POST # 293
During my current house/pet sit, I have become aware of just how much I appreciate the snow and ice that surrounds me on this property, in this first week of the year, 2018. I think that the reason for this state of mind, is my continued interest in abrupt climate change, and how that is affecting this planet that we call home.
2018 could end up being the year that the Arctic becomes ice-free. We've dodged a bullet for the last few years, but I for one, will be very surprised if by September of this year, and for the first time in the human experience, we don't see an ice-free Arctic. All the indicators seem to suggest a lack of ice. And that my friends, will be very bad news, because that ice, is the earth's "air conditioner" and once the air conditioner fails, then things really begin to heat up at an even faster rate than what is currently happening.
So I can think of no better thing, than to add a few snow and cold related photos to today's post, starting with the first image below, which is a photo of a single snow flake courtesy of a man by the name of Alexey Kljatov. For more images, the reader can follow the link at the bottom of this post. I highly recommend it. So much beauty in a single snowflake.
And speaking of links to other information, I've also provided one to the Climate Reanalyzer website which is a wealth of information. The map that I have highlighted is one that shows temperature anomalies around the planet. One look at that map gives the reader a very good idea of just how out of whack things are. When it's hotter in Alaska than in Texas, something is abnormal. Another thing to note is how the North American continent seems to be split in two, with relatively warmer temperatures on the Western half, and colder temperatures in the East. In the past, in a "normal" year, the cold air would have been concentrated around the North Pole, with the warmer air in the South. These air masses are separated by the jet stream, but nowadays, the jet stream is also behaving in a strange manner, and that's why it can be warmer in Alaska than it is in Texas. This new phenomenon is best described by Dr. Jennifer Francis, and can be viewed in this video.
Good luck using the Farmer's Almanac in the future to try and work out what to plant, when to plant it, and where to plant it. No food is going to be an inconvenience for humans. Hmmmm!!!
Enjoy the photos, and enjoy 2018. Things are bound to get much more interesting as the year progresses.
So another house/pet sit comes to a close. As is always the case, I will miss the company of the current furball, Ringo for a while, but soon there will be another furball to take his place. He is rapidly moving up my list of preferred furballs. Here he is with a look that seems to suggest that he is going to miss me as much as I will miss him.
Seems like he's having trouble accepting the fact that I'm going to be leaving soon.
Don't fret Ringo, if the opportunity presents itself again, you can count on me coming back for a visit.
Plus, here is a short video of "the girls" as they came out of their chicken coup the other day.
I began this current post talking about ice, so why not finish it off with fire, and a salute to the trusty old wood stove that has kept me company for the past couple of weeks. It would have been very chilly without it.
***
*** (Please note, the door is open only for the purpose of taking the photos)
http://cci-reanalyzer.org/wx/DailySummary/#t2anom
“A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.”
Albert Einstein
died April 18th, 1955
living a life of simple acceptance,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
living a life of simple acceptance,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer
As simplified as the video is concerning the action of the jet stream, it still does not do the job of educating the general public. Makes me wonder what the weather person(s) on TV really KNOW about what's happening. I suppose whoever said "ignorance is bliss" hits the mark - though I don't know many who are blissful these days.
ReplyDelete...with the exception of S P and sometimes me!
xox
Thank you for these photos. I live in NYC and the snow has been more than abundant and the cold has been unseasonably cold. During this time it would be in the 30s but it has been in the twenties, teens and single digits. However, in the next few days here it will reach degrees in the 40s and 50s, quite warm for this month also. I am not looking forward to the Summer, as I suspect that the arctic will not be able to regulate the extreme heat that I believe is coming!
ReplyDeleteUgh.