New Record High Temperature At South Pole 387
New submitter Titus Andronicus writes "The South Pole experienced its highest-ever recorded temperature of -12.3C (+9.9F) on December 25, 2011, according to preliminary reporting from the Antarctic Meteorological Research Center at the University of Wisconsin."
ever (Score:0, Interesting)
I find that the definition of "ever" is lacking, how long has this been measured ?
This is good (Score:1, Interesting)
Soon we can turn Antarctica into a useful human settle-able land with farming and cities. Maybe Al Gore Warming isn't so bad.
Re:naysayers (Score:4, Interesting)
I all seriousness, I understand the folks who don't believe in global warming. I don't understand how they reach their conclusions, but what I guess I can't wrap my head around is how staunch they seem to be that global warming is absolutely not possible. It seems like they're vehemently trying to prove a negative instead of considering that even if all of the components of global warming aren't valid, there are parts that are worth considering as being problems that need to be resolved.
Re:Weather, not climate (Score:3, Interesting)
Air conditioning units are something you find in warm climates. Just sayin...
Off-topic:
Having grown up in Scandinavia without any air conditioners or even fans, and moving to the US as an adult, I have come to the conclusion that at least part of the reason why Americans are so loud is to be heard over the air conditioning. Many of them are so conditioned (npi) that they're unaware how loud those things are, even the "quiet" ones. When they get someplace quiet, they feel a strong urge to add sound, because it appears that low ambient decibel levels upsets them, not being used to it.
Re:Weather, not climate (Score:5, Interesting)
Having grown up in Scandinavia without any air conditioners or even fans, and moving to the US as an adult
One of the statistics that I find horrifying is that nearly fifteen thousand people died in France alone during the 2003 heatwave. The death toll was attributed [usatoday.com] to the widespread lack of air conditioning in that country. A First World country wherein thousands of people die simply because it was hot outside? What's wrong with this picture?
And what is it with Europeans and turning the A/C off anyway? Both times I've visited Europe I paid extra for the privilege of having A/C in my hotel room. Both times the hotel staff let themselves into my room and turned the A/C off whenever I left the room. This annoyed the hell out of me, particularly given the fact that the A/C was woefully undersized for the square footage of my room and the only way to make it halfway decent was to leave the unit running all the time. In the United States A/C is a standard feature even in budget motels.
Re:naysayers (Score:4, Interesting)
I all seriousness, I understand the folks who don't believe in global warming. I don't understand how they reach their conclusions, but what I guess I can't wrap my head around is how staunch they seem to be that global warming is absolutely not possible.
I find it odd that you characterize adherence to the "global warming" hypothesis as a matter of belief. I thought this was intended to be a scientific matter. If it's a matter of faith, then everybody can choose whether to believe in it or not, right? So what's your beef? Or are we having a religious war...
Re:naysayers (Score:1, Interesting)
It wouldn't be as much of a problem if the whole thing wasn't tied to a bunch of people using it to gain power and wealth. Most of us have always been fans of conservation. When conservation got co-opted by environmentalists and turned into a power play and a get-rich-quick scheme is when we got annoyed. When it was co-opted by government and used as an excuse to pass ridiculous laws that hurt the economy and made poor people even poorer is when we got pissed.
You're free to believe whatever you want, but until we have actual facts that can't be disputed then it's stupid to go making things worse just because something *might* be true. Nobody gets on stage and argues that 2+2=4 because we all know it's a fact. Nobody gets on stage and says "90% of all scientists believe gravity pulls things down." because it's a fact. Nobody uses the word "consensus" when talking about how to find the circumference of a circle. That's how you tell the difference between science and religion.
In science, nobody has to resort to insults like calling people "deniers" or making silly accusations to make their point. It's how we know you're full of crap. :)
Re:as an American... (Score:5, Interesting)
Oh man! Thank GOD you beat that addiction. Fan dependence and ODing is a serious problem! Just ask any South Korean!
Re:This is good (Score:4, Interesting)
"..end suburban and rural living"
we don't.
we need to stop burnig fossile fuels.
Nuclear and SOlar can do that.
The only really massive change that needs to happen is people need to drive smaller vehicles, for shorter duration. Some thing that will get better with battery design improvements. which in the US is a big deal. But too bad.. I say that as someone who loves driving, love V8 engines and love going really fast.
But that time needs to end. Frankly, I would ban any SUV or large truck unless it is used commercially. I would put some strict regulations and rules on 'commercially'. Selling Avon door to door wouldn't count, for example.
I wouldn't take anyone SUV away, but I wouldn't let them buy a new one.
Re:Weather, not climate (Score:4, Interesting)
No, 15,000 people decided to just randomly die at the same time for no apparent reason.
It just happened to correspond with a huge heat wave. There was zero correlation.
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