Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
March 2010: Arctic Sea Ice Reaches or Excedes Multi-Decadal Limits!
I am sure Global Al will have a press conference on this, since the Polar Bears are surely freezing now!!- HLG
Monday, April 26, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
NWS Continues to expand on the Geogrpahic Advantage!
Once the weather service re-discovered that geography IS IMPORTANT a few years ago, the continue to quietly produce outstanding products. I get all of the watches/warnings on my cell phone now, and the maps include the specifics of the watch boundary, and the latest composite/high-res radar. No more "50 miles in a NW line from Dumbtruck, TX, to a line 40 miles SE of KissyourSister, AR, etc, etc., etc." - HLG
No volcano ash, but lots of dust around the world
Sahara is cranking up the dust. Maybe the EU will cancel all flights!! - HLG
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Amazing New Images of the Sun from NASA's New Solar Dyanmics Observatory Satellite
The colors are relative temperatures on the solar surface/atmosphere. There is a fantastic loop on their web-site of the prominence in the upper-left of the image as it formed and looped, etc. Real measurements of the most important factor in climate change: The Sun! - HLG
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
HLG's Dipole...
BB
Someone hit the off-switch in Iceland
I knew you couldn't trust those Icelanders! They turned the volcano off for now, once they got everyone's attention. Will the turn the bigger one on next? They congtrol this with their "geothermal" projects! - HLG
Is Bigger Icelandic Eruption on the Way?
Stay tuned trans-Atlantic travlers! - HLG
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — For all the worldwide chaos that Iceland's volcano has already created, it may just be the opening act.
Scientists fear tremors at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano could trigger an even more dangerous eruption at the nearby Katla volcano — creating a worst-case scenario for the airline industry and travelers around the globe.
A Katla eruption would be 10 times stronger and shoot higher and larger plumes of ash into the air than its smaller neighbor, which has already brought European air travel to a standstill for five days and promises severe travel delays for days more.
The two volcanos are side by side in southern Iceland, about 12 miles apart and thought to be connected by a network of magma channels.
Katla, however, is buried under ice 550 yards thick -- the massive Myrdalsjokull glacier, one of Iceland's largest. That means it has more than twice the amount of ice that the current eruption has burned through -- threatening a new and possibly longer aviation standstill across Europe.
Hundreds have been evacuated and tens of thousands of flights canceled after a volcano in Iceland erupted beneath a glacier, filling the skies over Europe with ash.
Travelers Remain StrandedAirlines gradually take to skies
Katla showed no signs of activity Tuesday, according to scientists who monitor it with seismic sensors, but they were still wary.
Pall Einarsson, professor of geophysics at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, said one volcanic eruption sometimes causes a nearby volcano to explode, and Katla and Eyjafjallajokull have been active in tandem in the past.
In fact, the last three times that Eyjafjallajokull erupted, Katla did as well.
Katla also typically awakens every 80 years or so, and having last exploded in 1918 is now slightly overdue.
That notion is frightening for nearby villagers, who would have to quickly evacuate to avoid the flash floods that would rip down Katla's slopes. Even last week's eruption generated spectacular cascades of melted water and ice chunks the size of houses when burning gases and molten earth carved through the glacier.
Svenn Palsson, the 48-year-old mayor of the coastal village of Vik, said residents are going over evacuation plans now just in case.
With a population of 300, Vik has been covered in 0.12 inches of ash from the Eyjafjallajokull eruption, but the real concern is Katla. Residents would have two to three hours to reach the safety of a shelter if the volcano erupted and caused the ice to melt quickly.
"We have practiced and can do it in 30 minutes," Palsson said.
Other areas around the mountain, however, would have no more than 20 minutes to evacuate, he said.
Katla's substantial ice cap is a major worry because it's that mixture of melting cold water and lava that causes explosions and for ash to shoot into high altitudes. Strong winds can then carry it on over Europe.
So far there have been minor tremors at Katla, which scientists believe to be movements in the glacier ice, but the activity from Eyjafjallajokull is making measurements more difficult to read and an eruption more tricky to predict.
"It is more difficult to see inside Katla," said Kristin Vogfjord, geologist at the Icelandic Met Office.
Her team of geophysicists, based in the capital of Reykjavik, use seismometers and GPS units planted around volcanoes to monitor quakes and the swelling of the land, which can indicate magma reservoirs that are pushing up through the crust. The area around Eyjafjallajokull rose up as much as 3 inches in recent months and then contracted slightly following the latest eruption.
Vogfjord says Katla's sensitivity to eruptions at Eyjafjallajokull may have to do with pressure shifts in the Earth's crust that are caused by an eruption's magma flow.
There are no clear answers, however, and even fewer predictions about what the future may hold. Volcano eruptions, like earthquakes, are difficult to predict.
"Katla can start tomorrow or in 100 years, you don't know," said Palsson. "All we can do is be ready."
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — For all the worldwide chaos that Iceland's volcano has already created, it may just be the opening act.
