Antarctic Station Smashes September Cold Record; Azul’s Coldest September Low Since 1995; Canada Back Below -10C; Greenland SMB’s Missing Updates; + Methane: Both Sides Are Overstating It
Methane—like CO2—isn’t a molecule to fear.
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Russia Drops Below -25C; Mid-October Arctic Blast For US?; Atolls Aren’t Disappearing; Britons Warned To Prepare For Blackouts; + CME Due Oct 9
This is a choice. Replace weather-dependent generation with gas, nuclear and/or coal capacity, and the unreliability vanishes.
Aussie Antarctic Stations All Logged Colder-Than-Average Winter; Met Office ‘Finds’ New 2026 Heat Record; New Study: Solar Cycle Modulates The Pacific Ocean; + Spotless Day
The Dalton Minimum did not occur after a long gentle slide into the quiet: a very strong solar cycle, a late burst of intense activity, then two collapsed cycles. The lights just went out.
Antarctic Blast Brings Rare Snow And Record Power Demand To New Zealand; Greenland Posts Another Record Summer Gain; Widespread Mid-August Cool; + Peer Review Is Not The Scientific Method
Greenland’s ice sheet has posted another record gain in the heart of summer.
Methane has a 100 GWP of ~30. There is 420/2.2 = 191 times less CH4 than CO2. So one additional molecule of CH4 is = to 6.4 molecules of CO2.
That said, CH4 has a short life in the atmosphere as it is converted to CO2 via OH radicals. That takes about 9 years. There any methane emissions have a maximum impact for only 9 years, not 100. That’s not a half life, that is the life of a new molecule of CH4 in the atmosphere. The present 2.2 ppm is “new” methane on its way to be eliminated by 2035.
So apart from the overlap with water vapour, there is never going to be a significant (or detectable) influence of methane on the global temperature. On another planet, maybe, if it doesn’t have significant oxygen.
The attach on methane, especially as an issue around natural gas well leaks, is just an excuse to complain about natural gas. The main complainers are promoters of wind turbines, an example of which is the NGO, Ontario Clean Air Alliance which is largely funded by two wind machine vendors. You can find the list of sponsors on their website. Fanatic anti-gas arguments are rooted in ignorance and bias. There are thousands of methane seeps all over the world, as well as large clouds of it over all tropical forests. Yet the concentration is only 2.2 ppm.
It is a short-lived natural emission that is taken care of by the oxygen in the air. All thing considered, it is better to burn it for some useful purpose.
Yes and plants use co2 and give off o2 which converts ch4 to co2 . A nice cycle.
Holy crap! Alert, Nunavut, Canada is way up there as far north as you can go in Canada. Across a short stretch of water is the northern tip of Greenland. 82^30’N
There’s a couple dozen buildings, fuel oil tanks, fuel tanks and a 3000 ft airstrip. If it’s not a permanent tiny outpost, it’s a good imitation.
The “global warming potential” of trace gases is a notion that was developed to underpin models representing a supposed “greenhouse effect” in open air. Anyone familiar with greenhouses is well aware that the warming is the result of enclosing a space, thereby excluding it from open air.
We’re entitled to roll our eyes at such a ridiculous notion as the one the modelers claim. Fortunately for maintaining life on Earth, our atmosphere, including water vapor, provides a “blanket effect” that protects us from the dramatic day-night extremes that the planet would otherwise experience. The atmospheric “greenhouse effect” is bogus.