Another American town hit by major storm

[12voltman59]

This is getting to be something---yet one more town is almost obliterated: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110523/ap_on_re_us/us_midwest_storms

You almost do have to wonder if more than mere circumstance is going on with all these storms.

Last night I was watching a program on the Nat Geo channel about the late April storms and they said that we only normally see one "supercell" EF5 tornado per year in the US--during those storms in April---they had like four or five of them and we have had a total of nearing 20 so far this year.

[nudeorphic]

Solar activity increasing all the way to 2012. Expect more of the same or worse.

[Okie1970]

The damage over there is so bad that it is hard to comprehend. Joplin is like a gay mecca in this area to so I expect the fanatics will say some nasty things about this tornado.
The amount of natural disasters in 2010 was a new record to as I recall. I grew up steeped in the poisen of the born-again movement and it is hard to ignore that programming now because the crazy things going on in the world fit their profile of the end days. Yikes.

[nudeorphic]

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/04jun_swef/

Not much is known about the sun, but the Mayans knew that solar activity affects weather on earth.
More severe weather will happen to include more volcanic and tectonic activity.
The solar event of 2012 will be severe. Right now, all of this is building towards that event.

[drugstore cowboy]

Solar activity increasing all the way to 2012. Expect more of the same or worse.

Nope I don't buy into the 2012 conspiracy theories.

I would like to donate blood to the Red Cross.

Oh wait they think I have HIV/AIDS and I'm banned! Yet pretty much any hetero can walk in and donate blood. :rolleyes:

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

Yeah...my Mom grew up there, and it saddens me to see that its all but gone...:( All of the relitives that I had from there are gone now, but it still made me a bit sad...
Cat

[nudeorphic]

http://knowledge.co.uk/xxx/cat/mayan/

I know quite a lot about the subject actually way beyond this book. This book ties the sun/earth connection and weather as the Mayans knew.
My last link about NASA also shows that there is a waking up of the sun at this time culminating with more sun activity late 2011-to 2012.

There is a choice either bury our heads in the sand or being aware and have knowledge. I prefer the latter.

[BiBedBud]

It is a testament – either to the effectiveness of the ‘Climate Change Denial Machine’, or to the gullibility of the sheeple – that nobody in this thread has raised the obvious issue of ‘Anthropogenic Climate Change’ (aka man-made global warming).

You don’t have to invoke the Mayans, or blame the sun, or ‘Project HAARP’, in order to explain what is happening with storms, floods and droughts all over the world.

These kinds of climate changes have been predicted by very sophisticated simulations running on some of the world’s most powerful computers. The science is virtually rock solid, despite what the mainstream media would have you believe. Indeed, among bona fide scientists in relevant fields, there is no controversy – man-made climate change is real, and it is happening now.

[nudeorphic]

Bi, still does not explain increased tectonic and volcanic activity. Yes, I agree with man induced effects but a volcano eruption spews out a boatload of CO2 and other things as well.
I still stick to the sun thesis seeing that the sun is waking up at this time towards a solar maximum which will be huge.

[BiBedBud]

Dear nudeorphic,

Actually, methane (CH4) is a flamable hydrocarbon. It is produced by the decay of organic matter. Volcanoes do not emit methane at all, and if by some quirk they ever did, it would be instantly ignited and burned off, producing the combusion by-products of carbon-dioxide (CO2) and water vapor (H20).

However, carbon dioxide is not the only 'greenhouse gas' (GHG). Volcanoes do indeed emit a large amount of another GHG, called 'sulphur oxides' (including SO2, SO4 and SO6). (I've noticed that you've edited-out the 'methane' in your above post and replaced it with 'CO2' -- and fair enough, volcanoes do emit CO2, but that does not let mankind off the hook, and neither is CO2 the only GHG causing global warming. Don't forget, in time, CO2 is absorbed by plants.) These gasses do indeed add to global warming, but not nearly as much as has been misreported by the MSM. Moreover, volcanoes also emit large amounts of ash into the atmosphere, which causes a phenomenon called 'global dimming', which is basically the blocking of the sun's rays. For this reason, there is actually a bit of a controversy in the scientific community as to whether volcanoes cause global warming (from sulphur oxides emission) or global cooling (from ash dimming). What there is no controversy about, is that man-made GHG emissions are causing global warming/climate change. This is about as close to a scientific fact as such a complex and novel phemomenon can get.

As for the tectonic forces at play -- this too has been severly misreported in the MSM, and there is basically no understanding of this issue in the public consciousness. Please allow me to explain...

