014, one that boldly goes where none have gone before by naming names, to be posted right here tomorrow afternoon on Sunday Kos. Hope to see you there!