Weather Phenonamon...

[birdguy 3,943]

My favorite website for looking at an analyzing weather is WindyT.  It's a pretty comprehensive site giving you all the weather you want from 'surfs up' to tidal information.

Lately I have noticed something interesting in Mexico, in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.   There is a recurring wind event in the narrowest portion of the isthmus that causes periodic gale force winds on the Pacific Ocean off the city of Salina Cruz.

If there are onshore winds blowing westward across the isthmus from the Gulf of Mexico you can bet there will be gale force winds on the Pacific side of the isthmus.

I checked into this and looking at the topography there is a low spot in the central mountain range that runs the length of Mexico that acts as a venturi that speeds up the winds coming in from the Gulf of Mexico and causes gale force winds on the Pacific side. 

For anyone interest in weather WindyT is a must have.

Noel    

[martin-w 3,234]

Talk about weather and a website called Windy... 50 mph winds here today. So I think I'll head to the bay and marvel at the power of the waves as they thunder against the sea wall.

And then get very annoyed that we don't make enough use of wave power.

The UK for example has more than enough wave energy to power all its needs.

[dmwalker 601]

3 hours ago, martin-w said:

The UK for example has more than enough wave energy to power all its needs.

Do you think that wave power has more potential than tidal power? I seem to see news articles only about the latter and only about the north of Scotland.

Edited November 27, 2021 by dmwalker

[G-RFRY 1,708]

23th of November 1703 The Great Storm struck the UK 4,000 trees in the new forest 2,000 chimney`s stacks in London toppled 700 boats in pool harbour destroyed, Somerset levels flooded an estimated 10,000 sailors drowned. Global Warming???. 

Edited November 27, 2021 by G-RFRY

[dmwalker 601]

1 hour ago, G-RFRY said:

Global Warming???

I think you would have to look at weather trends over several years to say it was because of global warming. This appears to have been an isolated incident which, apparently, is predicted to occur once every 200 years, although this one was definitely the worst. I think we can safely say that it wasn't "God's vengeance for the sins of the nation" as was believed at that time.

Here, in Canada, we are learning about "atmospheric rivers" which are dumping unprecedented amounts of rain on British Columbia.

Edited November 27, 2021 by dmwalker

[martin-w 3,234]

3 hours ago, G-RFRY said:

23th of November 1703 The Great Storm struck the UK 4,000 trees in the new forest 2,000 chimney`s stacks in London toppled 700 boats in pool harbour destroyed, Somerset levels flooded an estimated 10,000 sailors drowned. Global Warming???. 

 

I'm finding it difficult to fathom why you don't understand this. What you describe is weather. 

What you describe is a local short term weather event.

Global warming is precisely that... global and over the long term and an average temperature trend. 

Certain weather events are more likely in a warming world  but they also occur as a natural occurrence too. Hence why scientists look at the long term average trend globally. They do this to eliminate natural variability. 

Edited November 27, 2021 by martin-w

[martin-w 3,234]

3 hours ago, dmwalker said:

Do you think that wave power has more potential than tidal power?

 

I think it depends on the location. In the UK there are wave power systems in development, mostly in Scotland. And there's an experimental system being tested in Cornwall. 

 

Quote

Back in 1978, Glyn England, chairperson of the nationalized utility the Central Electricity Generating Board, said that in theory wave power systems could “supply the whole of Britain with electricity at the present rate of consumption

 

https://physicsworld.com/a/wave-energy-in-the-uk-is-it-dead/

 

That was 1978 though, but then funding was cut, these days all the government will commit to is a possible 20%. 

[birdguy 3,943]

Global Warming causes sea levels to rise due to icecap and glacier melting.  It also warms the sea surface which affects changes in climate and more severe storms carrying more water.  Hence the atmospheric rivers that are affecting Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.  It also causes long term droughts as are being experienced in the Southwest United States all the way to California.

Here in Southeast New Mexico winter passed us by last year and it looks like it will again this year.  We experienced a long fall season that merged into a long spring season.  Our summer temperatures were lower also reaching 100 degreesF only a couple of times when we usually get hot spells with the temperature reaching 120 degreesF.

So far this fall our overnight temps have dropped below freezing only twice.  Normally we stop watering our lawn in mid October.  This year we quit in late November.  I just asked Siri to show me the 10 day forecast.  Our highs will range from the mid 60s to the mid 70s.  That's pretty warm for the beginning of December.  We haven't much rain this year.  Just two days of rain this fall.

As time goes on and we see more rising of the sea surface temperatures and more severe storms on a regular bases as opposed to isolated single events it will become more evident that global warming and climate change are for real.

We've passed the tipping point and there is no going back.  We can do what we can to reduce the carbon footprint but at this point of neglect all we can do is slow it down.  Kinda like just making a terminal patient more comfortable as long as possible.

I found the best long term climate data is the Bjerknes Institute in Norway.  They have been studying climate longer than anyone else.

Noel

[martin-w 3,234]

On 11/27/2021 at 7:47 PM, birdguy said:

 

We've passed the tipping point and there is no going back.  We can do what we can to reduce the carbon footprint but at this point of neglect all we can do is slow it down.  

 

We haven't passed the tipping point in terms of a dreaded runaway greenhouse effect. I think what you mean is that we are now committed to an unpleasent degree of warming. Very true. The atmospheric system has inertia, even if we cut all emmisions now we would continue to warm for a given period.

And the bad news is that we are still, not just cotinuing to emit, but increasing our emmisions. 

We are certainly committed to a damaging level of warming and to be honest, I'm pretty pessimistic that we will hit any of the targets they are claiming to be aiming for.

I'm frightened that the human race will be panicking at the last minute, when the environmental impact is extreme. Too little too late.

 

[Mace 1,902]

On 11/25/2021 at 11:12 AM, birdguy said:

I checked into this and looking at the topography there is a low spot in the central mountain range that runs the length of Mexico that acts as a venturi that speeds up the winds coming in from the Gulf of Mexico and causes gale force winds on the Pacific side. 

That's the "Tehuano Wind".  I read about it only about a year ago, which surprises me as I thought I knew everything about weather & geography.  I now realize I do not know it all.  :)

It's really neat.

Another thing about the "Windy" web site is that you can see the wind shadow effect of surface winds blowing around an island.  For example in the Azores or Madeira, you can often see a calm zone of surface winds on the lee side of some mountainous islands.   It's way cool junior.