Global warming causing more tropical storms: NASA (JPL)

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 12/19/08 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

(AFP) – Global warming is increasing the frequency of extremely high clouds in the Earth's tropics that cause severe storms and rainfall, according to a NASA study released Friday.

The space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said a study by its scientists "found a strong correlation between the frequency of these clouds and seasonal variations in the average sea surface temperature of the tropical oceans."

"For every degree Centigrade (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in average ocean surface temperature, the team observed a 45-percent increase in the frequency of the very high clouds," according to the study, recently published in Geophysical Research Letters.

[NormsRevenge]

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS
http://www-airs.jpl.nasa.gov/

[NormsRevenge]

Aqua
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/aqua/index.html

Aqua is a major international Earth Science satellite mission centered at NASA. Launched on May 4, 2002, the satellite has six different Earth-observing instruments on board and is named for the large amount of information being obtained about water in the Earth system from its stream of approximately 89 Gigabytes of data a day. The water variables being measured include almost all elements of the water cycle and involve water in its liquid, solid, and vapor forms. Additional variables being measured include radiative energy fluxes, aerosols, vegetation cover on the land, phytoplankton and dissolved organic matter in the oceans, and air, land, and water temperatures.

[nmh]

LOL!

Global WARMING doesn’t cause SNOW or the colder temperatures we are experiencing.

[WayneS]

Yeah, I saw news coverage this morning of a WHOLE BUNCH of “global-warming” falling in the HOT, DESERT city of Las Vegas, Nevada.

People were having “global-warming” ball fights and making “global-warming” men and “global-warming” angels.

People were even having to clean a LOT of “global-warming” off of their cars before they could drive them.

It certainly made a believer out of me.

[Tarpon]

Yep, naming every thunderstorm does give that impression. Also runs up insurance rates.

[WayneS]

Good one!

[Uncle Miltie]

Hurricanes striking the U.S.:

[Delphster]

that explains why we have less of them now

[WayneS]

I’m no Statistical Magician but that “curve” looks just a wee bit too flat/steady to be called an upward trend.

[Blennos]

I’m beginning to view news reports from NASA as I do those from Reuters or AP — political agenda, no credibility.

[expatpat]

Actually, the increase in clouds with temperature, if true, mitigates any upward trend in temperature because (a) it increases the albedo (reflecting more sunlight away from the planet), (b) it increases the vertical flow of thermal energy, and brings down more cold rain (and hailstones) from the higher reaches of the troposphere to cool the Earth’s surface.

[expatpat]

Hansen’s GISS (Goddard) has an AGW agenda, but I’m not sure that JPL shares it. It’s my sense that they have a more-objective, scientific approach to their work.

[Oldpuppymax]

When will the NASA libs realize that the jig is up. Even the UN cancelled its Global Warming crusade when 650 scientists proclaimed it bunk.

[Old Professer]

Also at the link is a piece of what should be good news:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081219/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/bush_global_warming_1

[NutCrackerBoy]

[A study] found a strong correlation between the frequency of these clouds and seasonal variations in the average sea surface temperature of the tropical oceans. -NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

The newspaper report appears to be misrepresenting NASA as legitimizing the hoax.

[RightWhale]

For every degree Centigrade (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) increase in average ocean surface temperature

The information entering our consciousness from various news sources is incoherent. Oceans are cooling. High clouds do not cause rain or wind. Global Warming does not cause increased tropical storms.

[rollo tomasi]

There is nothing more frightening than the earth going through cycles of warming. Heck, throughout history mankind has welcomed a warming cycle. How times change, but I digress, mankind is still benefiting off of global warming:

[Nipfan]

“Even the UN cancelled its Global Warming crusade when 650 scientists proclaimed it bunk.”

Really? When did that happen? Haven’t heard a word about it here. I know all about the 650 scientists but, so far, they seem to have done the usual excellent media scrub job on them. Its as if they didn’t exist.

[Colorado Doug]

Is this all that NASA does anymore? Why don't they try to fix the shuttle, build a good rocket or something? Maybe they should just change their name from NASA JPL to AGWATT (All Global Warming All The Time)