Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Globe's coral reefs take second worst beating on record during 2010

Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 16:50 GMT le 07 janvier 2011

Record warm ocean temperatures across much of Earth's tropical oceans during the summer of 2010 created the second worst year globally for coral-killing bleaching episodes. The warm waters, fueled in part by the El Niño phenomena, caused the most coral bleaching since 1998, when 16 percent of the world's reefs were killed off. "Clearly, we are on track for this to be the second worst (bleaching) on record," NOAA coral expert Mark Eakin in an interview last month. "All we're waiting on now is the body count." The summer 2010 bleaching episodes were worst in Southeast Asia, where El Niño warming of the tropical ocean waters during the first half of the year was significant. In Indonesia's Aceh province, 80% of the bleached corals died, and Malaysia closed several popular dive sites after nearly all the coral were damaged by bleaching. However, in the Caribbean's Virgin Islands, coral bleaching was not as severe as experienced in 2005, according to National Park Service fisheries biologist Jeff Miller. I'll discuss the reasons for this in a future blog post. In other portions of the Caribbean, such as Venezuela and Panama, coral bleaching was worse than that experienced in 2005.

Figure 1. An example of coral bleaching that occurred during the record-strength 1997-1998 El Niño event. Image credit: Craig Quirolo, Reef Relief/Marine Photobank, in Climate, Carbon and Coral Reefs

What is coral bleaching?
Coral bleaching is a whitening of the corals that occurs when stresses such as high water temperatures, increased water acidity, or pollution disturbs the symbiotic relationship between the corals and the algae that live inside them. Bleaching episodes occur when ocean temperatures rise above 85 - 87°F (29.5 - 30.5°C.) Peak warming events took place in the western Indian Ocean and north-western Pacific in 1997/98, in the north of Australia and central Pacific during 2003/04, and in the Caribbean in 2005. About half of the reefs affected by bleaching in these episodes have recovered, and one recent study cautions that non-lethal bleaching episodes and subsequent recovery of corals is often under-reported.

Australia's Great Barrier Reef at risk
With summer now in full swing in the Southern Hemisphere, coral bleaching concern now shifts to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Ocean temperatures along the reef are currently up to 1°C above average, due, in part, to the current moderate to strong La Niña event. NOAA's Coral Reef Watch has issued its highest level of coral bleaching alert for the northern 2/3 of the Great Barrier Reef, since the La Niña event is predicted to persist into at least April. Also of concern is the tremendous run-off occurring in the wake of the record flooding that has affected the neighboring Australian province of Queensland. While the floods have now peaked and the rivers of Queensland are now falling, the $5 billion disaster dumped a large amount of sediments, pollutants, fertilizers, and pesticides into the southern portion of the Great Barrier Reef, and this will act to increase the stress on the corals. However, the floods may end up indirectly benefiting some portions of the Great Barrier Reef. The cloud cover and strong winds that accompanied the flooding rain storms also acted to cool the waters along the reef. According to an analysis I did of the UK Met Office Hadley Centre global ocean temperature data, sea surface temperatures along the southern portion of the reef, between 15°S and 20°S latitude, were the warmest ever for September, 1.27°C above average. These waters cooled significantly, relative to average, during October and November, and were just 0.12°C warmer than average during November. Cooler waters will mean less potential for coral bleaching, though the pollution in the flood run-off water may end up killing some corals.

Figure 2. Forecast stress on coral due to warm ocean temperatures for Australia, Jan - Apr 2011. The northern 2/3 of the Great Barrier Reef are under the highest alert level for coral bleaching. Waters are cooler along the southern portion of the reef, due, in part, to the storms that have brought record flooding to portions of Queensland, Australia. Image credit: NOAA Coral Reef Watch.

