Tag Archives: NOAA

ENSO forecast: La Niña at least up to April 2012, El Niño possible

Comparing the different ENSO forecast models we conclude the first half of 2012 will most likely (on average) be dominated by the current La Niña phase. Most models however show progression towards neutral and some to El Niño before the … Continue reading →

54,000 gallons of spilled bunker oil can be enough to devastate a commercial herring population

Such an oil spill, which occurred during the 2007 Cosco Busan collision (container ship vs bridge) in San Francisco Bay, is (supposed to be) peanuts compared to for instance the 1989 Exxon Valdez’s 32,000,000 gallons of crude, or the BP … Continue reading →

No White Christmas over the European plains – we are sorry we were right

In the last two or three years high pressure blockades dominated the West European December months and many countries including the UK, the Netherlands and Germany could enjoy White Christmases. Christmas Day 2010: some lovely sunshine over a frozen and … Continue reading →

Strong re-emergence of La Niña off northern Queensland coast – SST anomalies again up to 2-3 degrees – above average rains for weeks to come

With the current La Niña strongly in place at the onset of the Australian monsoon and reaching predicted optimum strength at the height of the rainy season the risk of experiencing a repeat of the Queensland floods of 2010-2011 is … Continue reading →

No reason to assume cold European winter ahead – too many sunspots

The cold winter of 2011-2012 that some meteorologists have predicted for Ireland, England, Scotland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark is in fact to be called unlikely.

World average land temperatures have risen by almost 1 degree since 1955 – says 4th consecutive study

Whom would you rather believe? The world’s three best-established atmospheric research institutes – or a Berkeley dream team with the current Physics Nobel Prize laureate, backed up by the largest collection of land temperature measurements ever? So sorry to confuse … Continue reading →

2011 Antarctic ozone hole reached 16.17 million square kilometers

In April the WMO announced the Arctic ozone hole had reached record proportions – perhaps even doubling the previous depletion record of 2005, a Nature publication recently added. On the southern hemisphere the story seems much the same. New data … Continue reading →