Scientists fear tremors at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano could trigger an even more dangerous eruption at the nearby Katla volcano — creating a worst-case scenario for the airline industry and travelers around the globe.
A Katla eruption would be 10 times stronger and shoot higher and larger plumes of ash into the air than its smaller neighbor, which has already brought European air travel to a standstill for five days and promises severe travel delays for days more.
The two volcanos are side by side in southern Iceland, about 12 miles apart and thought to be connected by a network of magma channels.
Katla, however, is buried under ice 550 yards thick -- the massive Myrdalsjokull glacier, one of Iceland's largest. That means it has more than twice the amount of ice that the current eruption has burned through -- threatening a new and possibly longer aviation standstill across Europe.
Hundreds have been evacuated and tens of thousands of flights canceled after a volcano in Iceland erupted beneath a glacier, filling the skies over Europe with ash.
Travelers Remain StrandedAirlines gradually take to skies
Katla showed no signs of activity Tuesday, according to scientists who monitor it with seismic sensors, but they were still wary.
Pall Einarsson, professor of geophysics at the Institute of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland, said one volcanic eruption sometimes causes a nearby volcano to explode, and Katla and Eyjafjallajokull have been active in tandem in the past.
In fact, the last three times that Eyjafjallajokull erupted, Katla did as well.
Katla also typically awakens every 80 years or so, and having last exploded in 1918 is now slightly overdue.
That notion is frightening for nearby villagers, who would have to quickly evacuate to avoid the flash floods that would rip down Katla's slopes. Even last week's eruption generated spectacular cascades of melted water and ice chunks the size of houses when burning gases and molten earth carved through the glacier.
Svenn Palsson, the 48-year-old mayor of the coastal village of Vik, said residents are going over evacuation plans now just in case.
With a population of 300, Vik has been covered in 0.12 inches of ash from the Eyjafjallajokull eruption, but the real concern is Katla. Residents would have two to three hours to reach the safety of a shelter if the volcano erupted and caused the ice to melt quickly.
"We have practiced and can do it in 30 minutes," Palsson said.
Other areas around the mountain, however, would have no more than 20 minutes to evacuate, he said.
Katla's substantial ice cap is a major worry because it's that mixture of melting cold water and lava that causes explosions and for ash to shoot into high altitudes. Strong winds can then carry it on over Europe.
So far there have been minor tremors at Katla, which scientists believe to be movements in the glacier ice, but the activity from Eyjafjallajokull is making measurements more difficult to read and an eruption more tricky to predict.
"It is more difficult to see inside Katla," said Kristin Vogfjord, geologist at the Icelandic Met Office.
Her team of geophysicists, based in the capital of Reykjavik, use seismometers and GPS units planted around volcanoes to monitor quakes and the swelling of the land, which can indicate magma reservoirs that are pushing up through the crust. The area around Eyjafjallajokull rose up as much as 3 inches in recent months and then contracted slightly following the latest eruption.
Vogfjord says Katla's sensitivity to eruptions at Eyjafjallajokull may have to do with pressure shifts in the Earth's crust that are caused by an eruption's magma flow.
There are no clear answers, however, and even fewer predictions about what the future may hold. Volcano eruptions, like earthquakes, are difficult to predict.
"Katla can start tomorrow or in 100 years, you don't know," said Palsson. "All we can do is be ready."
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Emperical Data for MET Office to Use
Maybe the muddlers at the MET Office could use some real satellite data in their models, like this amazing composite of MODIS aerosol measurements. - HLG
Volcano Lightning and METEOTSAT Imagery
You just can't get enough volcanic lightning photography!
The METEOSAT image is interesting, and certainly colorful. Anyone familiar with what enhancement they are using for this?
-HLG
MET Office Taking Heat for Volcano Forecast
You knew it was only a matter of time. Is there a cover-up? When will you first hear the media utter "Volcano-gate"? - HLG
Volcanic ash cloud: Met Office blamed for unnecessary six-day closure
By By Caroline Gammell, David Millward and Bruno Waterfield
Published: 10:06PM BST 19 Apr 2010
Link to this video The government agency was accused of using a scientific model based on “probability” rather than fact to forecast the spread of the volcanic ash cloud that made Europe a no-fly zone and ruined the plans of more than 2.5 million travellers in and out of Britain.
A senior European official said there was no clear scientific evidence behind the model, which air traffic control services used to justify the unprecedented shutdown.
Legal experts suggested passengers and airlines may be able to sue the Government for more than £1?billion in compensation. Flights in and out of Britain are scheduled to resume today for the first time in almost a week after Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, said there had been a “dramatic decrease” in the volcano’s activity.
Airports in Scotland and the north of England will be the first to open, followed by those in the Midlands and then in the south of England by 6pm.
However, it has been estimated that the travel backlog could take up to a fortnight to clear.
British airspace was shut for the first time in history last Thursday amid fears that the volcanic ash from Iceland could get sucked into jet engines and cause them to malfunction.
