argh! NBC: weird weather "not global warming..it is El Nino"

[freeplessinseattle]

according to their expert from NOAA who they introduced as "putting to rest, once and for all" the speculation that global warming is causing the unusual weather recently. He emphasized with fist thumps on his palm, "It's El Nino, El Nino, El Nino".

well, wouldn't the El Nino be influenced by global warming/climate change? I'm not a scientist but didn't I read how they are connected? not that I doubt the purity of the word of an expert on NBC, of course.

[LibraLiz1973]

1. I know!! How annoying was that?

Nothing to see here... pollute away

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

2. It could very well be El Nino.

But I'd sure like to see how they proved it's not Global Warming.

[freeplessinseattle]

6. Exactly! the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive! n/t

[theHandpuppet]

15. Yep! It's BOTH

The effects El Nino exacerbated by global warming or vice versa.

[Harper_is_Bush]

23. What I have been hearing/reading from some mainstream scientists is that global warming is

likely to make En Nino more frequent and the effects more pronounced.

[Junkdrawer]

3. dupe...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x3053900

[freeplessinseattle]

5. sorry, we get it later over here

and I'm behind on the day's reading. usually I'm not a duper but I was so ticked watching this!

[madeline_con]

4. Remeber when Global Warming was a fact?

Then some crazy religious extremists took over, and Armagedon is upon us, who needs to save the earth?

[jarnocan]

7. Almost anytime they use absolutes-such as "not at all" they are

bu**sh**ing. I remember some were trying to say -the increase in huricanes had nothing to do with it as well. But studies showed that increase water temps increased the intensity of tropical storms. Where do huricanes come from?
Sure there are other factors , but they exentuate each other.
I guess NBC has to earn some brownine points.

[jarnocan]

17. BILL NYE on MSNBC just told the truth!!! THANKYOU!

I hope NBC /Williams will have him on to counter the bu**sh** "not at all" I will look for the quote.
He also briefly explained changes to jet stream etc.
More or less sure there is an ElNino, but the over all ongoing dangerous trend is global warming.

[Cooley Hurd]

8. NBC's parent company is GE...

...not known for their environmental friendliness.:(

[dflprincess]

9. One of the local weathermen in Minneapols is blaming

both El Nino and Global Warming. The jet stream flow is certainly a result of El Nino, but we have been having milder winters when there was no El Nino. But this year the weather has been unbelievable.

[nebenaube]

12. tell me about it...

it was 47 degrees in West Wisconsin yesterday, in the ten years I've been here that is 80 degrees above normal for this area.

[alfredo]

16. El Nino was why there were no major hurricanes hitting the

Gulf and Atlantic coast.

What if it becomes a permanent fixture?

[pitohui]

36. el nino is cyclical, i don't suppose it can become permanent

of course i wish it would, esp. in late summer/autumn as it did in 2006, because reducing or removing the threat of another killer storm like katrina would be a great boon for this nation


would the northeast really object so much to losing a few blizzards and ski resorts if it prevents us from losing entire oil rigs, refineries, ports, and the other important industries on the gulf coasts?

seems to me the needs of the few ski resorts are outweighed by the needs of the many (everyone who uses oil or petroleum products refined on the gulf coast or eats food shipped along the mississippi river to/from the gulf coast)

but it's not under our control or our wishes anyway -- we do not know why or how it was triggered to come at just the right time to prevent serious tropical cyclone activity in 2006

[xkenx]

10. It's actually neither

Global warming is about a long term trend. El Nino (or the opposite La Nina) can affect weather for short periods of time. This El Nino is so far a modest one. Normally Southern California (where I live) gets more rain in an El Nino winter; not this year because the jet stream just happens to be far north, not allowing storms to tap moisture from the warmer-than-normal equatorial waters. Just an oddball year. For another example, global warming may cause more and more severe hurricanes overall, but not this past hurricane season; it was one of the most benign on record. I suspect that any NOAA official who would say that was ordered to do so by his Rovian masters, or lose his job.

[Wisconsin Larry]

11. What had me screaming at the TV was the implication after

the fist pounding and shouting "El Nino, El Nino, El Nino" is that global warming is a myth. What they should have done after eliminating the El Nino chant, was said that the current warm winter is not a global warming effect. But the dramatic melting of the polar ice caps is a global warming effect, and that global warming is a real threat way beyond playing golf in January in CT.

But expecting a complete and accurate story out of corporate media is Fantasyland. Although given that NBC's parent GE is investing billions in green energy sources to capitalize on the coming switch away from carbon fuels, one would think that GE like to see the real story get out to help sell/subsidize the new energy products. But the dark side of the Repugs in Washington is powerful indeed.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

13. I'm not saying it's weird or nothin'... but we have a TORNADO WATCH right now.

in friggin' november. In North Carolina.

Now THAT is weird.

[Chiyo-chichi]

34. That is REALLY weird.

'Cause it's January where the rest of us are.

[msongs]

14. preview of next week from NOAA - northern plains:

AN ARCTIC BLAST OF COLD AIR IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO THE FORECAST
AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY...BRINGING MUCH COLDER AND BELOW
NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS.

below normal for January, now that will be kinda cold eh?

Msongs
www.msongs.com

PS - used ta deliver the grand forks herald in the mornings in January, like -30. had a great time tho

[krispos42]

18. And what caused the El Niño?

And when the El Niño dies away, and it is still as warm as hell, who do we blame then?

