Bodhisattva_
Active member
coming from someone who's name is Bob Gnarley with a rebel flag as their icon, I apologize if I don't trust your opinion on global warming.
2010 is hottest year on record
- Thread starter pmills
- Start date
mastaj55555
Member
haha for the guys talking about the winters being colder than usual with more snowfall (last year's snowstorm that hit dc etc.) "global warming" is a misleading name for it... "climate change" will make more sense to you. Overall, the average temperature of earth is rising, but it certainly does not mean every location is getting hotter. Some will get hotter and some will get colder. In fact, it is predicted that as the average temperature of Earth increases, the weather will become more "extreme," resulting in a greater frequency of freak storms, heat waves, etc.... Which is fitting, since it relates to the abnormal snowfall in the mid atlantic states last year.
BravoWhiskey5280
Active member
no... read the thread.
BravoWhiskey5280
Active member
If it was cooling for the past 30 million years then how the fuck did the ice during the ice age melt? Read the thread.
ECB
Active member
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.global-samizdat.org/Global-Samizdat/GS8-GlobalLie1/ImageFiles/GlobalTempAndAtmospheric.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.global-samizdat.org/Global-Samizdat/GS8-GlobalLie1/GS8-GlobalLie1.htm&usg=__d3Kmp3IXeURW8ct8FKYAA9KbsmI=&h=417&w=660&sz=18&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=K-XNyIqM1-q6SM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=199&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dtemperature%2Bof%2Bearth%2Blast%2B30%2Bmillion%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1248%26bih%3D780%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=813&ei=8g8JTaTsFYvWtQO59rCYDg&oei=8g8JTaTsFYvWtQO59rCYDg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0&tx=107&ty=78
There's one chart showing the temperature of earth, it doesn't mean the Earth cools every year, or heats up, just on average, over the course of the last 30 million years, the Earth has been cooling. Then in the last 30, the average temperature has increased each year. Sure, there are years when the Earth's temperature say 250,573 years ago might have increased for one year, but, on average, Earth has been cooling over the last 30 million years. If you really think that is dumb (post below yours), I recommend actually readying a book on it, or looking up information before you just blurt out that's dumb.
Maybe I was wrong when I said 30 million years, NOVA says 60 million, but the last 30 million have been most noticeable
Climatic Cooling from 60 million years ago to present day
Between 52 and 57 million years ago, the Earth was relatively warm. Tropical conditions actually extended all the way into the mid-latitudes (around northern Spain or the central United States for example), polar regions experienced temperate climates, and the difference in temperature between the equator and pole was much smaller than it is today. Indeed it was so warm that trees grew in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and alligators lived in Ellesmere Island at 78 degrees North.
But this warm period, called the Eocene, was followed by a long cooling trend. Between 52 and 36 million years ago, ice caps developed in East Antarctica, reaching down to sea level in some places. Close to Antarctica, the temperature of the water near the surface dropped to between 5 and 8 degrees Celsius. Between 36 and 20 million years ago the earth experienced the first of three major cooling steps. At this time a continental-scale temperate ice sheet emerged in East Antarctica. Meanwhile, in North America, the mean annual air temperature dropped by approximately 12 degrees Celsius.
Between 20 and 16 million years ago, there was a brief respite from the big chill, but this was followed by a second major cooling period so intense that by 7 million years ago southeastern Greenland was completely covered with glaciers, and by 5-6 million years ago, the glaciers were creeping into Scandinavia and the northern Pacific region. The Earth was once more released from the grip of the big chill between 5 and 3 million years ago, when the sea was much warmer around North America and the Antarctic than it is today. Warm-weather plants grew in Northern Europe where today they cannot survive, and trees grew in Iceland, Greenland, and Canada as far north as 82 degrees North.
We are still in the midst of the third major cooling period that began around 3 million years ago, and its effect can be seen around the world, perhaps even in the development of our own species. Around 2 and a half million years ago, tundra-like conditions took over north-central Europe. Soon thereafter, the once-humid environment of Central China was replaced by harsh continental steppe. And in sub-Saharan Africa, arid and open grasslands expanded, replacing more wooded, wetter environments. Many paleontologists believe that this environmental change is linked to the evolution of humankind.
Here's the link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ice/chill.html
It explains the ice age, and how the Earth is cooling.
There's one chart showing the temperature of earth, it doesn't mean the Earth cools every year, or heats up, just on average, over the course of the last 30 million years, the Earth has been cooling. Then in the last 30, the average temperature has increased each year. Sure, there are years when the Earth's temperature say 250,573 years ago might have increased for one year, but, on average, Earth has been cooling over the last 30 million years. If you really think that is dumb (post below yours), I recommend actually readying a book on it, or looking up information before you just blurt out that's dumb.
Maybe I was wrong when I said 30 million years, NOVA says 60 million, but the last 30 million have been most noticeable
Climatic Cooling from 60 million years ago to present day
Between 52 and 57 million years ago, the Earth was relatively warm. Tropical conditions actually extended all the way into the mid-latitudes (around northern Spain or the central United States for example), polar regions experienced temperate climates, and the difference in temperature between the equator and pole was much smaller than it is today. Indeed it was so warm that trees grew in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and alligators lived in Ellesmere Island at 78 degrees North.
But this warm period, called the Eocene, was followed by a long cooling trend. Between 52 and 36 million years ago, ice caps developed in East Antarctica, reaching down to sea level in some places. Close to Antarctica, the temperature of the water near the surface dropped to between 5 and 8 degrees Celsius. Between 36 and 20 million years ago the earth experienced the first of three major cooling steps. At this time a continental-scale temperate ice sheet emerged in East Antarctica. Meanwhile, in North America, the mean annual air temperature dropped by approximately 12 degrees Celsius.
Between 20 and 16 million years ago, there was a brief respite from the big chill, but this was followed by a second major cooling period so intense that by 7 million years ago southeastern Greenland was completely covered with glaciers, and by 5-6 million years ago, the glaciers were creeping into Scandinavia and the northern Pacific region. The Earth was once more released from the grip of the big chill between 5 and 3 million years ago, when the sea was much warmer around North America and the Antarctic than it is today. Warm-weather plants grew in Northern Europe where today they cannot survive, and trees grew in Iceland, Greenland, and Canada as far north as 82 degrees North.
We are still in the midst of the third major cooling period that began around 3 million years ago, and its effect can be seen around the world, perhaps even in the development of our own species. Around 2 and a half million years ago, tundra-like conditions took over north-central Europe. Soon thereafter, the once-humid environment of Central China was replaced by harsh continental steppe. And in sub-Saharan Africa, arid and open grasslands expanded, replacing more wooded, wetter environments. Many paleontologists believe that this environmental change is linked to the evolution of humankind.
Here's the link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ice/chill.html
It explains the ice age, and how the Earth is cooling.
ECB
Active member
Oh and just to clarify, I'm agreeing with OP, and with NASA, and NOVA, before anyone who doesn't understand what I said.
(Main point broken down, earth been cooling for millions of years, now, since humans started some stuff in the last 30-40 years (lots of cars, factories, etc) earth is now warming, correlation, 99.9 percent yes, complete random increase of heat, possible cause due to aliens
, .1 percent)
(Main point broken down, earth been cooling for millions of years, now, since humans started some stuff in the last 30-40 years (lots of cars, factories, etc) earth is now warming, correlation, 99.9 percent yes, complete random increase of heat, possible cause due to aliens
, .1 percent)
BootySpunk.
Active member
It is a matter of simply not giving a shit.
Tasche
Active member
Hey kids, listen to this guy.
Global warming is happening, or "Climate Change" as it now has to be called because foolish people walk outside and go "Its cold outside! Global Warming, ya right." There is scientific data that proves this phenomenon is occurring.
It is probably partially due to human activity, we can plot carbon in the atmosphere against global temperature and there is a relationship.
(This is just offensive that people doubt this, its like plotting the amount of light hitting a point on the earth vs time of day, and having someone say that it has no correlation to when the sun is up.)
Global weather patterns, water current hear pumps, and other environmental actions are so complicated we don't really understand what is going on.
And why the fuck are people arguing with this, so you find new fuel sources and streamline and lessen pollution. Why the hell would you be against that. Sure some people will make money but that is no reason to destroy the planet.
For the record I am a petroleum engineer and I really want there to be no such thing as man created global warming, but I am not that stupid and naive.
Global warming is happening, or "Climate Change" as it now has to be called because foolish people walk outside and go "Its cold outside! Global Warming, ya right." There is scientific data that proves this phenomenon is occurring.
It is probably partially due to human activity, we can plot carbon in the atmosphere against global temperature and there is a relationship.
(This is just offensive that people doubt this, its like plotting the amount of light hitting a point on the earth vs time of day, and having someone say that it has no correlation to when the sun is up.)
Global weather patterns, water current hear pumps, and other environmental actions are so complicated we don't really understand what is going on.
And why the fuck are people arguing with this, so you find new fuel sources and streamline and lessen pollution. Why the hell would you be against that. Sure some people will make money but that is no reason to destroy the planet.
For the record I am a petroleum engineer and I really want there to be no such thing as man created global warming, but I am not that stupid and naive.
BravoWhiskey5280
Active member
Its the effect that those new fuel resources would have on the economy. The last thing we need in todays world is to be paying more money for something that is temporarily not needed. Sure, Im all for alternative sources of energy because its much cleaner and efficient, but that solution is going to have to be held off until our economy is flourishing.
