I appreciate your comment that you have more good questions than good answers.
I fully agree that this until science has answers, there need be no political solutions.
I look forward to hearing a professional sift the information.

STEVE

I agree that we're only beginning to understand our atmosphere and climate. Its an extremely complex system which requires the limits of our computing power and probably more. I think academic research of the past few decades has brought us much understanding of our atmosphere/climate. As you know, weather forecasting in itself, has come quite a ways. Amongst climate scientists/researchers,I think there really is no controversy that we're in the midst of rapid climate change and much of it is human induced with our burning of fossil fuels. This is really not a controversial issue in the peered reviewed scientific community but is controversial in public due to the influence of conservative think tanks and conservative press. I've not come across a climate change naysayer (human induced) with credibility. Our lack of understanding of the atmosphere/climate change should not be an excuse to do nothing.

I'm glad that there are more people on the planet who haven't made up their educated minds on Global Warning. I had to laugh while reading the Reader's Digest, Nov. 06 issue. Yes, for $40.00 CAN , we can now adopt a polar bear and help ensure the survival of this beautiful giant, thanks to global warming. Check out: wwfstore.ca Polar bears are only too happy to have the human species be so caring and concerned. However, I do wish to say that we took a trip out to the Northern Rockies this past summer and did see affects of warming on glaciers. But the warming and retreating of glaciers such as the Columbia Icefields and others have been recorded way back in the mid 1800's and continuing until the present. Thus global warming is not a recent event but has occurred over the last 150-200 years! They are retreating more quickly, that is true. But is this due to a blip on the planet's weather system or is it due to human carelessness as they try to overrun creation.

in the early fifties we were taugh in school that the core temp of the earth was rising and that ice would melt causing flooding of the coastlines no one mentions this at all is this part of the problem. thank you don ross

SOME TWO YEARS AGO, I TRAVELED TO CHURCHILL, MANITOBA, CANADA, IN LATE SEPTEMBER. I TALKED TO NUMEROUS FOLK INVOLVED IN POLAR BEAR TOURS, ETC. THEY SAID THAT THE ICE DIDNT SET UP UNTIL MUCH LATER THAN PREVIOUSLY, AND THAT IT WAS MELTING SOONER. OF COURSE, THE IMPACT FOR THEM IS THE FATE OF THE POLAR BEAR, AND MANY OTHER SPECIES. LOGICALLY, LESS REFLECTION OFF ICE WOULD PROBABLY BRING WARMING THERE, AND CUT DOWN THE NUMBER OF COLD FRONTS, EXACERBATING HEAT WAVES WORLD WIDE.

Hi:) Laura I have always been confused about global warming I am glad you have a web-site on this subject. My family and I live on the Montana/ North Dakota border. I personnally do not like the cold and I thought because of global warming this was going to be a warm fall and winter, But I guess God Almighty had diferent plans. All of this cold weather makes me doubt global warming. I would love for warm weather around here more, it's so cold. But it does not mean I will not do my part to help take care of Gods Earth:)

Thank you for listening, Anna Sponheim

In the last paragraph of the "pleased to meet you" blog you mad this comment. "Nonetheless, the goal of this site is to present information on global warming from all sides." I may be looking on the wrong page, but I have only found one side represented. There is another side with a very sound argument. We already have one weather channel that is as far left as CNN. Please show us fair and balanced.
Thanks;
Gary

I recently did some independent poking around on the subject of human induced global warming and was surprised to find there is little consensus among scientists on many aspects of this issue. Many members of the general public, however, seem to have convinced themselves one way or the other. I like you plan to take a wait-and-see position

hi its my first time to post here.i used to be a highschool physics teacher before and now im working in a call center business. we only have limited access to the internet from this center and accuweather.com is one of the few sites where we have access to. its one of the tools we use to get connected with the people in the united states (i'm from the philippines) when it comes to weather. our account is sattelite tv so weather is one of the factors we are concerned with.
i know theres a lot of factors that contributes to global warming and we can have a long list of it. but then one factor that (i believe) is being overlooked is population. there's more people walking on earth right now than the rest of history and it contributes to more energy conversion which in turn, will produce more heat on the planet.

Storm, I don't think the human population, in and of itself, has much effect on climate. Rather, it's the byproduct of our activities that have the greatest effect.

The only heat we release through metabolism is stored energy from the sun. Besides, the human population is growing but how about that of other organisms? At one time, there were 5 billion passenger pigeons in North America. Now they're extinct. At one time, big game roamed throughout the world. Now, their populations are small. All of these creatures would have undergone the same metabolic processes that we as humans do. I see a lot of global warming skeptics jokingly suggest we stop breathing, thinking they are clever. While we do release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through respiration, this is entirely natural. Ever here of the carbon cycle? Carbon dioxide is a neccessary atmospheric component.

What isn't natural is the release of greenhouse gases through the burning of fossil fuels. Our greenhouse gas emissions are changing the composition of the atmosphere and, in turn, affecting the radiative balance of energy.

I'm partially confused.

I would like a Meteorologists' opinion on possible connections between Global Warming and our weather systems.
Would iI be able to find this info here?

Sarah,

There's no valid way to connect current weather patters with global warming. Even what is called an "abrupt climate change" takes place over decades.

I read recently there is evidence the Martian ice cap is receding. Since Mars would clearly not be effected by our use of fossil fuels wouldn't this support the idea that changes in the sun are the force behind global warming? I'm not trying to deny global warming but I am concerned that we are wasting time trying to fix a problem over which we have little power and trying to find someone to blame when we should be preparing to survive as best we can.