Dosbat

I don't just read about the Arctic. On this blog I've touched upon Hansen's findings about temperature extremes and the connection with drought. Elsewhere I've written posts about the intensification of the hydrological cycle. Yes, I've read quite a few papers by scientists like Dai, Syed and Wild on the issue. But this knowledge has remained intellectual, I've known it, but I haven't really known it.

I've previously discussed a change to the annual cycle of volume loss, that being an increase in the loss of volume during the Spring, and a following loss of thickness during the Summer. Now the May 2012 PIOMAS figures are in and the early indications of May are that we face a repeat of 2010 and 2011. The PIOMAS volume anomaly up to day 151 (31 May) is shown below. As with all the work on this blog, the baseline used to calculate the anomaly is from 1980 to 1999, a 20 year period. The PIOMAS volume series is available here.



Figure 1, PIOMAS volume anomaly.

The Arctic is not the same ice pack as it was decades ago, we have now arrived at a state where the ice pack is mainly first year ice. 

This whole Heartland posters furore bores me. Like the rest of the thrashings of the denialist zombies it's all rather passe. That hasn't stopped me reading other blogs about it. But the best summary I've read so far is from my 'blogroll'. I recommend taking a couple of minutes to read Lazarus: Hitler Liked Dogs. Do You? Basically Heartland have dropped a clanger, even drawing flak from Ross McItrick, Lazarus has some graphics that put things in context.

For those puzzled by the Thatcher billboard mock up over there - Yes Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thacher, with a background in research chemistry, was one of the first world leaders to really grasp what the climate scientists were saying. She spoke at the Second World Climate Conference, and instituted the Hadley Centre. During that opening she addressed Dr Houghton, head of the IPCC:

Your Report confirms that greenhouse gases are inc