This is a couple of articles covering the apparent climate for 2009. Our land temperature readings have consistently given us warmer conditions for this decade. My reservation over that particular claim is that it is not particularly obvious on the ground. Also we now know that the US
I would like to see the claims checked against the data established for the beginning of the growing season. I do not know if we have good data but it is obvious work to create a fine test that reflects soil temperatures. Such a calculation is somewhat immune to sporadic change and is naturally cumulative.
If the climate is truly warming then soil temperatures will reach optimum a couple of days earlier. That is a pretty convincing signal that we have warmer conditions. If not, then our other proxies are clearly compromised.
I am not convinced that we have been subject to significantly warmer conditions. In fact this past year appeared pretty ordinary in every way. More impressively, the build up of heat in the oceans was so weak we barely had a hurricane season. In short, subjective evidence is now challenging the claim of warmness.
The Arctic sea ice report is another matter. One again they are forced to report on areal extent which while low is still quite extensive, they are taking note of the continual reduction in thickness and I do not think anyone expects this to continue. It has gone from unnoticed to well understood. We simply do not have much left to spread around and this coming melt season should show this up.
This year, the warmer surface layer is slowing the formation of fresh sea ice. This presages the future behavior of the sea ice once we are fully rid of old ice. The period of clear seas will run from sometime in August to late October because of the cushioning effect of the warmer surface layer.
Arctic sea ice cover: November 2009 3rd lowest for record period
December 9, 11:38 AM Dallas Weather Examiner Steve LaNore
The National Snow and Ice Data Center
However, it’s the 3rd lowest coverage reading for the period 1979-2000 which granted is not a very long record length.
The complete body of the report is shown in italics below, but to paraphrase, warmer than average surface temperatures worked together with various wind currents to prevent ice formation and to break up/pile up ice that was trying to form. Both of these had the effect of reducing the surface area of the ice, which is what the coverage data measures. It does not account for thickness, only extent.
“Arctic sea ice extent averaged over November 2009 was 10.26 million square kilometers (3.96 million square miles). This was 1.05 million square kilometers (405,000 square miles) below the 1979 to 2000 average for November, but 420,000 square kilometers (160,000 square miles) above the record low for the month, which occurred in November 2006. In general, the ice edge is now at or slightly beyond its average location, with two notable exceptions: Hudson Bay and the Barents Sea .
Both Hudson Bay and the Barents Sea have experienced a slow freeze-up this fall. However, the slow sea ice growth in the two regions probably resulted from different processes, highlighting the complex interactions between the sea ice, atmosphere and ocean. In the Barents Sea, ice growth was slowed by winds that pushed the ice northwards into the central Arctic, while warmer-than-usual temperatures contributed to the slow ice growth in Hudson Bay .
The Barents Sea is the deepest of the Arctic coastal seas. It is open on its southern and northern boundaries, allowing winds and currents to move sea ice in and out of the region. In November, southerly winds built up between an area of high pressure over Siberia and low pressure in the northern Atlantic Ocean , in accordance with Buys Ballot's Law. The winds transported warm air and water from the south, and pushed the ice edge northwards out of the Barents Sea .
In contrast to the Barents Sea, Hudson Bay is a relatively shallow body of water, largely enclosed by land. Ocean waters and sea ice do not flow easily in or out of the bay. The lack of ice in southern Hudson Bay this November is probably related to warmer than normal air temperatures in the region, particularly during the first half of the month.
Air temperatures over
So what this all means is a continuation of the 30-year trend of decreasing arctic sea ice cover (for November, but this also applies to many of the months between June and November). Their data shows an average decline of 4.5% per decade since 1979.
2009 set to become the Fifth hottest year on Record, in the Hottest Decade
by Takver - Climate Indymedia
Tuesday Dec 8th, 2009 8:26 AM
2009 is likely to be the fifth warmest year on record according to the World Meteorological Organisation, with the current decade being the warmest on record, eclipsing the 1990s, which in turn was warmer than the 1980s.
Above normal temperatures were recorded for most regions with
With the hacking of emails from the University of East Anglia UK
The Temperature is Rising
The global combined sea surface and land surface air temperature for 2009 (up to October) was estimated at 0.44°C ± 0.11°C (0.79°F ± 0.20°F) above the 1961-1990 annual average of 14.00°C/57.2°F.
As the atmosphere and oceans warm up, more water vapour can be carried, storms will be more intense and more frequent. We will experience more extreme weather events. We are seeing more extreme weather events, with many precipitation and temperature records are being broken.
The year was the third warmest in China
In Europe spring was very warm with temperatures 5 degrees above average during April in central Europe breaking several records. The European summer was also warmer than the long-term average. Spain recorded the third-warmest summer, and Italy United Kingdom , France , Belgium , Germany
The year was marked by climate extremes with devastating floods, severe droughts, snowstorms, heatwaves and cold waves, recorded around the world.
In the Southern Hemisphere autumn proved to be exceedingly warm across Argentina , Uruguay , Paraguay and southern Brazil
Australia had its third-warmest year on record, with three major heatwaves: the first in January/February which resulted in catastrophic bush fires which killed 173 people in Victoria, the second in August affecting sub-tropical Australia, and the third in November braking several temperature records and causing catastrophic bush fire alert to be declared for several regions.
Is it getting hot enough for you yet?
Severe Droughts
Storms
Intense storms affected Spain and France
In South America heavy rainfall occurred in Colombia Argentina Argentina , southern Brazil and Uruguay
A record number of tornadoes were witnessed in Ontario , Canada United States
192 people died in El Salvador
A severe snowstorm in Northern China in early November, one month earlier than normal, broke local weather records.
Torrential rain and flooding ocurred in Western Africa, Zambia and Namibia Africa .
While extreme heatwave and bushfires hit south eastern Australia in February, at the same time large parts of Queensland and coastal New South Wales Australia was affected by dust storms carrying dust from central Australia
Arctic Sea
The Arctic experienced its third lowest sea ice extent over the Northern summer, with only 2007 and 2008 being lower.
More importantly, sea ice thickness is also in rapid decline, with much of the purported multi-year ice as detected by microwaves from satellite proven by new research to be 'rotten' ice unexpectedly thin that electromagnetically fools the satellite measurement instruments. The Research was conducted by Dr David Barber, a professor of Environment and Geography and Canada Research Chair in Arctic System Science from the University of Manitoba
"Our results are consistent with ice age estimates that show the amount of multiyear sea ice in the northern hemisphere was the lowest on record in 2009 suggesting that multiyear sea ice continues to diminish rapidly in the Canada Basin even though 2009 aerial extent increased over that of 2007 and 2009," Dr David Barber concludes in his paper which has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters.
This latest research was conducted In September 2009 by Barber and others in the southern Beaufort Sea aboard the research vessel (NGCC) Amundsen. Much of the ice encountered, sometimes 6-8 metres thick, was so heavily decayed the Amundsen easily broke through the floes. For much of the journey the ship sailed at close to its open water cruising speed of about 25km/h.
"This has significant implications for assessment of the speed of global climate change impacts in the Arctic and for increased shipping and industrial development in the Arctic ," said Barber.
Sources
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