Remember The Chinese Global Warming Story? Affecting CNOOC

Updates

January 8, 2013: 2012 was the hottest year in the contiguous United States on record (excluding the years that the Vikings were growing grapes in Vinland, but that's another story). It was notable that the earth's global temperature for 2012 was not noted in the linked article; perhaps that is coming. No one has yet said what the "correct temperature" for the US is; and, if the "correct temperature" for the contiguous United States is the "optimal temperature" for humans, which are apparently the most important animals on earth; the question has been asked often. (I would assume that the optimal temperature, for example, for the desert tortoise and the rattlesnake is different than the optimal temperature for humans, but tortoises and rattlesnakes do not have any wealth to redistribute.) No one has yet said who set the thermostat for the US in the first place. And, of course, there was no mention that 97% of greenhouse gases is ... drum roll ... water. Less than 3% of greenhouse gas is CO2 and if I recall correctly, only 3% of that 3% is anthropogenic. The last state to enter the contiguous US was Arizona in 1912 -- about 100 years ago; the year is about 4.5 billion years old, give or take a million years. Lots to discuss but this is a blog about the Bakken. Time to move on.

January 8, 2013: In response to the note below, one reader noted a recent story suggesting the cold in China and Russia is off-set by the record-setting heat in Australia, with temperatures soaring above 122 degrees.  As usual, key data points were not highlighted, including:

• Australia's all-time record temperature is 50.7 degrees, set in January 1960 at Oodnadatta in the state of South Australia; and,
• 125 degrees in Australia was the headline, January, 1968

Yeah, it gets hot in Australia in January. Interestingly enough, it was "mainstream media news" in this country when Russia and China hit record lows; the Australia news was found in ... "phys.org" a site I don't often visit.

Original Post 

China's global warming story reported here earlier.

Now, Rizone.com is reporting that the icy weather is affecting CNOOC's operations:

 China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) revealed that oil and gas production at its largest base – the northern section of Bohai Bay – has been affected by icy weather.

According to a statement released by CNOOC in the weekend, large amounts of water in the Bohai Bay have frozen, forming a layer of ice up to 15 centimeters thick.

The country's meteorological administration also issued a statement in the weekend, warning of continued harsh conditions moving into February. In its statement, the administration said that North China experienced its coldest winter in 42 years, with temperatures hitting minus 7.4 degrees Celsius, 2.4 degrees lower than the average level in the previous years.

Forecasts of global temperatures rising one or two degrees over the next century are starting to look a bit shaky.