The announcement last night that restrictions would be eased was accompanied by arguments over whether the shutdown had been an over-reaction.
Much of the blame was directed at the Met Office’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC). It provided the initial warning, which triggered the European-wide ban via Eurocontrol, the air traffic control centre in Brussels.
Matthias Ruete, the European Commission’s director-general of transport, said air traffic authorities should not have relied on a single source of scientific evidence before imposing the widespread ban. He suggested the no-fly zone should have been restricted to a 20 to 30-mile limit around the volcano. “The science behind the model we are running at the moment is based on certain assumptions where we do not have clear scientific evidence,” he said.
“We don’t even know what density the cloud should be in order to affect jet engines. We have a model that runs on mathematical projections.
It is probability rather than actual things happening.”
Mr Ruete said the commission had to intervene to allow airlines to make test flights in order to check the VAAC data “to help us move on from the mathematical model”.
Of the 40 test flights across Europe, including a British Airways flight on Sunday, none found any evidence of ash in jet engines, windows or lubrication systems.
In a joint letter to Lord Adonis, the 11 British airlines said the official response to the volcanic eruption presented “a clear case for government compensation”.
Jeff Zindani, of Forum Law solicitors, said: “Legal analysis suggests that there may be a raft of class actions brought by airlines and companies that are dependent on air travel to move their goods.
“This may well open the way for wider litigation against the Met Office and other government agencies who are found to have failed in their duty of care. The damages and legal costs could break the £1?billion mark.”
Andy Harrison, the chief executive of easyJet, said the cost could run into “hundreds of millions of pounds”.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata), the airline industry trade body, also criticised the decision to close airspace based on theoretical modelling of the ash cloud.
“These decisions have been taken without adequately consulting the airlines. This is not an acceptable system particularly when the consequences for safety and the economy are so large,” said Giovanni Bisignani, the organisation’s director general.
He said the £1?billion cost to the aviation industry could be attributed to lost revenue, repatriation, refunds and the cost of supporting stranded passengers. The cost to the wider British economy has been estimated at £500? million.
British Airways announced it planned to begin flying from London from 4pm after Willie Walsh, its chief executive, said the blanket ban had been “unnecessary”. Virgin Atlantic said it hoped to operate flights from London from 7pm.
Mr Walsh was one of the 11 signatories of the letter to Lord Adonis. It said: “We remain concerned that the approach taken by Nats has been too sweeping.” Warning of “long-term damage” to the industry, it added: “We believe that the nature of this natural disaster presents a clear case for government compensation. The closure of airspace is an uninsurable event and thus not a risk that airlines can reasonably be expected to bear.”
David Greene, the head of litigation at Edwin Coe, said legal action was more likely to be successful if taken by a large group of tourists and companies in a class action.
Volcanic ash cloud: Met Office blamed for unnecessary six-day closure
By By Caroline Gammell, David Millward and Bruno Waterfield
Published: 10:06PM BST 19 Apr 2010
Link to this video The government agency was accused of using a scientific model based on “probability” rather than fact to forecast the spread of the volcanic ash cloud that made Europe a no-fly zone and ruined the plans of more than 2.5 million travellers in and out of Britain.
A senior European official said there was no clear scientific evidence behind the model, which air traffic control services used to justify the unprecedented shutdown.
Legal experts suggested passengers and airlines may be able to sue the Government for more than £1?billion in compensation. Flights in and out of Britain are scheduled to resume today for the first time in almost a week after Lord Adonis, the Transport Secretary, said there had been a “dramatic decrease” in the volcano’s activity.
Airports in Scotland and the north of England will be the first to open, followed by those in the Midlands and then in the south of England by 6pm.
However, it has been estimated that the travel backlog could take up to a fortnight to clear.
British airspace was shut for the first time in history last Thursday amid fears that the volcanic ash from Iceland could get sucked into jet engines and cause them to malfunction.
The announcement last night that restrictions would be eased was accompanied by arguments over whether the shutdown had been an over-reaction.
Much of the blame was directed at the Met Office’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC). It provided the initial warning, which triggered the European-wide ban via Eurocontrol, the air traffic control centre in Brussels.
Matthias Ruete, the European Commission’s director-general of transport, said air traffic authorities should not have relied on a single source of scientific evidence before imposing the widespread ban. He suggested the no-fly zone should have been restricted to a 20 to 30-mile limit around the volcano. “The science behind the model we are running at the moment is based on certain assumptions where we do not have clear scientific evidence,” he said.
“We don’t even know what density the cloud should be in order to affect jet engines. We have a model that runs on mathematical projections.
It is probability rather than actual things happening.”
Mr Ruete said the commission had to intervene to allow airlines to make test flights in order to check the VAAC data “to help us move on from the mathematical model”.
Of the 40 test flights across Europe, including a British Airways flight on Sunday, none found any evidence of ash in jet engines, windows or lubrication systems.
In a joint letter to Lord Adonis, the 11 British airlines said the official response to the volcanic eruption presented “a clear case for government compensation”.
