Hi Kevin et al

Here’s what seems to be a recent and balanced article by Fred Pearce on the isostatic aspects of this – not just sea level, but also glaciers, and I’d also wonder about water table loading … the relevant literature here would be that on seismic activity surrounding hydro dams.

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/could_a_changing_climate_set_off_volcanoes_and_quakes/2525/

Can’t remember where I read the journal paper about warming oceans and lubricant effects on earthquakes, but here is a link on rock water as a lubricant. This is also one to watch in the fracking debate:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130142245.htm

… and here is one that refers to water temperature effects, but it is a blog and not a PR paper …. though with fascinating data link on the increasing strength of earthquakes globally:

http://www.roperld.com/science/EarthquakesGW.htm

It’s not just the lubricant effect to which I referred, it is also that warmer water and land temps means expansion of the Earth’s crust, and that may be a factor in tectonic stability, though I’m not qualified to comment on how sensitive that might be.

Interesting discussion here on current US freak weather:

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/06/30/509246/nbc-meteorologist-on-record-heat-wave-if-we-didnt-have-global-warming-we-wouldnt-see-this/

I get the general sense that the contrarians/denialists are playing it rather quiet at the moment. Certainly, in the talks I give I’ve noted less scepticism than there was post Cop15 (2009), where contrarianism had started to become a spectator sport and absorbed time that was intended for discussing issues more consistent with the consensus mainstream science.

Alastair.

Hello Alastair, Chris et al,

Only two quick points to make and one request.
Alastair made some very quick references to the data and reasoned that according to some sources the increased seismic activity was probably due to the increased temperature of the water.
Funny how we know what is causing all these things to happen but can do nothing (willingly) to reverse or stop them.

Second point: Chris has made the effort to educate the masses but the general public have long ceased to be even mildly interested in climate change explanations until such time as they find their house submerged under water, their holiday cancelled due to hurricanes or volcanic ash or some other such calamity which directly impinges upon them. Then and only then do they take a mental note that it 'May' be due to climate change even when some top notch climate scientist with all the bells and whistles comes along to prove it.
Sorry for the cynicism but its a fact. If you read the comments section on most of these climate science sites there are always a plethora of rabid climate denial monks mouthing on about how its all a green brigade scam to stop the corporations from, making an 'honest' living.

Finally the request is to Chris. Please can you post an alternative link to your stories so I can access them without recourse to giving away all my personal details to Facecrook. I do value my personal identity as it is mine not Zucherburger's (or whatever his name is). Some things in life are personal. Mine is my privacy and people like these social networking sites with loads of small print are ruthless in selling your details to the highest bidder for profit and I bet none of you has ever been paid for that information. Replies welcomed.
Kind regards
Kev C
PS Chris, Please do not take my criticism of Facecrook personally. Your efforts to inform are well appreciated.

Thanks Alastair.

 

On a similar theme can I point people to a facebook page I am using to collate stories of extreme weather from around the globe. I call it ‘This is climate change’ just to address the failure of mainstream media outlets to call it for what it is.

 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/This-is-climate-change/386396024754408

 

 

Chris

From: Discussion list for the Crisis Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alastair McIntosh
Sent: 02 July 2012 16:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Global extreme weather events

 

Dear CHE and Crisis Forum Folks

 

I know that some of you like it when I circulate material I’ve researched for other purposes. The following may be of topical interest. I prepared it in relation to a forthcoming speaking tour and a panel that I serve on … Apologies if not of interest.

 

Alastair.

 

 

…. I was checking their weather over there, and see that large areas of the US are currently experiencing extreme weather events. In the UK, the period April – June has been announced the wettest on record (turn up the cooker, and the steam in the kitchen has to come down somewhere).

 

That prompted my to update my awareness of what the general global trends are looking like, for which purpose I always consider that the insurance companies’ data is the most interesting second only to the actual measurements. The data may be of interest to the Panel – underscoring the importance of continuing to hammer away at CO2 emissions, notwithstanding the global economic turndown.

 

I have to say that the data below, which is only from a quick search, is considerably more dramatic than I had expected to find. We are speaking of increases in severe events and insurance claims not of a few tens of %, but of a few hundreds of % over the past 40 years or so. Even seismic activity is increasing – an event that scientists are now realising may be consistent with global warming for 2 main reasons - redistributed hydrostatic pressure from sea level change, and reduced friction across rock shear planes due to increased water temperatures.

 

Alastair.

 

NOAA – May 2012 global temps 2^nd warmest ever recorded

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/

 

Corporate reporting of weather-related risk:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/31/us-climate-risk-disclosure-idUSBRE84U11220120531

 

Global trends in extreme weather events:

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/06/06/495713/extreme-weather-is-the-new-climate-reality/

 

British insurance industry report on weather-event claims:

http://www.rusi.org/downloads/assets/Surminiski.pdf

 

(There is a lot of similar insurance company material worldwide, but I don’t have time to research further than this just now. Google “extreme weather events insurance” for more).

 

 
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