Gray-Wolf

Evolution depends upon a large enough Gene pool for 'adaptations' to arise that better suit the changing environment. such changes are generally occuring over Geological time scales. The current speed of change far outstrips the abilities of critters to 'adapt' to there new living conditions so they just go extinct. We are in the midst of one of , if not 'the' greatest, extinction events the planet has seen and we still cannot agree on just how 'impacted' our planet will be by our current climate shift. As it is the areas we can see change occuring in are far outstripping the 'worse case scenarios' that we saw modelled in the early noughties. We end up back in 'A Winters Tale' and Perdita's " I'll not have those $astards in my garden" against the Princes " we are of nature and so our impacts are'natural'" We either mourne the losses and do our best to save as many species as we can or we just accept that it is all part of the 'natural evolution' of the planet?

During the river floods last June the crown gathered to watch at our bridge ( before the waters passed over the bridge) saw a Mink suddenly appear feet away. Un- phased by the crowd she went back to the edge of the furious torrent and fetched up a pup and then re-entered the river to rescue a very unhappy ( screaming) second pup. She did not move far from us all and calmed the screaming infant. Normally the mink is near as hard to see as an Otter is but not under such circumstances. Thanks to the 'animal liberation' crew the Calder Valley is now being over run by mink (who are as bad as Humans for killing without need) due to a 'liberation' from a Mink farm in Elland back in the 80's. I hope they realise just what an eco tradgedy this stupid crime is now costing us in terms of losses to native species.

We have an atmosphere able to hold 6% more moisture than pre- industrialisation levels? That has both warming and precipitation impacts. This is yet another terrible example of the extremes we now see around the planet and no amount of 'it's all happened before' will convince me that the forcings humanity has placed into the climate system does not bring with it an augmentation to such instances.

Thanks John.

Agreed JH ( if a little off topic). Lawns are a nasty monoculture! go for the 'cottage Garden look' and pm Jethro for the way forward!

I take it we are agreed on vibration through the daylight hours though? Movement of the floor boards under the display case? Foundation shake from the Traffic? All of these would also need a bit of assistance from the statue itself so we would need to look at the base to see why it can dance around whilst others remain in place ( lack of blu tak on the base eh?).

You would also need to look at the base of the statues to see if finish or imperfections lead to a reduced friction on the statue?

JH , your inbox is full so folk are unable to pm you?

It's only when we lose the 'Nautical Twilight' that we can properly notice the nights clawing away our daylight and the 'environmental lag' means our highest temps are still to come?

Careful what you wish for mushy? All we need is one of our recent 'grazers' to sit off NW Ireland whilst the Continent feeds it's warmth into us? Close Europe did alright out of the last 'High' and all we need is to tap into some of that surely?

Sorry John but then please do allow me my defense when folk are mean and plain wrong in their assault on me/ I did 'predict' an alteration to our Jet pattern and 'it has' come to pass. either I'm a very lucky 'guesser' or the impact of last years record ice losses is having a knock on impact on N.Hemisphere weather this summer? The problem for us all that this 'impact' would need be 'instant' ( not lagged) and the move toward seasonal , and then seasonal for ever longer periods, is already occuring. If this bring with it wild and whacky weather for the N.Hemisphere ( and it's 'knock on in the S.Hemisphere) then hadn't folk at least get to speed on the subject so as to be able to then 'see' it's impacts manifest? Again, July set a lot more 'fair' than the previous 6 and this 'more settled' summer continueing into sept ( and even Oct?). Central europe still plagued by it's errant weather and many other 'climate extremes' to be seen around the N.Hemisphere.

I " Bang on" about plenty of other stuff in it's relevant place? So, divulge your wisdom on the subject of climate shift/ What D'ya know? What was the latest paper you digested and what were it's projections for the next 80yrs? I would guess that you flat out rejected the findings and don't give a flying 'cause you'll not be here in 80yrs? I have children and 6 years of blighted summer HAS made a difference to them when i compare it to my childhood. Last year we could hunt no grasshoppers due to the weather and this year their tadpoles/spawn were frozen solid in their pond. To me ( and many others) it appear plain, the climate is changing and the rapid changes in the Arctic ( with the added energy this brings into the system) must show impact. The fact that I posted as much in Nov and predicted/hope-cast that the jet position would be altered this year is not mere coincidence. No I cannot predict the day by day Summer weather but i believe I am close enough to the facts to be able 'see' what must happen because of them. Again, the jet appears to have moved, both here and across the U.S. (and so probably downstream of us to?) .I believe the reverberations from the energy placed into the atmosphere last Aug/Sept/Oct over the Arctic ocean ( and then the 'odd' energy released throughout the 'crackopalypse event in Feb?) are, in part, responsible for this. The worry is ice is now melting again and so any 'residual' from last year is now going to be amplified by the new input (like a swing winding down suddenly getting a new push?). Anyhow we have seen a 'changed pattern' to the placing of the weather extremes across our hemisphere and that includes the jet shuffling across us taking it's 'trough' with it. July will see H.P. dominant and most all L.P.'s will head NE toward Norway leaving the SE of the UK with some 'summer' weather and the rest , barring NW Scotland, faring a lot better with the month than they have over the past 6 years with good multiple day 'warm dry,sunny breaks for all of us!