[Harper_is_Bush]

19. Do you have a link to this video? n/t

[jarnocan]

21. no I wish someone Tivoed it and put it on You Tube-Bill Nye

explained it quite well. The NOAA dismissive report was BU**SH**.

[Harper_is_Bush]

22. It is on the internet on a news site. I saw it earlier today, but can't find it now....

grrr

I want to write some emails over this BS, but obviously need that video. For the life of me I can't believe I can't find it again! I saw it this morning provided by an MSM website and figured I'd find it later to respond, but I'm flumoxxed.

[Nomad559]

27. Video

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=3059867&mesg_id=3060377

:)

[jarnocan]

29. BILL NYE tells the TRUTH LINK !!!! MSNBC

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=0E3C8471-E243-43AD-A98C-7DADD99BDF1C&f=00&fg=copy
I think we should send link to Brian Williams.

[Roland99]

20. El Ninos happen regularly. Ski resorts in Ontario closing for the 1st ever is NOT.

[seabeyond]

24. to believe global warming is going to take NE from a harsh winter last year

to a warm winter this year isnt logical. it is cold here in the sw and we have had more cold and snow than normal. i believe we have glabal warming. i do not believe what is happening in ne is global warming. it is much more subtle. when we had all the hurricanes two summers ago in the gulf there was a yell to global warming. last summer there were few and less fierce hurricanes down there.

[BlooInBloo]

25. And your proof that it ISN'T is what? Does EVERYTHING have to be global warming?

[Atman]

35. Warm winters with no snow aren't new

I'm also not quick to jump on the GW bandwagon. Sure, GW is a major concern and a big issue, but we're not being very smart here...does anyone REALLY think global warming just happened to kick into high gear this year, as opposed to the more gradual process? Whereas, El Nino is a documented, recurring phenomenon which we've encountered many times before, with similar impact on the weather. It's like people think Al Gore predicted this year would be the year the global warming finally "started," just in time for his book tour.

A little cause and effect here, and I'm not talking about the weather -- what I'm talking about is the coincidence of Al Gore's hit movie being released in an El Nino year, (the cause, if you will), which has resulted in everyone thinking global warming just started and is causing every fluke of nature (the effect). Nonsense. I remember plenty of years over my life where we had no snow to shovel for most of the winter...followed by snow up to my roof the next winter. Weather fluctuates. Deal. Everything isn't global warming just because Al Gore happens to be campaigning on it.

.

[WinkyDink]

26. A record-setting El Nino, huh? All righty, then.

[johnaries]

28. And what causes El Nino? Uh, DUH!

Climate change scientists predict that 2007 is likely to be the warmest year on record globally, beating the current record set in 1998.

Calling it a "startling forecast," scientists at the British Meteorological Office said Thursday that the potential for a record 2007 arises from an El Nino warming pattern already established in the Pacific. The El Nino is expected to persist through the first few months of 2007. ...

...There is a 60 percent probability that 2007 will be as warm or warmer than the current warmest year, which was 1998. Temperatures are expected to rise +0.52 degrees Celsius, above the long-term 1961-1990 average, according to the Met office forecast.

The global temperature for 2007 is expected to be 0.54 °C above the long-term average of 14.0 °C.

Katie Hopkins from Met Office Consulting said, "This new information represents another warning that climate change is happening around the world. Our work in the climate change consultancy team applies Met Office research to help businesses mitigate against risk and adapt at a strategic level for success in the new environment."
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2007/2007-01-05-03.asp

[leftchick]

30. el-nino has NO Effect on Tibet!!!

wtf is wrong with williams? who pay the NOA guy? Exxonmobil?

"Tibet's record temperatures spark climate change fears"

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070107/sc_afp/chinatibetclimateenvironment

China's Tibet plateau, seen as a barometer of world climate conditions, is experiencing accelerating glacial melt and other ecological change, the leading People's Daily reported Friday.

The mountainous region's glaciers have been melting at an average rate of 131.4 square kilometers (50 square miles) per year over the past 30 years, the paper said, citing a recent geological study.

Researchers who conducted the survey said that even if global warming did not worsen, the area's glaciers would be reduced by nearly a third by 2050 and up to half by 2090, at the current rate.

The survey, conducted by the Remote Sensing Department of the China Aero Geophysical Survey, also found a rapidly rising snow line, shrinking wetlands, and increased desertification compared with 30 years ago, the paper said.

These problems will worsen as the glacial melt -- which has accelerated in recent years -- continues, further depleting the area's water resources, the researchers predicted.

[Karenina]

37. I took a trip to central Germany this weekend

New growth everywhere and shit is BLOOMING... I didn't need my scarf or hat, actually had to UNZIP my leather jacket to cool myself off. Errraaa... :scared:

[Ron Green]

31. Did anyone happen to catch Bill Nye on CNN with that chirpy Rick Sanchez, who seemed to have

just had a big amphetamine bump? Nye replied, to the usual dumbass question from Sanchez, "Well, yes, all peer-reviewed evidence shows undeniable global warming, and I agree, but a couple of politicians in high places have changed the way government responds to science," or words to that effect. The Speedmeister immediately stepped on Nye's clear conclusion and wrapped up the interview with some mindless crap.

[Blue_In_AK]

32. That was a thing of beauty.

I ordinarily don't watch CNN, but I did happen to catch that segment. The Science Guy rocks. :)

[Sparkly]

33. They've been saying that for a looooong time now.... nt

[Generic Brad]

38. CNN is making the same claim

The weather reporter was explaining today how "El Nino" was affecting our weather today. So NBC is not alone in its delusion.