Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Quoting PcolaDan:


Wait, just saw this. Who you calling ....


excuse me


Okay, had to read back to see what you called me.

Yea, who you calling old?!?!?! :)

And now, really

exit, stage >>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>

Didn't mean old in that way xD!.As in..Oh wait now I know what to..yes I'll say that.A long term member!.Yes!.

Quoting washingtonian115:
Didn't mean old in that way xD!.As in..Oh wait now I know what to..yes I'll say that.A long term member!.Yes!.

I think you were right the first time.. he is old... Grothar is just ummm really really mature.. one could say ancient.

I have to hide over here for awhile... I just called RTLSNK a SNAG.

Quoting Orcasystems:


I think you were right the first time.. he is old... Grothar is just ummm really really mature.. one could say ancient.

I have to hide over here for awhile... I just called RTLSNK a SNAG.

Not a wise thing to do. Those old vets can get mean. LOL

Hey, Doc,
What happened to the KHUM dp measurement for 16 hrs when ya'll had this alleged frzfg?
(j/k)

Link

Bingiza made landfall. Looks like during an eyewall replacement. Still around 100-110kts Here's on MIMIC.

6.6 2011/02/14 03:40:11 -35.433 -72.739 25.4 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE

Quoting RecordSeason:
Again, we find that the water itself absorbs almost no EM radiation.

He has a heat sink submerged in the water as a "target" for the concentrated solar radiation.

Video


Floating wood and underwater leaves burn in water

These leaves are about an inch or two under water, and they experience conflagration when the beam hits them. The water is largely unaffected.

Same lens melts glass (~2700f) after 25 to 30 seconds exposure

Anyway, the one with burning wood on the other side of the aquarium I haven't been able to find again.

However, the one burning saturated wood and leaves submerged in water is even more impressive and demonstrates my point even better.

Now you've pretty much convinced me that you don't know what you're talking about.

The water is steaming and boiling in those videos. Why? Because the wood converts the light to thermal energy, and the water in contact with the hot wood steams and boils.

The leaves under the water begin to sinter (which heats up the water). Why? Because the light passing through the water is UNIMPEDED by the water. The water doesn't begin to heat up until the visible light encounters something that converts visible light to heat.

The fresnel lens is NOT focusing IR radiation, it is focusing VISIBLE radiation which has NO IMPACT ON WATER.

Experiment: Four class 4 or higher lasers. Laser goggles. Laser shield capable of withstanding high heat. Two thermometers. Three lasers should be from the visible spectrum. The other laser should be from the IR spectrum (a CO2 laser will work).

BE CAREFUL WITH THESE LASERS. CLASS 4 LASERS CAN IGNITE WOOD AND EVEN THE REFLECTED LIGHT CAN PERMANENTLY BLIND YOU.

Set up two IR transparent containers of water. Set up the laser shield behind them. For one container, set up the three visible lasers to fire through it. For the other container, set up the single IR laser to fire through it. Put in the thermometers, but keep the thermometers out of the beam.

Once everything has been safely set up, turn on the lasers. Can you guess what will happen?

The container being bombarded by the visible lasers won't be effected. If you don't have an appropriate laser shield behind the container, you may notice that the wall may be smoking. The one being hit by the IR laser however will heat up, as it will absorb 60-70% of the incident radiation.

You can just use a class 4 IR laser to do the experiment, however it's not nearly as dramatic.

If water did not respond to IR radiation, then we would be living on a permanent snowball. It is due precisely to the fact that water IS a green house gas that strongly absorbs thermal radiation that this planet isn't a block of ice. This is even very simple mathematically prove. Earth's naked black body temperature with no atmospheric effects is between -18 and -19C. That's not the arctic, that's what the global temperature average would be. The atmosphere and all those lovely green house gases (water vapor being the biggest one) is what brings our global temperature up to it's balmy average of around 16 C.

So if water does NOT react to IR as you claim, then what is your explanation for the warmth of our planet?

South Africa

Flash floods in the Karoo heartland at the weekend have caused millions of rands in damage to roads and dams, while disaster management officials are on high alert and ready to evacuate residents in low-lying areas. In and around the historic town of Graaff-Reinet and nearby Nieu Bethesda, more than 100mm of rain fell in 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Some farmers reported 75mm falling in just 30 minutes – knocking out cellphone and landline communications, causing dams on farms to burst and tearing up dirt roads, rendering many areas inaccessible. In Graaff-Reinet, police, disaster management and traffic officials are poised to evacuate residents in low-lying areas after the town‘s Nqweba Dam swelled to its highest level in more than 36 years yesterday. Disaster management officials said the dam, which lies above the town, rose to 116% capacity early yesterday morning – its highest level since devastating floods in 1974 – following weeks of rain in the area and heavy thunderstorms late on Saturday. Extra police and traffic officials are on standby in case residents need to be evacuated – particularly the Huis Van De Graaff old age home and the Union High and Prep school hostels.