Jeff Zindani, of Forum Law solicitors, said: “Legal analysis suggests that there may be a raft of class actions brought by airlines and companies that are dependent on air travel to move their goods.
“This may well open the way for wider litigation against the Met Office and other government agencies who are found to have failed in their duty of care. The damages and legal costs could break the £1?billion mark.”
Andy Harrison, the chief executive of easyJet, said the cost could run into “hundreds of millions of pounds”.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata), the airline industry trade body, also criticised the decision to close airspace based on theoretical modelling of the ash cloud.
“These decisions have been taken without adequately consulting the airlines. This is not an acceptable system particularly when the consequences for safety and the economy are so large,” said Giovanni Bisignani, the organisation’s director general.
He said the £1?billion cost to the aviation industry could be attributed to lost revenue, repatriation, refunds and the cost of supporting stranded passengers. The cost to the wider British economy has been estimated at £500? million.
British Airways announced it planned to begin flying from London from 4pm after Willie Walsh, its chief executive, said the blanket ban had been “unnecessary”. Virgin Atlantic said it hoped to operate flights from London from 7pm.
Mr Walsh was one of the 11 signatories of the letter to Lord Adonis. It said: “We remain concerned that the approach taken by Nats has been too sweeping.” Warning of “long-term damage” to the industry, it added: “We believe that the nature of this natural disaster presents a clear case for government compensation. The closure of airspace is an uninsurable event and thus not a risk that airlines can reasonably be expected to bear.”
David Greene, the head of litigation at Edwin Coe, said legal action was more likely to be successful if taken by a large group of tourists and companies in a class action.
Hope None of our Readers are Flying to/from Europe
The volcano keeps rumbling, and spewing ash to the south. The flying schedules to and from Europe are going to be very hard to predict for the foreseeable future. - HLG
Monday, April 19, 2010
Interesting Tornado Post on NOAAs Severe Weather Blog (we should add a link)
Can tornado activity through April portend May?
Apr 16th, 2010 | By Greg Carbin | Category: U.S. Severe Weather Blog
Short answer: apparently not! Longer answer follows.
Few tornadoes have occurred to date in 2010, especially when compared to very active recent years such as 2008. The adjusted annual tornado trend shown below indicates that 2010, with 79 tornadoes (adjusted) through April 15, is rapidly approaching the minimum number of tornadoes expected through this time of year (about 75). While 2010 has not quite reached that adjusted minimum threshold yet, it looks like it may be only a matter of another day or two with few or no tornadoes.
This graph shows how the number of tornadoes so far in 2010 in the United States is very near the adjusted minimum value expected. Additional information about the chart and the method used to adjust for tornado report inflation can be found here: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/adj.html
Does the scarcity of tornadoes so far in 2010 say anything about what we can expect for tornado activity in May? Let’s review the past 30 years of tornado counts and see. Below is a chart depicting the departure from the decade’s average number of tornadoes for two periods in each year (1980-2009). The first period is the departure from the decade’s average number of tornadoes, January through April (gold). The second period is the departure from the decade’s average number of May tornadoes (light blue). In the early years of this chart (1980 through 1983), this chart would suggest that, yes, we can say that an above (below) average start to the year through April is indicative of a above (below) normal May. However, that forecast methodology falls apart in 1984, 1985, and 1986 when, in each of those years, an above normal January-April period was followed by a below normal May. In 1987 and 1988, there is a strong correspondence between a low number of tornadoes through April, and a slow (below normal) May. Then in 1989, an inverse relationship occurs when a below normal start to the year is followed by an above normal May.
With the exception 1995, there is a remarkable 13 year stretch from 1990 to 2002 when the start of the year could possibly be used as an indicator of the May to come. During this period there were nine years when normal to below normal tornado numbers in the January through April period were followed by normal to below normal tornado activity in May. There were only three years during this period (1991, 1998, and 1999) when an above normal start to the year continued into May. If you were looking at only those years you might conclude that in 2010 we will see below normal tornado activity into May.
Trouble starts again in 2003 and 2004 when low tornado counts through the early months of the year are followed by remarkably active Mays. In fact, May 2003 and May 2004 are the most anomalously active Mays of the 30-year period and both were preceded by some of the most anomalously inactive January through April periods! Some semblance of correspondence returns in 2005 (both periods below normal) before a reversal shows up in 2006 and 2007 with above normal January through April periods being followed by below normal Mays. One is entitled to be quite flummoxed by this point in the analysis but the conclusion should be that, at least in the most recent years, making a prediction about tornado activity in May, based on the character of the season to date through April, would be a tricky bet.
Last year saw an active start through April only to be followed by a somewhat quiescent May. That situation was addressed in this blog post.
