May 09, 2008
Sahara Became Dry Slowly, Not Abruptly
The once-green Sahara turned to desert over thousands of years rather than in an abrupt shift as previously believed, according to a study on Thursday that may help understanding of future climate changes. And there are now signs of a... MorePosted by Paul at 10:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
UK Escapes the 'Green' Version of Marxism, For Now
The British government has shelved plans to get people to reduce their carbon footprint by allowing them to trade personal emissions permits because it would be too expensive and ambitious. After studying ways of encouraging individuals to cut their CO2... MorePosted by Paul at 10:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Cyclone Bandwagon Gains Another Passenger
A TOP Indian advocacy group that monitors climate change in south Asia warned last night that the Nargis cyclone that devastated Burma was "a sign of things to come", as climate change caused extreme weather to increase in intensity. "Nargis... MorePosted by Paul at 07:35 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
Belief in the Truth of a Theory (Again)
I wrote these two laws down on a scrap of paper years ago. I still have the scrap of paper but not the original reference. Harris's First Law: Belief in the truth of a theory is inversely proportional to the... MorePosted by jennifer at 06:00 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
The Starck Truth about The Great Barrier Reef
Walter Starck has an excellent 4 page rebuttal of a greenhouse doom and gloom article by Charlie Vernon over at On Line Opinion. Vernon's article entitled, 'The plight of the Great Barrier Reef:' claims that by 2050 the Great Barrier... MorePosted by Paul at 04:37 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)
May 08, 2008
New Study: Climate Models Overheat Antarctica
BOULDER - Computer analyses of global climate have consistently overstated warming in Antarctica, concludes new research by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and Ohio State University. The study can help scientists improve computer models and determine... MorePosted by Paul at 10:39 PM | Comments (30) | TrackBack (0)
Measuring the Surface Air Temperature (Part 2)
In part 1 of this series ‘Measuring the Surface Air Temperature’ I wrote that James Hansen of NASA’s Goddard Space Institute explains that it is not easy to measure surface air temperature particularly in the presence of vegetation because the... MorePosted by jennifer at 07:48 PM | Comments (37) | TrackBack (0)
Latest Global Warming Scares: 'Grolar Bears' and CO2 Kills Koalas
BOFFINS fear Arctic ice melting could see the rise of a polar bear and grizzly bear hybrid - dubbed the 'grolar bear.' The effects of climate change means the hybrid bears could become more common as their habitats increasingly overlap... MorePosted by Paul at 06:39 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
Mammal, Reptile, or Bird? Platypus DNA Unravelled
The genetic blueprint of the Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) has been deciphered by an international team that includes Australian scientists, and published in the journal Nature. More explanation here on the BBC News website: Platypus genetic code unravelled Nature: Genome analysis... MorePosted by Paul at 04:42 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
May 07, 2008
Shining the Hard Light of Reason on Environmental Problems
Last Wednesday was the launch of a new initiative between the University of Queensland and the Institute of Public Affairs for environmental research. There is some reporting of the program in today's The Australian newspaper under the title 'Climate Sceptic's... MorePosted by jennifer at 10:15 PM | Comments (23) | TrackBack (0)
Mealybugs and Jumping Plant Lice
I must confess that I really can't remember when I first came to believe that Green Tree Ants, presented in the previous entry, farmed aphids concealed under frass. However, I am always willing to learn, so thank you Jennifer... MorePosted by neil at 05:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Green Tree Ants
Green tree ants Oecophylla smaragdina farm aphids for their honeydew. They are occasionally referred to as weaver ants because they form large leafy nests bound with silk. Through amazing co-operative strength, they form strings of hundreds of ants anchored... MorePosted by neil at 07:56 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Cyclone: Mangrove Loss Left Burma Exposed, but Gore Blames Global Warming
Destruction of mangrove forests in Burma left coastal areas exposed to the devastating force of the weekend's cyclone, a top politician suggests. ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said coastal developments had resulted in mangroves, which act as a natural defence against... MorePosted by Paul at 07:53 AM | Comments (59) | TrackBack (0)
May 06, 2008
Measuring the Surface Air Temperature (Part 1)
The orthodoxy has been that as a consequence of greenhouse gas emissions global temperatures will continue to increase. But what is really meant by global temperatures? According to James Hansen from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies even defining surface... MorePosted by jennifer at 10:40 AM | Comments (95) | TrackBack (0)
Don't Grind Grain for Ethanol - by Geoff Ward (Part 2)
