Extreme Temperature Diary-March 12, 2018/ Simple Climate Change Graphic

Monday March 12th… Dear Diary. The main purpose of this ongoing post will be to track United States extreme or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials)😊. Here is today’s main climate change related topic: (If you like these posts and my work please contribute via the PayPal widget, which has recently been added to this site. Thanks in advance for any support.)

Simple Climate Change Graphic

All should know by now that what peaks my interest and attention are simple graphics relating some fairy complicated climate change science for public consumption. I find that those that don’t have a strong educated background in science can be more easily confused, as is the case in my own family, so a simple picture summarizing findings can be very helpful in what has become a big political battle to get enough people to sign off on mitigation policy in order to avert eventual world-wide catastrophe. Voila. I saw this on social media over the weekend:  

This one graphic has thirteen easily demonstrated attribution points, which I will expound upon via a few web links.
Let’s group the first two:  Shrinking upper atmosphere and cooling upper atmosphere (or stratospheric cooling) can easily be measured. This video by expert Freeman Dyson sums up proof of changes in the upper atmosphere: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=coolng+stratosphere&&view=detail&mid=1D99B4E349EAAE8020701D99B4E349EAAE802070&rvsmid=5602A2284D7A07B5BE3F5602A2284D7A07B5BE3F&FORM=VDQVAP For a more technical read see: https://skepticalscience.com/Stratospheric-Cooling-and-Tropospheric-Warming.html
Next let’s group winter warming faster than summer and nights warming faster than days together. Here Skeptical Science does a nice job:  https://skepticalscience.com/The-human-fingerprint-in-the-seasons.html Yours truly via record counts has also demonstrated that nights are warming faster than days: https://guyonclimate.com/2017/03/13/nights-warming-faster-than-days/ 
Less oxygen in the air is nearly a no brainier. When coal is burned, for example, atmospheric oxygen combines with carbon to produce CO2 decreasing the overall oxygen content.  See: http://disinfo.com/2013/01/atmospheric-oxygen-levels-are-dropping-faster-than-atmospheric-carbon-levels-are-rising/
Forests breath in CO2 so naturally some carbon pollution winds up in trees. In my opinion beyond the transfer to green energy planting trees and preserving forests is the best way to fight climate change: https://onetreeplanted.org/blogs/news/14245701-how-planting-trees-can-help-reduce-your-carbon-footprint
 Likewise as more carbon is absorbed by the oceans, CO2 levels rise leading to bleaching of corrals:   
I don’t need to link too many points on the right side of the graphic. My own research into surface records shows a warming trend. To see the warming trend at different levels of the atmosphere below the tropopause I like looking at upper air data coming out of Huntsville AL as interpreted by Dr. Michael Mann in this research PDF:  http://www.meteo.psu.edu/holocene/public_html/Mann/articles/articles/SanterEtAlNatureGeosci17.pdf
Point taken with all of this today is that the links between carbon pollution and effects are more clear than ever. As I keep stating any debate is shifting from if carbon pollution causes climate change to ho much and how fast effects will take place. We will continue to explore the science behind each of these thirteen points on future posts.
The Climate Guy

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