BBC News (9 Feb) - Met Office: Evidence 'suggests climate change link to storms'

[Chris Degnen]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26084625

Speaking ahead of the launch of a Met Office report - produced by the Centre of Ecology and Hydrology - into recent climatic events, Dame Julia said the UK had seen the "most exceptional period of rainfall in 248 years".

Unsettled weather at this time of year was not unexpected - but the prolonged spell of rain, as well as the intensity and height of coastal waves, was "very unusual".

"We have records going back to 1766 and we have nothing like this," she said. "We have seen some exceptional weather. We can't say it is unprecedented but it is exceptional."

The report links the recent extreme weather in Europe and North America to "perturbations" in the North Atlantic and Pacific jet streams, partly emanating from changing weather patterns in South East Asia and "associated with higher than normal ocean temperatures in that region".

[the.etern...@gmail.com]

There was an item on this morning’s “Today” programme (13 Feb) where Nigel Lawson claimed that global temperatures had not risen for twenty years, but his opponent said that the sea had absorbed temperature rises. Lawson said there was no evidence for this, and the opponent disputed this. The presenter was unable to resolve the difference. Does anyone on GCAN know if there is evidence for sea temperature rise overall, and not just the tropical west pacific per Chris’s Met Office Report?

 

Martin

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[nick...@cwgsy.net]

Martin,
There is a recent paper in Nature Climate Change by M.H.England and others published on line on 9 Feb 2014 showing that there has been a rapid increase in the heat uptake by the oceans, which isn't seen in the sea surface temperature as the heat is taken to lower depths. Another factor in the apparent slowing of the increase in global surface temperatures is that the Arctic is severely underrepresented in the three main data sets. The Arctic has been warming much more rapidly than most of the rest of the world. A recent paper has attempted to estimate indirectly the degree of Arctic warming, and the results suggest that much of the apparent slowing disappears when the Arctic is properly taken into account. Average global temperatures have been rising steadily for the past 15 years. A review of this result is given on the website www.realclimate.org in an article from 13 Nov last year by Stefan Rahmsdorf.
I thought it appalling that the Today programme had invited Lawson on at the peak audience time. He has no scientific credibility and pushing his unsupported personal views for reasons which are unclear.
Nick.

[vcri...@cwgsy.net]

Hi Nick

Thank you for the link - I knew you would be the person to answer Martin's question.

I couldn't agree with you more on Lawson this morning & almost emailed into the Today programme to protest. Perhaps I will now, that I know I was not the only one shouting at the radio!

Kind regards
Vanessa

[Richard Lord]

Good comments on the BBC Radio 4 website regarding the interview, which I just listened to.  These comments may make you feel better.

This item summed up the climate change debate perfectly! One the one hand the cautious, measured tones of informed and knowledgable opinion from Sir Brian Hoskins and on the other the bluster of self-opinionated ignorance from Lord Lawson.

i wish the BBC would stop inviting anti science campaigners like Nigel Lawson onto programmes and if it must then make him state where his funding comes from before allowing him to speak

This 'debate' is like my Doctor debating my diagnosis with the bloke from the ChipShop, - and Mr Chipshop is allowed to win ! Ridiculous.

I just wish Sir Brian had asked Lord Hoskins to explain why the Arctic ice sheet was shrinking if it wasn't due to global warming. It takes 180 times the energy for ice to melt than it does to raise the temperature of the resulting water by one degree

-----

Matthew England's paper is here: http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate2106.html

-------

This is a good article to read from Richard Heinberg about the opposing points of view (mainly focused on views on energy)

http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-02-11/the-purposely-confusing-world-of-energy-politics

Best wishes

Richard

[Rosie Dorey]

You might all be interested to read this open letter to the editor of the BBC radio 4 Today program from Rob Hopkins of the Transition Network regarding the interview that you all heard.

http://www.transitionnetwork.org/blogs/rob-hopkins/2014-02/open-letter-bbc-lord-lawsons-today-programme-appearance

With regards,

Rosie

[Rosie Dorey]

Further to my email below, if you scroll down to the comments below Rob's letter, in about the 4th comment is the link you need if you want to send a comment into the program too. I'm sure the more comments / letters sent, the more they will have to listen.

With regards,

Rosie