You are browsing the archive for November 2011 - Page 2 of 3 - Dan's Wild Wild Science Journal.
14 November 2011
Autumn Night in America- Amazing Views From ISS
We’ve all seen many photos from space, but they never show the stars and the city lights that astronauts see, because cameras do lousy in very low light. Until now: … and the pass from NW to SE across the U.S. Look for Chicago halfway through, and at the end, the rectangular outline of Puerto Rico shows up very well! These were taken with a special low light camera on-board …
Are You What’s Wrong With The World??
The left was easy, (one of my science heroes) but I’ve never seen the girl on the right in my life. I guess I am NOT what’s wrong with the World! Have not been able to find who made this…
10 November 2011
Weather Radar Sees Birds and Bugs Take Flight After Quake
Almost all of the NOAA Doppler radars are being upgraded to a new technology called dual polarization. Simply put, the upgraded radars can send electromagnetic radio waves that are polarized both horizontally and vertically. Comparing the difference in the reflected energy allows forecasters to see much more than with conventional Doppler radar. One BIG benefit is the ability top determine the shape of objects in the beam. Is it hail, …
9 November 2011
Tornado Hits Oklahoma Mesonet Stations
This is the kind of thing that makes meteorologists go running through the room, and all the while jumping up and down. A tornado passed very close to the Tipton station on Monday afternoon. So close, that it knocked it out, but not before measuring and incredible pressure drop, and some amazing wind gusts. Here is what the Okla. Mesonet Facebook page has: “Here’s a plot of the 1-minute …
8 November 2011
Dispelling An Enduring Myth With One Image
If the Earth’s temperature was the same year after year, then the effects of increasing greenhouse gases would be very easy to spot. Unfortunately, Mother Nature rarely makes things that easy to figure out. Besides the daily and seasonal cycles, we also have decadal temperature swings caused by the sunspot cycle and ocean/atmospheric oscillations. This tends to confuse non scientists, and fools many into believing claims that global warming has …
7 November 2011
Earthquakes Saturday and Tornadoes on Monday- Wild Times in Oklahoma!
What’s going on in Oklahoma?? The biggest quake in Sooner state history hit on Saturday (I was video chatting with my daughter on our iPhone’s as it happened). Today, I get a call from a friend, (who is a fellow meteorologist) and he’s chasing a tornado near Snyder, Oklahoma! Tornadoes in November are rare anywhere. Especially so in Oklahoma! Now you know why so many meteorologists come from Oklahoma. …
5 November 2011
Oklahoma Rocks! After The Summer Bake, Sooners Get A Shake!
Remember “shake and bake” chicken? Well Mother Nature seems to have it backwards, because after a summer of being baked, Oklahomans just got the shake! A magnitude 4.8 quake hit near Sparks, Oklahoma at 2:12 am (07:12 GMT) Saturday morning, and even caused some damage in the nearby town of Prague. The quake was very shallow at 3.5 km depth and was felt over a large part of the state. …
3 November 2011
The PIG has A Problem- Pine Island Glacier In Antarctica Develops Huge Crack
Big news from Antarctica, where it is very early spring. The Pine Island Glacier has developed a huge crack and is being monitored closely. NASA has a great video with the details: It’s normal for ice shelves break off icebergs as they reach the sea, but the rate they do so is of intense interest to those who are studying the climate of Antarctica. If this crack breaks off, …
2 November 2011
“Blue Norther” Cold Front Charges Through The Plains
Snow, with winds gusting nearly 40 mph was Mother Nature’s way of welcoming folks in Western Kansas to November today. The folks in the Plains call this type of front a “blue norther” and they move fast bringing rapid temperature drops along with strong winds. This system will move into the Eastern USA tomorrow and bring blustery rains and a chill to much of the nation east of the Mississippi. …
1 November 2011
The Truth Behind Long Range Forecasts
I’m not a fan of long-range forecasts. There are several reasons, not the least of which is their very limited accuracy. The other (main) reason has to do with the fact that people remember the big storms, and not the average weather! That said, if you’re a utility, or trying to plan heating costs for a large building or school system, an accurate long-range forecast can be worth it’s weight …