Comments on: Global Warming Is Heating Up

By: Director

Director — Fri, 10 Jul 2015 21:04:03 +0000

So England has a decent summer, for once? Is it asking too much?

By: Russell Seitz

Russell Seitz — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 22:50:32 +0000

True to form, Watts & Co are trying to shrug off the triple digit heat in the Pacific Northwest
http://vvattsupwiththat.blogspot.com/2015/07/if-you-dont-like-weather-in-seattle.html

By: GregH

GregH — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 22:03:07 +0000

Lots of fires in Canada as well.

http://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/maps/fm3?type=tri

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 19:05:21 +0000

Well, there you go then!

By: CapitalClimate

CapitalClimate — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 18:20:34 +0000

In case there was any confusion, the June temperatures listed were record monthly averages in degrees F.
These records are particularly significant because:
– They are official NWS stations
– Long histories, many a century+
– Large area covered
– Old records exceeded by wide margins, often > 1 degree

By: Bruce Jensen

Bruce Jensen — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 16:20:54 +0000

Brightening and higher reflectivity can indeed help local temperatures remain lower, as this minimizes both Infrared radiation off dark “black body” surfaces (heat) and thermal content of the mass under those surfaces available for conduction to adjacent air and objects. Vegetation, light concrete, and white or highly reflective surfaces all help to send that white light radiation right back to space, rather than absorption and conversion to heat the way asphalt and darker surfaces do. UC Berkeley, among others, has a great program to develop alternative coatings and materials to help cool neighborhoods and minimize the need for air conditioning, which in turn conserves a LOT of energy and thus minimizes local emissions of CO2.

Having said that, Greg is correct – this localized heating is not a significant factor in the data that has been collected, and its minimal effects can also be accounted for in adjustments. The map above shows a tremendous amount of heat concentration in areas where development tis light or nonexistent – much of Western North America, Siberia, and Central Asia have large expanse of open space where heating differential cannot possibly be accounted for by localized development.

Then there’s the expanse of interior Alaska – simply impossible to ascribe THAT massive heating to localized development.

By: Brainstorms

Brainstorms — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 15:49:03 +0000

“They can’t be C.” (Yet) The Koch Brothers are working to fix that for us.

So, do the Albedo Police wear white uniforms? I guess that reflects on their shiny reputation of only hiring the brightest…

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 15:23:38 +0000

James, I have no idea how you can say that this is related to dark surfaces given the information provided here.

Having said that, it is absolutely true that locally, esp. in some areas, you can reduce ambient heat and thus save energy use and money on air conditioners by making surfaces brighter. Someone once told me that if they painted all the roofs in a major western city (san fran IIRC) white or silver the cost of air conditioning during the summer would drop by something like 10%

But this is not about that.

Richard, they are obviously F. I think they must be daily highs, but you can click through the link and ask them directly on Twitter. They can’t be C.

By: richard

richard — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 15:17:44 +0000

The temperatures for WA and OR are not labeled as F or C, as average for month, or YTD. The actual temperatures here in OR are in the 90s F. The values in the 70s as record high temperatures does not make any sense.

By: James Weiss

James Weiss — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 11:42:54 +0000

To me, the data seems to show a greater increase in temperature where dark surfaces are increased. Why couldn’t we have zoning restrictions non-reflective ness . There are Zoning laws now for Energy Conservation. And how about requiring Ashphalt roadways to have a top coat of fine whit rock and rolled in? These seem to me to be inexpensive way to help.