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As noted before (http://kandg.org/WPBlogger/?p=61), our US electrical system is not part of the ‘energy independence’ equation. It’s liquid/gas fuels, ie. mostly petroleum. Here is an interesting excerpt related to ‘conventional wisdom’ about US supplies and that concept.
This comes from an essay with some very interesting charts. Particularly striking are the downward trends in US demand and the projected length of availability for the ‘new discoveries’, ie. Bakken and fracked natural gas. See Anthony Watts Jan 4, 2012, at Watts Up With That: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/04/price-driven-us-energy-independence/ Recommended for a studious moment of reality checking; it’s not too long. In January of 2009, Japan launched a weather satellite (GOSAT) designed specifically to determine the distribution of CO2 in the global atmosphere. At the same time, NASA attempted to launch a complementary satellite, but it never made orbit. Would have been nice to see how these correlated. But, that’s a diversion from the present accumulation of data. So why are both organizations interested in this measurement? According to conventional wisdom as stimulated by many in assumed decision authority, human generation of CO2 is a given and consensus accepted path to oblivion of the planet. Trouble is, we keep seeing confounding measured evidence. GOSAT is one of those. So thanks to Japan, NASA can continue study, regardless of the assertions of some of its politically active employees.  GOSAT CO2 Seasonal Maps Dated October 28, 2011, GOSAT scientists released a new summary on the collected data1. A large portion of the discussion regards reducing the uncertainty in the data set and partitioning the global map into 64 regions. But, towards the end of the short paper (9 pages), the authors show the seasonal distribution of atmospheric CO2. As most would surmise, there is an excess CO2 correlated with industrialized areas during colder months. But, in concert is the huge ocean sink (remover) at the same time. And, during warmer months, these same ‘land emitter’ regions are also sinks. So, the more we learn, the less affect humans appear to have on the global picture of climate change. Here are some additional quoted points discussed by Canadian climatologist Dr. Tim Ball in his recent post2 on the aforementioned Japan paper:
Dr. Ball includes some data charts in his commentary. It’s not too long, worth a drive-by. —— 2Dr. Tim Ball, Whether It Is Warming or Climate Change, It Cannot be the CO2, November 9, 2011, http://drtimball.com/2011/whether-it-is-warming-or-climate-change-it-cannot-be-the-co2/
Dr. Pachauri is/was a contemporary of and mentored by Maurice Strong (now in China exile over food-for-oil scam). Judith Curry was, up until 2009, a strong advocate for anthropogenic global warming (AGW) hypothesis. She is commenting on a just published Kindle book ($4.99) by Donna Laframboise on the agendas and facts regarding the UN IPCC. According to Ms. Dr. Curry, the book is a must read. Others have similarly commented. Could become a significant effector in the debate on AGW and the recent revelations that the hypothesis is becoming more discredited as researchers more carefully examine our environment. The gauntlet was thrown when the ‘consensus’ card was played among responsible scientists. The debate is not over. Michael Blastland in the BBC NewsMagazine brings up the long known natural radioactivity of bananas, noting there is a new proposed unit of radiation measurement: Banana Equivalent Dose (BED). It might be fun to start a conversation at a party by asking: “What is your BED today?”. (Sleeping with a partner is about a half a BED.) The BED could become a useful idea for informing on the ocean of radioactivity we live in. As a result, Mr. Blastland also indirectly implies that the linear no-threshold theory (LNT) is questionable. For those afraid of their shadows, the lowly potato has a higher BED (see personally measured data in the So, what was your BED last night? Starting in 1992, NASA and France launched a satellite system for accurately measuring change in the average global sea level. Recently NASA reported that a speedbump downward has occurred in the historically increasing sea level touted by climate change advocates. If we look at the record, there have been periods of lessor increase or stability of level. But, over the past 5 years, one can infer a stabilization of the upward increase despite continuously increasing carbon dioxide levels alleged to impart global warming and rise in sea level.  Satellite Based Sea Level Meaurements The measurements over time have variability and one can infer personal impressions based on biases by picking any one date or period. But, looking at the whole data set shows that the trend may have slowed or at least, stabilized. The accompanying chart shows the seasonally corrected data from Colorado University. The data have been overlaid with a 3rd order polynomially fitted line. Whether from observing the raw data or the resulting trend line, it can be said that more is needed to properly understand what is going on with ’sea level rise’. As NASA notes: sea level is affected by warming/cooling of the ocean water, by rain and snow tied up on land masses, and glacial ice accumulations on land masses. Recently, the El Nino warming has been moderate, and the La Nina cooling has been strong, with another one currently expected. These affects the weather and sea level since colder water is more dense resulting in a lower volume of ocean or sea level height. |
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