Polar Maritime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W0-k9fQWTI&feature=youtu.be The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, were spotted over St. Cloud, Minnesota late Tuesday night. A freelance videographer captured the light show in the town of St. Cloud. (Oct. 2)

After a few light showers late evening, the night was mostly cloudy with the odd clear slot and light winds. A overnight low of 11.3c. Currently; Patchy cloud clearing to my South. Temp 11.5c Dp 10.5c Wind N/W 4mph Humidity 94% Rain since midnight 0,0mm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9MIKPPJXCo Also. IT’S A MISERABLE morning and people seem to be feeling a bit blue so we thought we’d share these incredible snaps of the Aurora Borealis, seen in Donegal last night, to lift your spirits. The images were taken by photographer Adam Rory Porter near Buncrana in Inishowen, Co Donegal. He said we’re due an even bigger display over the next 24 hours so if you’re in the area, keep your eyes to the sky. (All images: Adam Rory Porter) http://www.thejournal.ie/article.php?id=1111916

A mild night with showers some heavy and persistent, An overnight low of 15c. Currently; Mod/Heavy showers. Overcast with low cloud. Temp 15.3c Wind S/W 5mph Rain since midnight, 10.3mm

Fog continuing through the day, after a mainly dry morning long durations of light rain have persisted into the evening, A max temp of 15.7c. Currently; Foggy, light showers. Temp 15.4c Wind South 4mph Rain since midnight 10.1mm

Thats just the top of the ski lift SS, but yes the sprinkling we had in September would of only lasted a day or two max.

Hi firefly ! This picture was taken off facebook, i think the winterhighland page? I will look into it when im back from work. Nice to see you in the picture ! Thanks for the detailed update as usual. Have you tried clicking on the link to the photo ? Now i remember that is where it's from.

Iceland at it's purist.. http://vimeo.com/75736121

Moderate and sometimes dense Fog has persisted during the day, with long periods of light rain and at times turning moderate/heavy during the afternoon. A max temp of 13.5 C. Currently; Moderate Fog. Temp 13.3c Wind S/E 1mph Humidity 98% Rain since midnight 14.6mm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkubaa6nNu8 CME IMPACT, GEOMAGNETIC STORM : Arriving a little earlier than expected, a CME hit Earth's magnetic field on Oct. 2nd at approximately 0200 UT. The impact sparked a G2-class geomagnetic storm with auroras across Canada and several northern-tier US states. Alan Dyer sends this picture from Gleichen, Alberta: http://www.spaceweather.com/

After a dry start to the night, cloud and patchy rain spread in from the South during the early hours. An overnight low of 10.1c. Currently; Intermittent light/mod rain. Sometimes heavy with low cloud/Fog. Temp 10.3c Wind S/E 4mph Rain since midnight 8.6mm

It was colder than that here during December.

COMET ISON APPROACHES MARS: In two months, Comet ISON will make a spectacular flyby of the sun. First, though, it has to fly by Mars. The sungrazing comet is approaching the Red Planet for a 0.07 AU close encounter on October 1st. Mars satellites and rovers will have a close-up view. A video from NASAdetails the encounter. Amateur astronomers on Earth can watch, too. This photo from Malcolm Park of Oak Heights, Ontario, shows the location of the comet relative to Mars just before sunrise on Sept. 29th: At closest approach on October 1st, Mars and Comet ISON will be approximately 2o apart. While Mars is visible to the unaided eye (it shines almost as brightly as a first-magnitude star), ISON is not. The comet is still far from the sun and, as it crosses the orbit of Mars, it has not yet warmed enough to reach naked-eye visibility. Reports of the comet's brightness vary from 12th to 14th magnitude, which means a mid-sized backyard telescope is required to see it. http://www.spaceweather.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbdzhHkF_Bw

9.6 ta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oayt_jizNA

Looking up towards the east cliffs on Aonach Beag. Snow patch at 900m in a' Chul Choire and one of 5 now left, this probably being the largest depending on measurements of the Observatory gully patch visited by Blair Fyffe yesterday

Plenty round here.

A dry breezy cloudy night with clear intervals and an overnight low of 9.4c. Currently;Cloudy and Breezy with the odd sunny spell. Temp 11.3c Dp 9.1c Wind E/N/E 6mph, Gusting 14mph Humidity 81% Rain since midnight 0mm

COMET ISON APPROACHES MARS: In two months, Comet ISON will make a spectacular flyby of the sun. First, though, it has to fly by Mars. The sungrazing comet is approaching the Red Planet for a 0.07 AU close encounter on October 1st. http://www.spaceweather.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uJFvkJzBVA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGp9iySzhWg

Arctic Ocean Acidifying at an unprecedented rate. As ever more carbon dioxide pours into the atmosphere, much of it is absorbed into the oceans. When it dissolves in water, it forms a weak acid called carbonic acid, which on land is responsible for dissolving and eroding out the lovely caves and karst landscapes we see in limestone country. In the ocean its effect is less beautiful or beneficial, as many kinds of plankton, crustacean (such as shrimp) and mollusc form shells of the same calcium carbonate that limestone is made of. The acid eats away at the shell as it is secreted, making the organism work alot harder in order to keep itself shielded. Corals are another organism at threat from acidification, and many ecologists worry that (along with other threats) acidification is contributing to their global retreat. A new study by the USGS and the University of South Florida suggests that Arctic waters are acidifying faster than expected as they are increasingly exposed to the atmosphere by the rapid retreat of sea ice in the boreal regions of the world. This has worrying implications for the rich ecosystems of the area, already struggling to adapt as the globe warms, as lab studies have quantified the effect of acid water on the shell producing capacity of organisms. Last year's record melt exposed new waters to the atmosphere, and caused a peak in acidification. The fresh water from the melting ice also increases acidity by diluting the alkaline salts dissolved in sea water, including the calcium and carbonate organisms need to make their protective shells. The research investigated sea water chemistry over three years at high spatial resolution, and showed a very fast and large increase in acidification in the newly exposed areas of the Arctic ocean in the Canadian Basin due to the retreat of the multi year sea ice. They have shown how rapidly changes can occur, as well as providing a baseline set of data in a relatively poorly sampled region from which to assess future change. Original paper, free access: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0073796

Just a sprinkling here... And yes the dog was having a $hit.

I think the odds for the mildest winter on record differ slightly....

What will be, will be... Nothing can be done about it.