Why did Sandy make a sudden left turn and come inland, instead of going out to sea like a good little hurricane? How often are we to expect 1,000-mile wide storms, pushing 11-13' of water right into the heart of New York City?
Are we at the forefront of some major climate change? Is it man made, or just the way of things?
According to The Nation,
"[I]t’s not our imagination that hurricanes have grown more ferocious than in the past. Multiple scientific studies in the past few years have found that rising sea-surface temperatures linked to global warming are causing an increase in the number of stronger hurricanes. Sandy, right now, is approaching the east coast atop Atlantic sea-surface temperatures a full five degrees Fahrenheit above normal. One study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded that hurricane wind speeds have doubled in the past 30 years. This may account for the fact that among the six most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic Basin—going back 150 years—three occurred over 52 days in 2005: Katrina, Rita and Wilma. And Sandy, as measured by its area of influence, is now the biggest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic."
This is the wrath of the god of the Fake Reverend.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Jee-sus probably told him it was punishment for Stoffa or Angle.
ReplyDeleteOr it could be that we have more people living along the coast, and more media outlets available to cover and record each broken Boardwalk plank of devastation as if it were the end of the world.
ReplyDeleteJust remember - it's all Bush's fault.
Hurricane speeds have doubled in the last 30 years? Isn't wind speed what is used to determine if a storm is actually a Hurricane?
ReplyDeleteWhile Sandy was wide, I think it was barely a Category One when it came on shore. Maybe she forgot her track shoes.
Is Sandy really different from past storms, or are we merely better able to track and measure storms than we were in the past? There's probably more satellite technology available than ever before.
I think we're likely confusing an increase and improvement of DATA, with an increase in activity.
Get a generator!! This is the new norm. Power outages will be more frequent.
ReplyDeletewindfall for the grocery industry.
ReplyDeleteAnd the roofing contractors!
ReplyDeleteMy power has not gone out.
ReplyDeleteBased on the number of comments, consider yourself an exception. I still have oower, but lost my Internet connection and am posting from my hidden bunker at Panera.
ReplyDeletemaybe half the traffic lights in Allentown are out.
ReplyDeleteApparently no gas from Somerville nj to at least Easton.
Center city never lost power for more than a flicker, but enough to need to reset the computer.
I lost my Garden Gnome. He must have blew away. Either that, or Obama must have did something unthinkable to my Gnome. And then Obama sent Hurricane Sandy to cover it all up. I don't doubt it for one minute. This man is evil!
ReplyDeleteAnyone that's read even ten words on hurricane's would know that 30 years is immaterial when talking about hurricane "trends". Hurricane frequencies and strenghts follow natural cycles that extend over several decades (google Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation).
ReplyDeleteIn addition, anyone that quotes MIT research should know that the latest and greatest from hurricane savants at that hallowed ivory tower is that global warming is supposed to cause more stronger hurricanes (cat 3-5). As someone pointed out above, Sandy never got above cat 1.
You want to scare yourself, look Hurricane Hazel.
Again, the intelligence here, but for the host, is at about 70 on the IQ scale.
ReplyDeleteI thought Maxwell Smart foiled the KAOS weather machine plot 30 years ago.
ReplyDeleteMaybe... there was another?
-Clem
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteAny student of history understands weather and average temps vary greatly from age to age. Change is normal, it is the only constant.
On to something of real substance;although we have power the rest of the neighborhood is without electricity.
Scott Armstrong
Scott, manmade or not, i think the weather is changing. The point another reader made about hurricanes is accurate, and is conceded in the Nation article.
ReplyDeleteNo such thing as man made climate change...Rush says so.
ReplyDeleteCommon sense will tell you the affect that the man on world environmental health is remarkably different than it was in 1773. Back then a little TEA in the river didn't hurt anyone, however, today TCE will cause cancer.
ReplyDeleteFly into Atlanta some morning an enjoy the effects of free-market pollution. Smog creates beautiful sunsets, however, denying smog has any adverse impact on the quality of life is just plain reckless.
Common sense regulation to protect sustainable health of our environment and quality of life is our "moral" obligation to the next generation. Let’s balance what works and always strive for better.
Demanding clean technology (coal, gas, solar) brings out the innovativeness that makes our Country so rich. It actually fuels the economy.
No, innovation does not occur via government mandate, and certainly not by government funding. What actually results is the taxpayer funding of business cronies of politicians.
DeleteIf the market demands it, the innovation will come. Until that time, all the political mandates do is sap the ability of the private sector to develop real solutions.
Remember, Conservatives from the 1970's suggested 30 miles per gallon goals would destroy the auto industy and cripple America. This proves that not all dinosaurs are extinct. They just use different slogans and are now funded by super PACs.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if the private sector had not had to comply with a government mandate to find ways to extend GAS mileage, the private sector could have focused more resources on developing vehicles that don't even use gasoline (if that's what the market - AKA us - was looking for).
DeleteAll I can say is that I just put 20 miles on my bike to check on Hanover Township and help someone look for a lost dog. A little chilly, but at the same time felt very good.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed at the number of businesses that are still closed.
Oh yeah, I'm told the dog was found, no thanks to me.
Oh 347. Don't tell that to Lehigh University as they got a ton of Federal Dollars for Research in the last four year four research.
ReplyDeleteLet’s not mention Teflon was result of NASA funded research.
Stealth technology, Federal Express, and the internet (save your jokes) where incubated with Federal Dollars.
Fracking, like it or not, was a direct spinoff of federally funded research.
355 . The 'energy voters" of the 1970'c could not see beyond fossil fuels. Much in the same way the tea party of today balks at investment in renewable energy.
Check out the missions of SERDP and ESTCP. Federally funded programs for Private industry to develop innovative technologies.
Even SpaceX would not exist without a big Federal contract. More often than not, there is a private institution behind the research that is often called “big government”
Federal dollars can be a catalyst to ingenuity. History proves that.
pls pardon my typos
ReplyDeletePardoned.I'm not so sure that the tea party opposes investment in renewable energy It is a fragmented group, and I am sure you can find members with views that support it. But overall, your point is well taken.
ReplyDelete