Satellite Record Shows Warm March!

5th Warmest March On Record! http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2003/mar/ global.html

8th warmest March in the satellite record: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/2003/mar/ global.html#MSU

'Globally averaged surface temperatures (land and ocean) have been warmer than the 1971-2000 average for the last 83 consecutive months.'

Please see: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/2003/mar/ serial_monthly...

5th Warmest March on Record!

Yes. Good post.

The NCDC, operated by the US government, also is saying that last year was the second warmest year ever recorded. This is also the conclusion of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

It's worth remembering though, that not everywhere on earth is warming up at the same rate, and some are going through unusual cool spells. This doesn't change the thrust of where the global average temperature is going, however.

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And in Germany, I heard, it was the driest months of Frebruary and March on record this year. http://www.wetteronline.de/feature/ma310303.htm

It really is diverting if people always talk about 'Global Warming'. The hydrological cycles might be the real concern. If they don't function anymore, we are hosed much earlier than if temperatures climb some 0-2 degrees.

: And in Germany, I heard, it was the driest months of Frebruary and March on : record this year. : http://www.wetteronline.de/feature/ma310303.htm

: It really is diverting if people always talk about 'Global Warming'. The : hydrological cycles might be the real concern. If they don't function anymore, : we are hosed much earlier than if temperatures climb some 0-2 degrees.

Temperatures _right now_ are close to, if not exceeding, the maximum temperatures of the Medieval Warm Period. During that period, the southwest region of the United States experienced devastating multi- decade droughts. That could/should be a concern due to the increasing population in metropolitan regions in that area and the over-use of minimal water resources.

Jim Acker

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'Since we are assured that an all-wise Creator has observed the most exact proportions, of number, weight, and measure, in the make of all things, the most likely way therefore, to get any insight into the nature of those parts of the creation, which come within our observation, must in all reason be to number, weigh, and measure.' - Stephen Hales

Thomas - you raise a good point about the 'warming' part of global climate change not necessarily being the most important, since changes in drought vs. rainfall patterns may be much more critical.

Do you want to tell us more about that?

I was struck, when I visited the National Climactic Data Center (NCDC) web site, just how unusually dry the weather has been in the United States for nearly a year now.

In March 2003, the NCDC indicates, about 25 percent of the 48 contiguous states in the USA were suffering from 'serious to severe' drought conditions.

However, this is not as dry as conditions got last summer, in the summer of 2002, when the NCDC found that some 50 percent of the continental US was suffering from drought conditions.

[For more details on the NDCD's finding, visit their web site at:

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html.

Then click on the 'What's New' section, which should have summaries of their recent reports on drought conditions.]

Thomas, can you tell us more about drought in Germany?

Also, what connections have the scientists found - if any - between drought and ongoing climate change? Also, given how industrialized Germany is, does it really have an practical effect on daily life if water becomes a little scarce?

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The drought conditions in the US today are by far not as severe as what could be seen in the 1930s and in the 19th century, see: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/pubs/woodhouse2002/ woodhouse2002.html and from the past 2000 years: http://www.clivar.org/publications/other_pubs/ clivar_poster/pdf_files... (you need to enlarge the right side of the page). And there is some connection with the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation)...

For several West Wuropean countries, the connection of the (North) Atlantic Oscillation with precipitation, temperature and local air pressure are proven. See e.g.: http://www.meteo.yu/new/docs/GJovanovic.pdf for the former republic of Yougoslavia. I suppose that the FRY data can be used as proxy for Germany too. Even the number of winter storms in Sweden is directly related to the (N)AO and NH temperatures. In cold periods, the number of winter storms increases, in warm periods decreases, see: http://www.gvc.gu.se/BIBLIO/B-serin/B224.pdf (Swedish with English summary).

We have no objection to give away some of our rainwater to you, as we (still) have an average of 200 rain days a year in Belgium...

Sincerely,

Ferdinand Engelbeen