To be sure, there very definitely is an increase in geo-tectonic stresses, causing earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and other 'earth changes' taking place -- I certainly agree. However, I think the true cause of these phemomena are not attributable to the sun, for two general reasons. First, the sun operates on an eleven-twelve year primary cycle, and these same phemomena were not as prevalent twelve, twenty-four, and thirty-six years ago, et cetera. Secondly, the cause of these geo-tectonic stresses can be explained by the observed, present-day effects of 'anthropogenic global warming' (AGW -- meaning 'man-made global warming'). Here's how....

There is absolutely no doubt that the polar ice caps have been melting (along with glaciers, all around the world). This represents the greatest shift of weight in the earth's recorded history. Once upon a time, not too long ago, thousands-of-billions of tons of ice over the north and south poles, pushed down on the earth by weight of gravity. This was a constant, downward pressure, and it was focussed on the parts of the earth around which the earth's axis spins. This was a very constant, very stable 'weight arrangement'. But now that so much of that weight of ice has melted into water, and flowed into the oceans, two very unsettling things have happened. The first is that the weight that had been pushing down on the earth at the poles has now eased-off considerably. The second thing is that the weight of all this water has now been added to the tides, and the tides follow the moon, which is constantly raking the earth with heavier tides than have been seen by the earth in millenia. Combined -- the decrease of the polar-ice mass downward pressure, and the increase of dynamic tidal forces -- this is what is at the root of the 'earth changes' that we've been seeing, particularly the earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes.

As for the storms, this is much more straightforward. As the concentration of GHG's increase in the atmosphere (ie gasses that are opaque to infra-red wavelengths of sunlight, which means they trap more heat in the atmosphere), the warmer air is able to hold more water vapor, which is evaporating more than ever, because the air is warmer. This warmer, wetter air, also causes more cloud-cover, and when it reaches a certain lower temperature because it is made of thicker clouds, the result is a downpour. Because the atmosphere is warmer and wetter than ever, it also traps yet more heat and more water; all of which make for more ferocious storms, stronger hurricanes, more devastating tornadoes, bigger hailstones, floods, etc. The opposite extreme is also true -- we are seeing heat waves and droughts in other parts of the world at the same time as we are seeing cold-snaps and flooding in other parts.

Understand that the earth's climate is a very complex and dynamic system. And when you add more energy to it -- in the form of more trapped solar heat -- the trend of the climate will not be on one direction alone. There is a balancing process that is inherent with the earth, on account of many factors which I don't have the time to explain right now.

Suffice it to say, that climate scientists are in 99%+ agreement that climate change is real, that human activity is the cause, and we are seeing it now. They also predict such things as huge snowfalls and floods, and don't see them as contradictory to their understanding of global warming, because global warming will do just that. The science they rely on is very, very rigorous, and it is peer reviewed and accepted by 99% of the scientists in relevant fields. (But for some infuriating reason, the MSM always wants to portray that there is controversy and there are 'two sides' to the issue, which is not like how it really is among bona fide scientists in relevant fields, such as meteorology, paleo-climatology, physical chemistry, etc. I guess they're too far into the pockets of the fossil fuel lobbies, who after all, do buy a fair bit of advertising in the MSM -- so no surprise there.)

IN BRIEF: Scientists know the concentration of gasses in the earth's atmosphere going back a couple of hundred thousand years, from air bubbles they have found in antactic ice cores. They compare that ancient air to our modern air, and they can see the ratio of gasses is markedly different. There is much, much more evidence, of various kinds, but I won't even try to explain it here and now.

To anyone reading this post: I am glad that you are interested in this very serious issue. Please don't just take my word for it -- do your own reading on the topic, and don't rely on the mainstream media (MSM), because they have been bought and paid for by powerful lobbies that just want you to keep your head down and spend your money, and don't care if it leads to your destruction, because they measure profits on a quarterly basis, and that's all that matters to them. :2cents:

[Hephaestion]

There is a possible mechanism whereby the earth heating up can result in increased tectonic activity. It is that as one time ice covered areas are releived of their burden so the earth adjusts to a new shape (e.g. parts of Europe are still rising from the effects of the last ice-age). This may be sufficient to trigger the expected slippages we detect as earthquakes.

The tectonic activity would occur anyway but perhaps over a different / longer time span.