Long term outlook for world's coral reefs: grim
The large amount of carbon dioxide humans have put into the air in recent decades has done more than just raise Earth's global temperature--it has also increased the acidity of the oceans, since carbon dioxide dissolves in sea water to form carbonic acid. Corals have trouble growing in acidic sea water, and the combined effects of increasing ocean temperatures, increasing acidity, pollution, and overfishing have reduced coral reefs globally by 19 percent since 1950. Another 35 percent could disappear in the next 40 years, even without the impact of climate change, according to a report released in October 2010 by the World Meteorological Organization and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Coral loss has been the most severe in Earth's hottest ocean, the Indian Ocean. Up to 90% of coral cover has been lost in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Tanzania and in the Seychelles. Global warming has heated up most of the tropical ocean surface waters by about 0.5°C (0.9°F) over the past 50 years, and the remarkable bleaching episodes of 1998 and 2010 both occurred when strong (natural) El Niño episodes heated up Pacific tropical waters to record levels. If the Earth continues to heat up this century as expected, coral bleaching episodes will grow more frequent and intense, particularly during strong El Niño episodes. The twin stresses of ocean acidification and increasing ocean temperatures will probably mean that by 2050, it will be difficult for any coral reefs to recover when subject to additional stresses posed by pollution or major storms, according to a talk presented by Stanford climate scientist Ken Caldeira at last month's American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting.

Figure 3. Departure of sea surface temperature in the Australian region over the past one hundred years, year-by-year (red line), and decade-by-decade (grey bars.) The 2010 value is preliminary and does not include data for December 2010. If ocean temperatures and ocean acidity continue to rise in Australian waters at the same pace as has occurred over the past 100 years, the Great Barrier Reef will be in significant danger by 2050. Image credit: Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

Coral expert J.E.N. Veron, former chief scientist of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, had this to say in an excellent interview he did with Yale Environment 360 last year: "the science is clear: Unless we change the way we live, the Earth's coral reefs will be utterly destroyed within our children's lifetimes.

"You may well feel that dire predictions about anything almost always turn out to be exaggerations. You may think there may be something in it to worry about, but it won't be as bad as doomsayers like me are predicting. This view is understandable given that only a few decades ago I, myself, would have thought it ridiculous to imagine that reefs might have a limited lifespan on Earth as a consequence of human actions. It would have seemed preposterous that, for example, the Great Barrier Reef--the biggest structure ever made by life on Earth--could be mortally threatened by any present or foreseeable environmental change. Yet here I am today, humbled to have spent the most productive scientific years of my life around the rich wonders of the underwater world, and utterly convinced that they will not be there for our children's children to enjoy unless we drastically change our priorities and the way we live."

Reefs are the ocean's canaries and we must hear their call. This call is not just for themselves, for the other great ecosystems of the ocean stand behind reefs like a row of dominoes. If coral reefs fail, the rest will follow in rapid succession, and the Sixth Mass Extinction will be upon us--and will be of our making.

I might add that not only are reefs the ocean's canaries, they are incredibly valuable in their own right. According to the World Meteorological Organization, coral reefs provide economic services--jobs, food and tourism--estimated to be worth $30 billion per year. NOAA put this figure at twelve times higher, $375 billion each year. Corals cover just 0.2% of the world's oceans, but contain about 25% of all marine species.

Next post
I'll be back with a new post on Tuesday at the latest.

Check out wunderground weather historian Christopher C. Burt's post on the notable weather extremes of December 2010. It was truly an extreme month!

Jeff Masters

Coral Bleaching. (Dawnlisa)

Since the end of April the coral in the Andaman sea has started bleaching due to the increase in sea water temperature. If things don't cool down soon the coral may die. You can see the white patches in the photo that are mainly table coral and normally a dark colour.