Gorilla.Steeze
Active member
80 years of research compared to ~4.5 billion years that the earth has been in existence.... So what if the Earth is warming? It has happened in the past, and it will happen in the future. Some of you make it sound like Earth has an optimal temperature similar to that of the human body. The temperature has been all over the place going back hundreds of billions of years. We are naive to think that our species can severely alter the global climate balance.
What do you plan on doing about it anyways? Throwing money at the problem like usual? Where is this money going to come from seeing as the U.S. has more debt than one full year of GDP? How are you going to convince up and coming countries like China and India to stop polluting? We have not yet developed efficient and effective alternative energy to deal with the demands after decreasing the use of fossil fuels. What is your solution to this? Do you realize how much this will set back the third world countries?
Sure it's all well and good to give your opinion, but the true question is what are your solutions? Are there any rational ones out there?
What do you plan on doing about it anyways? Throwing money at the problem like usual? Where is this money going to come from seeing as the U.S. has more debt than one full year of GDP? How are you going to convince up and coming countries like China and India to stop polluting? We have not yet developed efficient and effective alternative energy to deal with the demands after decreasing the use of fossil fuels. What is your solution to this? Do you realize how much this will set back the third world countries?
Sure it's all well and good to give your opinion, but the true question is what are your solutions? Are there any rational ones out there?
chitownskiier8
Member
False. The temperatures about 120,000 years ago fluctuated MUCH more rapidly. Actually were in a period of relative cooling compared to the climate that existed 100,000-150,000 years ago. Also, our temperature is not fluctuating nearly as much as it has throughout the earths entire history. You have to look over a much wider period of time than most are doing to get a correct estimation of future climate, which no one can really do because the Earth pretty much does whatever the fuck it wants.
ThaLorax
Active member
Lol, how about you learn to read a graph?
It looks clear to me from your “data”, and through most of my studies as a Natural Resource Management Major (where they constantly push the idea of global warming on you) that the greater trends of earth's climate works in (chaotic, dynamic) cycles in order to stay in homeostasis. It’s hard to say that the earth works in cycles though, as everything to do with how the earth works, is what i like to call "organized chaos". If you look at that graph you posted objectively, you see clear cyclic temperature patterns in it, yet there are a lot of outliers as well that completely break the trend of any given time. If you look elsewhere, you'll find the majority of data/graphs, unless they are taken out of context and selected for what the creator wants to portray, show that as well. If the earth gets cold for a long time, it's logically, in the long run, going to reciprocate by getting warm for a while until it can reach a new (relatively) homeostatic climate. That’s why we can live on this planet. The climate may be warmer than now, colder than now, or nearly the same. Nobody knows for sure and anybody telling you otherwise is either biased, or a lobbyist. As i already mentioned, nothing about the earth's systems is purely cyclic, and everything is chaotic in one aspect or another. If it wasn't, nothing would ever change. Sure, we MIGHT be going through a warming period but there's not enough reliable data to prove one way or the other whether it's natural or anthropogenic.
An example of our lack of definite answers on this is if you look at temperature data from weather balloons and satellites, and compare it with ground temperature data, it shows that temperatures haven’t risen since the 50’s. What people often overlook is that global temperature graphs are taken as an average, mostly from ground stations around the world. there's two major problems wtih that. first, the majority of ground stations are located in cities, where there exists an anomaly known as the "urban island effect", where cities are warmer than the surrounding areas. if you have more temperature gauges in the warmer cities than in the surrounding cooler areas and you average them together, of course you're going to get a warming trend. Second, and i'm not going to make a big deal out of this one because i can't find where i came across the info again, but the average number of operational weather stations world wide have shifted to lower elevations, with higher ones being either neglected or shut down due to lack of funding (take into account freezing areas like mongolia and northern Russia where there’s nobody keeping taps on the statations). this again shifts the mean data toward the appearance of a warming climate.
fact is, whether or not global warming exists, the earth is in a constant state of "climate change", that's how the earth works. it's not stagnant and it's not predictable. to believe someone telling you that the temperatures are going to rise in the future is just as ignorant as shunning the "ignorant climate doubters". even if the current trend is getting warmer, the mainstream media, corporations, and government agencies have politicized the living hell out of it to the point where most data is either manipulated or out of context, and anybody who says otherwise gets shunned. Just look at Al Gore. He makes a movie ridden with factual errors; the masses believe him because he was the vice president; yet he cites a huge list of names who supposedly support the idea of anthropogenic global warming. The truth is that a HUGE percentage of scientists from said "list" do not support the idea of AGW, mostly because the data is hardly conclusive. you won't hear that from the mass media though.
i will not for a second deny that humans have had (and do have) a huge impact on the climate, hence my major of choice, but i'm not convinced that CO2 is the major driver of that change. i've seen far too much conflicting data.
Bottom line is that we absolutely need to move toward a more sustainable society. Fear mongering based off of unproven and often manipulated data is not the way to do it.
aaaaand back to studying for finals!
It looks clear to me from your “data”, and through most of my studies as a Natural Resource Management Major (where they constantly push the idea of global warming on you) that the greater trends of earth's climate works in (chaotic, dynamic) cycles in order to stay in homeostasis. It’s hard to say that the earth works in cycles though, as everything to do with how the earth works, is what i like to call "organized chaos". If you look at that graph you posted objectively, you see clear cyclic temperature patterns in it, yet there are a lot of outliers as well that completely break the trend of any given time. If you look elsewhere, you'll find the majority of data/graphs, unless they are taken out of context and selected for what the creator wants to portray, show that as well. If the earth gets cold for a long time, it's logically, in the long run, going to reciprocate by getting warm for a while until it can reach a new (relatively) homeostatic climate. That’s why we can live on this planet. The climate may be warmer than now, colder than now, or nearly the same. Nobody knows for sure and anybody telling you otherwise is either biased, or a lobbyist. As i already mentioned, nothing about the earth's systems is purely cyclic, and everything is chaotic in one aspect or another. If it wasn't, nothing would ever change. Sure, we MIGHT be going through a warming period but there's not enough reliable data to prove one way or the other whether it's natural or anthropogenic.
An example of our lack of definite answers on this is if you look at temperature data from weather balloons and satellites, and compare it with ground temperature data, it shows that temperatures haven’t risen since the 50’s. What people often overlook is that global temperature graphs are taken as an average, mostly from ground stations around the world. there's two major problems wtih that. first, the majority of ground stations are located in cities, where there exists an anomaly known as the "urban island effect", where cities are warmer than the surrounding areas. if you have more temperature gauges in the warmer cities than in the surrounding cooler areas and you average them together, of course you're going to get a warming trend. Second, and i'm not going to make a big deal out of this one because i can't find where i came across the info again, but the average number of operational weather stations world wide have shifted to lower elevations, with higher ones being either neglected or shut down due to lack of funding (take into account freezing areas like mongolia and northern Russia where there’s nobody keeping taps on the statations). this again shifts the mean data toward the appearance of a warming climate.
fact is, whether or not global warming exists, the earth is in a constant state of "climate change", that's how the earth works. it's not stagnant and it's not predictable. to believe someone telling you that the temperatures are going to rise in the future is just as ignorant as shunning the "ignorant climate doubters". even if the current trend is getting warmer, the mainstream media, corporations, and government agencies have politicized the living hell out of it to the point where most data is either manipulated or out of context, and anybody who says otherwise gets shunned. Just look at Al Gore. He makes a movie ridden with factual errors; the masses believe him because he was the vice president; yet he cites a huge list of names who supposedly support the idea of anthropogenic global warming. The truth is that a HUGE percentage of scientists from said "list" do not support the idea of AGW, mostly because the data is hardly conclusive. you won't hear that from the mass media though.
i will not for a second deny that humans have had (and do have) a huge impact on the climate, hence my major of choice, but i'm not convinced that CO2 is the major driver of that change. i've seen far too much conflicting data.
Bottom line is that we absolutely need to move toward a more sustainable society. Fear mongering based off of unproven and often manipulated data is not the way to do it.
aaaaand back to studying for finals!
Dobies.
Active member
Unreal....CNN is just as bad as FOX only on polar opposite political spectrums... and guess what...there is nothing any of us can do to change this kind of shit
Any report that uses these arguments is suspect
Any report that uses these arguments is suspect
- "Most scientist agree" - but they never reference a study to prove that
- "It is well known that" - all religious beliefs are well known, so what
- The temperature data covers a period of less than 1,000 years
- "Even if it can not be proved, we must ..." - this is the boogie man card
Gorilla.Steeze
Active member
See, you didn't answer my question. Instead, you gave a vague generalization about what to do: "key impact areas have been identified, as well as areas where humans have the most influence and opportunity to change." What does that even mean? What "key" areas are you targeting? How do you plan on stopping the glaciers from melting or from controlling ocean temperatures? etc.
"This isn't unprecedented, BUT previous rapid climate changes of this magnitude have caused mass extinctions. Earth recovered, but usually after millions of years and in totally new forms of life."-Do you really believe that there will be "mass extinctions?" You are making it sound like a meteor is going to hit the Earth and everyone is going to be wiped out, a la the dinosaurs. Don't give me the "save the polar bears" bs. Everyone knows that pictures and videos of polar bears stranded on "isolated and melting glacial chunks" and their potential extinction has been misrepresented by the pro-climate change camp.
