Real Climate Science

Bombing out of the Champions League in the knockout round, was the smartest thing they did all season. ROFLMAO

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday that the Obama administration is re-thinking its opposition to arming the Syrian rebels, as officials weigh a range of options in the wake of findings that chemical weapons were likely used in the country’s civil war.

“Arming the rebels — that’s an option,” Hagel said at a Pentagon news conference.

Hagel: US rethinking resistance to arming Syrian opposition | Fox News

Obama thinks that guns are needed to defend against tyranny – but not when he is the tyrant.

Yogurt capacity needs to be limited to no more than seven ounces, and all yogurt purchasers need to get background checks.

BBC News – Chinese girls poisoned by yogurt ‘over school rivalry’

Al Gore says that China is a role model which the US should be following.

Hendriks webcam i Tasiilaq

McKitten finds a warm spot!

Twitter / billmckibben: Temperatures setting new records …

YearTDeptUS.png (688×531)

Historic Snowstorm Hits Plains to Upper Midwest

Kevin Trenberth says that the missing heat travesty has been resolved by sneaky heat diving to the bottom of the sea. Gaia apparently is not amused by Trenberth’s bullshit, and has sent all-time May record cold to his house.

After a foot of snowfall Wednesday and record-low temperatures this morning, Boulder should see the return of sunny skies until the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.

Boulder saw a total of 12.1 inches of snow for the May 1 snowstorm according to local meteorologist Matt Kelsch. The total nearly doubled the previous May 1 record of 6.2 inches and has Boulder way ahead of the average snowfall for the month of May, which is only an inch. Weather spotters reported 14.5 inches in both Ward and Nederland Monday night.

Kelsch also said this morning’s low of 17 was the coldest temperature ever recorded in May, breaking the previous record of 20 set on May 3, 1907.

Boulder weather: After a foot of snow and record cold, sunny skies to return today – Boulder Daily Camera

h/t to Tom Nelson

Steve, well first off you have to define what is meant by ice-free. We often refer to ice-free as less than 1 million sq-km since even with most of the Arctic Ocean ice-free, it is likely that some ice will remain north of Greenland and in the Canadian archipelago.

Also you have to consider if you define ice-free the first time the extent is 0 or below 1 million sq-km, or if it stays that way for consecutive summers.

There are some climate model simulations that show the September extent dropping below 1 million sq-km before 2020, but not necessarily staying below that value until later in the century.

Then you have to consider that even though the ice cover continues to shrink and thin, weather still plays an important role in the summer ice cover. So I think it’s impossible to say that the arctic ocean will be ice-free in september in 2015 without being able to predict the weather.

I think it’s important to remember that while the ice cover is in a period of long term decline (at least since the 1950s for which we have good data to assess the changes) that doesn’t mean the decline is linear and there will be ups and downs.

Even as we look to this coming September, we cannot say with any certainty that this summer will have less sea ice than last summer.

I personally would be very surprised if the Arctic Ocean was ice free in 2 years, but I do think it is likely to happen in the next couple decades.

~Julienne