A parrot fish at the coral reef (BoazR)

as seen from the underwater observatory

coral reef (js64)

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51. IKE 21:35 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting LoveStormsatNight: Yes I am on firefox and everything seems to be OK. Firefox is a lot more stable than Internet Explorer, I think. I just got this new computer about 2 months ago and haven't added Firefox yet. Thanks..now I know the problem. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

54. IKE 21:38 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
New Orleans updated forecasted....note the wind gusts....for Sunday. I've read in some discussions about this being a subtropical or tropical low..... Saturday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain after midnight. Increasing clouds, with a low around 39. Breezy, with a northeast wind between 10 and 20 mph. Sunday: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Cloudy, with a high near 51. Windy, with a east wind between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Sunday Night: Rain likely, mainly before 2am. Cloudy, with a low around 40. Breezy, with a east wind 10 to 20 mph becoming north. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

57. RipplinH2O 21:41 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Ike, do you have the hatches battened down for Sunday morning? Forecast for 22 mph wind-chill in the high 20’s. Wife wants to cancel golf. I’m keeping an open mind… Member Since: 30 juillet 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 491

60. IKE 21:45 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting RipplinH2O: Ike, do you have the hatches battened down for Sunday morning? Forecast for 22 mph wind-chill in the high 20’s. Wife wants to cancel golf. I’m keeping an open mind… Some crazy winter weather coming up. Read this from the afternoon Tallahassee,FL. discussion....wow!........ SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED UPPER LOW WILL QUICKLY TRANSLATE EAST OUT OF TX AND SHEAR OUT AS IT LIFTS ENE OVER THE SOUTHEAST REGION. THE MODELS REMAIN IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH THIS PERIOD ON THE SYNOPTIC SCALE AND INDICATE A STRONG SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING OVER THE NW GULF OF MEXICO OR JUST OFF THE TX COAST THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY. THIS FEATURE WILL TRACK ENE OVER THE NRN GULF WATERS JUST OFF THE NRN GULF COAST OF LA BY SATURDAY EVENING...THEN FURTHER NORTHEAST TOWARD APALACHICOLA LATE SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. STRONG OVERRUNNING EVENT ACROSS OUR AREA WILL RESULT IN INCREASING CLOUD COVERAGE AND RAIN CHANCES THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY AS A WARM FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE SW. THE MAIN CONCERN THROUGH THE SUNDAY OVERNIGHT PERIOD WILL BE THE CHANGE OVER FROM RAIN TO FREEZING RAIN AS PLENTY OF DRY/COLD SFC AIR WITH TEMPS DIPPING BELOW FREEZING REMAIN IN PLACE OVER THE LOCAL AREA THROUGH THE LATE NIGHT HOURS. AT THIS TIME...MODEL SOUNDINGS AND GUIDANCE REMAIN IN CLOSE AGREEMENT AND GENERALLY INDICATE THE BEST PROBABILITIES OF THIS CHANGE OVER ACROSS OUR SW GA/SE AL COUNTIES AND POSSIBLY AS FAR SOUTH AS TO I-10 OVER THE EASTERN PANHANDLE COUNTIES. IN ADDITION...THE MODELS HAVE SHOWN A SOUTHWARD TREND WITH THESE HIGHER PROBABILITIES OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF RUNS. HPC GUIDANCE INDICATES FREEZING RAIN ACCUMULATIONS REACHING A TENTH TO A QUARTER OF AN INCH ACROSS THE FAR NORTHERN COUNTIES OR NORTH OF A LINE FROM DOTHAN TO FITZGERALD, GA BY MONDAY MORNING. ONE THING TO NOTE...IS THE GFS MODEL IS SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN THE NAM AND SHOWS THE SFC FREEZING LINE EXTENDING WSW FROM AROUND WORTH COUNTY TO COFFEE COUNTY, AL SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. THESE SLIGHT TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCES COMBINED WITH THIS BEING IN THE 2-3 DAY PORTION OF THE FORECAST KEEPS QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY WITH REGARD TO HOW FAR SOUTH AREAS WILL BECOME IMPACTED DUE TO THIS MIX OVER TO FREEZING RAIN. NONETHELESS...WINTER STORM WATCH/WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED BEGINNING TONIGHT FOR THIS SUNDAY NIGHT PERIOD. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

64. FtMyersgal 21:47 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting IKE: Why does this blog seem to almost always get screwed up on the posts? Someone posted it's from videos being posted incorrectly. Could that be true? Member Since: 16 septembre 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 980

65. DontAnnoyMe 21:47 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Member Since: 21 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 3690