"Ranges of species and crops will move drastically."-I doubt that. Even if this does happen, animals have been adapting for billions of years through ice ages and periods much warmer than you are predicting. If anything, just to humor you, there will be more areas where crops can grow because of the "unprecedented warmth."
"Loss of coral reefs"-Sure some reefs may disappear. But not to worry, they will start to grow in new locations where the temperature now suits optimal coral reef growth.
"Melting glaciers, rising seas (still hard to tell how much)"-See above.
"Increased tropical diseases in temperate zones (e.g. West Nile)"-This is your most compelling argument. However, how is this worse than the hundreds of billions of people who are starving or already have some sort of disease? Why don't we help them now instead of protecting against West Nile which may be a problem in the future?
I'm burnt out from studying. Feel free to reign hate on my post.
"This isn't unprecedented, BUT previous rapid climate changes of this magnitude have caused mass extinctions. Earth recovered, but usually after millions of years and in totally new forms of life."-Do you really believe that there will be "mass extinctions?" You are making it sound like a meteor is going to hit the Earth and everyone is going to be wiped out, a la the dinosaurs. Don't give me the "save the polar bears" bs. Everyone knows that pictures and videos of polar bears stranded on "isolated and melting glacial chunks" and their potential extinction has been misrepresented by the pro-climate change camp.
"Ranges of species and crops will move drastically."-I doubt that. Even if this does happen, animals have been adapting for billions of years through ice ages and periods much warmer than you are predicting. If anything, just to humor you, there will be more areas where crops can grow because of the "unprecedented warmth."
"Loss of coral reefs"-Sure some reefs may disappear. But not to worry, they will start to grow in new locations where the temperature now suits optimal coral reef growth.
"Melting glaciers, rising seas (still hard to tell how much)"-See above.
"Increased tropical diseases in temperate zones (e.g. West Nile)"-This is your most compelling argument. However, how is this worse than the hundreds of billions of people who are starving or already have some sort of disease? Why don't we help them now instead of protecting against West Nile which may be a problem in the future?
I'm burnt out from studying. Feel free to reign hate on my post.
scratchproteen
Active member
Global Warming is a myth the government made up so they can act like they are doing something...just a bunch of bull shit like religion.
PowSkierCO
Member
Snow is a type of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by external pressure. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types which fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are known as graupel, with ice pellets and snow grains as examples of graupel. Snowfall amount and its related liquid equivalent precipitation amount are determined using a variety of different rain gauges.
The process of precipitating snow is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions of upward motion of air around a type of low-pressure system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snow can fall poleward of these systems' associated warm fronts and within their comma head precipitation patterns (called such due to the comma-like shape of the cloud and precipitation pattern around the poleward and west sides of extratropical cyclones). Where relatively warm water bodies are present, for example due to water evaporation from lakes, lake-effect snowfall becomes a concern downwind of the warm lakes within the cold cyclonic flow around the backside of extratropical cyclones. Lake-effect snowfall can be locally heavy. Thundersnow is possible within a cyclone's comma head and within lake effect precipitation bands. In mountainous areas, heavy snow is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation, if the atmosphere is cold enough.
Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when fluffy, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it packs down, after multiple melting and refreezing cycles, into a dense mass called snow pack. When powdery, snow moves with the wind from the location where it originally landed, forming deposits called snowdrifts which may have a depth of several meters. After attaching to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab, which is an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. The existence of a snowpack keeps temperatures colder than they would be otherwise, as the whiteness of the snow reflects most sunlight, and the absorbed heat goes into melting the snow rather than increasing its temperature. The water equivalent of snowfall is measured to monitor how much liquid is available to flood rivers from meltwater which will occur during the following spring. Snow cover can protect crops from extreme cold. If snowfall stays on the ground for a series of years uninterrupted, the snowpack develops into a mass of ice called glacier. Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise over a landscape because the trapped air between snowflakes attenuates vibration. These acoustic qualities quickly minimize and reverse, once a layer of freezing rain falls on top of snow cover. Walking across snowfall produces a squeaking sound at low temperatures.
The energy balance of the snowpack itself is dictated by several heat exchange processes. The snowpack absorbs solar shortwave radiation that is partially blocked by cloud cover and reflected by snow surface. A long-wave heat exchange takes place between the snowpack and its surrounding environment that includes overlying air mass, tree cover and clouds. Heat exchange takes place by convection between the snowpack and the overlaying air mass, and it is governed by the temperature gradient and wind speed. Moisture exchange between the snowpack and the overlying air mass is accompanied with latent heat transfer that is influenced by vapor pressure gradient and air wind. Rain on snow can add significant amounts of thermal energy to the snowpack. A generally insignificant heat exchange takes place by conduction between the snowpack and the ground. The small temperature change from before to after a snowfall is a result of the heat transfer between the snowpack and the air.[1]
The term snow storm can describe a heavy snowfall while a blizzard involves snow and wind, obscuring visibility. Snow shower is a term for an intermittent snowfall, while flurry is used for very light, brief snowfalls. Snow can fall more than a meter at a time during a single storm in flat areas, and meters at a time in rugged terrain, such as mountains. When snow falls in significant quantities, travel by foot, car, airplane and other means becomes highly restricted, but other methods of mobility become possible: the use of snowmobiles, snowshoes and skis. When heavy snow occurs early in the fall, significant damage occurs to trees still in leaf. Areas with significant snow each year can store the winter snow within an ice house, which can be used to cool structures during the following summer. A variation on snow has been observed on Venus, though composed of metallic compounds and occurring at a substantially higher temperature.
Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when fluffy, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it packs down, after multiple melting and refreezing cycles, into a dense mass called snow pack. When powdery, snow moves with the wind from the location where it originally landed, forming deposits called snowdrifts which may have a depth of several meters. After attaching to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab, which is an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. The existence of a snowpack keeps temperatures colder than they would be otherwise, as the whiteness of the snow reflects most sunlight, and the absorbed heat goes into melting the snow rather than increasing its temperature. The water equivalent of snowfall is measured to monitor how much liquid is available to flood rivers from meltwater which will occur during the following spring. Snow cover can protect crops from extreme cold. If snowfall stays on the ground for a series of years uninterrupted, the snowpack develops into a mass of ice called glacier. Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise over a landscape because the trapped air between snowflakes attenuates vibration. These acoustic qualities quickly minimize and reverse, once a layer of freezing rain falls on top of snow cover. Walking across snowfall produces a squeaking sound at low temperatures.
The energy balance of the snowpack itself is dictated by several heat exchange processes. The snowpack absorbs solar shortwave radiation that is partially blocked by cloud cover and reflected by snow surface. A long-wave heat exchange takes place between the snowpack and its surrounding environment that includes overlying air mass, tree cover and clouds. Heat exchange takes place by convection between the snowpack and the overlaying air mass, and it is governed by the temperature gradient and wind speed. Moisture exchange between the snowpack and the overlying air mass is accompanied with latent heat transfer that is influenced by vapor pressure gradient and air wind. Rain on snow can add significant amounts of thermal energy to the snowpack. A generally insignificant heat exchange takes place by conduction between the snowpack and the ground. The small temperature change from before to after a snowfall is a result of the heat transfer between the snowpack and the air.[1]
The term snow storm can describe a heavy snowfall while a blizzard involves snow and wind, obscuring visibility. Snow shower is a term for an intermittent snowfall, while flurry is used for very light, brief snowfalls. Snow can fall more than a meter at a time during a single storm in flat areas, and meters at a time in rugged terrain, such as mountains. When snow falls in significant quantities, travel by foot, car, airplane and other means becomes highly restricted, but other methods of mobility become possible: the use of snowmobiles, snowshoes and skis. When heavy snow occurs early in the fall, significant damage occurs to trees still in leaf. Areas with significant snow each year can store the winter snow within an ice house, which can be used to cool structures during the following summer. A variation on snow has been observed on Venus, though composed of metallic compounds and occurring at a substantially higher temperature.
