global warming??

[ak_rider]

Ok, so I believe I am living through some extreme afftects of global warming. atleast that's how i'm explaining what's happening to our winter up here. This season started as the best in Alyeska's history. We had gotten 200" of snow by Dec. and it just kept coming. Then around chrismas/new years, a cold snap..not too unusual up here, but then it stayed and we had subzero temps for 2 weeks, meaning it didn't get above zero for 2 weeks, at all, not even during the day. ofrficially second coldest winter in AK history. Then our cold snap finally ends, in a msot dramatic fashion. it went from negative 20 one day to literally 50 degrees the next, with a huge storm moving in. total snow at the top of the mtn was 50"+, and then it rained. It's been raining for almost a week now. There's no snow on the sides of the roads, there are literally rivers coming down and accross Alyeska. In all my years living up here I have never seen this. It will rain at bottom every year, it is a rain forest, but not at the top in the middle of january. Where did my winter go? Is this what we all have to look forward to in the future? Anyone else experiencing this where they live? Seriously, the polar bear needs a home and I need powder. I'm starting to think that in 20-30 yrs we'll all be snowboarding in august for a month and wearing shorts by january

[KingCrimson]

Wearing shorts in January? That's normal man!

No opinion on this exactly, it's just nice here all the time and I don't mind.

I was going to say though, the signs on the way to some glaciers are spooky, showing how much they have receeded, along with the scratch marks on rock.

[boarderboy]

(sorry) on this forum.

If you really want to get depressed, if not scared s____less, look up an article about a guy named Lovelock. It appeared about a year ago in Rolling Stone mag and is probably still avail on-line.

Yes, Lovelock's a (shudder) scientist, one of them social-engineering pointy heads who wants to rid the world of capitalism in all its forms. (Trying to anticipate the inevitable flaming here.)

He thinks, based on observed trends, that catastrophic global warming is inevitable. The many climatological impacts predicted by computer modeling are happening well before the models predict. The tipping point has been reached. And humankind being what it is, the massive remedies that would be required to counteract it, simply won't happen.

Lovelock's projection is that by the end of this century, most of humanity, that small fraction who've survived the floods, droughts, famines, wars, epidemics, and general cataclysm, will be living in the world's near-tropical polar regions. (Not a good outlook for Alyeska...) The rest of the earth will be a hot wasteland with tumultuous, erratic weather patterns.

Being a cynic's cynic, I suspect the man is right. But I have a twelve year old son who could well live to see that future, so I try to act - to live, to vote, to work - in a way that reflects hope and the resolve to try to avoid catastrophe.

As far as your magnificent home is concerned, I'd cherish every snowflake and carve every possible line, and be incredibly thankful you've lived where you've lived, when you've lived there.

Hope your winter returns soon. Good luck to you.

BB

[AaronG]

My nephew, who lives in Soldotna, called me 2 weeks ago complaining of the minus 35 below temps that they were experiencing there. He called me on Saturday, jan 17, telling me that he was heading for the Kenai River to do some fishing. I asked him "arent the temps too cold?" He laughed and said that there had been a 70 degree temperature swing and it was now 40+ degrees outside. He's lived there 10 years and has never experienced such a large swing in a brief amount of time.

[LeeW]

Im starting to wondering wtf is going on -- it's awfully too warm in CO this time of the year. Started to wonder if it's the next Ice Age or Global Warming. Whether it's one of them, it's still a fubar weather, man.

[b0ardski]

This current high pressure over the west streches from hawaiian waters to the nortwest territories:eek:

On a side note, Glacier Nat. park had over 100 glaciers when they built the going to the sun road, we're down to less than 30:(

[boarderboy]

NWS - Raleigh

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL PIVOT SOUTH AND EAST OF

CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TODAY. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OFF THE

CAROLINA COAST WILL INTENSIFY AND MOVE RAPIDLY NORTHEAST. PERIODS

OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE ACROSS CENTRAL AND

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA INTO MID AFTERNOON.

Snow predictions for central and eastern N.C. are notoriously fickle and inaccurate. This time, though, they've underestimated.

From 2 days ago, with no snow prediction - to yesterday with a Watch for 2-4", to the present, snowing, with a good 5-6 on ground, and the possibility of a couple more inches, it's been a grand trip.

If only there were some real vertical nearby.

Oh well, another day

Time to throw another log in the wood stove.

Peace...

[Hotbeans]

Well, come on out our way. We're 10" from record snowfall (annual) and temps moderate from -15 to 35 (projected tomorrow). I do have to say, I'm enjoying the prospect of breaking out my freeride board since it's been in the top of my garage since moving out east.

Also, the summers here could stand another 10 degree's warmer. Now if only the ocean would rise by several hundred feet, I might just get my wish of oceanfront property!

I do agree that humans have pretty much mucked up everything. But, hey, Nature's trying to get the population down to manageable size.. Let her do it!