66. DontAnnoyMe 21:51 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 406 PM EST FRI JAN 7 2011 CONCERNING PTYPES...QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY REMAINS...BUT A WEAK COASTAL LOW...LACK OF A TRUE HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH...AND A SECONDARY SURFACE LOW AND H85 LOW WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS SUPPORTS A MORE MIXED PTYPE EVENT. SINCE THE LEAD SHORTWAVE IS FORECAST TO BE DEAMPLIFIED AND THE BEST HEIGHT FALLS WITH THE NORTHERN WAVE ARE PROGGED TO OCCUR OVER THE OHIO VALLEY..PRECIP AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE MAINLY DRIVEN BY MODEST WARM ADVECTION FROM THE SOUTHEAST. THIS ALSO ARGUES FOR A TRANSITION FROM SNOW AT ONSET TO A PTYPE MIX LATE MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING (SNOW NW AND RAIN SE)...FITTING CLIMATOLOGY QUITE WELL. GFS/ECMWF CRITICAL THICKNESS NOMOGRAMS SUPPORT THIS THINKING ALSO...SO THE CURRENT FORECAST REFLECTS MORE IN THE WAY OF A MIX FOR A LARGER PORTION OF THE CWA TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE TRIAD. Boils down to less accumulation, but more potential for ice. Member Since: 21 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 3690

67. IKE 21:51 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting FtMyersgal: Someone posted it's from videos being posted incorrectly. Could that be true? I had noticed it seems to start the post after a YOUTUBE video being pasted. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

69. RipplinH2O 21:53 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
@60. Yep, I think we'll be spared on the beach as usual but there could be cold whoop'n on the way to DeFuniak, maybe even Crestview... Member Since: 30 juillet 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 491

70. IKE 21:54 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting DontAnnoyMe: AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 406 PM EST FRI JAN 7 2011 CONCERNING PTYPES...QUITE A BIT OF UNCERTAINTY REMAINS...BUT A WEAK COASTAL LOW...LACK OF A TRUE HIGH PRESSURE TO THE NORTH...AND A SECONDARY SURFACE LOW AND H85 LOW WEST OF THE MOUNTAINS SUPPORTS A MORE MIXED PTYPE EVENT. SINCE THE LEAD SHORTWAVE IS FORECAST TO BE DEAMPLIFIED AND THE BEST HEIGHT FALLS WITH THE NORTHERN WAVE ARE PROGGED TO OCCUR OVER THE OHIO VALLEY..PRECIP AMOUNTS LOOK TO BE MAINLY DRIVEN BY MODEST WARM ADVECTION FROM THE SOUTHEAST. THIS ALSO ARGUES FOR A TRANSITION FROM SNOW AT ONSET TO A PTYPE MIX LATE MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING (SNOW NW AND RAIN SE)...FITTING CLIMATOLOGY QUITE WELL. GFS/ECMWF CRITICAL THICKNESS NOMOGRAMS SUPPORT THIS THINKING ALSO...SO THE CURRENT FORECAST REFLECTS MORE IN THE WAY OF A MIX FOR A LARGER PORTION OF THE CWA TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE TRIAD. Boils down to less accumulation, but more potential for ice. The ice storm problem for some could be significant from what I've read. Quoting JFLORIDA: I dont know I think its just some compatibility issues or something to do with the rich text editing. Im assuming people using IE are using IE 8. I'm on IE8. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

71. AtHomeInTX 21:54 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Thanks DRM. Bad news sad news. :( Member Since: 24 août 2010 Posts: 0 Comments: 3873

72. IKE 21:55 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting RipplinH2O: @60. Yep, I think we'll be spared on the beach as usual but there could be cold whoop'n on the way to DeFuniak, maybe even Crestview... And I'm north of I10. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

74. DontAnnoyMe 21:56 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting FtMyersgal: Someone posted it's from videos being posted incorrectly. Could that be true? Could be. It went off after Sunline's dust vid post. And enabling compatibility view does not fix it. Member Since: 21 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 3690

