-Caveat Lector- http://unisci.com/stories/19994/1102991.htm Despite Global Warming, Southeast Cooler Last 50 Years Despite record-breaking heat this summer and increased levels of greenhouse gases in our air, the climate in the southeastern United States actually has cooled slightly over the past 50 years. North Carolina State University atmospheric scientists have found that annual mean daily temperatures at 52 weather stations across the region have decreased, on average, 0.10 degree Celsius -- or about 0.18 degree Fahrenheit -- from 1949 to 1994. A drop that small may seem insignificant. But lead researcher Dr. Vinod Saxena says its implications may be huge as scientists and policymakers from around the world gather this month (November 1999) at a United Nations' Global Climate Conference in Argentina to debate the controversial Kyoto Treaty on carbon dioxide emissions and greenhouse warming. "The bottom line is, despite a documented increase of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, we found no evidence of greenhouse warming in the southeastern United States," Saxena says. Other studies have documented similar cooling trends in parts of Asia and Europe, he says. "According to the global warming model the Kyoto Treaty is based on, these are regions where warming should be occurring. But it's not," he says. Such discrepancies should be a red flag to treaty ratification, he believes, because they show that though the causes and effects of greenhouse warming are well proven on a global scale, its regional effects aren't yet well understood. Saxena and his colleagues at NC State have published their studies on the Southeast's climate in three peer-reviewed scientific papers. They presented their most recent findings at the American Meteorological Society's eighth Conference on Climate Variations in Denver, Colo., earlier this fall. The Kyoto Treaty mandates cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 5 percent below 1990 levels as a way of slowing or reversing global warming. The Southeast's coal-fired power plants, coal mining and fossil fuel-related industries would likely be adversely affected by such reductions, Saxena says. The main scientific problem with the model used as a basis for the treaty, he says, is that it takes into account the effects of carbon dioxide, but not of airborne particulate matter, also called aerosols. Aerosols are created by the same natural and manmade sources as greenhouse gases, including coal-fired power plants. But because they absorb water and deflect solar radiation, they have the same effect as painting a house roof white -- they reflect heat. In regions like the Southeast -- which tends to be a catch basin for air pollution generated by industrial plants outside the region, in the Ohio Valley -- the sunlight-deflecting effects of aerosols in that pollution offsets the warming effects of its carbon dioxide content, Saxena says. His studies of cloud cover at Mount Mitchell since 1986 show conclusively that clouds fed by dirty air masses -- created when airflow comes from the Ohio Valley -- are more reflective than clouds formed by air masses that come from cleaner environments such as the ocean or coastal plain. Cooling surface temperatures have coincided with the increase of aerosols in our air. "I am not saying that it is good to have dirty air -- I have witnessed pollution so bad it produces clouds with an acidity that matches pure lemon juice and vinegar," Saxena says. "What I am saying is before we pass an international treaty that will cause severe economic dislocations in the Southeast, we should make sure we understand the regional causes and effects of carbon dioxide and the role of aerosols and cloud cover in heating and cooling. Scientific credibility, and thousands of jobs, are at stake." - By Tim Lucas [Contact: Dr. Vinod Saxena, Tim Lucas] 02-Nov-1999 Add the UniSci Daily Java News Ticker to Your Site or Desktop. Please direct website technical problems or questions to [EMAIL PROTECTED] � 1995-1999 UniSci. All rights reserved. -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
