Doggone if it ain’t so! Yet another in the continual string of Global Warming Oops Moments that characterize the unraveling of this mythology about devastating, manmade catastrophes from CO2, a harmless, natural and even necessary-for-life gas.
This one comes from one of those skeptic cranks (not really). The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute’s Wilco Hazeleger, a senior scientist in the global climate research group, says:
“In the past century the sea level has risen twenty centimeters. There is no evidence for accelerated sea-level rise. It is my opinion that there is no need for drastic measures. It is wise to adopt a flexible, step-by-step adaptation strategy. By all means, let us not respond precipitously.”
By all means.
Then there was this report that followed not long after from Dr. Nils-Axel Moerner, author of 520 peer-reviewed papers on sea level during his 35-year career, which has been devoted entirely to studying the issue.
Dr. Moerner concludes sea levels will rise in the 21st century by about 8 inches.
What’s that? Less than an inch per decade? Not exactly reason to abandon the beach-front home, hm?
Since 1993, Dr. Moerner says, when satellites first began to measure sea-level changes, the rate of increase has been a measley 1 foot per century. But - another oops coming here - there has been no statistically-significant sea-level rise during the past three years.
Sea level is barely rising at all. The average rise over the past 10,000 years was 4 feet per century, so the rate has dramatically decreased. Maybe it’s getting better because of global warming, hm?
Even if the scaremongering 2007 UN’s climate report turns out to be accurate, we’re looking at 2 feet max - certainly not the 20 feet hyped by that Oscar winner.
Dr. Moerner says sea-level rise is a non-issue. Unless you’ve got panic to push and billions in carbon fees to collect.
RELATED POSTS:
Here’s a reason that could explain part of the rising ocean levels:
http://smallcomets.physics.uiowa.edu/wp.html
Basically, it says that the atmosphere of the earth gets “bombarded by house-sized, water-bearing objects” over 10 million times each year.
Does anyone know how much sediment impacts the sea levels rising? Seems like all that dirt and rock flowing out from every river in the world would have an imact but I have never seen anything scientific written about it. Maybe I just did not dig enough.
Good point Andy.
I’ve also wondered how settling dust factors into rising sea levels. For example, we are constantly digging up fossils and evidence of earlier human activity that are covered up in many feet of earth. Seems reasonable that settling dust would play a small role in raising ocean levels.
The matter is closely associated with the origin of water on the planet in the first place. I have no time to make the calclation right now, but two thirds of the planet is covered by oceans with - let us say - 5000 metres average depth. Go ahead.
A theory of some astronomers holds that in the early billions of years of its existence our planet was under constant heavy bombardment by meteorites and asteroids, generally garbage left from the origin of our solar system. This is several magnitudes more and untold magnitudes longer than what is proposed here. Non-earth-scientists/astronomers often forget the time and space scales in making such hypotheses. What does 2 mm SL rise per year demand in terms of comet rain?
A good and readable source is Ward & Brownlee (2004): “Rare Earth” , a fascinating book by a geologist and an astronomer respectively. You will see that there are well-developed theories in which plate tectonics also play a large role in bring the water in the orginal inventory from the planet formation to the surface.
Well, one nice thing about this global warming is that it is lowering the temperature in places like Arizona. They are loving life!
“Thursday, however, was the 14th consecutive day to stay below 100 degrees. That’s the longest stretch of its kind in any June since 1913.
The lower temperatures have allowed people to sleep with windows open and drive with their arms out vehicle windows. Evenings, too, have been spent chatting with neighbors while children or grandchildren play. Those events are not life-changing, but they are, well, nice”
I ignored this all weekend but had to take a peek. Boy am I glad I did.
One word: dowsing.
When you get called out by the Amazing Randi, well, you’ve made a Hall of Fame - of sorts, anyway.