Is Strange Weather In Thailand Due To Warming?

[webfact]

Is strange weather due to warming?

By Wannapa Kaopa

The Nation

Published on January 12, 2010

EXTREME WEATHER conditions such as dense fog blanketing Bangkok, heavier floods in the South and fewer frosty mornings in the North seem to be hitting Thailand. Scientists are conducting studies to see if global warming is to blame for these strange patterns.

It is still in doubt that climate change has resulted in different strange phenomenon occurring on the earth, including in Thailand where the occurrences of natural phenomenon have changed.

A Thai academic is now moniฌtoring strange phenomenon seen in Thailand and in its neighbouring country.

"We should keep monitoring severer storms that have occurred more often in Vietnam, heavier downpours and higher waves in the South of Thailand and frozen dew happening on the top of a mountain in the North of Thailand," said Anond Snidvongs, academic at Climate Change Knowledge Management Centre of Science and Technology Ministry.

"After I've analysed factors causing the change in the natural phenomenon for years, I suspect that climate change is the main factor. So, I'll continue monitoring the aspects of the storms, downpours and frozen dew," he said.

Anond revealed that he had studied the storms in Vietnam for five years with collaboration from weather bureau of the country and found they were severer and hapฌpened more often.

He found that heavier downฌpours had hit provinces in the East Coast of the South of Thailand, including Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Phatthalung from December to January over the past 34 years, compared to years before. As a result, they had caused severer floods in these areas. The stronger Northeast monsoon caused the heavier downpours and also higher waves that caused coastal erosion.

"I've compared the occurrences of frozen dew on the top of Doi Inthanon mountain in Chiang Mai in the last 10 years and 10 years before. Locals there told me that the frozen dew occurred only two years out of the last 10 years and it happened only in a few consecutive mornings each time. While, 10 years before they saw it almost every year and it happened in many consecutive mornings each time, sometimes lasted weeks or up to one month."

"I could not monitor everything happened in Thailand and strange phenomenon can happen anywhere, so if you see something happened unusually and suspect if it involves climate change, please contact us via the ministry's hotline number 1313. We'll keep your information for analysis as our country's knowledge database," Anond added.

-- The Nation 2010-01-12

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Related link: Thailand weather and weather forecasts for all provinces: http://weather.thaivisa.com

[bkkjames]

apparently not...but don't tell Khun Anond that.

El Nino Set To Continue Into First Quarter Of 2010: WMO

Date: 02-Dec-09

Country: SWITZERLAND

Author: Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA - An El Nino weather pattern warming the Pacific Ocean and linked to drought in South Asia is likely to continue through the first quarter of 2010, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Tuesday.

The phenomenon, which began in June and intensified in October, has "implications for many climate patterns around the world over the next several months," the WMO said.

But a second year of El Nino conditions or rapid transition to a La Nina pattern -- its counterpart in which waters cool -- are considered "unlikely," according to the United Nations agency.

An El Nino, which means "little boy" in Spanish, is driven by an abnormal warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean. It can create havoc in weather patterns across the Asia-Pacific region, unleashing droughts in some places and heavy storms in others.

"El Nino conditions are very likely to continue at least through the remainder of 2009 and into the first quarter of 2010," the WMO said.

The last severe El Nino in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damages to crops, infrastructure and mines in Australia and Asia.

Across the central and eastern Equatorial Pacific, sea surface temperatures were generally about 1 degree Celsius warmer than normal during the period of June-September, it said.

Average sea surface temperatures in the second half of October rose to around 1.5 degree Celsius warmer than normal, and most forecasting models expected this level will continue for November-February, according to the WMO.

The so-called "decay" phase of the El Nino back to near-neutral conditions across the tropical Pacific is considered likely during the March-May period, it said. Climate impacts in some regions typically continue through this phase.

El Nino is not the only factor that determines regional impacts, although it is "one of the most dominant," according to WMO climate scientist Rupa Kumar Kolli.

"There are climatological relationships between an El Nino event and some regional climatic patterns, such as an El Nino event being associated with weaker monsoons," Kolli told a news briefing.

"For example, we have seen that in South Asia, we have had a very weak summer monsoon which led to drought conditions."

But no two El Nino events are alike and there are other factors that actually compound its impacts, he said.

