[NatureNS] FW: Summer was the second warmest ever -- Globe and Mail, Sept. 13/06

Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:06:45 -0300
From: Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
To: NatureNS <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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On this evening when I and many others were turned away at the Whittle
Theatre in Wolfville from the first of a few to several showings of Al
Gore's documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth" [DVD expected sometime this
autumn], I cannot resist the temptation to share a very appropriate article
from today's Globe and Mail (and a similar but shorter article was in
today's Herald).

I think it's great that they had a full house, probably partly due to some
professors and possibly high school teachers asking or compelling their
students to attend?.

Bill Zimmerman of the Whittle Theatre promised not only the two scheduled
showings tomorrow, at noon and 7 p.m., but also that there will be enough
showings to accommodate as many people as wish to see the documentary.  Come
one, come all!  Perhaps it would be a good idea to call ahead to find out
the showing times? 

Acadia Cinema Cooperative, 1-902-542-3344 .

Cheers from Jim
------------------
Globe and Mail, Sept. 13/06

Summer was the second warmest ever
Above-normal temperatures in most of Canada continue nine year trend

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER

This summer has been the second warmest on record in Canada, with almost the
entire country basking in above-normal temperatures, according to
preliminary figures compiled by Environment Canada.

The warm summer also continues a trend of above-average seasonal readings
that has lasted for nearly than [sic] nine years, leading some weather
experts to suggest Canadians are seeing the early signs of global warming.

"It's certainly leading towards saying we're seeing some further evidence
towards climate change," says Bob Whitewood, an Environment Canada
climatologist. 

How much of the warmth is due to natural variability in the weather and how
much is due to climate change is "hard to parse out at this point," he
added. 
This summer has been 1.4 degrees above normal, eclipsed only by the summer
of 1998, when it was 1.7 degrees above normal.
Environment Canada defines the normal summer temperature as the average that
prevailed in the 30-year period between 1951 and 1980. The actual reading is
a cool 11.7 C, a reflection of the vastness of Canada's North.

The greatest increase this year was in the North, near the Northwest
Territories-Nunavut boundary, where temperatures were more than three
degrees above typical values.

But Mr. Whitehood said every region was warmer than usual except for a small
sliver of northwestern British Columbia, which experienced near-normal
readings. 

"When you look at the national picture, it's definitely from coast to coast
to coast, warmer than normal," he said.

The high temperatures in the North are considered particularly significant
by climatologists looking at climate change because most computer models on
the effects of global warming predict northerly latitudes will experience
more pronounced increases in warming than southerly latitudes.

This prediction is based on the observation that warmer temperatures will
reduce ice and snow cover in the Far North.

That allows more warmth from the sun to be absorbed by land and water rather
than being reflected back into space.

Some critics have argued that the observed warming trend is occurring only
because temperature measurements are being skewed by the fact that large
cities, with their multitude of roads and buildings, absorb more of the
sun's heat and are therefore hotter than the surrounding countryside.

To blunt such criticism, Environment Canada doesn't use statistics from some
big urban areas in computing seasonal readings. The latest data showing this
summer as unusually hot didn't include measurements from Toronto, Montreal
or Hamilton, and relied instead on readings from smaller cities in Southern
Ontario and Quebec.

For instance, in Southern Ontario, Environment Canada used temperatures from
London, Peterborough and St. Catharines.

Temperatures from Vancouver were used, however, because the proximity of
nearby mountains means there is a lack of regional measurements that would
mirror trends in the West Coast city.

With both the past winter and spring the warmest on record, Environment
Canada said the last eight-month period has been the warmest such stretch
experienced in the country since the government began compiling modern
temperature data in 1948.

Averaging the yearly temperature fluctuations shows that summer values in
Canada have experienced a warming trend of 0.9 degrees over the period of
modern record keeping.

Canada hasn't had an especially cool summer since 1992, when volcanic ash
from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines a year earlier led to
a temporary worldwide cooling.

During this summer, the southwest coast and central mountains of B.C., along
with Manitoba, experienced conditions that were at least 40 per cent drier
than normal. Northern Quebec, the Northern Arctic Islands and most of the
Maritimes had at least 60 per cent more precipitation than normal.

Environment Canada's meteorologists have forecast above-average fall
temperatures for Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, the Yukon and northern B.C.

The winter, Mr. Whitewood said, is expected to be warmer than normal in
"virtually all of Canada."