The area‘s disaster management head, Christopher Rhoode, said he had had about five hours of sleep the entire weekend. “It is very humid and it looks like more rain is on the way.” Formerly Van Ryneveld‘s Dam, the Nqweba has only overflowed once since 1974, briefly – and mildly – three years ago. Rhoode said a heavy downpour saw 70mm of rain fall on Saturday in the dam‘s catchment area of Nieu Bethesda. He said the SA Weather Service had warned of “unpredictable weather” over the summer season because of the La Nina weather phenomenon, which typically brings higher rainfall in the form of heavy downpours. The dam is fed by the Sundays River and Gatsrivier and forms the Lower Sundays River, which runs around the town‘s historic centre. Emergency services were on tenterhooks following the collapse from heavy rains of a major dam in the area, Coloniesplaas near Nieu Bethesda, earlier last week. The N2 between Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg also had to be closed due to flooding, but was reopened for the weekend.

Union Prep School mother Bronwyn Kingwill said the school had been SMSing parents since Friday when the dam was close to overflowing, saying the situation was being monitored “by the hour”. Nieu Bethesda farmer Peet van Heerden said the rains had caused serious damage to infrastructure. “We estimate that the damage to the various farms runs into millions of rand,” said Van Heerden, whose farm dam has burst. “It was a flash flood and knocked out all cellphone and landline communications.” Cellphone reception was restored late yesterday, while landlines remained down.

Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE:

Jeez, another one? I wonder if it's just going to keep traveling up the fault line.

Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE:
6.6 2011/02/14 03:40:11 -35.433 -72.739 25.4 OFFSHORE MAULE, CHILE

Talk about bad luck.It's like the same area that keeps getting hit.

Quoting beell:
Hey, Doc,
What happened to the KHUM dp measurement for 16 hrs when ya'll had this alleged frzfg?
(j/k)

Link

LOL Beell,
I was wondering about their hygrometer when I viewed those reading from this site earlier...

KHUM still has reportage issues (and usual suspect obs as all do from time to time), but it's an improvement that it finally has a 24 hr AWOS, since May 11 2010... Sometimes they actually report on the hour properly, lol...

BTW, I saw the freezing fog early this morn... and also on Fri morn...

Quoting Xyrus2000:


Jeez, another one? I wonder if it's just going to keep traveling up the fault line.

For some odd reason I think a biger one will come.....

Quoting Xyrus2000:
So if water does NOT react to IR as you claim, then what is your explanation for the warmth of our planet?

Big electric blankets, at least in my experience.

Decay of radioactive elements is thought to provide some heat. We are riding around on a big nuclear waste container so to speak. There are theories about nuclear fission going on down there, too.

Of course, a heat source inside the earth would not explain tropical cyclones particularly well, baroclinic zones and all that. The earth would be like a big lightbulb more or less evenly heated all around.

Then again, if water does not react to IR then how do clouds keep the surface from cooling at night?

Quoting RecordSeason:
Wrong and wrong.

The bold part, along with the next phrase, is just flat out wrong, as water has one of the highest specific heat capacities of almost anything in nature.

I'm not wrong. You keep changing the discussion.

You are talking about kinetic heating via conduction. I have been talking about heating specifically caused by IR absorption. These are two different things.

Specific heat capacity has nothing to do with absorption properties, but is a measure of how much thermal energy is required to raise or lower the temperature of a substance. Water also has a ridiculously high heat of fusion and heat of vaporization compared to many other substances.


The italic part is wrong, because we can test this. I have videos of it being demonstrably, provably false, which you continue to ignore.

I AM TALKING ABOUT SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF WATER. I am not talking about specific heats, or vapor pressures, moments of inertia, heavy water concentrations, or impurities. You keep changing the topic, and wandering off down these tangents.

I haven't ignored your videos. You're videos just don't show what you claim.

Quoting JohnTucker:


I dont know what he was thinking - something about Alaska not having temp records - it does they are just in the literature. It actually has quite an abundance of proxy records.


The actual extension to global temp was made when Watts posted re-graphed data.