Australia's weather bureau said last week that weather indicators suggested a drought-bringing El Nino was maturing.

Equatorial Pacific Ocean temperatures remain at their highest levels since at least the El Nino event of 2002, it said, also pointing to models suggesting the phenomenon would continue into the first quarter of 2010.

(Editing by Sue Thomas)

[NADTATIDA1]

I could not monitor everything happened in Thailand and strange phenomenon can happen anywhere, so if you see something happened unusually and suspect if it involves climate change, please contact us via the ministry's hotline number 1313. We'll keep your information for analysis as our country's knowledge database," Anond added.

"hotline"

I suspect they will be very busy!

[TAWP]

It's not due to some imaginary 'global warming'.

That is now also renamed 'climate change' since it obviously isn't guarantee to warm anything and the climate will always change, as per the randomness on nature. Instant win for scammers.

The new ice age alarm is still only 30 years old...

[tonititan]

I'm sure this is going to turn into a huge debate about whether global warming/extreme climate change is real or not. My question is, WHO CARES?!?

What I mean by that is, do we really need proof of global warming in order to start taking better care of our environment and being more energy efficient? I sure don't think so! Whether global warming is real or not, what harm is it going to do if we take steps to protect the Earth now? Why take the risk of waiting until it's too late, just because we're so stubborn that we have to prove/disprove the global warming theory?

I don't know for sure what I think personally, so I'm not trying to attack anyone's position on global warming. I just don't understand. People who believe in global warming think that we need to change our ways immediately to be nicer to our planet. For those of you who don't believe in it, what do you think we should do? Trash the Earth even more just because there's no proof of global warming?!?! Whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not, I don't know how anyone can argue against steps to limit pollution, create cleaner energy, control emissions, etc. But, obviously some people do, and I'm sure some people on this forum will as well.

[GuyLakeman]

governments made their money out of the aerosols causing global cooling and as that revenue stream has dried up they are on the global warming and carbon taxation

crooked b -- stards!

they dont give a s-it about the environment but just keeping their political party in office !

air conditioned offices ....

[Jingthing]

Its a moral question. Either we care about preserving a livable planet for young people and future generations, or we don't. Based on the evidence, most of us don't.

[animatic]

No it's clearly Thaksin's fault,

he's clouded the country so badly no light can get it.

Just kidding, but some here will believe I mean it for a bit.

Certainly climate change needs to be addressed more thoughtfully

than has been the case so far, and vested interests shunted to a back burner.

[bkkjames]

My thought on Climate Change is that for those out there so concerned about it should be the first to give up their cars as a show of leadership.

[tonititan]

My thought on Climate Change is that for those out there so concerned about it should be the first to give up their cars as a show of leadership.

Done!

[canuckamuck]

Is strange weather due to warming?

Umm, we have been cooling for the last few years, so I would have to say. No

[TAWP]

Its a moral question. Either we care about preserving a livable planet for young people and future generations, or we don't. Based on the evidence, most of us don't.

You are right it is a moral question.

Either we understand that the way to the future is improved processes of manufacturing, renewable electricity (including nuclear powered) and improved economics for more people, or we think that taxation, forcing people to reduce living quality etc etc is the way forward...

Some environmentalists are not happy until we all live in caves. Some communists too for that matter.

[RickBradford]

Its a moral question.

It certainly is.

We can either spend reasonable sums of money to help those on the edge of poverty, or waste trillions on meaningless carbon credits -- literally trading in hot air -- and condemn millions of Third World children to death for lack of access to clean water and cheap medicine.

That is not to mention present global emission-reduction policies, which are already causing the deaths of millions by starvation as a result of the doubling of world food prices caused by growing biofuels, not food, on vast acreages in the name of Saving The Planet.

[zzaa09]

It's not due to some imaginary 'global warming'.

That is now also renamed 'climate change' since it obviously isn't guarantee to warm anything and the climate will always change, as per the randomness on nature. Instant win for scammers.

The new ice age alarm is still only 30 years old...

If we should realize anything regarding the climate change debate, regardless of your political affiliation/identity {pro, con, indifferent}, we should all agree that the topical matter is big big marketable business.

[AleG]

I'm sure this is going to turn into a huge debate about whether global warming/extreme climate change is real or not. My question is, WHO CARES?!?