Snowflakes
Snow crystals form when tiny supercooled cloud droplets (about 10 μm in diameter) freeze. These droplets are able to remain liquid at temperatures lower than −18 °C (0 °F), because to freeze, a few molecules in the droplet need to get together by chance to form an arrangement similar to that in an ice lattice; then the droplet freezes around this "nucleus." Experiments show that this "homogeneous" nucleation of cloud droplets only occurs at temperatures lower than −35 °C (−31 °F).[10] In warmer clouds an aerosol particle or "ice nucleus" must be present in (or in contact with) the droplet to act as a nucleus. Ice nuclei are very rare compared to that cloud condensation nuclei on which liquid droplets form. Clays, desert dust and biological particles may be effective,[11] although to what extent is unclear. Artificial nuclei include particles of silver iodide and dry ice, and these are used to stimulate precipitation in cloud seeding.[12]
Once a droplet has frozen, it grows in the supersaturated environment, which is one where air is saturated with respect to ice when the temperature is below the freezing point. The droplet then grows by diffusion of water molecules in the air (vapor) onto the ice crystal surface where they are collected. Because water droplets are so much more numerous than the ice crystals due to their sheer abundance, the crystals are able to grow to hundreds of micrometers or millimeters in size at the expense of the water droplets by a process known as the Wegner-Bergeron-Findeison process. The corresponding depletion of water vapor causes the ice crystals grow at the droplets' expense. These large crystals are an efficient source of precipitation, since they fall through the atmosphere due to their mass, and may collide and stick together in clusters, or aggregates. These aggregates are snowflakes, and are usually the type of ice particle that falls to the ground.[13] Guinness World Records list the world’s largest snowflakes as those of January 1887 at Fort Keogh, Montana; allegedly one measured 38 cm (15 in) wide.[14] Although the ice is clear, scattering of light by the crystal facets and hollows/imperfections mean that the crystals often appear white in color due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small ice particles.[15]
The shape of the snowflake is determined broadly by the temperature and humidity at which it is formed.[13] The most common snow particles are visibly irregular. Planar crystals (thin and flat) grow in air between 0 °C (32 °F) and −3 °C (27 °F). Between −3 °C (27 °F) and −8 °C (18 °F), the crystals will form needles or hollow columns or prisms (long thin pencil-like shapes). From −8 °C (18 °F) to −22 °C (−8 °F) the shape reverts back to plate-like, often with branched or dendritic features. At temperatures below −22 °C (−8 °F), the crystal development becomes column-like, although many more complex growth patterns also form such as side-planes, bullet-rosettes and also planar types depending on the conditions and ice nuclei.[16][17][18] If a crystal has started forming in a column growth regime, at around −5 °C (23 °F), and then falls into the warmer plate-like regime, then plate or dendritic crystals sprout at the end of the column, producing so called "capped columns."[13]
A snowflake consists of roughly 1019 water molecules, which are added to its core at different rates and in different patterns, depending on the changing temperature and humidity within the atmosphere that the snowflake falls through on its way to the ground. As a result, it is extremely difficult to encounter two identical snowflakes.[19][20] Initial attempts to find identical snowflakes by photographing thousands their images under a microscope from 1885 onward by Wilson Alwyn Bentley found the wide variety of snowflakes we know about today.[21] It is more likely that two snowflakes could become virtually identical if their environments were similar enough. Matching snow crystals were discovered in Wisconsin in 1988. The crystals were not flakes in the usual sense but rather hollow hexagonal prisms.[22]
Types
Main article: Types of snow
Hoar frost that grows on the snow surface due to water vapor moving up through the snow on cold, clear nights
A snow avalanche
Types of snow can be designated by the shape of the flakes, the rate of accumulation, and the way the snow collects on the ground. Types which fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing cycles, rather than a flake, are known as graupel, with ice pellets and snow pellets as types of graupel associated with wintry precipitation.[23][24] Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when fluffy, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it packs down into a dense drift after multiple melting and refreezing cycles. When powdery, snow drifts with the wind from the location where it originally fell,[25] forming deposits with a depth of several meters in isolated locations.[26] Snow fences are constructed in order to help control snow drifting in the vicinity of roads, to improve highway safety.[27] After attaching to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab, which is an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. A frozen equivalent of dew known as hoar frost forms on a snow pack when winds are light and there is ample low-level moisture over the snow pack.[28]
Snowfall's intensity is determined by visibility. When the visibility is over 1 kilometer (0.62 mi), snow is considered light. Moderate snow describes snowfall with visibility restrictions between 0.5 and 1 km. Heavy snowfall describes conditions when visibility is less than 0.5 km.[29] Steady snows of significant intensity are often referred to as "snowstorms".[30] When snow is of variable intensity and short duration, it is described as a "snow shower".[31] The term snow flurry is used to describe the lightest form of a snow shower.[32]
A blizzard is a weather condition involving snow which has varying definitions in different parts of the world. In the United States, a blizzard is occurring when two conditions are met for a period of three hours or more: A sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), and sufficient snow in the air to reduce visibility to less than 0.4 kilometers (0.25 mi).[33] In Canada and the United Kingdom, the criteria are similar.[34][35] While heavy snowfall often occurs during blizzard conditions, falling snow is not a requirement, as blowing snow can create a ground blizzard.[36]
Density
An animation (satellite images) showing seasonal snow changes
Firn
Snow remains on the ground until it melts or sublimates. Sublimation of snow directly into water vapor is most likely to occur on a dry and windy day such as when a strong downslope wind, such as a Chinook wind, exists.[37] The water equivalent of a given amount of snow is the depth of a layer of water having the same mass and upper area. For example, if the snow covering a given area has a water equivalent of 50 centimeters (20 in), then it will melt into a pool of water 50 centimeters (20 in) deep covering the same area.[38] This is a much more useful measurement to hydrologists than snow depth, as the density of cool freshly fallen snow widely varies. New snow commonly has a density of around 8% of water. This means that 33 centimeters (13 in) of snow melts down to 2.5 centimeters (1 in) of water.[39] Cloud temperatures and physical processes in the cloud affect the shape of individual snow crystals. Highly branched or dendritic crystals tend to have more space between the arms of ice that form the snowflake and this snow will therefore have a lower density, often referred to as "dry" snow. Conditions that create columnar or plate-like crystals will have much less air space within the crystal and will therefore be denser and feel "wetter".[40]
Once the snow is on the ground, it will settle under its own weight (largely due to differential evaporation) until its density is approximately 30% of water. Increases in density above this initial compression occur primarily by melting and refreezing, caused by temperatures above freezing or by direct solar radiation. In colder climates, snow lies on the ground all winter. By late spring, snow densities typically reach a maximum of 50% of water.[41] When the snow does not all melt in the summer it evolves into firn, where individual granules become more spherical in nature,[42] evolving into a glacier as the ice flows downhill.[43]
Acoustic properties
Snowing video samye ling 1.ogg
Play video
Snow falling in Scotland (21 seconds)
Under water, snowfall has a unique sound when compared to other forms of precipitation. Despite the different sizes and shapes on individual snowflakes, the sound made when individual flakes fall upon the surface of a freshwater lake are quite similar.[44] On the ground, newly fallen snow acts as a sound-absorbing material, which minimizes sound over its surface.[45] This is due to the trapped air between the individual crystalline flakes which act to trap sound waves and dampen vibrations. Once it is blown around by the wind and exposed to sunshine, snow hardens and its sound-softening quality diminishes.[46] Snow cover as thin as 2 centimeters (0.79 in) thick changes the acoustic properties of a landscape. Studies concerning the acoustic properties of snow have revealed that loud sounds, such as from a pistol, can be used to measure snow cover permeability and depth.[47] Within motion pictures, the sound of walking through snow is simulated using cornstarch, salt, or cat litter.[48][49][50] When the temperature falls below −10 °C (14.0 °F), snow will squeak when walked upon due to the crushing of the ice crystals within the snow.[51] If covered by a layer of freezing rain, the hardened frozen surface acts to echo sounds, similar to concrete.[46]
Snowfall measurement
An ultrasonic snow depth sensor
See also: Disdrometer
The liquid equivalent of snowfall may be evaluated using a snow gauge[52] or with a standard rain gauge having a diameter of 100 mm (4 in; plastic) or 200 mm (8 in; metal).[53] Rain gauges are adjusted to winter by removing the funnel and inner cylinder and allowing the snow/freezing rain to collect inside the outer cylinder. Antifreeze liquid may be added to melt the snow or ice that falls into the gauge.[54] In both types of gauges once the snowfall/ice is finished accumulating, or as its height in the gauge approaches 300 mm (12 in), the snow is melted and the water amount recorded.[55]
Another type of gauge used to measure the liquid equivalent of snowfall is the weighing precipitation gauge.[56] The wedge and tipping bucket gauges will have problems with snow measurement. Attempts to compensate for snow/ice by warming the tipping bucket meet with limited success, since snow may sublimate if the gauge is kept much above the freezing temperature. Weighing gauges with antifreeze should do fine with snow, but again, the funnel needs to be removed before the event begins.[57] At some automatic weather stations an ultrasonic snow depth sensor may be used to augment the precipitation gauge.[58]
Spring snow melt is a major source of water supply to areas in temperate zones near mountains that catch and hold winter snow, especially those with a prolonged dry summer. In such places, water equivalent is of great interest to water managers wishing to predict spring runoff and the water supply of cities downstream. Measurements are made manually at marked locations known as snow courses, and remotely using special scales called snow pillows.[59] Snow stakes and simple rulers can be used to determine the depth of the snow pack,[60] though they will not evaluate either its density or liquid equivalent.[61]
When a snow measurement is made, various networks exist across the United States and elsewhere where rainfall measurements can be submitted through the Internet, such as CoCoRAHS or GLOBE.[62][63] If a network is not available in the area where one lives, the nearest local weather office will likely be interested in the measurement.[64]
The world record for the highest seasonal total snowfall was measured in the United States at Mount Baker Ski Area, outside of the town Bellingham, Washington during the 1998–1999 season. Mount Baker received 2,896 cm (1,140 in) of snow,[65] thus surpassing the previous record holder, Mount Rainier, Washington, which during the 1971–1972 season received 2,850 cm (1,120 in) of snow.[66]
Snow blindness
Traditional Inuit goggles used to combat snow blindness
Main article: Snow blindness
Fresh snow reflects 90% or more of ultraviolet radiation[67] that causes snow blindness and reduces absorption of sunlight by the ground. Snow blindness (also known as ultraviolet keratitis, photokeratitis or niphablepsia) is a painful eye condition, caused by exposure of unprotected eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays in bright sunlight reflected from snow or ice.[68] This condition is a problem in polar regions and at high altitudes,[69] as with every 1,000 feet (300 m) of elevation (above sea level), the intensity of UV rays increases by 4%.[70] Snow's large reflection of light makes night skies much brighter, since reflected light is directed back up into the sky.[71] However, when there is also cloud cover, light is then reflected back to the ground. This greatly amplifies light emitted from city lights, causing the 'bright night' effect. A similar brightening effect occurs when no snow is falling and there is a full moon and a large amount of snow.[72]
Relation to river flow
Many rivers originating in mountainous or high-latitude regions receive a significant portion of their flow from snowmelt. This often makes the river's flow highly seasonal resulting in periodic flooding.[73] In contrast, if much of the melt is from glaciated or nearly glaciated areas, the melt continues through the warm season, with peak flows occurring in mid to late summer.[74]
Effects on human society
A snow blockade in southern Minnesota, US in 1881
Substantial snowfall can disrupt public infrastructure and services, slowing human activity even in regions that are accustomed to such weather. Air and ground transport may be greatly inhibited or shut down entirely. Populations living in snow-prone areas have developed various ways to travel across the snow, such as skis, snowshoes, and sleds pulled by horses, dogs, or other animals and later, snowmobiles. Basic utilities such as electricity, telephone lines, and gas supply can also fail. In addition, snow can make roads much harder to travel and vehicles attempting to use them can easily become stuck.[75]
The combined effects can lead to a "snow day" on which gatherings such as school, work, or church are officially canceled. In areas that normally have very little or no snow, a snow day may occur when there is only light accumulation or even the threat of snowfall, since those areas are unprepared to handle any amount of snow. In some areas, such as some states in the United States, schools are given a yearly quota of snow days (or "calamity days"). Once the quota is exceeded, the snow days must be made up.[76][77][78] In other states, all snow days must be made up.[79] For example, schools may extend the remaining school days later into the afternoon, shorten spring break, or delay the start of summer vacation.
