Much of the Indian Ocean is slightly cooler than normal

Nobel laureate Al Gore hypothesized last week that the Burma cyclone might be due to high SST's caused by global warming.

It is unfortunate that he doesn't appear to have access to the Internet (which he invented) to check his facts before opening his mouth.

Very atypical of Mr. Gore to speculate about things he obviously knows nothing about.

Reply: Actually Patrick, using the May 1st anomalies it looks like water temps through most of the Bay of Bengal off of Myanmar were close to normal. Water temps then cooled for several days right behind the cyclone due to upwelling. This was more of a product of weather pattern (upper-level steering winds) rather than unusually warm water.

http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/data/anome.5.1.2008.gif

Hi Guys,

Brett, looks like AMO maybe ready to shift also. If I am correct that will produce a cooler Europe. This coupled with a weak solar signature is not a good sign. Hopefully I am wrong and the warming will continue. Warming is good and cooling is very bad. Just ask the poor folks in the Midwest and South.

But what causes this occilation? Reply: Causes are not currently known.

I love it how the media reports the ocean changes as if they happened out of the blue, almost to the point that it sounds like climate change causes climate change.

www.spaceweather.com

Why don't we here any serious discussion of this?

What if the source of all energy on the planet causes these shifts that seam to overpower C02 forcing?

If McCain were to win he will find it almost impossible to implement cap and trade legislation. Too many democrats in the coal states and too many of both parties in the farm states. When you calculate the carbon footprint of ethanol plants which will include the huge amounts of natural gas it takes to produce the fertilizers to grow the corn, the land clearing, the diesel fuel required for transporting and planting it will make coal power plants look very clean in comparison.

If you replace Al Gore's name with PH from Patrick Henry's quotes, you will see who really knows what they are talking about:

"It is unfortunate that he doesn't appear to have access to the Internet...to check his facts before opening his mouth.

Very atypical of Mr. Gore to speculate about things he obviously knows nothing about."

Thanks Brett for clearing that up.

Hi Brett,

UAH reported that April temperatures in the tropics were the coldest on record, with temperatures below normal over the waters south of Burma.
http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/t2lt/uahncdc.lt
http://climate.uah.edu

By why would Al Gore bother to consider facts before opening his mouth? Our next President has already picked Professor Gore as his global warming czar.

Four years of non-stop comedy on the way, though Mr. Bean would be a more suitable choice.

Although this latest cyclone would not be referred to as an anomaly. all of the conditions for an anomaly were there, like warmer waters, more flooding, because of the ocean in that area being higher. This is an unfolding of the IPCC predictions and they are pretty much right on.It is good to see that John McCain believes in cap and trade, like the Dem's do. I don't think he will win any elections but President Obama will fight against AGW. I don't think he will start a war, speaking of a bridge to nowhere. Since Patrick: so obsessed with Al Gore I wonder if you are jealous of him.
J.P. I no you were being sarcastic about Americans being vulgarians, but you are closer to the truth then you know. Go to Europe, Canada, or Africa, and you will see how spoiled Americans are.
KIPP

Jack,

I hope you are right. Our economy is fueled by carbon. Offsetting carbon will offset our economy.

And for what? Because the planet is in "PERIL?"

Give me a break. This AGW fad is so stupid. Hopefully it disappears just as quickly as it came.

"Jack Mclaughlin:
fertilizers to grow the corn,"

Jack the obvious things that are wrong with ethanol aside.
There's a even dirtier secret about ethanol.

Crops for ethanol do not have to follow the same regulations as food or feed crops.

They can use almost any pesticide or fertilizer they want, and almost any amount that they want,
on ethanol crops.

iceman,

Thanks for the congrats. I checked Shepherd Bay, and it was at -3 F for the month of April, which is about 4 degrees warmer than the normals as given at www.weatherbase.com.

NOAA predicted this ....

Nov. 15, 2007 For the country as a whole, NOAA's heating degree day forecast for December through February projects a 4.0 percent warmer winter than the 30-year normal....Drought conditions are expected to persist in the Southwest due to La Nina, and temperatures are likely to be above average.
http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/articles/index.php?id=12

And missed by a mile ...

The average temperature across both the contiguous U.S. and the globe during climatological winter (December 2007-February 2008) was the coolest since 2001, according to scientists at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. In terms of winter precipitation, Pacific storms, bringing heavy precipitation to large parts of the West, produced high snowpack that will provide welcome runoff this spring.
http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/articles/index.php?id=12

Just looking at these maps, the overall ocean surface temps appear cooler than last year, the warmest area of note is the swath of warm extending from China coast to Hawaii ...and the Area of reds around northern Europe. This area is interesting...any explanation for so concentrated a heating?

Dennis Hlinka,

Strange that we can read the same post and see two different things.

I thought Brett was agreeing with PH's implied statement: that the cyclone was likely caused by weather, rather than climate.

Stay cool

Patrick --
Do try to use the Internet to fact check. I am getting tired of your daily misleads.