77. IKE 21:59 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
I switched from 200 comments per page to 50 and that fixed the problem. I tried hiding it(the post), but that wouldn't allow me to scroll beyond the post I was hiding. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

79. IKE 22:02 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS 330 PM CST FRI JAN 7 2011 ...SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO IMPACT AREA SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT... .A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE ALONG THE GULF COAST SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...AND COMBINE WITH VERY COLD AIR ACROSS THE REGION TO PRODUCE WIDESPREAD WINTRY PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHEAST LOUISIANA...SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS...AND MUCH OF MISSISSIPPI. ARZ074-075-LAZ007>009-015-016-023>026-MSZ018-019-025>066-080530- /O.NEW.KJAN.WS.A.0001.110109T1200Z-110110T1200Z/ ASHLEY-CHICOT-MOREHOUSE-WEST CARROLL-EAST CARROLL-RICHLAND- MADISON LA-FRANKLIN LA-CATAHOULA-TENSAS-CONCORDIA-BOLIVAR- SUNFLOWER-LEFLORE-GRENADA-CARROLL-MONTGOMERY-WEBSTER-CLAY-LOWNDES- CHOCTAW-OKTIBBEHA-WASHINGTON-HUMPHREYS-HOLMES-ATTALA-WINSTON- NOXUBEE-ISSAQUENA-SHARKEY-YAZOO-MADISON MS-LEAKE-NESHOBA-KEMPER- WARREN-HINDS-RANKIN-SCOTT-NEWTON-LAUDERDALE-CLAIBORNE-COPIAH- SIMPSON-SMITH-JASPER-CLARKE-JEFFERSON-ADAMS-FRANKLIN MS-LINCOLN- LAWRENCE-JEFFERSON DAVIS-COVINGTON-JONES- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CROSSETT...NORTH CROSSETT...HAMBURG... WEST CROSSETT...DERMOTT...LAKE VILLAGE...EUDORA...BASTROP... OAK GROVE...EPPS...LAKE PROVIDENCE...RAYVILLE...DELHI... TALLULAH...WINNSBORO...JONESVILLE...HARRISONBURG...NEWELLTON... ST. JOSEPH...WATERPROOF...VIDALIA...FERRIDAY...WEST FERRIDAY... CLEVELAND...INDIANOLA...RULEVILLE...GREENWOOD...GRENADA... VAIDEN...NORTH CARROLLTON...CARROLLTON...WINONA...EUPORA... MABEN...MATHISTON...WEST POINT...COLUMBUS...ACKERMAN...WEIR... STARKVILLE...GREENVILLE...BELZONI...ISOLA...DURANT...TCHULA... LEXINGTON...PICKENS...GOODMAN...KOSCIUSKO...LOUISVILLE...MACON... BROOKSVILLE...MAYERSVILLE...ROLLING FORK...ANGUILLA... YAZOO CITY...RIDGELAND...MADISON...CANTON...CARTHAGE... PHILADELPHIA...PEARL RIVER...DE KALB...SCOOBA...VICKSBURG... JACKSON...PEARL...BRANDON...RICHLAND...FOREST...MORTON...NEWTON... UNION...DECATUR...CONEHATTA...MERIDIAN...PORT GIBSON... CRYSTAL SPRINGS...HAZLEHURST...WESSON...MAGEE...MENDENHALL... TAYLORSVILLE...RALEIGH...BAY SPRINGS...HEIDELBERG...QUITMAN... STONEWALL...SHUBUTA...FAYETTE...NATCHEZ...BUDE...ROXIE... MEADVILLE...BROOKHAVEN...MONTICELLO...NEW HEBRON...PRENTISS... BASSFIELD...COLLINS...MOUNT OLIVE...LAUREL 330 PM CST FRI JAN 7 2011 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN JACKSON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT. * TIMING: PRECIPITATION WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST SUNDAY MORNING...AND CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION INTO SUNDAY EVENING. THE PRECIPITATION SHOULD END FROM THE SOUTHWEST SUNDAY NIGHT. * MAIN IMPACT: FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A BASTROP LOUISIANA TO MACON LINE...SNOW...POSSIBLY MIXED WITH A LITTLE SLEET OR FREEZING RAIN...IS EXPECTED. CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT 4 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW IS LIKELY IN THIS AREA. FARTHER SOUTH ALONG THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR OF NORTHEAST LOUISIANA AND CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI...A MIX OF SNOW...SLEET AND SOME FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED. UP TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET COULD OCCUR DEPENDING ON THE PRIMARY TYPE OF PRECIPITATION THAT ENDS UP OCCURRING...ALONG WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR GLAZING. ALONG THE HIGHWAY 84 CORRIDOR...PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS A MIX OF SNOW AND SLEET BEFORE CHANGING TO FREEZING RAIN AND RAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SOME ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE. * OTHER IMPACTS: BRISK EAST TO NORTHEAST WINDS OF 10 TO 25 MPH ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS COULD COMBINE WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF WET SNOW OR ICE TO RESULT IN SOME POWER INTERRUPTIONS. TRAVEL IS EXPECTED TO BE DIFFICULT IN MANY AREAS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...PARTICULARLY IN AREAS NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 WHERE TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN BELOW FREEZING THROUGH THE ENTIRE WEATHER EVENT. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW...SLEET...OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS. && $$ AEG Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

