Friday, December 17, 2010

I’m dreaming of a White Christmas”: A Carol with Global Warmist Undertones



This has to be one of the most recognizable song lyrics out there during every Christmas season. White Christmas was actually written in 1940 by an Irving Berlin for the 1942 movie "Holiday Inn" starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. 

Songs often reflect the times. As seen from the graph, the period 1920-45 was a period the globe experienced warming at a scale matching those seen during 1977-2000. In fact the warmest year for USA remains 1934 and then only 1998 according to NASA data. A snow covered Christmas Day was a rarity then and Irving Berlin captured within the lyrics the nostalgia when snow was more common, perhaps explaining the sheer magnetism the song holds.

The planet undergoes a warm-cool oscillation on an average, every 25-30 years, correlating significantly with a climatic phenomenon called Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) as seen in the graph. Living almost in a quarter of a century within the same cycle will tend to prompt almost anybody to forget what it meant living in an opposite cycle. 

As was the case of Irving Berlin in the 40s, it was also the same at turn of the millennium, wherein almost two decades of warming made most forget that a global cooling mode is next to come as part of earth’s natural climatic variability.  An article in the UK’s Independent newspaper with a dateline 20 March 2000 best illustrated this popular fallacy when it predicted snow will become extinct:
"According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia, within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event. Children just aren't going to know what snow is”



Feeble western disturbance as an upper air system over Jammu & Kashmir and neighbourhood persists
upper air cyclonic circulation in lower levels  over southeast Arabian Sea persists ... http://ow.ly/i/6sKa
A Low circulation is expected over S.Tip Tamilnadu on 22-Dec. Heavy rains forecast for entire TN coast on 21,22,23-Dec.. http://ow.ly/i/6sK5
An easterly wave will start to enter S-E Bay from 18-Dec... will affect Tamilnadu coast from 20/21-Dec.. http://ow.ly/i/6sJS
Lowest minimum temperature of 1.8°C was recorded at Adampur(Punjab) in the plains.
Chennai - sharp showers now 2:35pm in Saidapet
Dec-Feb could witness cooler-than-normal climes in India except West Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, J&K.. http://ow.ly/3qEtL
Chennai - With 26mm recorded till 8.30 am this morning Chennai has crossed 1600 mm for the year ... http://ow.ly/3qEol

Chennai has crossed 1600 mm

With 26mm recorded till 8.30 am this morning Chennai has crossed 1600 mm mark for the third time in this decade

Chennai Nungambakkam Top Rainfall Figures in mm in last decade

2005 – 2556
2001 – 1667
2010 – 1602
2008 – 1597
chennai - fresh sharp showers now 6:50am in Pallavaram and pammal zone