You are browsing the archive for October 2015 - Dan's Wild Wild Science Journal.
30 October 2015
Wow! Moment as Scientists Discover What’s Really Decimating The Cod Fishery
No doubt that overfishing has decimated the Cod fishery, but the extreme restrictions put on the Cod catch has done little or no good, and the numbers are now down to 3-4% of a sustainable fishery. Apparently, what was really happening has been staring us in the face for over a decade, and it’s not good news. To put it in science denier terms- “It’s the warming oceans stupid!” A …
28 October 2015
NOAA Partners with Amazon To Make Real Time and Historical Radar Data Available.
In many countries (like the UK/France or Italy), this kind of data would cost you a ton of money. Here in the U.S. our weather data is very cheap. Check out the press release from NOAA today below: Partnering with Amazon Web Services on Big Data This visualization, created with NEXRAD Level II data, depicts Hurricane Katrina as it made landfall in 2005. On October 27, 2015, Amazon Web Services(link …
Indian Summer Weather Next Week?? Probably!
Next week’s weather pattern is looking very warm for almost the entire nation to the east of the Rockies. A strong high pressure ridge in the upper atmosphere, will bring sunshine and well above normal temps to much of the Plains and Eastern U.S. Here on the Eastern Seaboard, we may not be as far above average as areas to the west, but our temps. will be several degrees above average, and …
26 October 2015
Southeast Asia Is Burning, and You can See It From The Moon
The image below is from the new Japanese Himawari weather satellite, and you can clearly see the smoke from forest fires covering the region around Indonesia. FYI: The image sensor on Himawari can detect light in the red, green and blue visible wavelengths and is the only weather satellite in geostationary orbit that sends back true colour images. Not only can you see it from 40,000 km in space, you …
23 October 2015
Severe Hurricane Patricia Approaching Mexico Coast
Hurricane Patricia continues to maintain category 5 level, and hurricane hunters have measured the lowest pressure ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere. The hot waters from El Nino are probably playing a role here, and it now looks nearly certain that Patricia will cause severe flooding and destruction, with a deadly storm surge as it makes landfall tonight. Astronaut Scott Kelly (on the ISS) sent back this view of Patricia from low Earth …
Cat 5 Hurricane Patricia Heads To Mexico with Winds Near 200 MPH. Strongest East Pacific Storm On Record!
Mexico’s Pacific Coast has rarely, if ever, been hit by a Cat 5 severe hurricane, but that is exactly what will happen tomorrow between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta. A hurricane hunter dropsonde report showed winds reaching 179 knots or 206 mph at flight level near the eye and surface winds are now near 185 mph. This truly is a monster storm. It will produce a catastrophic storm surge where it makes …
21 October 2015
September Global Heat Record Smashed. 2015 Will Almost Certainly Pass 2014 as Hottest on Record
September 2015 was not just the hottest September since measurements began over 136 years ago, and it was farther above average than any other month on record. The amount above average was 0.9C, with the previous record holders coming this year as well. It’s not just a new record hot month, but a record that passed the old one by an astounding amount. The year to date is also the …
20 October 2015
A Much Better Heat Index Is Sorely Needed. This is It.
I listened to an excellent talk today at the 40th National Weather Association Conference here in Oklahoma City, and It was about a better way of alerting the public to dangerous heat. Yes, you’ve heard of the Heat Index, and it does indeed have value, since the amount of moisture in the air plays a big role on how efficiently your body can cool itself on a hot day. There …
19 October 2015
Jaw Dropping Ignorance Versus Science Fact
How ignorant people see the world: How someone with a little bit of critical thinking ability sees it: This ends today’s lesson. Note: I’m at the National Weather Association conference here in Oklahoma City, and I’ll have more to talk about regarding that later tonight. The guy below hired me (here in OKC in Jan. 1980) for my first on-air weather job. Why does Merrell Teller have less gray hair …
15 October 2015
NOAA Issues Long Range Winter Outlook
Long range forecasts tend to often turn out badly, but with the very strong El Nino this year there is higher confidence than usual. That said, take this with a grain of salt! I’ll be posting more about this in coming days (and sharing some opinions from others as well). One note here, and that’s how to interpret the maps below. It’s better to look at it in Yoda fashion, …
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.