The Changes Caused By Climate Change

2010 was the equal hottest year recorded since man began recording temperatures 1880 and also the wettest and this is in spite of the big freeze n the northern hemisphere. 2005 was the equal hottest. A hotter world causes more evaporation from land and oceans resulting in a warmer atmosphere that holds and releases more water. The result is more violent storms and 100 year events becoming 20 year events.

While experts blame the La Nina weather pattern for the magnitude of the Queensland flood disaster, the changes in sea temperatures are increasing the likelihood and intensity of the la Nina pattern.

Professor Matthew England, joint director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of NSW, says rising sea temperatures, especially in northern Australia, are a key part of the climate system and the waters north of Australia are an important part of the climate system for Australia's monsoon rains.

Others like environmental science Professor Neville Nicholls from Monash University believes the Queensland floods are not due to climate change but purely a result of an incredibly strong La Nina and it is a natural part of climate variability," he says.

For what it is worth, my belief is that it is La Nina but that the strength of the event is influenced by warmer temperatures and we can expect more of the same.

The weather is extreme around the world as Brazil and Sri Lanks cope with unusually heavy and damaging downpours, North Queensland suffers a Category % cyclone straight after massive flooding, and Europe and North America are snow bouns with major blizzards.

And we all know that sea temperatures are warming in the north and even the sceptics can see that the arctic is melting, and this causes the very changes in the large ocean currents can normally keep North America's east coast and the west coast of Europe and the British Isles warmer than their latitude would expect. So yes, global warming IS causing the norther deep freze even if this is counter intuitive

A summary on the state of the Australian climate published last year by the Meteorological Bureau and the CSIRO, Australia's leading scientific research organisation, said that in the past 50 years, the mean temperature in Australia had risen by about 0.7 deg C and was projected to increase further, by 0.6 to 1.5 deg C, by 2030.

A hotter world causes more evaporation from land and oceans giving a warmer, wetter atmosphere and more violent storms and 100 year events have now become 20 year events.

There does appear to be a solid body of evidence from serious scientists and from the history of previous global warming that we can expect to see increased numbers and severity of earthquakes and volcanos. It is to be hoped that this connection is wrong although there is both current and paleological evidence of the connection and an increase recently - with increasing large volcanis eruptions and dreadful earthquakes around the globe.

At the same time I was sent an email by a supposedly intelligent Australian Senator who said "The idea that this government proposes to tax a colourless, odourless gas that comprises a tiny percentage of our atmosphere and is vital for life on Earth beggars belief. Of course it is been done in the name of stopping global warming - even though the Earth appears to have stopped warming over a decade ago!" Total nonsense in fact!

What a pity thet such missguided people get into positions of power. What beggars belief is that an intelligent man could be so ignorant.