Political Science: Debate 2008

With voters going to the polls for the presidential primaries in all three local jurisdictions tomorrow, some citizens might be concerned that very little attention has been given to where the candidates stand on scientific issues. Physics Today, the magazine of the College Park-based American Institute of Physics, has been questioning presidential candidates since 1976 on their positions regarding science. This year, they have collected candidate stands on science education, teaching evolution, nuclear weapons, science investment, energy policy, and climate change from Democrats Clinton and Obama, as well as Republicans Huckabee, McCain, and Paul.

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Climate Corner: Acting Locally

100-year flood plain, from Maryland Department of the Environment. Click on image to enlarge.

A working group of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change met today in Reisterstown, as reported by AP (via Baltimore's WJZ-TV), to work on its recommendations for the state's response to global warming. Gov. O'Malley established the Commission via executive order last April to "undertake an assessment of climate change impacts, calculate Maryland's carbon footprint, and investigate climate change dynamics." In addition, the group is to make recommendations for reducing the state's greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change on the state, with particular emphasis on coastal hazards.

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El Niño Update: La Niña Strengthens

Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature deviations from average, courtesy the Climate Prediction Center. Click on image to enlarge.




The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center released the latest monthly El Niño update today. If you're happy with the winter so far, then to the extent it's been influenced by sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the equatorial Pacific, you can expect more of the same.

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Mediarology: Six Degrees on NGC, AMS on iTunes, Challenger on TWC

New shows available in audio and video, online and on TV

Coming soon to the National Geographic Channel is Six Degrees Could Change the World, based on the book, Six Degrees, which was just released in the U.S. after being published last year in the U.K. The show premieres this Sunday, the 10th, at 8 p.m. DC time, 9 p.m. Pacific. Streaming videos are available on the show's web site.

The American Meteorological Society (AMS), the country's oldest and largest organization of professional meteorologists, has gone multimedia. There are now four programs in the AMS Video Journal series on the Research Channel. The full set of shows are also available in both audio and video format for downloading free of charge from iTunes. The AMS appears to be the first professional scientific society to appear on iTunes U, the educational section of Apple's podcast web site. The presentations currently available include:

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Super Soaker: Record Rain Recap

This morning's showers, while generally minimal across the metro area (a couple hundredths of an inch), helped add to a nice surplus for February built up from Friday's record-setting rainfall. The regional 24-hour precipitation map (popup image) ending 7 a.m. Saturday from the National Weather Service (NWS) Precipitation Analysis shows that National Airport and a good chunk of the eastern half of the District were in the sweet spot, with the heavier amounts (shaded in yellow) blossoming out even wider through the entire Baltimore Beltway vicinity and northeastward toward Pennsylvania. Some amounts as high as 3" were reported just over the Mason-Dixon line. Even in the less-rainy parts of the immediate metro region, amounts up to 1.5" (dark green) were widespread.

The virtual rain gauge for the three major local reporting stations (click image to enlarge) shows the rainfall accumulation in three-hour intervals from 4 a.m. through 7 p.m. Although precipitation started earlier at Dulles (0.01" actually fell before 4 a.m.), the three totals were coincidentally precisely equal at 0.81" by 10 a.m. Notice that, after diminishing somewhat in the morning, the rainfall rate picked up dramatically at both National and BWI in the afternoon. Nearly half of the final total at National fell from 1 to 4 p.m. This is a typical pattern in large storms; the precipitation begins slowly as warm air overrides colder air near the surface, then increases in intensity toward the end as deeper, more convective-type showers take over. There were a few unofficial reports of thunder with this storm.

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International House of Snowflakes

Wild Winter Weather Hits China, Israel

Some statistics this morning from site visitor Augusta Jim would indicate that the very long-term snow trend is not negative, but as Matt pointed out, La Niña may be limiting our flaky fortunes through February. If we don't get the snow, who does?

Manufacturing jobs and cash may not be the only things Washington is exporting. China is having its worst winter weather in about 50 years. CNN quoted the Xinhua news agency:

"The heavy snow and sleet has paralyzed transport and coal shipments, and led to travelers cramming railways stations and airports and power supply reductions in almost half of the 31 provinces and regions on the Chinese mainland."

CNBC reported on air this morning that coal exports had been halted and that coal inventories were down to an eight-day supply. And China isn't the only international location making local snow lovers jealous.

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Area's Drought Continues

Moderate precipitation deficit persists into 2008

Chart by Capital Weather Gang. Click on image to enlarge.





While enough to get you wet without rain gear, today's semi-springlike showers have done little to dampen the impact of a prolonged dry spell in the Washington metro area. Rainfall amounts of around a tenth of an inch or less have barely equalled the long-term daily average, although more rain is possible tonight. With only two days left in the month, there have been only six days, counting today, with measurable precipitation (0.01" or more). That is less than two-thirds the average of 9.8 rainy/snowy days in the average January in the base period of 1971-2000. Total precipitation for the month is less than 50 percent of the "normal" (long-term average).

The regional 30-day precipitation percentage of average from the National Weather Service (NWS) Precipitation Analysis shows a lot of sub-average yellows and oranges, with the near to above-average grays and greens mostly limited to parts of the Northern Neck of Virginia and southern Maryland. The intensity of the dryness increases generally northward and westward of the Beltway, with Montgomery, Fairfax, and Loudoun Counties faring the worst within the near 'burbosphere.

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