You are browsing the archive for April 2017 - Dan's Wild Wild Science Journal.
29 April 2017
Smart People Listen to Those Who Dwell in Facts, Even When They Are Uncomfortable!
I was invited to a seminar at NASA Goddard last week which combined some top climate experts with meteorologists who work in media. We shared ideas on how to better communicate science, but the highlight was an update from some top NASA and NOAA climate experts. Dr Ben Santer went over the satellite temperature record, (and in the process destroyed some of the lingering myths that keep being repeated), and …
23 April 2017
Thousands Stand Up for Mankind’s Greatest Invention- Science
Thousands of scientists from around the world did something that seemed unimaginable a few years ago. They stood up and made their voices heard in defense of science. Thousands of scientists braved a steady light rain and cool temperatures to gather on the Mall in Washington today and then marched toward the Capitol. The rain was not a surprise because the forecast for the day was nearly spot-on (thanks to …
19 April 2017
NOAA: 2nd Hottest March on Record. When Was the last Below Average Month??
52 years ago.
Science: “An Exercise in Finding What’s True”
Neil de Grasse Tyson’s video below is a must watch. His quote that “Science in an entire exercise in finding what is true”, is similar to another quote that I’ve often repeated from Richard Feynman: “Science is what we do to keep from lying to ourselves.” Watch the video and then share it.
15 April 2017
How the Disappearing Arctic Ice is Already Changing Your Weather
It’s called Arctic Amplification and it’s easy to understand. As the snow and ice disappear in the high latitudes, what was once bright and reflective, is now dark and warmer. Warmer because the solar energy it used to reflect is being absorbed, and this warming is not just a prediction, it’s been measured. The high latitudes are warming dramatically more than the tropical oceans. But, how is this affecting our daily weather? …
14 April 2017
Supercomputer Recreation of an Oklahoma Tornado
A big hat tip to Tim Schmit at the Uni. of Wisconsin SSEC for this: Look at the animation below of a supercell with a large tornado that was re-created using a supercomputer. From the video tag on YouTube: Using supercomputers, a team led by UW-Madison CIMSS researcher Leigh Orf, successfully recreated a monstrous supercell that produced several tornadoes in 2011, one of which registered as an EF-5 and touched …
12 April 2017
NASA Releases New Black Marble Image
The Suomi Satellite MODIS VIIRS (my mistake- sorry. Terra and Aqua have the MODIS) sensor can see city lights very well when there are no clouds but it’s a polar orbiting satellite so it only passes by one time at night. If you want to grab a shot of the entire planet’s night lights from space, it will take you a while to find a clear night in areas where there are a …
7 April 2017
Dr Michael Mann on Science Friday
Science Friday had an excellent interview with Penn State Climatologist Michael Mann today, and you can hear it all here. Dr Mann produced the “hockey stick”, which is destined to become one of the most famous images in the history of science, and it’s caused him plenty of grief. If he’d been wrong, it would not have been so bad! Unfortunately for him, he was right, and that made the …
4 April 2017
The Disappearing Ice- Pictures tell the Story (The Science Explains Why)
Seth Borenstein at the AP has a story out today about a must see (upcoming) paper in the journal GSA Today. The article has some amazing photos of the rapidly melting ice across the planet, and they’re stunning. I highly recommend reading the paper and not just looking at the photos. Also, you will see a photo credit for Lonnie Thompson, and trust me you should read Mark Bowen’s book …
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.