Sorry BBB - spotted the relevant paragraph later and was prevented from editing straight away

[nudeorphic]

Thanks, BBB for your long explanation. I don't doubt man's carbon footprint influence on the earth-and that footprint has caused a significant effect on the poles as evidenced by the polar caps melting.
Strange how when one writes the mind wanders on other things and I was thinking on the effect of livestock on the environment to include our garbage infrastructure (thus methane) and I caught it replacing CO2. And yes, other gases as well as you stated.
All aspects, man's effect on the earth and the sun are having a profound effect at this moment and the combination of both are not good. The sun's waking up and building to solar maximum has an effect on gravitational forces as well on the earth thus its effect on tectonic plates and volcanic zones. Combiningthis with your comments does not bode well-for weather, earthquakes and volcanic activity.
"The Mayan Prophecies" explains very well how the Mayans knew about solar cycles. They left a record both written (which unfortunately was mostly destroyed by the Catholic priests) and in stone.
I think this coming solar cycle will be intense. Severe weather has not ended nor severe earthquakes as well.

[12voltman59]

I wished I could recall the program I saw recently--but it was about climate change and all---the program clearly did show the reasons why scientists say that we do indeed have climate change going on and that the activities of human kind are responsible.

They base this on three elements found in nature--the first being carbon, the second being oxygen and the third being radioisotopes.

The program said that there are three main types of carbon found in the atmosphere with two of them being pertinent to the discussion of climate change--namely carbon that comes from volcanic sources and those that come from organic sources--namely in the form of decayed animal and plant life.

Thanks to the decades long practice of gathering ice core samples from both poles and ancient glaciers in high altitudes and high and lower latitudes----when it comes to the sort of carbon found in our atmosphere that comes from plant and animal sources---when charted on a plot--from the beginning of "the industrial age" and when we began to burn fossil fuels on a massive scale---that sort of carbon has gone up dramatically.

The sort of carbon formed and released when volcanoes explode--have gone up and down over the years but in our time---other than some spikes when big ones like Mt St Helen's and others have popped off--the level of such carbon is actually rather low--and is relatively constant--it is surely not enough to actually make much effect in the atmosphere beyond short term changes.

How oxygen plays a role---once again thanks to all of the ice core samples-- samples that basically chart many millions of years---- and via other means, they were able to determine the total percentage of oxygen in our entire atmosphere.

Once again--using the ice core samples---they clearly show---along the same time line that the carbon coming from fossil fuels have increased---the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere as decreased---because---when you burn things--either in the micro or the macro--you consume oxygen.

The last piece of the puzzle--radioisotopes---since you can find the radioisotopes of the plant and animal life that make up fossil fuels like petroleum, coal and natural gas from the deposits of those fuels directly--and they have been of course gathered and identified---the levels of those isotopes found in the atmosphere have increased since the dawn of the industrial age as well---sort of like a fingerprint that shows they are from those sources----the only way they got out into our air, land and water--is that we dug or drilled them up from the places they were buried for tens of millions of years.

It is from these bits of "evidence" that the bulk of the scientific community does not even question that fact that global warming is indeed happening and that man is directly responsible for this round of "global warming"---the only real question among such scientists is: what are the short and long term effects on the climate, on life and on humanity itself of these massive amounts of fossil fuel carbon going to be??

The United States Department of Defense clearly says that the effects of climate change are very dire in coming years---things like many areas suffering drought, other areas flooding, crop lands lost to both of those, many of the world's coastal areas inundated with rising waters and their corresponding mass migrations of populations unprecedented in our history, loss of water supplies both in coastal and inland areas, changes in the climate with some areas being too hot and others too cold for viable human habitation---at least to the degree we have become accustomed.

To the US Dept of Defense--climate change has been identified as the number one threat to global security, economy and such--with the potential of mass warfare being waged over control of the remaining places suitable for human habitation--considering things like safe and plentiful potable water, ability to grow crops, etc. The studies done by the USDOD do not paint a pretty picture for the future should the worst case scenarios come about.

[nudeorphic]

Thank you Voltman for your interesting informatioin.

[Hephaestion]

Climate change is only one of the major problems.

Vying for prominence is the size of the human population. This is the real drive behind man's influence. It is not the burning of fossil fuel which is the problem, it is the rate at which it is being used. It also true for any resource being consumed and the pollution and waste being generated. Nature demands a crash. Right now, the best we can hope for is a heavy landing.

[elian]

Well, first and foremost I think of the people who are going through all of this - to lose so much.. my heart goes out to them.

Secondly - they say that at the moment the middle portion of the US is lined up in a pattern with the jet stream where basically the storms just keep coming like a freight train - I certainly saw that pattern this winter.

Thirdly - I keep wondering in the back of my mind exactly what ELSE nature has to do to convince people that it's time to stop thinking "me" and start thinking "we" ? We have been through horrific acts of terror, financial meltdown, nuclear meltdown, horrific tsunamis, earthquakes and storms, a major oil disaster. Our faith in institutions has been displaced .. is it time yet to forgive and try to work TOGETHER or are we still going to be isolated like ostrich with our head in the sand and our a%s in the air?

