Warmest January-April on record; new record Arctic sea ice minimum
April 2007 was the third warmest April for the globe on record, and the first four months of 2007 were the warmest ever, according to statistics released this week by the National Climatic Data Center. The global average temperature for April was 1.19�F/0.66�C above the 20th century mean. Over land, April global temperatures were the warmest ever measured. Ocean temperatures were a bit cooler (seventh warmest on record), thanks to the cooling associated with the disappearance of the winter El Ni�o event.
April temperatures were particularly warm across portions of Europe and Siberia, where readings of 5�C (9�F) above average were common (Figure 1). The UK recorded its warmest and driest April on record. In the U.S., April ranked near normal in temperature, but a record cold snap hit the eastern half of the country April 4-10, setting 900 daily low temperature records. The long duration of the cold outbreak, combined with the large number of hours that remained below freezing, and strong winds that occurred in many areas, contributed to crop losses that could reach into the billions of dollars. The damaging effects of the record cold were made worse by near-record warmth in March that helped induce an earlier spring blossom--in some cases two weeks prior to crop development in 2006. More than 2,500 daily record-high temperatures were set in the contiguous U.S. in March, and it was our second warmest March on record.
April's cold snap in the U.S. shows that although the globe as a whole may be warming, there is still plenty of natural variability capable of bringing very cold weather to local regions.
Figure 1. Temperature departure from average for April 2007. Image credit: National Climatic Data Center.
Arctio sea ice extent
After three months of not recording a record monthly minimum, sea ice extent in the Arctic recorded a new record low extent in April. The record warmth of the first four months of 2007, combined with the 8th lowest snow cover on record observed in winter 2006/2007, combined to produce the record low ice extent (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Arctic sea ice extent for April, for the years 1979-2007. April 2007 set a new record for the lowest Arctic sea ice extent measured. April sea ice coverage has declined about 9% since 1979. Image credit: National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Atlantic storms
The computer models have been forecasting development of several low pressure systems along the East Coast over the next few days. All of these lows will be non-tropical in nature, due to the high levels of wind shear. The models are beginning to hint that wind shear could relax over the ocean waters north of Panama next week, and we may have to watch that area for tropical development if the shear does indeed relax as forecast.
Jeff Masters
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Typhoon Yutu- 65 knots, 980 hPa
Please visit my JoeS3 blog for more information
BY MARTIN MERZER
MiamiHerald.com
The top two leaders of the National Weather Service announced their resignations Friday, two days after the director of the National Hurricane Center blasted federal overseers for attempting to diminish both agencies' identity and absorb their budgets.
David Johnson, who served as director of the National Weather Service since January 2004, said he would step down on June 30. John E. Jones Jr., the service's deputy director since 1998, will retire on the same day after 35 years in the government.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration controls the National Weather Service, which in turn controls the National Hurricane Center. NOAA recently has been under fire for its efforts to promote itself and diminish the name recognition of its component agencies.
NOAA's announcement of the two departures offered no reason for either move.
Neither Johnson nor Jones was immediately available for comment. It was not known to what extent, if any, the identity controversy at NOAA and its agencies provoked protest on their part or what role, if any, it played in their decisions to leave.
Greg Romano, a spokesman for the National Weather Service, said the departures had been planned for some time and ''are unrelated'' to comments made Wednesday by Bill Proenza, the new director of the hurricane center.
Proenza told The Miami Herald and, a day later, other news organizations that NOAA was squandering millions of dollars on a 200-year anniversary celebration and other unnecessary public relations efforts while forecasters wrestle with budget shortfalls.
''It's getting to the point where I cannot tolerate this,'' Proenza told The Miami Herald.
He also said his bosses at NOAA were engaging in a broad campaign to diminish the identity of the weather service, the hurricane center and other agencies in an effort to promote themselves and gain more control over funding.
Among other things, he said, NOAA wants to rename the National Hurricane Center as the NOAA Hurricane Center.