No one should be using Watts without verifying it first.

Ok so first off, I never even gave a link to WUWT. I posted the study and an image that was generated by a web site that was not WUWT.

Secondly, you are again putting words in my mouth. I never said the proxy represented global climate, and I never said it was deadly accurate. No single paleoclimatological record is either of those things. I would appreciate it if you stick to the facts and actually quote me.

Quoting DocNDswamp:
I saw the freezing fog early this morn... and also on Fri morn...

Ok, I'm a believer! Looks like plenty fog for all of us this week on the gulf coast.

Wow talk about a change in tone in the blog.My avatar mustv'e scared most bloggers away.

Beell, I was gawking in astonishment seeing the frzg fog while checking the ice in my buckets / thick frost coating everything... Heck, if woulda lasted longer mighta had rime icing to boot from the frz fog! LOL...

Yeah, looking nasty with dense fog prospects ahead...
(finally saw the SW wind this aftn here)

G'nite guys! :-)

Quoting RecordSeason:



Since when does water produce a smokey white cloud from beneath while boiling?

Again, I doubt you even bothered to watch the video.

You can watch the leaf BURN UNDER water.

It is fully submerged, and you can watch a white milky cloud of smoke rise a bit, and then spread out horizontally through the water, below the surface. You can see this to the top of the screen and to the left of the focal point.


Water bubbles (as in flash boiling) do not do that.

Same video

I already showed videos of what flash boiling looks like, and it is nothing like this.

You seem to think burning something underwater is something exceptional. It isn't. All you need is either sufficient heat or a sufficient oxidizer. In fact, you can create something that burns quite vigorously under water using nothing more than table sugar and stump remover.

Yes, the water is steaming and boiling in the video when the person is burning the floating wood. I didn't say flash boil, I said normal boiling. The "smoke" is a mixture of wood smoke and water vapor.

The underwater "smoke" isn't smoke. The heat, water, plus decomposing leaves is most likely creating crude mixtures of nitrate compounds and lye (sodium hydroxide). That lens isn't generating enough heat to split water, and there isn't enough dissolved oxygen in that water for any sort of real combustion, nor is there a catalyst or oxidizer present. However, some decomposing organic material, rainwater, and heat is all you need to create some caustic chemicals.

And none of this has any bearing on the conversation, which is about water's ability to absorb IR radiation.


EDIT:

Since you're so fond of YoutTube videos, I found one demonstrating how water does indeed absorb IR radiation.

Link

This is a short video that uses a 30 Watt CO2 laser (IR band laser) in an attempt to burn the wood underneath the cup. As you can see, all the laser does is start to boil the water.

For reference, a 30 watt laser is capable of burning through wood instantly and is capable of engraving metals.

Wikipedia factoids:

Water is transparent in the visible electromagnetic spectrum. Thus aquatic plants can live in water because sunlight can reach them. Ultra-violet and infrared light is strongly absorbed.

In physics, absorption of electromagnetic radiation is the way by which the energy of a photon is taken up by matter, typically the electrons of an atom. Thus, the electromagnetic energy is transformed to other forms of energy for example, to heat.

The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere. As a result, the temperature there is higher than it would be if direct heating by solar radiation were the only warming mechanism.[1][2]

The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824, first reliably experimented on by John Tyndall in 1858, and first reported quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896.[3]

If an ideal thermally conductive blackbody was the same distance from the Sun as the Earth is, it would have a temperature of about 5.3 °C. However, since the Earth reflects about 30%[4] (or 28%[5]) of the incoming sunlight, the planet's effective temperature (the temperature of a blackbody that would emit the same amount of radiation) is about −18 or −19 °C,[6][7] about 33°C below the actual surface temperature of about 14 °C or 15 °C.[8] The mechanism that produces this difference between the actual surface temperature and the effective temperature is due to the atmosphere and is known as the greenhouse effect.

Notice that difference between the earth's effective blackbody temperature and the earth's actual surface temperature. If a greenhouse effect were not occurring then we would not have a tropical weather blog. No way.

Now we get to the "interesting" part.

Global warming, a recent warming of the Earth's surface and lower atmosphere,[9] is believed to be the result of a strengthening of the greenhouse effect mostly due to human-produced increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases.[10]

The first factoid is really off on a tangent from the rest. Whatever. Bottom line: the greenhouse effect is real. Homo sapiens probably would not exist without it--not at -18C average temp. We certainly would be hairier I think. The stage is set for the CO2 story to unfold.