Accumulated snow is removed to make travel easier and safer, and to decrease the long-term impact of a heavy snowfall. This process utilizes shovels and snowplows, and is often assisted by sprinkling salt or other chloride-based chemicals, which reduce the melting temperature of snow.[80] In some areas with abundant snowfall, such as Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, people harvest snow and store it surrounded by insulation in ice houses. This allows the snow to be used through the summer for refrigeration and air conditioning, which requires far less electricity than traditional cooling methods.[81]
Snow in Old Fort, North Carolina caused by the 2009 Blizzard
Agriculture
Snowfall can be beneficial to agriculture by serving as a thermal insulator, conserving the heat of the Earth and protecting crops from subfreezing weather. Some agricultural areas depend on an accumulation of snow during winter that will melt gradually in spring, providing water for crop growth. If it melts into water and refreezes upon sensitive crops, such as oranges, the resulting ice will protect the fruit from exposure to lower temperatures.[82]
Recreation
Making a giant snowball
Making a snow angel
Many winter sports, such as skiing,[83] snowboarding,[84] snowmobiling,[85] and snowshoeing depend upon snow. Where snow is scarce but the temperature is low enough, snow cannons may be used to produce an adequate amount for such sports.[86] Children and adults can play on a sled or ride in a sleigh. Although a person's footsteps remain a visible lifeline within a snow-covered landscape, snow cover is considered a general danger to hiking since the snow obscures landmarks and makes the landscape itself appear uniform.[87]
One of the recognizable recreational uses of snow is in building snowmen. A snowman is created by making a man shaped figure out of snow – often using a large, shaped snowball for the body and a smaller snowball for the head which is often decorated with simple household items – traditionally including a carrot for a nose, and coal for eyes, nose and mouth; occasionally including old clothes such as a top hat or scarf.
Snow can be used to make snow cones, also known as snowballs, which are usually eaten in the summer months.[88] Flat areas of snow can be used to make snow angels, a popular pastime for children.
Snow can be used to alter the format of outdoor games such as Capture the flag,[89] or for snowball fights. The world's biggest snowcastle, the SnowCastle of Kemi, is built in Kemi, Finland every winter.[90] Since 1928 Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan has held an annual Winter Carnival in mid-February, during which a large Snow Sculpture Contest takes place between various clubs, fraternities, and organizations in the community and the university. Each year there is a central theme, and prizes are awarded based on creativity.[91] Snowball softball tournaments are held in snowy areas, usually using a bright orange softball for visibility, and burlap sacks filled with snow for the bases.[92]
Damage
See also: Category:Blizzards
Damage caused by Lake Storm "Aphid" in October 2006
When heavy, wet snow with a snow-water equivalent (SWE) ratio of between 6:1 and 12:1 and a weight in excess of 10 pounds per square foot (~50 kg/m2)[93] piles onto trees or electricity lines – particularly if the trees have full leaves or are not adapted to snow – significant damage may occur on a scale usually associated with hurricanes.[94] An avalanche can occur upon a sudden thermal or mechanical impact upon snow that has accumulated on a mountain, which causes the snow to rush downhill en masse. Preceding an avalanche is a phenomenon known as an avalanche wind caused by the approaching avalanche itself, which adds to its destructive potential.[95] Large amounts of snow which accumulate on top of man-made structures can lead to structural failure.[96] During snowmelt, acidic precipitation which previously fell into the snow pack is released, which harms marine life.[97]
Design of structures considering snow load
The design of all structures and buildings use the ground snow load[98] to some extent by professional engineers and designers. In North America, the northern states will be designed to accommodate the live load design contributed by the ground snow load in a pounds per square foot (PSF) loading analysis. (Snow loads are typically treated as 'dead loads' within the ASCE 7-latest edition.) This load is typically the governing design factor on roofs and structural elements exposed to the effects of snow. Closer to the Equator, the snow load becomes less of a factor and snow may or may not be the governing factor. Ground snow in North America is provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE7-latest edition) for most jurisdictions.
Extraterrestrial snow
Very light snow is known to occur at high latitudes on Mars.[99] A "snow" of hydrocarbons is also theorized to occur on Saturn's moon Titan.[100]
While there is little or no water on Venus, there is a phenomenon which is quite similar to snow. The Magellan probe imaged a highly reflective substance at the tops of Venus's highest mountain peaks which bore a strong resemblance to terrestrial snow. This substance arguably formed from a similar process to snow, albeit at a far higher temperature. Too volatile to condense on the surface, it rose in gas form to cooler higher elevations, where it then fell as precipitation. The identity of this substance is not known with certainty, but speculation has ranged from elemental tellurium to lead sulfide (galena).[101]
The process of precipitating snow is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions of upward motion of air around a type of low-pressure system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snow can fall poleward of these systems' associated warm fronts and within their comma head precipitation patterns (called such due to the comma-like shape of the cloud and precipitation pattern around the poleward and west sides of extratropical cyclones). Where relatively warm water bodies are present, for example due to water evaporation from lakes, lake-effect snowfall becomes a concern downwind of the warm lakes within the cold cyclonic flow around the backside of extratropical cyclones. Lake-effect snowfall can be locally heavy. Thundersnow is possible within a cyclone's comma head and within lake effect precipitation bands. In mountainous areas, heavy snow is possible where upslope flow is maximized within windward sides of the terrain at elevation, if the atmosphere is cold enough.
Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when fluffy, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it packs down, after multiple melting and refreezing cycles, into a dense mass called snow pack. When powdery, snow moves with the wind from the location where it originally landed, forming deposits called snowdrifts which may have a depth of several meters. After attaching to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab, which is an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. The existence of a snowpack keeps temperatures colder than they would be otherwise, as the whiteness of the snow reflects most sunlight, and the absorbed heat goes into melting the snow rather than increasing its temperature. The water equivalent of snowfall is measured to monitor how much liquid is available to flood rivers from meltwater which will occur during the following spring. Snow cover can protect crops from extreme cold. If snowfall stays on the ground for a series of years uninterrupted, the snowpack develops into a mass of ice called glacier. Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise over a landscape because the trapped air between snowflakes attenuates vibration. These acoustic qualities quickly minimize and reverse, once a layer of freezing rain falls on top of snow cover. Walking across snowfall produces a squeaking sound at low temperatures.
The energy balance of the snowpack itself is dictated by several heat exchange processes. The snowpack absorbs solar shortwave radiation that is partially blocked by cloud cover and reflected by snow surface. A long-wave heat exchange takes place between the snowpack and its surrounding environment that includes overlying air mass, tree cover and clouds. Heat exchange takes place by convection between the snowpack and the overlaying air mass, and it is governed by the temperature gradient and wind speed. Moisture exchange between the snowpack and the overlying air mass is accompanied with latent heat transfer that is influenced by vapor pressure gradient and air wind. Rain on snow can add significant amounts of thermal energy to the snowpack. A generally insignificant heat exchange takes place by conduction between the snowpack and the ground. The small temperature change from before to after a snowfall is a result of the heat transfer between the snowpack and the air.[1]
The term snow storm can describe a heavy snowfall while a blizzard involves snow and wind, obscuring visibility. Snow shower is a term for an intermittent snowfall, while flurry is used for very light, brief snowfalls. Snow can fall more than a meter at a time during a single storm in flat areas, and meters at a time in rugged terrain, such as mountains. When snow falls in significant quantities, travel by foot, car, airplane and other means becomes highly restricted, but other methods of mobility become possible: the use of snowmobiles, snowshoes and skis. When heavy snow occurs early in the fall, significant damage occurs to trees still in leaf. Areas with significant snow each year can store the winter snow within an ice house, which can be used to cool structures during the following summer. A variation on snow has been observed on Venus, though composed of metallic compounds and occurring at a substantially higher temperature.
Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when fluffy, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it packs down, after multiple melting and refreezing cycles, into a dense mass called snow pack. When powdery, snow moves with the wind from the location where it originally landed, forming deposits called snowdrifts which may have a depth of several meters. After attaching to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab, which is an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. The existence of a snowpack keeps temperatures colder than they would be otherwise, as the whiteness of the snow reflects most sunlight, and the absorbed heat goes into melting the snow rather than increasing its temperature. The water equivalent of snowfall is measured to monitor how much liquid is available to flood rivers from meltwater which will occur during the following spring. Snow cover can protect crops from extreme cold. If snowfall stays on the ground for a series of years uninterrupted, the snowpack develops into a mass of ice called glacier. Fresh snow absorbs sound, lowering ambient noise over a landscape because the trapped air between snowflakes attenuates vibration. These acoustic qualities quickly minimize and reverse, once a layer of freezing rain falls on top of snow cover. Walking across snowfall produces a squeaking sound at low temperatures.
The energy balance of the snowpack itself is dictated by several heat exchange processes. The snowpack absorbs solar shortwave radiation that is partially blocked by cloud cover and reflected by snow surface. A long-wave heat exchange takes place between the snowpack and its surrounding environment that includes overlying air mass, tree cover and clouds. Heat exchange takes place by convection between the snowpack and the overlaying air mass, and it is governed by the temperature gradient and wind speed. Moisture exchange between the snowpack and the overlying air mass is accompanied with latent heat transfer that is influenced by vapor pressure gradient and air wind. Rain on snow can add significant amounts of thermal energy to the snowpack. A generally insignificant heat exchange takes place by conduction between the snowpack and the ground. The small temperature change from before to after a snowfall is a result of the heat transfer between the snowpack and the air.[1]
The term snow storm can describe a heavy snowfall while a blizzard involves snow and wind, obscuring visibility. Snow shower is a term for an intermittent snowfall, while flurry is used for very light, brief snowfalls. Snow can fall more than a meter at a time during a single storm in flat areas, and meters at a time in rugged terrain, such as mountains. When snow falls in significant quantities, travel by foot, car, airplane and other means becomes highly restricted, but other methods of mobility become possible: the use of snowmobiles, snowshoes and skis. When heavy snow occurs early in the fall, significant damage occurs to trees still in leaf. Areas with significant snow each year can store the winter snow within an ice house, which can be used to cool structures during the following summer. A variation on snow has been observed on Venus, though composed of metallic compounds and occurring at a substantially higher temperature.
Snowflakes
Snow crystals form when tiny supercooled cloud droplets (about 10 μm in diameter) freeze. These droplets are able to remain liquid at temperatures lower than −18 °C (0 °F), because to freeze, a few molecules in the droplet need to get together by chance to form an arrangement similar to that in an ice lattice; then the droplet freezes around this "nucleus." Experiments show that this "homogeneous" nucleation of cloud droplets only occurs at temperatures lower than −35 °C (−31 °F).[10] In warmer clouds an aerosol particle or "ice nucleus" must be present in (or in contact with) the droplet to act as a nucleus. Ice nuclei are very rare compared to that cloud condensation nuclei on which liquid droplets form. Clays, desert dust and biological particles may be effective,[11] although to what extent is unclear. Artificial nuclei include particles of silver iodide and dry ice, and these are used to stimulate precipitation in cloud seeding.[12]
Once a droplet has frozen, it grows in the supersaturated environment, which is one where air is saturated with respect to ice when the temperature is below the freezing point. The droplet then grows by diffusion of water molecules in the air (vapor) onto the ice crystal surface where they are collected. Because water droplets are so much more numerous than the ice crystals due to their sheer abundance, the crystals are able to grow to hundreds of micrometers or millimeters in size at the expense of the water droplets by a process known as the Wegner-Bergeron-Findeison process. The corresponding depletion of water vapor causes the ice crystals grow at the droplets' expense. These large crystals are an efficient source of precipitation, since they fall through the atmosphere due to their mass, and may collide and stick together in clusters, or aggregates. These aggregates are snowflakes, and are usually the type of ice particle that falls to the ground.[13] Guinness World Records list the world’s largest snowflakes as those of January 1887 at Fort Keogh, Montana; allegedly one measured 38 cm (15 in) wide.[14] Although the ice is clear, scattering of light by the crystal facets and hollows/imperfections mean that the crystals often appear white in color due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small ice particles.[15]
The shape of the snowflake is determined broadly by the temperature and humidity at which it is formed.[13] The most common snow particles are visibly irregular. Planar crystals (thin and flat) grow in air between 0 °C (32 °F) and −3 °C (27 °F). Between −3 °C (27 °F) and −8 °C (18 °F), the crystals will form needles or hollow columns or prisms (long thin pencil-like shapes). From −8 °C (18 °F) to −22 °C (−8 °F) the shape reverts back to plate-like, often with branched or dendritic features. At temperatures below −22 °C (−8 °F), the crystal development becomes column-like, although many more complex growth patterns also form such as side-planes, bullet-rosettes and also planar types depending on the conditions and ice nuclei.[16][17][18] If a crystal has started forming in a column growth regime, at around −5 °C (23 °F), and then falls into the warmer plate-like regime, then plate or dendritic crystals sprout at the end of the column, producing so called "capped columns."[13]
A snowflake consists of roughly 1019 water molecules, which are added to its core at different rates and in different patterns, depending on the changing temperature and humidity within the atmosphere that the snowflake falls through on its way to the ground. As a result, it is extremely difficult to encounter two identical snowflakes.[19][20] Initial attempts to find identical snowflakes by photographing thousands their images under a microscope from 1885 onward by Wilson Alwyn Bentley found the wide variety of snowflakes we know about today.[21] It is more likely that two snowflakes could become virtually identical if their environments were similar enough. Matching snow crystals were discovered in Wisconsin in 1988. The crystals were not flakes in the usual sense but rather hollow hexagonal prisms.[22]
Types
Main article: Types of snow
Hoar frost that grows on the snow surface due to water vapor moving up through the snow on cold, clear nights
A snow avalanche
Types of snow can be designated by the shape of the flakes, the rate of accumulation, and the way the snow collects on the ground. Types which fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing cycles, rather than a flake, are known as graupel, with ice pellets and snow pellets as types of graupel associated with wintry precipitation.[23][24] Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when fluffy, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it packs down into a dense drift after multiple melting and refreezing cycles. When powdery, snow drifts with the wind from the location where it originally fell,[25] forming deposits with a depth of several meters in isolated locations.[26] Snow fences are constructed in order to help control snow drifting in the vicinity of roads, to improve highway safety.[27] After attaching to hillsides, blown snow can evolve into a snow slab, which is an avalanche hazard on steep slopes. A frozen equivalent of dew known as hoar frost forms on a snow pack when winds are light and there is ample low-level moisture over the snow pack.[28]
Snowfall's intensity is determined by visibility. When the visibility is over 1 kilometer (0.62 mi), snow is considered light. Moderate snow describes snowfall with visibility restrictions between 0.5 and 1 km. Heavy snowfall describes conditions when visibility is less than 0.5 km.[29] Steady snows of significant intensity are often referred to as "snowstorms".[30] When snow is of variable intensity and short duration, it is described as a "snow shower".[31] The term snow flurry is used to describe the lightest form of a snow shower.[32]
A blizzard is a weather condition involving snow which has varying definitions in different parts of the world. In the United States, a blizzard is occurring when two conditions are met for a period of three hours or more: A sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h), and sufficient snow in the air to reduce visibility to less than 0.4 kilometers (0.25 mi).[33] In Canada and the United Kingdom, the criteria are similar.[34][35] While heavy snowfall often occurs during blizzard conditions, falling snow is not a requirement, as blowing snow can create a ground blizzard.[36]
Density
An animation (satellite images) showing seasonal snow changes
Firn
Snow remains on the ground until it melts or sublimates. Sublimation of snow directly into water vapor is most likely to occur on a dry and windy day such as when a strong downslope wind, such as a Chinook wind, exists.[37] The water equivalent of a given amount of snow is the depth of a layer of water having the same mass and upper area. For example, if the snow covering a given area has a water equivalent of 50 centimeters (20 in), then it will melt into a pool of water 50 centimeters (20 in) deep covering the same area.[38] This is a much more useful measurement to hydrologists than snow depth, as the density of cool freshly fallen snow widely varies. New snow commonly has a density of around 8% of water. This means that 33 centimeters (13 in) of snow melts down to 2.5 centimeters (1 in) of water.[39] Cloud temperatures and physical processes in the cloud affect the shape of individual snow crystals. Highly branched or dendritic crystals tend to have more space between the arms of ice that form the snowflake and this snow will therefore have a lower density, often referred to as "dry" snow. Conditions that create columnar or plate-like crystals will have much less air space within the crystal and will therefore be denser and feel "wetter".[40]
Once the snow is on the ground, it will settle under its own weight (largely due to differential evaporation) until its density is approximately 30% of water. Increases in density above this initial compression occur primarily by melting and refreezing, caused by temperatures above freezing or by direct solar radiation. In colder climates, snow lies on the ground all winter. By late spring, snow densities typically reach a maximum of 50% of water.[41] When the snow does not all melt in the summer it evolves into firn, where individual granules become more spherical in nature,[42] evolving into a glacier as the ice flows downhill.[43]