Despite the fact that the correlation coefficient (r) for this entire time series is an abysmal 0.15, there is still hope (albeit diminishing) that we can say something about the predictability of the future based on what has happened in the past. So, one last chart for all of those folks hoping to capture a tornado during the upcoming VORTEX2 field program…
The correlation coefficient on this time series for tornadoes only occurring in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska is barely improved over the previous comparison for the entire United States. It’s quite possible that charts used to evaluate the stock market would exhibit a similar lack of correlation. And, perhaps it’s fitting to think of this little experiment in the same light by using an oft-quoted line from a typical mutual fund prospectus: “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.”
Stay tuned. We’ll know the answer soon enough.
Apr 16th, 2010 | By Greg Carbin | Category: U.S. Severe Weather Blog
Short answer: apparently not! Longer answer follows.
Few tornadoes have occurred to date in 2010, especially when compared to very active recent years such as 2008. The adjusted annual tornado trend shown below indicates that 2010, with 79 tornadoes (adjusted) through April 15, is rapidly approaching the minimum number of tornadoes expected through this time of year (about 75). While 2010 has not quite reached that adjusted minimum threshold yet, it looks like it may be only a matter of another day or two with few or no tornadoes.
This graph shows how the number of tornadoes so far in 2010 in the United States is very near the adjusted minimum value expected. Additional information about the chart and the method used to adjust for tornado report inflation can be found here: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/adj.html
Does the scarcity of tornadoes so far in 2010 say anything about what we can expect for tornado activity in May? Let’s review the past 30 years of tornado counts and see. Below is a chart depicting the departure from the decade’s average number of tornadoes for two periods in each year (1980-2009). The first period is the departure from the decade’s average number of tornadoes, January through April (gold). The second period is the departure from the decade’s average number of May tornadoes (light blue). In the early years of this chart (1980 through 1983), this chart would suggest that, yes, we can say that an above (below) average start to the year through April is indicative of a above (below) normal May. However, that forecast methodology falls apart in 1984, 1985, and 1986 when, in each of those years, an above normal January-April period was followed by a below normal May. In 1987 and 1988, there is a strong correspondence between a low number of tornadoes through April, and a slow (below normal) May. Then in 1989, an inverse relationship occurs when a below normal start to the year is followed by an above normal May.
With the exception 1995, there is a remarkable 13 year stretch from 1990 to 2002 when the start of the year could possibly be used as an indicator of the May to come. During this period there were nine years when normal to below normal tornado numbers in the January through April period were followed by normal to below normal tornado activity in May. There were only three years during this period (1991, 1998, and 1999) when an above normal start to the year continued into May. If you were looking at only those years you might conclude that in 2010 we will see below normal tornado activity into May.
Trouble starts again in 2003 and 2004 when low tornado counts through the early months of the year are followed by remarkably active Mays. In fact, May 2003 and May 2004 are the most anomalously active Mays of the 30-year period and both were preceded by some of the most anomalously inactive January through April periods! Some semblance of correspondence returns in 2005 (both periods below normal) before a reversal shows up in 2006 and 2007 with above normal January through April periods being followed by below normal Mays. One is entitled to be quite flummoxed by this point in the analysis but the conclusion should be that, at least in the most recent years, making a prediction about tornado activity in May, based on the character of the season to date through April, would be a tricky bet.
Last year saw an active start through April only to be followed by a somewhat quiescent May. That situation was addressed in this blog post.
Despite the fact that the correlation coefficient (r) for this entire time series is an abysmal 0.15, there is still hope (albeit diminishing) that we can say something about the predictability of the future based on what has happened in the past. So, one last chart for all of those folks hoping to capture a tornado during the upcoming VORTEX2 field program…
The correlation coefficient on this time series for tornadoes only occurring in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska is barely improved over the previous comparison for the entire United States. It’s quite possible that charts used to evaluate the stock market would exhibit a similar lack of correlation. And, perhaps it’s fitting to think of this little experiment in the same light by using an oft-quoted line from a typical mutual fund prospectus: “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.”
Stay tuned. We’ll know the answer soon enough.
PUFF: Volcanic Plume Prediction Model from U of Alasks USA!
Check it out, Check-it-outters! - HLG
http://puff.images.alaska.edu/watch/movies/Redoubt/movie16000.shtml
http://puff.images.alaska.edu/watch/movies/Redoubt/movie16000.shtml
Will European EPA Fine Iceland for Volcanic Emmissions?
I have heard that the US administration is considering adding Iceland to a fine list for all of the CO2 that the volcano is emmitting! - HLG
Friday, April 16, 2010
Great quote from AP about Icelandic Ash Cloud
Who knew that miles were the same as kilometers??? - HLG
The cloud, floating miles (kilometers) above Earth and capable of knocking out jet engines, wrecked travel plans for tens of thousands of people Thursday, from tourists and business travelers to politicians and royals. They couldn't see the source of their frustration — except indirectly, when the ash created vivid red and lavender sunsets.
The cloud, floating miles (kilometers) above Earth and capable of knocking out jet engines, wrecked travel plans for tens of thousands of people Thursday, from tourists and business travelers to politicians and royals. They couldn't see the source of their frustration — except indirectly, when the ash created vivid red and lavender sunsets.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Afternoon MODIS shows volcano plume still flowing to Europe
Looks like the plume is still riding the jet to NW Europe this afternoon. I read that parts of Scotland have reported you can smell rotten eggs. Ymmmm! - HLG
Rogue Meteor or Gamma Geminid?