80. DontAnnoyMe 22:03 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting IKE: I switched from 200 comments per page to 50 and that fixed the problem. I tried hiding it(the post), but that wouldn't allow me to scroll beyond the post I was hiding. Switched from 50 to 200 and back, still messed up. Member Since: 21 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 3690

81. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 22:06 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting IKE: I switched from 200 comments per page to 50 and that fixed the problem. I tried hiding it(the post), but that wouldn't allow me to scroll beyond the post I was hiding. yeah its sunline he is using the image link to post vids thats what messes up the page the browser he is using uses image link to post vids or either that hes browers is using the ouote feature with the vid embeded within Member Since: 15 juillet 2006 Posts: 143 Comments: 40375

82. Walshy 22:09 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
You know its gonna get bad when there is a winter storm watch almost hitting Florida. Member Since: 17 mai 2009 Posts: 2 Comments: 618

83. IKE 22:10 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Thanks for the help everyone. It's nice out here...61.2 degrees, but windy. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

84. BahaHurican 22:13 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE: Whaddya mean, DRIFT? I thought this blog's address WAS Loonville.... lol Afternoon, all. Finally got a little break from work.... enjoying a coffee at Starbucks. Thanks for the fascinating post about the coral situation, Doc. Given our position in the Bahamas, with the second or 3rd longest coral reef system in the ATL, along with all the other coral features here, this report assumes a menacing importance. Tourism, fishing, even hurricane impacts on our islands are all affected by the loss of corals. The Bahama archipelago is basically uplifted or revealed coral reef, but I don't think we are quite ready for a mass extinction event... Member Since: 25 octobre 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17588

85. IKE 22:14 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
A rarity for the lower SE USA....the white are watches.... Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

86. tkeith 22:14 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting IKE: And I'm north of I10. You Yankee... :) Member Since: 1 novembre 2004 Posts: 25 Comments: 8838

89. BahaHurican 22:20 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Hey, Ike, I started to notice the issue u r describing yesterday, and it was indeed a video that messed it up. I guess an email to Techs is going to be needed..... I'm noticing code language showing up in weird places, plus all the Doc's sidebar info is down at the bottom. Member Since: 25 octobre 2005 Posts: 19 Comments: 17588

90. DontAnnoyMe 22:22 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting IKE: A rarity for the lower SE USA....the white are watches.... There are no publicly advertised watches in NC ATTM. Member Since: 21 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 3690

91. DontAnnoyMe 22:23 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting BahaHurican: Hey, Ike, I started to notice the issue u r describing yesterday, and it was indeed a video that messed it up. I guess an email to Techs is going to be needed..... I'm noticing code language showing up in weird places, plus all the Doc's sidebar info is down at the bottom. Just switch to 50 comments/page, then it should be OK on the next page. Member Since: 21 septembre 2010 Posts: 1 Comments: 3690