"Former Vice President Al Gore says global warming is to blame for the cyclone in Myanmar."

In fact, while Gore did discuss the cyclone in the context of global warming, he also stated -- just moments earlier -- that "any individual storm can't be linked singularly to global warming."

Fox News edited his comments to make it seem like he was directly blaming AGW for the cyclone. No true.

Kipp,

Can you find a reference saying this "more flooding, because of the ocean in that area being higher."

See cause I thought there was more flooding because of geographical terrain reasons, or are you just wording it to sound like it was the primary reason for the flooding to make AGW sounds worse than it really is?

Commence your removal of foot from mouth!

Kipp,

Back to the map, looks like alot more blue, but thats not a natural cycle, that is global warming. All my,"people", give it up. Global Warming, Global Cooling, been happening forever and will continue too, no matter if you drive to work or walk to work, turn your lights and t.v off or turn your lights and t.v on. Again why was their past ice ages, why did they melt, why were parts that are now cold, why were they warm. Please just think and quit sitting in front of the liberal t.v and watching in amazement everytime a Gore, Clinton, O'bama story or a global warming tale comes on. Some of you could be talked into anything. My it sure has been a cold spring so far and the long range does not show alot of hope. Uhhh!!!

JB: Watch the names! Next time I will not edit it out, but instead throw it out.

PDO is -1.52 for April. The strongest of this cool phase.

http://jisao.washington.edu/pdo/PDO.latest

The La Nina has seen a little strengthening this month in all regions.

This PDF is updated every Monday.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf

GISS temp anomaly for April is 0.40, March has been revised to 0.60(some missing data has been filled in)

Hi Triple C,

If you read the entire response from Brett, including looking at his additional attachment in his reply to PH, you would see that the water temperatures in the area where the Burma cyclone hit were much warmer prior to and at the time of landfall. That is what is meant by cooling water temperatures due to upwelling "behind the storm". What PH saw and responded to was the cooler water after the storm passed (seen in Brett's main posting to this topic) and he did not investigate the fact that water temperatures were actually warmer prior to landfall. So his criticsm of Al Gore was incorrect.

Political critism is OK if you do a little research and get your facts right.

Brett: It's been more than 24 hours since I posted a comment to Jim Arndt sbout the AMO on this thread and it has yet to appear. Over the past month, more of my comments have been lost to your filters than have been posted. Does your filter disike TinyPic links? Reply: I guess they do. Also, I was out of town today in Gettysburg, just got back this evening.

Brett, Sorry about that, just a little upset after reading those comments. Next time I'll cool off before writing. Thanks for the editing, it is well appreciated, I'm sure though it would got some comments flying but I know that is for another blog. Again Sorry! Reply: Appreciate it Josh.

gettingcold,

I'm not impressed that Mr. Gore is trying to have it both ways. "White man speak with forked tongue."

There is zero evidence that this or any other hurricane is the result of "global warming" - particularly since the globe is cooling. The southern hemisphere just had the second coldest March on record, and the tropics just had the coldest April on record.

Time for the alarmists to find a new hobby.

Saly:
I hope it is not a curse for you that I agree with you so much. The other point about corn is people eat it. At the local Mexican corner store they don't like the quality of the corn or the price of it. We used to send wheat and corn to places like Darfur.Hey veeets. You got me on that big point you intellectual giant. Well now that we know Obama will be our next president I hope everyone will give him unwavering support in his AGW initiatives. Remember, screw the Polar Bear but please,give my grandchildren a chance to live a normal existence. All Liberals, like true conservatives usually have respect for the other. References to wing nuts and pansies don't really state the facts. Unless your referring to mark!
KIPP

Dennis:
We wouldn't want to state that Al Gore didn't have his facts straight would we? Anyone who has seen his movie and seen what he does with facts knows better than to do this. Shame on you PH.

Dennis Hlinka,

I see where you're coming from. I may have misinterpreted what Brett had said...

"This was more of a product of weather pattern (upper-level steering winds) rather than unusually warm water."

...to mean that he thought this was probably a product of recent weather rather than a result of global climate change.

Have a good day.

Stay cool

"Hey veeets. You got me on that big point you intellectual giant."

Kipp, I might just put that on a T-shirt. Now let us look at what other flash of the pan things you have attributed to AGW... this could be a long list :)

Anonymous:
You are not giving Americans the respect they deserve. Our economy will weather this storm, we will find solutions, that is what we are about. If it isn't the price of oil, the mandated allotment of corn for ethanol,then it could be something else. What if a war started and all our men were in Iraq. Stuff happens, but we can adjust and survive and win. AGW exists no matter how much it threatens our short term goals. There is a gas shortage and a recession, but I'm sure your family will survive. I don't like cap and trade, but if it came that, we would find a way to make money with it. Americans have always adapted to change. Survival of the fittest.
That's who we are. I'm sorry that I think that AGW is real, but Ive got to follow what I believe.
KIPP