What I mean by that is, do we really need proof of global warming in order to start taking better care of our environment and being more energy efficient? I sure don't think so! Whether global warming is real or not, what harm is it going to do if we take steps to protect the Earth now? Why take the risk of waiting until it's too late, just because we're so stubborn that we have to prove/disprove the global warming theory?

I don't know for sure what I think personally, so I'm not trying to attack anyone's position on global warming. I just don't understand. People who believe in global warming think that we need to change our ways immediately to be nicer to our planet. For those of you who don't believe in it, what do you think we should do? Trash the Earth even more just because there's no proof of global warming?!?! Whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not, I don't know how anyone can argue against steps to limit pollution, create cleaner energy, control emissions, etc. But, obviously some people do, and I'm sure some people on this forum will as well.

Hear, hear. Exactly my thoughts.

[nullx8]

dont worry .. ALOT of time left until 12.2012

[RickBradford]

...do we really need proof of global warming in order to start taking better care of our environment and being more energy efficient?

You're quite right - that's what we should all be doing. Sadly, the focus on global warming, and in particular that evil pollutant ( ) CO² is taking focus away from things we can do now, which would have measurable benefits very quickly. And which won't cost trillions of dollars.

Why is there this intense focus on CO² and global warming to the near-exclusion of sensible remedies?

Follow The Money.

There are a great many well-placed people and organisations who stand to make billions out of this fraudulent global warming scam -- not least, incidentally, the big oil companies who are in an excellent position to offer their exhausted oil fields as a place to pump CO² and lock it away (sequestration), one of the more absurd suggestions to have been made on this subject.

[gbswales]

Of course deforestation, pollution and climate change are all issues that we should be taking very seriously. There is however a disturbing trend to explain every bad spell of weather - here in the UK all sorts of things are being blamed for the current heavy snow and cold weather - as a child of the 40's I remember the bad winters of the 1960's - phenominal weather is as abnormal as it is normal. I also remember that in much deeper snow the country kept going much more efficiently than it did today - sure they buses stopped running for a day or two but that just mean that I was wrapped in a winter coat, wellington boots put on, and told to walk the three miles to school which I dont recall ever being closed because of bad weather! Now 10cm of snow and everything grinds to a halt on "safety grounds"

Still the snow delights my Thai partner which also explains the mysterious "bare" footprints I find in the snow!

Edited January 12, 2010 by gbswales

[astral]

No doubt Global Warming is causing the freezing weather in Europe.

[Johpa]

Your opinion will come down to whether or not you are able to comprehend the distinction between weather and climate.

[animatic]

Your opinion will come down to whether or not you are able to comprehend the distinction between weather and climate.

Essentially yes.

[Phuquephace]

Weather = not sure whether it will rain or shine - I thought big Al Gore and the polar bears had that lot all sorted in Copenhagen?

Did I miss something on Fox?

[eTiMaGo]

yes, climate change is the leading cause to change in climate. Now where's my PhD?

[Donnyboy]

suppose they blame global warming for the unusual cold snap in europe and usa

[eTiMaGo]

I'm sure this is going to turn into a huge debate about whether global warming/extreme climate change is real or not. My question is, WHO CARES?!?

What I mean by that is, do we really need proof of global warming in order to start taking better care of our environment and being more energy efficient? I sure don't think so! Whether global warming is real or not, what harm is it going to do if we take steps to protect the Earth now? Why take the risk of waiting until it's too late, just because we're so stubborn that we have to prove/disprove the global warming theory?

I don't know for sure what I think personally, so I'm not trying to attack anyone's position on global warming. I just don't understand. People who believe in global warming think that we need to change our ways immediately to be nicer to our planet. For those of you who don't believe in it, what do you think we should do? Trash the Earth even more just because there's no proof of global warming?!?! Whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not, I don't know how anyone can argue against steps to limit pollution, create cleaner energy, control emissions, etc. But, obviously some people do, and I'm sure some people on this forum will as well.

thank you for one of the only sane replies here

[RickBradford]

suppose they blame global warming for the unusual cold snap in europe and usa

Yes, Donnyboy, "they" do.

Voice of America: "Meteorologists: Global Warming and Cold Weather Go Hand-In-Hand".