Meanwhile I am still seeing 'impact' that has 'pushed us' away from the 'stuck' pattern we seemed to have adopted since 07'? Folk do seem to enjoy misrepresenting what I say ( I must also take some of the blame but promise my intentions are always for the best?) so from the outset I will say that natural patterns are 'impacted' by the addition of forcing that we (humanity) have helped create and not "It's all man's doing!!!" As a caveat I would add that , over time, man's forcing will be so great as to overcome the 'natural cyclical patterns' that we are all used to but that time is not yet here! I had suggested a drier year than of late due to the resonations set up by last years 'extra' low ice levels across the Arctic Basin. I still cannot see how such an impressive reduction, and the added energy this placed into the climate system, could have a null impact. We only needed the 'trough' that had blighted us to shift west or east by a few degrees to have our recent 'blight' turned into someone elses problem. Sadly it appears that things shifted east and it became Europe's problem ( not that i do not 'wince' at every new L.P. I see arrive on the charts only to have a sigh of relief to see it track NE and merely tail flick us!!! (1 year to the day since the first our our 2012 floods!!!). Should ice levels again approach the 2012 'low' and not rebound to the 2011 low then I would be so bold as to suggest that next year will also not suffer the same blight as the 07' to 2012 period? Sadly ice levels will not remain as stable as they did from 07' to 2011 with the next major drop probably occurring in rapid order ( and then on to 'seasonal'?) so we will not have anything like the amount of time some folk demand to 'confirm' the observations? I'm with BFTV in predicting a fair set July but would also suggest N.Hemisphere will see many more 'extremes' (1 in 100yr events) through the rest of summer and into Autumn. If 'natural' can tweak weather into such extremes then why not the scale of 'extra energy' (at least 2 Hiroshima bombs worth of energy a second) we have enabled the planet to milk out of that arriving at the top of the atmosphere???

It does look as though it wants to organise? Maybe todays convection will finally persuade it to get it's act together? Still seeing some heavy storms fall off Africa into the Atlantic and keep wondering about the possibilities of the 're-curves' up the African coast this season? For whatever reason I'm seeing a very differnt 'pattern' to our weather in the UK with far more H.P. permanently on the charts? If we are seeing a H.P. dominated Atlantic then the chance of a 'block' steering storms directly north has to be increased?

'Visiting Psychic'???? Why Visit?

The older I get the more I 'swap' any thoughts of extra -terrestrials, going to the trouble we envisage they'd have to to get here, with extra-dimensional visitors? If string theory is 'in the ball park' then we have our own 'E-D' in gravity so why not folk able to 'pop' through into this universe? It would also clear up the Goblin/Pixie/leprechaun/bigfoot myths?

That is a tad disingenuous do you not think? How much of The Arctic circle is covered by land surfaces? What temp are we currently seeing from these 'Arctic landmasses'? Once again, the Arctic is not the Area beyond 80n!

It still surprises me that we are still told 'We do not know' when we tell folk that any anomalous hhigh snow levels will be all gone by June? This is my 7th season of warning folk about pretending 'old world' systems are still operating across the 'new Arctic'??? Some whit will soon be treating us to the DMI80N plot to show us how cold it is across the basin even with the ice in free fall! ( honest! it happens thistime every year!!!) The snow loss allows whacky land temps to arise which , in their stead, impacts coastal ice which , in it's turn, impacts the rest of the basin? This year we have also a major fracture event ( Feb) and a persistent Arctic Cyclone to make melt season even more interesting! Still , by late July we will be looking at another frighteningly low remnant pack with the potential that, this year, it is all positioned in areas that will not protect it from the tail end of melt season?

Very different to the same time last year! We are a few days away from the anniversary of the 'River' flood event ( not the flash floods 4 weeks later) so by this time last year the Moors were overflowing and we still had a 'winter' water table level.

You'll not smell it over winter though! Cold temps lead to 'no smell' ( in my world) and only as it warms into spring can you again smell the Earth.

I have a window ( in the new place) that Faces NNE and the 'glow' can be seen all the way around until dawn arrives. On the sunny , clear days we have had it really makes a difference! The upcoming Full moon will be delightful over the Hills and up on the Moors if temps are good.....might 'treat' the boy to a midnight bimble next time i have him with me?

Well two named storms already and I'm informed the second storm is not usually due until early Aug?

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=2442 Some more info on just how odd this event is. at the other side of the U.S., just over the border into Mexico, we have Barry wading ashore a full 6 weeks ahead of when the 'normal' second named storm happens? Are we becoming accustomed to all the 'oddness'? is 'Odd' the new average?

Well I'm just about to hang my washing out.......so West York's had better go onto alert....... (LOL)

Looks like we are getting a few 'disturbances' dropping off Africa now? I wonder when we can expect our first TS on our side of the pond?