Quoting JohnTucker:
What is this leaf boiling you tube about? You know thats not far IR passing through the water. Right? And particles in fluid suspension are technically not "smoke" although sometimes they are referred to as such.



Liquid - nearly 100 percent of the IR I THINK let me check.

But here is the VERY TECHNICAL.

Actually its rather interesting - I didn't know ice was so different.

Forget it. You can show him all the spectral analysis you want, but he still won't be convinced that IR is a broad spectrum absorber of IR radiation.

As much as I hate linking to you tube videos, I even found a video of someone firing a 30 watt CO2 laser at a cup of water. It starts to boil the water, but does not burn the cup or the wood
underneath, thus proving that water does indeed absorb IR radiation.

But that probably won't be good enough either.

Quoting washingtonian115:
Wow talk about a change in tone in the blog.My avatar mustv'e scared most bloggers away.

Naw...I was off doing my other addiction (I am so ashamed) I was playing Farmville :(

But, I do keep track of the Blog while I am doing it :)

Climate Change is part of life, deal with it.

Re-reading these factoids, this one stands out.

The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere. As a result, the temperature there is higher than it would be if direct heating by solar radiation were the only warming mechanism.[1][2]

This factoid reminds me of the posts I often read on here proclaiming that the sun is like an Aristotelian prime mover of the earth's weather. Well, not so fast.

First, of course, the rotation of the earth and the more or less spherical shape of the earth are equally important to the weather. Ask yourself what the weather would be like if the earth did not rotate on its axis? Borrrrring. What would the weather be like if the earth's surface did not slant away from perpendicular to the incoming solar radiation due to the earth's spherical shape? A lot different. The difference of course would depend on what other shape the earth had. Then there are seasons, the elliptical orbit of the earth around the sun and the Milankovitch cycles that affect those geometries. All of these factors are critical, but even they are not close to being the whole story.

What the factoid points out is that the atmosphere modifies the effect of solar radiation on the earth. Modify the atmosphere and you modify the effect the sun has.

The sun is not directly in control of the earth's climate. It never has been and never will be. The sun has its variations, but the geometry of the earth in relation to the sun also varies. Additionally, and what is to the point, the optical/thermal properties of the earth in relation to the sun's light also vary.

The king is dead. Long live factoids! If you don't know what an Aristotelian prime mover is, look it up in Wikipedia.

Tropical Cyclone Warning Center Perth
TROPICAL CYCLONE OUTLOOK
Forecast for area south of 10S between 90E-125E
12:03 PM WST February 14 2011
=====================================

At 11am WST a low was located near 16S 119E, about 480 kilometres north of Port Hedland and moving towards the west southwest. Over the next three days the low is expected to move towards the west southwest and so by Thursday is expected to be located to the northwest of Exmouth. The low may develop into a tropical cyclone on Thursday or later in the week.

Tropical Cyclone Formation Potential
====================================

Tuesday: Low
Wednesday: Moderate
Thursday: High

Tropical Cyclone Warning Center Darwin
Tropical Cyclone Outlook
FORECAST NORTHERN TERRITORY AREA BETWEEN 125E-142E
2:15 pm CST February 14 2011
================================================= ===

A weak Tropical Low, 1005 hPa, is located over the western Top End approximately 60km northwest of Katherine. The low is expected to move slowly west during the next few days and may move into the Timor Sea later in the week.

Tropical Cyclone Formation Potential
========================================

Tuesday: Very Low
Wednesday: Low
Thursday: Moderate

Quoting HadesGodWyvern:
Tropical Cyclone Warning Center Perth
TROPICAL CYCLONE OUTLOOK
Forecast for area south of 10S between 90E-125E
12:03 PM WST February 14 2011
=====================================

At 11am WST a low was located near 16S 119E, about 480 kilometres north of Port Hedland and moving towards the west southwest. Over the next three days the low is expected to move towards the west southwest and so by Thursday is expected to be located to the northwest of Exmouth. The low may develop into a tropical cyclone on Thursday or later in the week.

Tropical Cyclone Formation Potential
====================================

Tuesday: Low
Wednesday: Moderate
Thursday: High

Hey HGW.... they been posting forecast maps to this effect since... Friday??? I know I saw it yesterday 4 sure...

Matching IR sat pic...

Current.


Forecast for next 4 days... til Thurday night our time.

They've got the more westerly of the two lows down to 984 or so by Thursday....