Whether the space alien was a rogue, or a member of the currently active Gamma Geminids, this meteor lit up the skies, and the 911 call-centers in Wisconsin last night! - HLG
Toxic Iceland Volcano Plume has Killed Thousands in the Past
Iceland, a nation of 320,000 people, sits on a large volcanic hot spot in the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge, and has a history of devastating eruptions.
The worst was the 1783 eruption of the Laki volcano, which spewed a toxic cloud over Europe with devastating consequences. At least 9,000 people, a quarter of the population of Iceland, died, many from the famine caused by the eruption, and many more emigrated. The cloud may have killed more than 20,000 people in eastern England and an estimated 16,000 in France - AP
The worst was the 1783 eruption of the Laki volcano, which spewed a toxic cloud over Europe with devastating consequences. At least 9,000 people, a quarter of the population of Iceland, died, many from the famine caused by the eruption, and many more emigrated. The cloud may have killed more than 20,000 people in eastern England and an estimated 16,000 in France - AP
New Image of Iceland Volcano Ash Plume
They should get MODIS directly on the planes, then they could just fly around it, and not strand millions of travelers! - HLG
Iceland Volcano Shuts Down European Airports
Can the "Year Without a Summer II" be far behind? What does Global Al say???
--------------------
News Alert: Volcanic ash halts European flights, ripples felt globally
06:53 AM EDT Thursday, April 15, 2010
--------------------
Ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano disrupted air traffic across Northern Europe on Thursday as authorities closed British and Nordic air space, shut down Europe's busiest airport at Heathrow and canceled hundreds of flights.
With the major trans-Atlantic hub at Heathrow closed, dozens of flights to the United States were on hold, and cancelations spread across the continent to major hubs at Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva and Paris, where flights heading north were canceled until midnight.
--------------------
News Alert: Volcanic ash halts European flights, ripples felt globally
06:53 AM EDT Thursday, April 15, 2010
--------------------
Ash clouds from Iceland's spewing volcano disrupted air traffic across Northern Europe on Thursday as authorities closed British and Nordic air space, shut down Europe's busiest airport at Heathrow and canceled hundreds of flights.
With the major trans-Atlantic hub at Heathrow closed, dozens of flights to the United States were on hold, and cancelations spread across the continent to major hubs at Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva and Paris, where flights heading north were canceled until midnight.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
More Dust as the Ice Age Approaches
Sea of Japn, Taklimakan Desert (means Die if you get Lost Here, literally). The ice will be moving south over the next decades, dogs will form into packs of wild, man-eating animals (this has started), and the Giant Sloths will return to claim the Earth (as was pre-told in Revelations)- HLG
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Meteorological Systems Manager (in Beautiful San Diego!)
METEOROLOGICAL SYSTEMS MANAGER
Employer: enXco
Location: San Diego, California United States
Last Updated: 04/07/2010
Job Type: Employee
Job Status: Full Time
Shift: 1st Shift
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Job Description
Scope of Position: This position is directly responsible for Managing the enXco Meteorological Systems including: managing subcontractors on installations and maintenance, documentation, data collection, data validation and quality control, Occasional field related activities for Meteorological Tower installation and turbine micrositing. Working Conditions: 80% of the time is spent in the office environment, utilizing computers (frequent use of MS Access, MS Word and MS Excel), phones, and general office equipment. 20% of the time is spent in the field conducting site visits, supervising meteorological site installations, and micrositing. Responsibilities: • Analyze meteorological data to identify faulty sensors. • Validate all Met Tower data and Met Tower operational mode • Maintain Met Tower database. • Assist Meteorologist in determining locations/configuration of meteorological equipment and provide support for installation and maintenance • Assist Resource Assessment Engineer to continuously improve data analysis and reporting, while focusing on reliability and accuracy of data • Support the development process with project specific meteorological reports • Other duties as assigned by the Director of Resource Assessment and Resource Assessment and GIS Managers or their designees
Requirements:
• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Meteorology, or related science/technology field, and/or Wind Energy Meteorological experience. • Work experience in the energy industry, with minimum 6 months experience with wind/solar projects preferred. • Experience with various Microsoft software programs including but not limited to Word, Excel, Visio, Project, Outlook, and PowerPoint. • Experience with ArcGIS and AutoCAD a plus. Experience with wind and/or solar energy modeling programs (such as Meteodyn WT, WindFarmer, PVSyst, PVSol, etc.) a plus. Programming experience a plus. • Highly motivated, driven self-starter, with ability to work well with others and be a good team player • Excellent organizational and communication skills
Employer: enXco
Location: San Diego, California United States
Last Updated: 04/07/2010
Job Type: Employee
Job Status: Full Time
Shift: 1st Shift
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Job Description