''Our mission is the protection of life,'' Proenza said. ``I just feel that they need to ensure that they put things in the proper priority and the National Weather Service is prominent in their priorities.''
On Friday afternoon, Proenza said he spoke with Johnson earlier in the day and believes that Johnson and his deputy simply decided it was time to retire.
''I think we have different philosophies about what's going on at NOAA,'' Proenza said. ``I don't think these actions are related to anything I said.''
Proenza said his superiors in Washington have not contacted him about his critical comments about NOAA, though he is scheduled to attend meetings at NOAA headquarters next week.
NOAA officials confirmed Wednesday that they want to change the hurricane center's name and otherwise assert the NOAA identity, but they rejected Proenza's criticism, saying their actions were in the best interests of the nation.
Still, Proenza's comments generated considerable support from emergency managers and forecasters in South Florida and around the country.
Several started e-mail campaigns to oppose NOAA's plans.
''I hope NOAA will reconsider this policy immediately and start working with NWS in healthy ways that will benefit the life-saving efforts of this organization,'' one widely distributed e-mail said.
``If you are troubled by this turn of events, please tell NOAA corporate headquarters that you would like the NWS and NHC to retain its distinctive identity, mission and name.''
you said:
Having said all that, I am loathe to discuss this issue with people who have no background in physical sciences, as they cannot be convinced without a lengthy and troublesome discourse on how science actually works and what the basis is of, say, determining the age of the universe to within a few hundred million years. The scientific evidence is not well understood without enough 'schooling' in the basics and intermediates and advanced topics which bear on that determination.
In your response to my only post late last night (very early this morning), you clearly missed the obvious context of my whole argument. Simply put, I chose specifically not to engage in a full scientific discourse with you or any other on this subject for the precise reasoning exemplified by my post. To be most specific, the facts (i.e. data) is not pure and concise as I briefly touched upon in my previous post. Consequently, it is the height of arrogance and foolishness not to recognize that we ALL filter the same data through our presuppositions, and you only reiterated that reality in your response. YOu may not be aware of this, but I have written on this topic numerous times in the past. However, I simply chose to avoid discussing the so called scientific merits against the theory of human induced Global Warming. Sadly, your response it typical of too many who choose to respond to my post focused on simple logic by presupposing you have a greater understanding of science in general. Despite your opinion to the contrary, I feel quite confident that is not even remotely the case. I have worked in the meterological field and have a degree as well in Atmospheric sciences. On the other hand, I am humble enough to be honest with myself in recognizing that two very since and educated people can view the same data and come to differing conclusions as a result of how they interpret it as was the context of my initial post. In short, I would encourage you and others to refrain from false presuppositions about anothers understanding and/or background in science when they have intentionally chosen not to go there for all the aforementioned reasons. Thanks for reading my post and I will not be posting in further on this subject matter for the reasons I stated in my initial post. I hope you and everyone else has a great day.:)
Most sincerely,
Tony
((that same thing that was here on last blog. ))Atlantic storms
The computer models have been forecasting development of several low pressure systems along the East Coast over the next few days. All of these lows will be non-tropical in nature, due to the high levels of wind shear. The models are beginning to hint that wind shear could relax over the ocean waters north of Panama next week, and we may have to watch that area for tropical development if the shear does indeed relax as forecast.
You ask about why hurricanes rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere like Galaxies. Very insightfull observation as I have always believed that space is just like our seas! My answer would be that the portion of space that we see is the northen part of the solar system and that if we could see the Southern part, we would indeed see the galaxies turn clockwise! I believe everything in the universe, including the universe is polarized! But what do I know? Oh by the way if E = MC squared wouldn't E also = -M times-C squared ? Thus proof for Anti-matter? Maybe we could travel through space faster by giving either a negative or a postitive charge to the ship and letting the universe do part of the pulling! Boy, that was deep, time to go to bed
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