93. TampaFLUSA 22:45 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
The magnetic shift is big news in Fl and Ga. Tampa, Orlando, and Atlanta Airports are some of the airports that are having to change their runways due to true north moving S 20 miles per year into Russia. Member Since: 21 juin 2007 Posts: 10 Comments: 1656

95. IKE 22:50 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
A rarity.... AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL 414 PM CST FRI JAN 7 2011 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT)...POTENTIALLY MAJOR WINTER EVENT APPROACHING FOR THE FORECAST AREA. DRY AND COOLER CONDITIONS FOLLOW FOR TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY AS SURFACE RIDGE BUILDS INTO THE REGION WHILE A STRONG SHORTWAVE ADVANCES ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN STATES. A STRONG SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS OVER NORTHERN MEXICO AND CONTINUES TO BE SET TO MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. PER COORDINATION WITH HPC AND AREA OFFICES...THIS SETS THE STAGE FOR A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION FOR MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE HEAVIEST QPF AMOUNTS EXPECTED SUNDAY NIGHT AS THE SURFACE LOW PASSES SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA. MODELS HAVE TRENDED COLDER WITH THIS ISSUANCE INCREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF WINTRY WEATHER FOR THE AREA. MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE FAIRLY COLD SATURDAY NIGHT WHILE THE OVERRUNNING FLOW BRINGS IN THE BEGINNING LIGHT PRECIP AMOUNTS. WILL HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS OVER THE WESTERN PORTION OF THE AREA BUT EXPECT THAT PRECIP AMOUNTS WILL BE FAIRLY LIGHT. POPS INCREASE ON SUNDAY WITH MODEL SOUNDINGS AND 1000-850 MB THICKNESSES...PER A BLEND OF ECMWF/GFS/NAM...INDICATING A MIX OF RAIN SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN ACROSS THE INLAND COUNTIES. WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING SUNDAY NIGHT AND HIGH POPS FOR MOST OF THE AREA...WILL HAVE MIXED PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE INLAND COUNTIES...AND A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW ACROSS THE NORTHERNMOST ZONES. THE PRECIPITATION TAPERS OFF ON MONDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW EXITS TO THE EAST. OF CONCERN IS THAT THE GFS MODEL WAS COLDER AND SHOULD THIS COLDER SOLUTION PAN OUT...THIS WILL PORTEND MORE FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET OVER THE AREA WITH POTENTIAL FOR HIGHER GLACE/ICE ACCUMULATION OVER INLAND AREAS. PER COORDINATION WITH AREA OFFICES...HAVE ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE INLAND COUNTIES IN EFFECT FROM 18Z SUNDAY THROUGH 18Z MONDAY. Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

96. IKE 22:53 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

97. Walshy 22:54 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Statement as of 2:46 PM EST on January 07, 2011 ... Winter Storm Warning in effect until 6 PM EST Saturday... The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow... which is in effect until 6 PM EST Saturday. The Winter Weather Advisory is no longer in effect. * Locations... Avery... Mitchell and Yancey counties. * Hazards... heavy snowfall. * Timing... continuing through Saturday. * Accumulations... total snowfall of 4 to 7 inches through Saturday... with locally higher amounts along the Tennessee border. Member Since: 17 mai 2009 Posts: 2 Comments: 618

100. TampaFLUSA 22:57 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
Quoting JFLORIDA: I wonder if it will interfere with any migrations. Boy they are spewing out warnings and changing the forecasts like crazy for this weekend. Wasent there a report linked here by somebody from a scientist that birds flight patterns are affected by magnetic shifts? Also would increased UV rays affect the magnetic poles? Member Since: 21 juin 2007 Posts: 10 Comments: 1656

101. IKE 23:05 GMT le 07 janvier 2011
60 hour 18Z GFS... 192 hour 18Z GFS....what a winter.... Member Since: 9 juin 2005 Posts: 23 Comments: 37044

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