Scope of Position: This position is directly responsible for Managing the enXco Meteorological Systems including: managing subcontractors on installations and maintenance, documentation, data collection, data validation and quality control, Occasional field related activities for Meteorological Tower installation and turbine micrositing. Working Conditions: 80% of the time is spent in the office environment, utilizing computers (frequent use of MS Access, MS Word and MS Excel), phones, and general office equipment. 20% of the time is spent in the field conducting site visits, supervising meteorological site installations, and micrositing. Responsibilities: • Analyze meteorological data to identify faulty sensors. • Validate all Met Tower data and Met Tower operational mode • Maintain Met Tower database. • Assist Meteorologist in determining locations/configuration of meteorological equipment and provide support for installation and maintenance • Assist Resource Assessment Engineer to continuously improve data analysis and reporting, while focusing on reliability and accuracy of data • Support the development process with project specific meteorological reports • Other duties as assigned by the Director of Resource Assessment and Resource Assessment and GIS Managers or their designees
Requirements:
• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Meteorology, or related science/technology field, and/or Wind Energy Meteorological experience. • Work experience in the energy industry, with minimum 6 months experience with wind/solar projects preferred. • Experience with various Microsoft software programs including but not limited to Word, Excel, Visio, Project, Outlook, and PowerPoint. • Experience with ArcGIS and AutoCAD a plus. Experience with wind and/or solar energy modeling programs (such as Meteodyn WT, WindFarmer, PVSyst, PVSol, etc.) a plus. Programming experience a plus. • Highly motivated, driven self-starter, with ability to work well with others and be a good team player • Excellent organizational and communication skills
The Weather Service Needs YOU (or your comments at least)
The NWS has a test web-site for combined radar and watches/warnings. They are accepting comments until October to make improvements, so do your part for your weather, Your watches, YOUR warnings, and YOUR COUNTRY (Hmmm to tune of God Bless our Weather Service, NWS that I LOVE!, then salute the NOAA Sea Gull!) - HLG
http://radar.srh.noaa.gov/
http://radar.srh.noaa.gov/
"Dust Around the World" Continued!
Gosh I love aerosols, and real, empircal data (put that in your global-warming pipe, Uncle Al, and smoke it!). This image is a recent global data set from MODIS, showing the regional patterns, and thicknesses of aerosols. Have a dusty day China, and surprisingly, Columbia??? - HLG
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Don't worry about the giant rock whizzing by Earth!
Newfound Asteroid to Buzz Earth Thursday
By Tariq Malik
- Space.com
A newly discovered asteroid will zip close by Earth Thursday, but poses no threat of crashing into our planet even though it is passing within the orbit of the moon.
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NASA/JPL
The orbit of newfound asteroid 2010 GA6 as it flies by Earth on April 8, 2010 at a distance of 223,000 miles, about nine-tenths the distance between Earth and the moon.
A newly discovered asteroid will zip close by Earth Thursday, but poses no threat of crashing into our planet even though it is passing within the orbit of the moon.
The asteroid, called 2010 GA6, is a relatively small space rock about 71 feet wide and was discovered by astronomers with the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Az. The space rock will fly within the orbit of the moon when it passes Earth Thursday at 7:06 p.m. EDT (2306 GMT), but NASA astronomers said not to worry...the planet is safe.
"Fly bys of near-Earth objects within the moon's orbit occur every few weeks," said Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in a statement.
At the time of its closest pass, asteroid 2010 GA6 will be about 223,000 miles from the Earth. That's about nine-tenths the distance between Earth and the moon [more asteroid photos].
The space rock is not the first asteroid to swing close by Earth this year.
In January, the small asteroid 2010 AL30 passed within 80,000 miles when it zipped by. Other space rocks have flown past Earth at more comfortable distances greater than several hundred thousand miles.
NASA routinely tracks asteroids and comets that may fly near the Earth with a network of telescopes on the ground and in space. The agency's Near-Earth Object Observations program, more commonly known as Spaceguard, is responsible for finding potentially dangerous asteroids and studying their orbits to determine if they pose a risk of hitting the Earth.
NASA's latest space telescope, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) launched in December, has been given the task of hunting new asteroids that were previously undetectable because they shine only in the infrared range of the light spectrum.
So far, the WISE telescope has been discovering dozens of previously unknown asteroids every day. Some of those space rocks have been tagged for closer analysis since they may be potentially hazardous to Earth, WISE mission scientists have said
By Tariq Malik
- Space.com
A newly discovered asteroid will zip close by Earth Thursday, but poses no threat of crashing into our planet even though it is passing within the orbit of the moon.
printemailshare recommend (0)
NASA/JPL
The orbit of newfound asteroid 2010 GA6 as it flies by Earth on April 8, 2010 at a distance of 223,000 miles, about nine-tenths the distance between Earth and the moon.
A newly discovered asteroid will zip close by Earth Thursday, but poses no threat of crashing into our planet even though it is passing within the orbit of the moon.