People used to worry about atomic weapons, but what can you do to stop the WEATHER?

I have seen the Mayan calendar at the Smithsonian, a big clay disc with a few dots, kinda neat but really not that impressive. What would be impress me a whole hell of a lot more is if people would wake the f'k up and learn to treat each other with compassion and love.

In my mind whether global warming exists or not, it just makes good common sense to conserve resources when possible. This is the only world we have, and so far it seems as though the general populous is no longer particularly interested in finding another one since we no longer have to complete technologically with the Soviets..now everyone would rather be "entertained" rather than educated.

Here is a wonderful propaganda clip, I used to disbelieve part of it but any more there's no point in not agreeing with the whole thing.

http://dipdive.com/member/leohbep/media/12745

Another "entertaining" clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsKmUoDyQEU

thanks for listening to my rant.

[elian]

The first time I saw these commercials I didn't think much of them, but anymore I think there is something compelling about these commercials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2XOx7NMlxM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDh4LKTIxq8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YswUI-yqXo

As a bisexual person I have had to look outside the box, have an open mind. To avoid suicidal thoughts and depression I often try to see things through the eyes of a child and I wonder if people think less of me because of that.

Do you think we as bisexual (or lesbian, gay, transgendered, open minded straight) people are in unique position to understand what it means to bring people together? I know this is a thread about the weather, but I think all of this severe weather is just one more symptom of a larger issue - or at least if we can't change the weather maybe we can change our response to it by being more compassionate.

[Katja]

How oxygen plays a role---once again thanks to all of the ice core samples-- samples that basically chart many millions of years---- and via other means, they were able to determine the total percentage of oxygen in our entire atmosphere.

Once again--using the ice core samples---they clearly show---along the same time line that the carbon coming from fossil fuels have increased---the percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere as decreased---because---when you burn things--either in the micro or the macro--you consume oxygen.



The oxygen supply has gone up and down since the very earliest days of life on the planet. In times past the earth was much richer in oxygen that it is now and at other times much poorer. It is the natural cycle of life and death on earth.

This does not mean that we should not concern ourselves with the amount of oxygen available to us. On the contrary, where would we be without it? We do consume oxygen and are doing so at an ever increasing rate.

But using up the oxygen is not our problem. Our problem is ensuring that the oxygen as it is turned into co2 has sufficient recycling agents to turn that co2 back into oxygen. Namely trees and other plant life, but not simply that which exists on the face of the earth, but also that which we do not see. The vast amount of microscopic life much of which replenishes the oceans oxygen supply, and by leakage into the atmosophere our own.

On the surface the forests, particularly the rain forests are our largest and most important recyclers of co2. Mankind is deforesting the planet at an ever increasing rate and the remaining plant life is not sufficient to do what we desire of it. Resupply our oxygen supply to enable us to live. Even more important is the oxygen supply we obtain from the oceans.

The ocean oxygen supply is an even greater contributer to our continued well being than the forests and all the surface plant life combined. We are poisoning the oceans at an ever more alarming rate and we are eliminating slowly the very microspopic life in the seas which do so much to keep us alive.

We are destroying both of our main converters of co2. Our main oxygen suppliers. That is an issue which is too little is considered and action must be taken to stop the process by which we are slowly suffocating ourselves.

[Katja]

The weather here has been so beastly over the last three weeks that it has had some, as they do when our weather is a bit miserable in spring and summer, doubt whether global warming is a reality. I think this item in today's Independent is a more than adequate answer to any doubts people may have.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/melting-polar-ice-creates-a-new-challenge-for-british-adventurers-2291092.html

[BiBedBud]

Climate Ethics
Ethical Analysis of Climate Science and Policy
http://rockblogs.psu.edu/climate/

Why Ethics Requires Acknowledging Links Between Tornadoes and Climate Change Despite Scientific Uncertainty.
By DONALD A BROWN on May 31, 2011 3:53 PM


... It also can be said that in one way climate change is already changing all global weather including tornadoes. This is so because climate change has already caused changes to the global climate system such as raising ocean temperatures and increasing the amount of water in the atmosphere. Increased ocean temperatures and the water content of air have an effect on the amount and timing of precipitation that is being experienced in any one location. And so a strong claim can be made that climate change is now at least partially responsible for all global weather although the part played by climate change could be small for any individual climate event relative to other causes such as normal ocean circulation patterns. Yet, no tornado or hurricane experienced recently would likely be the same without some contribution from climate change. That is no tornado would appear at the same place, the same time, with the same wind speed without changes to the climate system that have been caused by human impacts on climate... ...no recent tornado is likely to have happened in the same way at the same place in the absence of global warming.