--Boundary_(ID_GdxlWCNeSpvdHP4L0qOY7g)
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<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>FW: Summer was the second warmest ever -- Globe and Mail, Sept. 13/06</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
On this evening when I and many others were turned away at the Whittle Theatre in Wolfville from the first of a few to several showings of Al Gore's documentary, &quot;An Inconvenient Truth&quot; [DVD expected sometime this autumn], I cannot resist the temptation to share a very appropriate article from today's Globe and Mail (and a similar but shorter article was in today's Herald).<BR>
<BR>
I think it's great that they had a full house, probably partly due to some professors and possibly high school teachers asking or compelling their students to attend?. &nbsp;<BR>
<BR>
Bill Zimmerman of the Whittle Theatre promised not only the two scheduled showings tomorrow, at noon and 7 p.m., but also that there will be enough showings to accommodate as many people as wish to see the documentary. &nbsp;Come one, come all! &nbsp;Perhaps it would be a good idea to call ahead to find out the showing times? &nbsp;<BR>
<BR>
Acadia Cinema Cooperative, 1-902-542-3344 .<BR>
<BR>
Cheers from Jim<BR>
------------------<BR>
Globe and Mail, Sept. 13/06<BR>
 <BR>
<H2>Summer was the second warmest ever<BR>
</H2><H3>Above-normal temperatures in most of Canada continue nine year trend<BR>
</H3><BR>
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT <BR>
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER<BR>
<BR>
This summer has been the second warmest on record in Canada, with almost the entire country basking in above-normal temperatures, according to preliminary figures compiled by Environment Canada. <BR>
<BR>
The warm summer also continues a trend of above-average seasonal readings that has lasted for nearly than [sic] nine years, leading some weather experts to suggest Canadians are seeing the early signs of global warming. <BR>
<BR>
&quot;It's certainly leading towards saying we're seeing some further evidence towards climate change,&quot; says Bob Whitewood, an Environment Canada climatologist. <BR>
<BR>
How much of the warmth is due to natural variability in the weather and how much is due to climate change is &quot;hard to parse out at this point,&quot; he added. <BR>
This summer has been 1.4 degrees above normal, eclipsed only by the summer of 1998, when it was 1.7 degrees above normal. <BR>
Environment Canada defines the normal summer temperature as the average that prevailed in the 30-year period between 1951 and 1980. The actual reading is a cool 11.7 C, a reflection of the vastness of Canada's North. <BR>
<BR>
The greatest increase this year was in the North, near the Northwest Territories-Nunavut boundary, where temperatures were more than three degrees above typical values. <BR>
<BR>
But Mr. Whitehood said every region was warmer than usual except for a small sliver of northwestern British Columbia, which experienced near-normal readings. <BR>
<BR>
&quot;When you look at the national picture, it's definitely from coast to coast to coast, warmer than normal,&quot; he said. <BR>
<BR>
The high temperatures in the North are considered particularly significant by climatologists looking at climate change because most computer models on the effects of global warming predict northerly latitudes will experience more pronounced increases in warming than southerly latitudes. <BR>
<BR>
This prediction is based on the observation that warmer temperatures will reduce ice and snow cover in the Far North. <BR>
<BR>
That allows more warmth from the sun to be absorbed by land and water rather than being reflected back into space. <BR>
<BR>
Some critics have argued that the observed warming trend is occurring only because temperature measurements are being skewed by the fact that large cities, with their multitude of roads and buildings, absorb more of the sun's heat and are therefore hotter than the surrounding countryside. <BR>
<BR>
To blunt such criticism, Environment Canada doesn't use statistics from some big urban areas in computing seasonal readings. The latest data showing this summer as unusually hot didn't include measurements from Toronto, Montreal or Hamilton, and relied instead on readings from smaller cities in Southern Ontario and Quebec. <BR>
<BR>
For instance, in Southern Ontario, Environment Canada used temperatures from London, Peterborough and St. Catharines. <BR>
<BR>
Temperatures from Vancouver were used, however, because the proximity of nearby mountains means there is a lack of regional measurements that would mirror trends in the West Coast city. <BR>
<BR>
With both the past winter and spring the warmest on record, Environment Canada said the last eight-month period has been the warmest such stretch experienced in the country since the government began compiling modern temperature data in 1948. <BR>
<BR>
Averaging the yearly temperature fluctuations shows that summer values in Canada have experienced a warming trend of 0.9 degrees over the period of modern record keeping. <BR>
<BR>
Canada hasn't had an especially cool summer since 1992, when volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines a year earlier led to a temporary worldwide cooling. <BR>
<BR>
During this summer, the southwest coast and central mountains of B.C., along with Manitoba, experienced conditions that were at least 40 per cent drier than normal. Northern Quebec, the Northern Arctic Islands and most of the Maritimes had at least 60 per cent more precipitation than normal. <BR>
<BR>
Environment Canada's meteorologists have forecast above-average fall temperatures for Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, the Yukon and northern B.C. <BR>
<BR>
The winter, Mr. Whitewood said, is expected to be warmer than normal in &quot;virtually all of Canada.&quot;<BR>
<BR>
</BODY>
</HTML>


--Boundary_(ID_GdxlWCNeSpvdHP4L0qOY7g)--

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