Seychelles Meteorological Services
Tropical Cyclone Advisory #21
CYCLONE TROPICAL BINGIZA (05-20102011)
10:00 AM Reunion February 14 2011
=====================================

At 6:00 AM UTC, Tropical Cyclone Bingiza (953 hPa) located at 15.9S 49.8E has 10 minute sustained winds of 80 knots with gusts of 115 knots. The cyclone is reported as moving west at 8 knots.

Hurricane Force Winds
=====================
20 NM from the center

Storm Force Winds
==================
30 NM from the center

Gale Force Winds
===============
60 NM from the center

Near Gale Force Winds
======================
90 NM from the center extending up to 180 NM in the southern semi-circle and 240 NM in the southeastern quadrant

Dvorak Intensity: T4.5/5.0/W0.5/12 HRS

Forecast and Intensity
============================
12 HRS: 16.2S 47.6E - (Depression sur Terre)
24 HRS: 16.5S 46.2E - (Depression sur Terre)
48 HRS: 18.2S 43.6E - 25 knots (PERTURBATION Tropicale)
72 HRS: 20.2S 42.9E - 40 knots (Tempête Tropicale Moderée)

Additional Information
======================

The center of the tropical cyclone has quickly made landfall on the southern part of the peninsula of Masoala, it has come back over seas on the Antongil Bay. It is expected to continue to track westward towards the eastern coastline of Madagascar and is going to make landfall north of Manambolasy. In relationship with the overland Madagascar track, winds are expected to rapidly decrease near the residual circulation center but heavy rain activity should still exist on the northern part of Malagasy. Bingiza's remnants are expected to come back over sea over the Mozambique channel at a weakened stage on Wednesday. In relationship to good environmental conditions over Mozambique channel, re-intensification is then expected.

The next tropical cyclone advisory from Seychelles Meteorological Services will be issued at 12:30 PM UTC..

Quoting BahaHurican:
Hey HGW.... they been posting forecast maps to this effect since... Friday??? I know I saw it yesterday 4 sure...

Matching IR sat pic...

ya. They been mentioning that low for awhile now along with Tropical Low 15U (14S) until today.

Xyrus I told you earlier you're wasting your time on RecordSeason. I meant it lol

He literally doesnt listen to anything anybody tells him.

And RecordSeason, nice personal attack, reported.

Fiji Meteorological Services
Tropical Disturbance Summary
TROPICAL DISTURBANCE 11F
18:00 PM FST February 14 2011
================================================= ==

At 6:00 AM UTC, Tropical Disturbance 11F (1004 hPa) located at 18.5S 166.0E is reported as slowly moving. Position POOR based on multispectral infrared with animation and peripheral observations. Sea surface temperature is around 30C.

Organization remains poor. Deep convection presists in the southeastern quadrant of the system. Cyclonic circulation extends up to 500 HPA. System lies to the south of an upper ridge in a moderately sheared environment.

Global models have picked up the system and are moving it westward with slight intensification.

The potential for this disturbance to form into a tropical cyclone within the next 24-48 hours is LOW.

Am I ever going to be able to read this blog without climate change arguments within the blog. I thought this was a weather blog not a climate blog... can we please stick with the current weather so that we sont have the same arguments.

Am I ever going to be able to read this blog without climate change arguments within the blog.

yep, as soon as the first hurricane forms this season.

Just a comment regarding that February 23-28, 2010 storm that is pictured above.

That storm was way over rated (Where i live in the mid hudson valley, NY). from the 23 thru the 25 we got about 10.5 inches of snow that pretty much melted the day that it fell.. never more than 7 inches on the ground at a time... so really it was like 2 or 3 seperate systems. Granted that the mountains did get 3 feet, but down here it seemed much more like just a 5 inch snow opposed to us being solidly in that 10-20 inch band of blue.

Quoting tkeith:
Am I ever going to be able to read this blog without climate change arguments within the blog.

yep, as soon as the first hurricane forms this season.

One can only hope :)

Tropical Cyclone BINGIZA has its core/eye back over water after being inland only a few hours,


Enhanced Infrared (IR) Imagery (4 km Mercator)




Time of Latest Image: 201102141300

I highly doubt yer wanton wants of not seeing any Global Climate Change discussion in this authors Blog will be granted.

Id say you dont know the authors passion for truth and His position on the Warming issue.

Its clearly his entry and what anyone wants to post in regard to climate change,pro or con wil always be welcomed here,..

Oh,by dee way,

NEW BLOG ENTRY

i dont know why dr masters doesnt ip ban record season. he NEVER adds anything of value to the debate and hes a troll.

place him on ignore and be done with him.