The obvious point to be made is that if we cannot predict weather features such as the Arctic oscillation (which is causing the current cold snap) or an El Niño (which caused hot weather in 1998) under the current climate, how can anyone credibly claim they can predict the climate several decades into the future from both natural and human-caused climate forcings?

The short answer is that they cannot.

So, as an earlier poster said, we should try to be as gentle as we can with the planet and stop spending all our time worrying about largely irrelevant issues such as the tiny increase in the amount of CO² in the atmosphere.

[Scott]

And to think the previous thread on global warming was closed!

[AleG]

suppose they blame global warming for the unusual cold snap in europe and usa

Yes, Donnyboy, "they" do.

Voice of America: "Meteorologists: Global Warming and Cold Weather Go Hand-In-Hand".

The obvious point to be made is that if we cannot predict weather features such as the Arctic oscillation (which is causing the current cold snap) or an El Niño (which caused hot weather in 1998) under the current climate, how can anyone credibly claim they can predict the climate several decades into the future from both natural and human-caused climate forcings?

The short answer is that they cannot.

So, as an earlier poster said, we should try to be as gentle as we can with the planet and stop spending all our time worrying about largely irrelevant issues such as the tiny increase in the amount of CO² in the atmosphere.

The difference between weather and climate is like the difference between waves and the tide. You can't really predict how high a wave coming into the shore will be, but you can predict the ebb and flow of the tides. Just as the position of the Moon and Sun dictate the tides, the composition of the atmosphere and the albedo (how much the Earth reflects light) dictate the global, average temperatures.

What many deniers do, following the analogy, is to take the highest point of an unusually high wave (like the unusually hot El Niño year of 98), then compare it with an unusually low wave or trough at a later time and then claim that proves the tide is ebbing while ignoring all the other facts.

[RickBradford]

What many deniers do, following the analogy, is to take the highest point of an unusually high wave (like the unusually hot El Niño year of 98), then compare it with an unusually low wave or trough at a later time and then claim that proves the tide is ebbing while ignoring all the other facts.

Yes, this is called bogus stochastic interpretation.

By choosing the right points on an oscillating graph, you can prove almost anything you want with regard to trends.

In fact, it is not 'deniers' who do this, it was the IPCC, in its headline graph for the 2007 Assessment Report, in a fraudulent attempt to show that "warming" is "increasing".

The graph is bogus not only because it relies on the made-up data from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia but also because it is overlain by four separate trend-lines, each with a start-date carefully selected to give the entirely false impression that the rate of warming over the past 150 years has itself been accelerating, especially between 1975 and 1998.

The truth, however – neatly obscured by an ingenious rescaling of the graph and the superimposition of the four bogus trend lines on it – is that from 1860-1880 and again from 1910-1940 the warming rate was exactly the same as the warming rate from 1975-1998.

[Bottlerocket]

I'm sure this is going to turn into a huge debate about whether global warming/extreme climate change is real or not. My question is, WHO CARES?!?

What I mean by that is, do we really need proof of global warming in order to start taking better care of our environment and being more energy efficient? I sure don't think so! Whether global warming is real or not, what harm is it going to do if we take steps to protect the Earth now? Why take the risk of waiting until it's too late, just because we're so stubborn that we have to prove/disprove the global warming theory?

I don't know for sure what I think personally, so I'm not trying to attack anyone's position on global warming. I just don't understand. People who believe in global warming think that we need to change our ways immediately to be nicer to our planet. For those of you who don't believe in it, what do you think we should do? Trash the Earth even more just because there's no proof of global warming?!?! Whether global warming is a real phenomenon or not, I don't know how anyone can argue against steps to limit pollution, create cleaner energy, control emissions, etc. But, obviously some people do, and I'm sure some people on this forum will as well.

That's fine. Then we should do something about it, rather than cook up some carbon-credit scheme that is essentially a global taxation system that will allow the big polluters who make billions of dollars a year to pollute even more just because they can afford to buy the credits. The only real way to curb the massive amounts of pollution spewed into the environment is for each person to cut their consumption of goods, which includes petrol, petrol-bassed products (plastic), electricity, etc. and to focus their purchases on products made locally, including agricultural commodities. Here's a link to a nice article:

My Saudi Arabian Breakfast