Acoustic properties
Snowing video samye ling 1.ogg
Play video
Snow falling in Scotland (21 seconds)
Under water, snowfall has a unique sound when compared to other forms of precipitation. Despite the different sizes and shapes on individual snowflakes, the sound made when individual flakes fall upon the surface of a freshwater lake are quite similar.[44] On the ground, newly fallen snow acts as a sound-absorbing material, which minimizes sound over its surface.[45] This is due to the trapped air between the individual crystalline flakes which act to trap sound waves and dampen vibrations. Once it is blown around by the wind and exposed to sunshine, snow hardens and its sound-softening quality diminishes.[46] Snow cover as thin as 2 centimeters (0.79 in) thick changes the acoustic properties of a landscape. Studies concerning the acoustic properties of snow have revealed that loud sounds, such as from a pistol, can be used to measure snow cover permeability and depth.[47] Within motion pictures, the sound of walking through snow is simulated using cornstarch, salt, or cat litter.[48][49][50] When the temperature falls below −10 °C (14.0 °F), snow will squeak when walked upon due to the crushing of the ice crystals within the snow.[51] If covered by a layer of freezing rain, the hardened frozen surface acts to echo sounds, similar to concrete.[46]
Snowfall measurement
An ultrasonic snow depth sensor
See also: Disdrometer
The liquid equivalent of snowfall may be evaluated using a snow gauge[52] or with a standard rain gauge having a diameter of 100 mm (4 in; plastic) or 200 mm (8 in; metal).[53] Rain gauges are adjusted to winter by removing the funnel and inner cylinder and allowing the snow/freezing rain to collect inside the outer cylinder. Antifreeze liquid may be added to melt the snow or ice that falls into the gauge.[54] In both types of gauges once the snowfall/ice is finished accumulating, or as its height in the gauge approaches 300 mm (12 in), the snow is melted and the water amount recorded.[55]
Another type of gauge used to measure the liquid equivalent of snowfall is the weighing precipitation gauge.[56] The wedge and tipping bucket gauges will have problems with snow measurement. Attempts to compensate for snow/ice by warming the tipping bucket meet with limited success, since snow may sublimate if the gauge is kept much above the freezing temperature. Weighing gauges with antifreeze should do fine with snow, but again, the funnel needs to be removed before the event begins.[57] At some automatic weather stations an ultrasonic snow depth sensor may be used to augment the precipitation gauge.[58]
Spring snow melt is a major source of water supply to areas in temperate zones near mountains that catch and hold winter snow, especially those with a prolonged dry summer. In such places, water equivalent is of great interest to water managers wishing to predict spring runoff and the water supply of cities downstream. Measurements are made manually at marked locations known as snow courses, and remotely using special scales called snow pillows.[59] Snow stakes and simple rulers can be used to determine the depth of the snow pack,[60] though they will not evaluate either its density or liquid equivalent.[61]
When a snow measurement is made, various networks exist across the United States and elsewhere where rainfall measurements can be submitted through the Internet, such as CoCoRAHS or GLOBE.[62][63] If a network is not available in the area where one lives, the nearest local weather office will likely be interested in the measurement.[64]
The world record for the highest seasonal total snowfall was measured in the United States at Mount Baker Ski Area, outside of the town Bellingham, Washington during the 1998–1999 season. Mount Baker received 2,896 cm (1,140 in) of snow,[65] thus surpassing the previous record holder, Mount Rainier, Washington, which during the 1971–1972 season received 2,850 cm (1,120 in) of snow.[66]
Snow blindness
Traditional Inuit goggles used to combat snow blindness
Main article: Snow blindness
Fresh snow reflects 90% or more of ultraviolet radiation[67] that causes snow blindness and reduces absorption of sunlight by the ground. Snow blindness (also known as ultraviolet keratitis, photokeratitis or niphablepsia) is a painful eye condition, caused by exposure of unprotected eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays in bright sunlight reflected from snow or ice.[68] This condition is a problem in polar regions and at high altitudes,[69] as with every 1,000 feet (300 m) of elevation (above sea level), the intensity of UV rays increases by 4%.[70] Snow's large reflection of light makes night skies much brighter, since reflected light is directed back up into the sky.[71] However, when there is also cloud cover, light is then reflected back to the ground. This greatly amplifies light emitted from city lights, causing the 'bright night' effect. A similar brightening effect occurs when no snow is falling and there is a full moon and a large amount of snow.[72]
Relation to river flow
Many rivers originating in mountainous or high-latitude regions receive a significant portion of their flow from snowmelt. This often makes the river's flow highly seasonal resulting in periodic flooding.[73] In contrast, if much of the melt is from glaciated or nearly glaciated areas, the melt continues through the warm season, with peak flows occurring in mid to late summer.[74]
Effects on human society
A snow blockade in southern Minnesota, US in 1881
Substantial snowfall can disrupt public infrastructure and services, slowing human activity even in regions that are accustomed to such weather. Air and ground transport may be greatly inhibited or shut down entirely. Populations living in snow-prone areas have developed various ways to travel across the snow, such as skis, snowshoes, and sleds pulled by horses, dogs, or other animals and later, snowmobiles. Basic utilities such as electricity, telephone lines, and gas supply can also fail. In addition, snow can make roads much harder to travel and vehicles attempting to use them can easily become stuck.[75]
The combined effects can lead to a "snow day" on which gatherings such as school, work, or church are officially canceled. In areas that normally have very little or no snow, a snow day may occur when there is only light accumulation or even the threat of snowfall, since those areas are unprepared to handle any amount of snow. In some areas, such as some states in the United States, schools are given a yearly quota of snow days (or "calamity days"). Once the quota is exceeded, the snow days must be made up.[76][77][78] In other states, all snow days must be made up.[79] For example, schools may extend the remaining school days later into the afternoon, shorten spring break, or delay the start of summer vacation.
Accumulated snow is removed to make travel easier and safer, and to decrease the long-term impact of a heavy snowfall. This process utilizes shovels and snowplows, and is often assisted by sprinkling salt or other chloride-based chemicals, which reduce the melting temperature of snow.[80] In some areas with abundant snowfall, such as Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, people harvest snow and store it surrounded by insulation in ice houses. This allows the snow to be used through the summer for refrigeration and air conditioning, which requires far less electricity than traditional cooling methods.[81]
Snow in Old Fort, North Carolina caused by the 2009 Blizzard
Agriculture
Snowfall can be beneficial to agriculture by serving as a thermal insulator, conserving the heat of the Earth and protecting crops from subfreezing weather. Some agricultural areas depend on an accumulation of snow during winter that will melt gradually in spring, providing water for crop growth. If it melts into water and refreezes upon sensitive crops, such as oranges, the resulting ice will protect the fruit from exposure to lower temperatures.[82]
Recreation
Making a giant snowball
Making a snow angel
Many winter sports, such as skiing,[83] snowboarding,[84] snowmobiling,[85] and snowshoeing depend upon snow. Where snow is scarce but the temperature is low enough, snow cannons may be used to produce an adequate amount for such sports.[86] Children and adults can play on a sled or ride in a sleigh. Although a person's footsteps remain a visible lifeline within a snow-covered landscape, snow cover is considered a general danger to hiking since the snow obscures landmarks and makes the landscape itself appear uniform.[87]
One of the recognizable recreational uses of snow is in building snowmen. A snowman is created by making a man shaped figure out of snow – often using a large, shaped snowball for the body and a smaller snowball for the head which is often decorated with simple household items – traditionally including a carrot for a nose, and coal for eyes, nose and mouth; occasionally including old clothes such as a top hat or scarf.
Snow can be used to make snow cones, also known as snowballs, which are usually eaten in the summer months.[88] Flat areas of snow can be used to make snow angels, a popular pastime for children.
Snow can be used to alter the format of outdoor games such as Capture the flag,[89] or for snowball fights. The world's biggest snowcastle, the SnowCastle of Kemi, is built in Kemi, Finland every winter.[90] Since 1928 Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan has held an annual Winter Carnival in mid-February, during which a large Snow Sculpture Contest takes place between various clubs, fraternities, and organizations in the community and the university. Each year there is a central theme, and prizes are awarded based on creativity.[91] Snowball softball tournaments are held in snowy areas, usually using a bright orange softball for visibility, and burlap sacks filled with snow for the bases.[92]
Damage
See also: Category:Blizzards
Damage caused by Lake Storm "Aphid" in October 2006
When heavy, wet snow with a snow-water equivalent (SWE) ratio of between 6:1 and 12:1 and a weight in excess of 10 pounds per square foot (~50 kg/m2)[93] piles onto trees or electricity lines – particularly if the trees have full leaves or are not adapted to snow – significant damage may occur on a scale usually associated with hurricanes.[94] An avalanche can occur upon a sudden thermal or mechanical impact upon snow that has accumulated on a mountain, which causes the snow to rush downhill en masse. Preceding an avalanche is a phenomenon known as an avalanche wind caused by the approaching avalanche itself, which adds to its destructive potential.[95] Large amounts of snow which accumulate on top of man-made structures can lead to structural failure.[96] During snowmelt, acidic precipitation which previously fell into the snow pack is released, which harms marine life.[97]
Design of structures considering snow load
The design of all structures and buildings use the ground snow load[98] to some extent by professional engineers and designers. In North America, the northern states will be designed to accommodate the live load design contributed by the ground snow load in a pounds per square foot (PSF) loading analysis. (Snow loads are typically treated as 'dead loads' within the ASCE 7-latest edition.) This load is typically the governing design factor on roofs and structural elements exposed to the effects of snow. Closer to the Equator, the snow load becomes less of a factor and snow may or may not be the governing factor. Ground snow in North America is provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE7-latest edition) for most jurisdictions.
