"s****hawk" <s****hawk@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
> Well, that's not at all surprising. When we consider that according
> to the data offered by the "Earth-warming-freaks" themselves, the
> earth in 2007 on average was .20 degrees "COOLER" than it was in 1998,
> we have to give some credence to the scientists who dismiss the theory
> that the earth is getting warmer.
2007 A Top Ten Warm Year For U.S. And Globe
The preliminary annual average temperature for 2007 across the contiguous
United
States will likely be near 54.3° F- 1.5°F (0.8°C) above the twentieth
century
average of 52.8°F. This currently establishes 2007 as the eighth warmest
on
record. Only February and April were cooler-than-average, while March and
August
were second warmest in the 113-year record.
The warmer-than-average conditions in 2007 influenced residential energy
demand
in opposing ways, as measured by the nation's Residential Energy Demand
Temperature Index. Using this index, NOAA scientists determined that the
U.S.
residential energy demand was about three percent less during the winter
and
eight percent higher during the summer than what would have occurred under
average climate conditions.
Exceptional warmth in late March was followed by a record cold outbreak
from
the
central Plains to the Southeast in early April. The combination of
premature
growth from the March warmth and the record-breaking freeze behind it
caused
more than an estimated $1 billion in losses to crops (agricultural and
horticultural).
A severe heat wave affected large parts of the central and southeastern
U.S.
in
August, setting more than 2,500 new daily record highs.
Global Temperatures
The global annual temperature − for combined land and ocean surfaces
-
for 2007
is expected to be near 58.0 F - and would be the fifth warmest since
records
began in 1880. Some of the largest and most widespread warm anomalies
occurred
from eastern Europe to central Asia.
Including 2007, seven of the eight warmest years on record have occurred
since
2001 and the 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1997. The global
average
surface temperature has risen between 0.6°C and 0.7°C since the start of
the
twentieth century, and the rate of increase since 1976 has been
approximately
three times faster than the century-scale trend.
The greatest warming has taken place in high latitude regions of the
Northern
Hemisphere. Anomalous warmth in 2007 contributed to the lowest Arctic sea
ice
extent since satellite records began in 1979, surpassing the previous
record
low
set in 2005 by a remarkable 23 percent. According to the National Snow and
Ice
Data Center, this is part of a continuing trend in end-of-summer Arctic
sea
ice
extent reductions of about 10 percent per decade since 1979.
U.S. Precipitation and Drought Highlights
Severe to exceptional drought affected the Southeast and western U.S. More
than
three-quarters of the Southeast was in drought from mid-summer into
December.
Increased eva****ation from usually warm temperatures, combined with a lack
of
precipitation, worsened drought conditions. Drought conditions also
affected
large parts of the Upper Midwest and areas of the Northeast.
Water conservation measures and drought disasters, or states of emergency,
were
declared by governors in at least five southeastern states, along with
California, Oregon, Maryland, Connecticut, and Delaware at some point
during
the
year.
A series of storms brought flooding, millions of dollars in damages and
loss
of
life from Texas to Kansas and Missouri in June and July. Making matters
worse
were the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin, which produced heavy rainfall in
the
same region in August.
Drought and unusual warmth contributed to another extremely active
wildfire
season. Approximately nine million acres burned through early December,
most
of
it in the contiguous U.S., according to preliminary estimates by the
National
Interagency Fire Center.
There were 15 named storms in the Atlantic Basin (Atlantic Ocean,
Caribbean
Sea
and Gulf of Mexico) in 2007, four more than the long-term average. Six
storms
developed into hurricanes, including Hurricanes Dean and Felix, two
category
5
storms that struck Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Nicaragua, respectively
(the
first two recorded category 5 landfalls in the Atlantic Basin in the same
year).
No major hurricanes made landfall in the U.S., but three tropical
depressions,
one tropical storm and one Category 1 Hurricane made landfall along the
Southeast and Gulf coasts.
La Niña conditions developed during the latter half of 2007, and by the
end
of
November, sea surface temperatures near the equator of the eastern Pacific
were
more than 3.6°F (2°C) below average. This La Niña event is likely to
continue
into early 2008, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
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