The asteroid, called 2010 GA6, is a relatively small space rock about 71 feet wide and was discovered by astronomers with the Catalina Sky Survey in Tucson, Az. The space rock will fly within the orbit of the moon when it passes Earth Thursday at 7:06 p.m. EDT (2306 GMT), but NASA astronomers said not to worry...the planet is safe.
"Fly bys of near-Earth objects within the moon's orbit occur every few weeks," said Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., in a statement.
At the time of its closest pass, asteroid 2010 GA6 will be about 223,000 miles from the Earth. That's about nine-tenths the distance between Earth and the moon [more asteroid photos].
The space rock is not the first asteroid to swing close by Earth this year.
In January, the small asteroid 2010 AL30 passed within 80,000 miles when it zipped by. Other space rocks have flown past Earth at more comfortable distances greater than several hundred thousand miles.
NASA routinely tracks asteroids and comets that may fly near the Earth with a network of telescopes on the ground and in space. The agency's Near-Earth Object Observations program, more commonly known as Spaceguard, is responsible for finding potentially dangerous asteroids and studying their orbits to determine if they pose a risk of hitting the Earth.
NASA's latest space telescope, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) launched in December, has been given the task of hunting new asteroids that were previously undetectable because they shine only in the infrared range of the light spectrum.
So far, the WISE telescope has been discovering dozens of previously unknown asteroids every day. Some of those space rocks have been tagged for closer analysis since they may be potentially hazardous to Earth, WISE mission scientists have said
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Superoutbreak of 1974
On the 36th anniversary of the Superoutbreak of 1974, a very interesting map from the NWS. The map shows the counties of Southern IN, and Central KY. The red and orange tracks are the F4s and F5s of that tragic day. Oh yea, there were a bunch of F2s, and F3s, but it was hard to count! - HLG
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Australian Weather Radar "UFOs"
Bizarre Radar Map or UFO?
NewsCorp Australian Papers
Strange images appearing on radar maps from the Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology have the Web wondering: What is it?
They are the digital-age equivalent of crop circles -- mysterious patterns appearing on the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's national radar system without any explanation. UFOs, perhaps?
And the random images, described as red stars, rings of fire and white doughnuts, are sending online conspiracy Web sites into meltdown. The anomalies first began on January 15 when an "iced doughnut" appeared over Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Satellite imagery showed there was no cloud over the area at the time to explain the unusual phenomenon, but farmers' online comments claimed it was "unusually hot" all day. It was followed by a bizarre red star over Broome on January 22 and a sinister spiral burst over Melbourne described by amateur radar buffs as the Ring Of Fire Fault.
The Bureau, which did not respond to repeated requests for comment, has acknowledged the anomalies on its popular Web site. It has posted a disclaimer above the national loop feed putting the images down to "occasional interference to the radar data."
"If you notice any circular patterns or straight lines originating from the center of the radar location, this is due to occasional interference to the radar data. The Bureau is currently investigating ways to reduce these interferences." the disclaimer said.
Conspiracy Web sites, however, have lit up with dozens of breathless theories behind the strange anomalies from alien involvement, secret military testing to government weather modification. One theory gaining traction online is the belief the U.S. military has expanded its High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program.
Based at a remote research station in Alaska, the HAARP project involves shooting extremely high frequency radar bursts into the upper reaches of the atmosphere to see what happens after particles of the ionosphere are temporarily excited.
For more theories and speculation, visit News.com.au.
NewsCorp Australian Papers
Strange images appearing on radar maps from the Australian Government's Bureau of Meteorology have the Web wondering: What is it?
They are the digital-age equivalent of crop circles -- mysterious patterns appearing on the Australian Bureau of Meteorology's national radar system without any explanation. UFOs, perhaps?
And the random images, described as red stars, rings of fire and white doughnuts, are sending online conspiracy Web sites into meltdown. The anomalies first began on January 15 when an "iced doughnut" appeared over Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
Satellite imagery showed there was no cloud over the area at the time to explain the unusual phenomenon, but farmers' online comments claimed it was "unusually hot" all day. It was followed by a bizarre red star over Broome on January 22 and a sinister spiral burst over Melbourne described by amateur radar buffs as the Ring Of Fire Fault.
The Bureau, which did not respond to repeated requests for comment, has acknowledged the anomalies on its popular Web site. It has posted a disclaimer above the national loop feed putting the images down to "occasional interference to the radar data."
"If you notice any circular patterns or straight lines originating from the center of the radar location, this is due to occasional interference to the radar data. The Bureau is currently investigating ways to reduce these interferences." the disclaimer said.
Conspiracy Web sites, however, have lit up with dozens of breathless theories behind the strange anomalies from alien involvement, secret military testing to government weather modification. One theory gaining traction online is the belief the U.S. military has expanded its High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program.
Based at a remote research station in Alaska, the HAARP project involves shooting extremely high frequency radar bursts into the upper reaches of the atmosphere to see what happens after particles of the ionosphere are temporarily excited.
For more theories and speculation, visit News.com.au.
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