Extraterrestrial snow
Very light snow is known to occur at high latitudes on Mars.[99] A "snow" of hydrocarbons is also theorized to occur on Saturn's moon Titan.[100]
While there is little or no water on Venus, there is a phenomenon which is quite similar to snow. The Magellan probe imaged a highly reflective substance at the tops of Venus's highest mountain peaks which bore a strong resemblance to terrestrial snow. This substance arguably formed from a similar process to snow, albeit at a far higher temperature. Too volatile to condense on the surface, it rose in gas form to cooler higher elevations, where it then fell as precipitation. The identity of this substance is not known with certainty, but speculation has ranged from elemental tellurium to lead sulfide (galena).[101]
Gorilla.Steeze
Active member
^ nice copy pasta of something completely irrelevant. I guess this thread deserves it.
snowbombz
Active member
yup.
And for the person who says the earth has been cooling over the last 60 million years, you are collect but that is if you put a line of best fit on the average temperature graph of the past 60 million years.
This line is a line of best fit, so while it is decreasing, the actual average temperature fluctuates dramatically above and below this line every 10,000 years or so. So while the average temperature is decreasing according to this graph, there are periods where the earth heats up and cools down. We are in a period when it is heating up, and according to data from ice cores and geologic evidence, the earth is heating up at an untraditional rapid pace. The line of best fit decrease can be explained by the cooling of the earths core. When our planet was formed it was really hot, ever since then it has been cooling, but so slowly that it has no significant effect on our existence.
i have tried to make this as simple as possible
And for the person who says the earth has been cooling over the last 60 million years, you are collect but that is if you put a line of best fit on the average temperature graph of the past 60 million years.
This line is a line of best fit, so while it is decreasing, the actual average temperature fluctuates dramatically above and below this line every 10,000 years or so. So while the average temperature is decreasing according to this graph, there are periods where the earth heats up and cools down. We are in a period when it is heating up, and according to data from ice cores and geologic evidence, the earth is heating up at an untraditional rapid pace. The line of best fit decrease can be explained by the cooling of the earths core. When our planet was formed it was really hot, ever since then it has been cooling, but so slowly that it has no significant effect on our existence.
i have tried to make this as simple as possible
ECB
Active member
That's me! Correct you mean I think, not collect?
Anyways, finally someone knows what I'm talking about! Sure not every year the earth cools or heats, it varies......I feel like some people in this thread don't understand that, it's like snowfall. One area might be getting lots of snowfall, more and more each year, then boom, less one year.
And yeah, I agree that it's heating up way to fast, thus *proving* global warming. Did you read the article I posted, pretty neat stuff!
Anyways, finally someone knows what I'm talking about! Sure not every year the earth cools or heats, it varies......I feel like some people in this thread don't understand that, it's like snowfall. One area might be getting lots of snowfall, more and more each year, then boom, less one year.
And yeah, I agree that it's heating up way to fast, thus *proving* global warming. Did you read the article I posted, pretty neat stuff!
Tasche
Active member
I am going to have to disagree with that. Cheap oil has been very detrimental to advancement and development especially in the US. A couple summers ago when oil was at record highs all types of new technologies became competitive and people were looking for alternatives. Now innovation has stagnated and new research can't meet the cheap oil cost point.
Also the American infrastructure has been based around the availability of cheap oil. We abandoned public transportation, ship everything by truck and not rail, have vast spread out cities, live in the suburbs and drive long distances each day for basic needs. In a high oil price economy more people would live in cities, which is not only highly efficient but also good for the environment.
Oil is going to continue to fluctuate in price and availability and we are not going to be able to handle any change because we are not prepared.
Also the fastest growing industries are alternative fuels and green technology. Cheap oil isn't helping the economy it is hurting it.
Again I am in the oil and gas industry so hopefully that adds some weight to my comments.
Also the American infrastructure has been based around the availability of cheap oil. We abandoned public transportation, ship everything by truck and not rail, have vast spread out cities, live in the suburbs and drive long distances each day for basic needs. In a high oil price economy more people would live in cities, which is not only highly efficient but also good for the environment.
Oil is going to continue to fluctuate in price and availability and we are not going to be able to handle any change because we are not prepared.
Also the fastest growing industries are alternative fuels and green technology. Cheap oil isn't helping the economy it is hurting it.
Again I am in the oil and gas industry so hopefully that adds some weight to my comments.
DaysToCome
Active member
youre right the earth has been warmer, and we are in a warming trend right now, but the problem is we (humans) are the main cause for the speed at which it is warming which means we may be making irreversible damage to our worlds climate. Global warming is not a theory it is a fact based on climate records dating back hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years. you as a skier should be especially worried because at the rate we're going the climate in colorado in 100 years may not support snow fall. Not only would this fuck with snowfall but it also fucks with food production and watersheds (no snow = no water). Dont deny it because its scary.
pomme-de-terre
Active member
you guys know that if we continue causing global warming we will eventually be plunged into another ice age?
what kind of snow-hating asshole would try to stop something so awesome?
what kind of snow-hating asshole would try to stop something so awesome?
feihlination
Active member
lol @ people that dont think human can change worlds climate
maybe its not as bad as some peple see it, but as long as power plants and cars need coal and gas and you guys are cool with it, something is wrong
maybe its not as bad as some peple see it, but as long as power plants and cars need coal and gas and you guys are cool with it, something is wrong
PowSkierCO
Member
Did you guys know that if you think about Global Warming, that it will happen. just like Fox News told us about the recession before it happen and now we went in to a recession.
PowSkierCO
Member
skiierman
Active member
i love it when these kind of things pop up because it shows that just about everybody for or against the idea of global warming have no fucking clue about the opponent side of their position. its like watching two groups of conspiracy nuts battling each other. dance my shit puppets! dance!
BravoWhiskey5280
Active member
Man read the fucking thread before you post shit like this. You want my explanation to why I disagree with what you just said? Well then read the thread. BTW your argument is illogical because there is no data out there that can separate anthropogenic gasses influence on global temperature from earths natural variability, that science doesn't yet exist. So yes I am denying because Im not scared. I'll bet you a dollar every year that we don't have a dramatic outlier in snow fall average in Colorado, cause in 100 years ill be rich.
VT_FLO
Active member
if you learned how to stop at the text I didn't say anything about pollution "bro".The temperature has been all over the place but if we breach a certain threshold our planet starts to look like Venus.
As for solutions, there are new microbiological powerplants that take CO2 out of the air and generate fuel.
BRO
As for solutions, there are new microbiological powerplants that take CO2 out of the air and generate fuel.
BRO
dmc12380
Active member
Iron Fertilization and Phytoplankton Blooms A solution to Global Warming
I cant believe more of this isnt happening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_fertilization
I cant believe more of this isnt happening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_fertilization
Hottest on record... they haven't been recording very long.
Anyway, it is actually expected within the archaeological community. We are expecting another climatic anomaly within the next 50 years where the southwest will receive very little precipitation for several years.
Basically this means The tahoe region is going to be more dessert than it already is and temps around the globe will go up and blah blah blah. It' is a cyclical thing that happens every so many hundreds of years.
But whatever, I agree we are doing things that aren't awesome, but hottest year on record doesn't say much considering we are still right around the 2000 year temperature average and we are still technically moving out of the last ice age.
But whatever, only the last 300 years are important in peoples eyes... who cares about the earths geographical/meteorological/archaeological history.
Anyway, it is actually expected within the archaeological community. We are expecting another climatic anomaly within the next 50 years where the southwest will receive very little precipitation for several years.
Basically this means The tahoe region is going to be more dessert than it already is and temps around the globe will go up and blah blah blah. It' is a cyclical thing that happens every so many hundreds of years.
But whatever, I agree we are doing things that aren't awesome, but hottest year on record doesn't say much considering we are still right around the 2000 year temperature average and we are still technically moving out of the last ice age.
But whatever, only the last 300 years are important in peoples eyes... who cares about the earths geographical/meteorological/archaeological history.
BravoWhiskey5280
Active member
Yea exactly... People tend forget that these things happen naturally in earths climate, all you have to do is look at our history. Remember the dust bowl, that was a very dry climate.
Gorilla.Steeze
Active member
Lol at calling me a "bro" and also if you think the earth is going to turn into Venus because of CO2 emissions.
Let me know when microbiological plants are cost effective. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against alternative energy/research at all. Quite the contrary. But as of now, they are all useless in terms of practicality.
I'm surprised no one mention nuclear energy. This is actually a viable solution.
Let me know when microbiological plants are cost effective. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against alternative energy/research at all. Quite the contrary. But as of now, they are all useless in terms of practicality.
I'm surprised no one mention nuclear energy. This is actually a viable solution.