A cold front has transcended the United States this week. Cold, wind and snow in some places, below zero temperatures in others. Here it has been very cold and windy. I think winter has finally arrived, almost in full force. Except for the lack of snow.
The climate doomsayers constantly remind us about various days as being the warmest the earth has experienced. Never do they talk about or trend the coldest days. Or they frequently discuss the warmest year on record. They also talk about how weather phenomena continue to drive bad conditions. It is worse this year than in previous years. The situation continues to get worse year after year. People attribute the magnitude of destruction from the California fires to the Santa Ana winds. And all of the destruction that we see is because of climate change. I am certain the Santa Ana winds have been around for much longer than either you or me.
Suffice it to say, the fires are bad because of the lack of poor land management. There is a lack of reducing fuel on land. Additionally, there is insufficient investment in infrastructure because the land becomes overpopulated. Mother nature has not snapped.
The intensity of storms or winds may have increased compared to what was experienced in the past. We all likely agree on this to some extent. And I think we would all acknowledge that the human race has had some impact on those changes. However, we will all disagree on the specific conditions of the change. Increased CO2 from the emissions of cars, petroleum products, burning coal for electricity? Decreased forestation, where less trees cover the planet. Changes in water and air conditions (pollution). More buildings, roads and parking lots. We differ on where humans have played a role in changing the climate. And I am sure that we differ on how to fix it, if it even can be fixed?
Quite simply, there are too many people on this planet.
Climate and weather is Chemistry and Physics. I am reminded of Le Chatelier’s Principle. When a reaction at equilibrium is disturbed by a change in conditions, the system will respond. It will act in a way that counteracts the disturbance. Then it will re-establish a new equilibrium. Or is it the simplification of Newton’s Third law, that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?
Some interrelation mathematical dance tied to a myriad of hydrodynamics codes. Whether it is the weather, nuclear weapons design, investing in the stock market, who knows (or cares). Perhaps I have snapped!
My coworker and I were talking about this the other day. Not the have I snapped part. A conversation separates the normal workflow of the day. Schedules, reports, review reports or data, technical presentations to prepare, meetings to attend (and accomplish nothing). The status of our activities. Earned value management? She was getting things wrapped up work wise before venturing off onto another photography trip. This time it’s to British Columbia and Alberta to visit among other things, some lake that has frozen methane spheres. And if nature and conditions cooperate, animals will be photographed in their natural habitat. Hopefully, the northern lights will also make an appearance.
You can read all about the methane bubbles here: https://www.abrahamlake.com/Frozen-Methane-Bubbles-at-Abraham-Lake.html
As for the scientist in me, I wonder if you can burn the methane ice bubbles like cow dung. Or will they just explode?
She travels the world whenever time permits, which is another way of saying when vacation hours accumulate. She has photographed penguins in Antarctica, twice. She has captured pictures of volcanoes in Iceland. Stayed in an ice hotel in Scandinavia as part of a trip to see the Northern Lights. Castles in Scotland. She has documented (on film) animals in Africa. She has taken photographs of wildfires. She has photographed the crews working to contain them. She has also captured images of polar bears here in America. And of my daughter’s horse Ruby…
Our conversation was about melting glaciers and their impact on global warming. We also talked about the salinity of the water (Le Chatelier’s Principle in action). Why does one use salt to melt ice? Lastly, we discussed ideal beachfront investments for the future, as I have to trivialize everything. Does melting ice actually flood the planet and change the coastline in the future?
Her vacation travels make me think about my need to travel across this country, and elsewhere. Especially as I ponder retirement. Unfortunately, I accumulate too many vacation hours and hardly use them. OK, I occasionally travel for concerts. Early May is already set with a planned concert. A few other trips are in the planning stages. As for work, our paid time off, or PTO, combines vacation hours and sick hours. I seldom use all of it and so it accumulates and then I just take days off. As I seldom get sick, those hours also just accumulate. I might suggest that is because I take good care of myself, but we know that isn’t entirely true. However, my last physical indicated that I was in good health. There are a few things I need to work on as I get older. I will address those issues this year.
Next week, many people will snap because Trump will be inaugurated as our 47th President. Talk about a cold front settling across the nation! As for this post, I am left with many topics to detail in future posts. Until next time, stay safe, stay warm and enjoy. All is well.
TheMcKeeSpot. 