Their research suggests that "global warming" is leading to cooling in the Northern hemisphere. Most of the dire, Algoresque predictions of the Earth turning into a fireball have come from people using Northern hemisphere (NH) data. They've also been squirming looking for ways to explain away climate events like the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). (How could temperatures have been warmer when there were no eeeeevil SUVs driving around?!)
Another climate phenomenon that the Algorecrazies try to ignore is the Little Ice Age (LIA). The LIA poses a problem for them since it gives late 19th and 20th century warming a colder, and thus less noteworthy, starting point. A little warming doesn't count for much if it's merely correcting an earlier cold snap. These researchers have found a mechanism to connect the MWP and the LIA in the Northern hemisphere: The Jet Stream. This would also fit the change from the Roman Warm Period and the colder Dark Ages.
Though the article doesn't say so, I wonder if the researchers haven't noticed the same thing. Later in the article, Dr. Francis is quoted as saying that it's too early to blame the warming at the pole, and thus cooling over the NH. on humans. Has she and her team noticed this cyclical behavior?
To quote Battlestar Galactica: "This has all happened before and will happen again."
Two words “interglacial period”.
You know, Earth is mostly a molten planet, with a very, very thin crust upon which we float. How come no one ever discusses the heat radiation from within? It’s got to be variable.
The jet stream has been wandering for as long as I can remember.
We haven’t gotten a freeze in Florida this year, but in past years the jet stream got far enough south to kill off the orange crops, or even kill some of the trees.
I’m afraid this sounds to me like more of this “warmer makes it colder” stuff that they’ve been coming out with for some time.
And as an academic climatologist, she has to stick with the story if she wants a government research grant.
or, colder winters are why the jet stream shifted.
The jet stream is the toe of the trough and dipped because the trough was more intense
Either you mock it, or I mock you.
Yeah! Yeah!
We used to say ‘If my aunt had gonads she would be my uncle’, although with todays ‘crazies’ once they go under the knife not sure what kind of freak show is started.
Then again ‘Your Mother wore Combat Boots’ used to be an insult but today she could be quite heroic (in a sense) especially if daddy didn’t bother to join.
Curious — Does the Southern Hemisphere have some sort of similar jet stream?
With lake Michigan at about 87% frozen over and a total freeze over expected very soon, along with the record snow falls in the state, we’re going to be in for a very cold spring......
More snow cover means more heat from the sun being radiated back to space.
More heat radiating back to space means more cooling.
Maybe the scientists have discovered one more balancing mechanism that keeps the earth's climate in a relatively stable, and liveable state.
Melting polar ice caps??? Isn’t this year’s ice extent greater than last year’s? Look at the satellite photos, professor - the North Pole is not ice-free in spite of Al Gore’s prediction five years ago that it would be by now. Who ya gonna believe, Al Gore’s prediction or your lyin’ eyes?
If true, this will become the new ‘climate change’ mantra of the left that will somehow be the fault of capitalists, Christians, conservatives or Republicans. Intelligent discourse about purely scientific issues are a thing of the past-everything is now politicized.
Good gawd o mighty....I knew it was only a matter of time until they blamed current jet stream patterns on their global warming...Or it is now called climate change? Climate culture? Climate sensitivity? Climate coming out of the closet?
IN The words of Jean Clod sKerry..
Breeng EET onnnnn!!!
So how could melting ice caps be the driving force in warmer air?
Methinks there is a cart pulling a horse somewhere in this scenario.
If the ice caps are melting, then perhaps something else is to blame, but AFAIK, the ice caps were there, happy and healthy this year (perhaps submarine volcanic activity in the Arctic Ocean slacked off).
We are entering a new dark age where what once was reasoned science has become dogma and superstition to the point that reasoning is being dumped on its head.
1a) Two decades is meaningless, 1b) The jet stream has weakened only because it strengthened in the 90's: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/precip/CWlink/pna/nao.timeseries.gif 2) the warming in the Arctic in winter is the result of the weaker (meandering) jet stream, not the cause 3) Francis is a stupid propagandist.
The only source of weather on the earth is the sun. The sun simply doesn't shine on the poles in the winter. This means the poles get cold in the winter. The cold is like a beret' on your head. Sometimes it isn't placed directly on the top, so some parts get colder than normal, while other spots get warmer than normal. It's as simple as that.
The other thing to remember is that warm air (think equator) rises, and cold air sinks. This means warm air at the equator tends to move to the poles. The problem is that the equator, and the air around it, is moving from west to east at about 1000 miles per hour. The poles barely move at all. This makes for jet streams as the air moves to the poles. (Note how they move generally from west to east.)
Weather patterns can alter these things, somewhat, but nothing can alter these facts: The poles are cold in the winter, air flows from hot to cold, and the equator moves at about 1000 mph. Don't let a jaunty beret' convince you otherwise. Give nothing but mirth, or pity, to the warmists.
My problem with these kind of articles is that if we are to take the “scientists” as credible, then they should have predicted this sort of model 10 years ago. They just keep modifying the theory to fit the latest weather patterns.
I believe that these researchers should have to spend a month at the respective poles during their winter months before being allowed to pass their, ‘knowledge’, on to the rest of us.
What it boils down to is that they are no better than the snake oil salesmen of the past and should be treated accordingly
Do these "scientists" do double shifts as part time New York bridge salesmen ?