Climate Lynx

Last week I introduced you to the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments team which is tasked to evaluate what has happened in the past, what is happening now, and what kind of climate we can expect in the future. Their goal is to make our Great Lakes States more resilient and safer in the face of climate change. In this column I will hit some of the high points. First off, how much have we warmed? Since 1953 average temperatures have warmed 2.3 degrees F. While the air temperature over the great lakes region has risen 2.3 F, Lake Superior surface temperatures have warmed a whopping 4.5F. There are many reasons Superior has warmed so much faster but the primary is lack of ice cover. This warms the lake in a couple ways. Ice cover and snow reflect light back to outer space but open water absorbs the light and converts it to heat. (the scientific term for reflectivity is albedo).   Also, ice cools whatever it is in contact with as it melts. It absorbs heat from anyth...

First, a big shout out of thanks to the road crews who have kept our highways passable in the worst of weather. We are no strangers to heavy snow, but we just experienced a blizzard. I was impressed not only with the power of mother nature but how well our snow removers got the job done. We know the earth is warming rapidly and this is called global warming but how has this affected our local weather and how will it affect us in the future? There is a scramble by our universities and various governmental organizations to create modern crystal balls (climate models) to prepare the US citizen for what is coming. Many of the studies focus on how far the oceans have risen and how fast they will continue rising. Many are involved with how drought prone areas like our Southwest will have to endure rising heat and lack of moisture. Still others are attempting to forecast future mega rains and moisture laden hurricanes so humans who experience these unfortunate climate emergencies can cope...

Is Bigger Better? Megaphilia is the love of large things. While I love God’s Creations, I must admit some BIG things are really cool. Charlie Hoffs is a writer for the Union of Concerned Scientists and introduced me to the term, megaphilia, via her article. This started me wondering if I too am attracted to big things. I have had the good fortune of seeing massive Bull Moose and Elk. The moose is the largest of the deer family and a stunning animal to encounter in its native habitat. My work, gratefully, gave me many chances to see whales, and once a herd of elephants moving single file across the African Savanah. I once saw a big old yellow polar bear. His footprints looked huge from 500 feet. I was happy to be out of reach in the helicopter. I hope everyone has had a chance to see some of these animals in the wild, or will in the future, they are not only big and majestic but amazingly graceful. My first close view of Denali in the Alaskan Range was rather humbling. I...