The New South Wales Government is proposing to mandate that all standard unleaded petrol will contain 10% of ethanol. This ethanol will mostly be sourced from grain. The main reasons we must oppose this legislation are the humanitarian effects of... MorePosted by jennifer at 09:56 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
Don't Grind Grain for Ethanol - by Geoff Ward (Part 1)
Grain prices have suddenly doubled worldwide and are expected to remain at these levels. For the billions of people who spend a large percentage of their income on food, mostly the urban poor in developing countries, this is and will... MorePosted by jennifer at 09:50 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack (0)
Sea Ice Update: Unprecedented SH High, Rapid NH Recovery
There won't be much, if any, coverage in the media about the unprecedented high in the Southern Hemisphere sea ice anomaly, so a self-explanatory graphic is posted below of the 1979 to present anomaly from the 1979 to 2000 mean:... MorePosted by Paul at 02:12 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
May 05, 2008
What is Wilderness? (Part 2)
"For many aboriginal people, wilderness offers no cause for fond nostalgia. Rather, it represents a tract of land without custodians." Martin Thomas, 2003, The Artificial Horizon. pg 29. 'The Three Sisters' - A rock formation in The Blue Mountains. Photographed... MorePosted by jennifer at 08:29 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
William Connolley at Wikipedia - by Lawrence Solomon
At Wikipedia, one man engineers the debate on global warming, and shapes it to his views: Next to Al Gore, William Connolley may be the world's most influential person in the global warming debate. He has a PhD in mathematics... MorePosted by jennifer at 11:07 AM | Comments (39) | TrackBack (0)
Volcano Erupts in Chile
More than 1,500 people have fled their homes in southern Chile after the Chaiten volcano erupted, throwing a huge cloud of ash and lava into the sky. More than 1,500 people have fled their homes in southern Chile after the... MorePosted by Paul at 06:05 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
Climate Debate on the Web
"There are some other good Antipodean blogs that regularly touch on climate change. The mainstream view is represented by the University of NSW's Tim Lambert at scienceblogs.com/deltoid, while the sceptics get a run at my favourite environmental website, jennifermarohasy.com/blog. Marohasy... MorePosted by Paul at 01:00 AM | Comments (27) | TrackBack (0)
May 04, 2008
The Boris Effect: UK Government to Scrap Green Taxes in Bid to Calm Voter Fury
Gordon Brown is poised to scrap a series of unpopular tax rises as part of sweeping changes to stave off a dangerous revolt over the rising cost of living which last week dealt Labour its worst electoral hammering in 40... MorePosted by Paul at 11:10 PM | Comments (19) | TrackBack (0)
Whaling News from the North Atlantic - A Note from Ann Novek
1) News from the Icelandic Minke Whaler’s Association, 15.4.2008. Minke whaling boat Njordur KO, will leave port in the middle of May, to start minke whale hunting that will continue to the summer. The vessels Dröfn RE and Halldor Sigurdsson... MorePosted by Paul at 11:09 PM | Comments (11)
Biomimetics
Mimicking the Bumps on Humpback-whale Fins Could Lead to More Efficient Wind Turbines. Biomimetics is the abstraction of good design from nature. Continue reading the ABC (US) news story: Whale-Inspired Windmills Thanks to Ann Novek of Sweden for this story.... MorePosted by Paul at 11:00 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)
Challenging Global Warming Orthodoxies: Don Aitkin
In last week's broadcast I put forward the view that despite the alarm about greenhouse gas emissions, Kyoto targets and the rest, there is evidence that suggests that if the earth is warming, it is doing so slowly after a... MorePosted by jennifer at 11:00 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack (0)
Hercules Moth
In matters of antennae, I imagine that surface area correlates with sensitivity. The male Hercules Moth Coscinocera Hercules must find his mate within a very short timeframe. Adult females emerge from the chrysalis without mouth-parts, her 4-5 day life... MorePosted by neil at 10:10 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Climate Change and the Commercial Fishery: A Note from Walter Starck
I have never seen a more succinct and telling argument to refute carbon dioxide governed climate change than the following graph from a study by L.B. Klyashtorin pubished as a technical paper by the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organisation.... MorePosted by jennifer at 10:07 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
May 03, 2008
Climate Realist Elected Mayor of London
The UK Conservative Party's Boris Johnson, climate realist and member of Benny Peiser's scholarly electronic network CCNet, has been elected Mayor of London, defeating 'Red Ken' Livingstone. There are a hundred reasons why Boris Johnson should not be Mayor of... MorePosted by Paul at 06:46 PM | Comments (24) | TrackBack (0)
Follow The Money
TEN years ago, scientists specialising in climate change counted themselves lucky to find a job. Now employers are beating paths to their doors. From the federal Government down, Australia's corporations and institutions, public and private, are falling over themselves to... MorePosted by Paul at 06:11 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack (0)
