Monday, September 8, 2014

Whatever Happened To Global Warming?

[Like "Job Watch," this page will disappear in a few days, but it is linked at the sidebar at the right, near the top, for easy access.]

Whatever Happened To Global Warming? The Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2014:
On Sept. 23 the United Nations will host a party for world leaders in New York to pledge urgent action against climate change. Yet leaders from China, India and Germany have already announced that they won't attend the summit and others are likely to follow, leaving President Obama looking a bit lonely. 
Could it be that they no longer regard it as an urgent threat that some time later in this century the air may get a bit warmer? 
In effect, this is all that's left of the global-warming emergency the U.N. declared in its first report on the subject in 1990. The U.N. no longer claims that there will be dangerous or rapid climate change in the next two decades. 
Last September, between the second and final draft of its fifth assessment report, the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change quietly downgraded the warming it expected in the 30 years following 1995, to about 0.5 degrees Celsius from 0.7 (or, in Fahrenheit, to about 0.9 degrees, from 1.3). Even that is likely to be too high.
The climate-research establishment has finally admitted openly what skeptic scientists have been saying for nearly a decade: Global warming has stopped since shortly before this century began.  
September 12, 2014: earlier this week I had a reader tell me it was no longer "global warming" that we were worried about, but rather "climate change." LOL. Call it what you want, but it's all about "global warming." The nuts tell us "2 C" is the magic number.  And apparently it's too late, unless China or India or the US completely stop generating electricity. And if we don't: catastrophic sea level rise, extreme weather events, famine and mass extinction. The reality after passing the 400 PPM threshold: a) more ice than ever (thus a lower sea level; b) quietest weather this past year since record keeping began; c) bumper crops in the US, setting new records (announced yesterday); and,  d) several new animal species discovered this past summer. I wonder how much CO2 will rise in the mideast once the war begins (all those fighters and bombers; all those tanks; all those fuel trucks; all those Toyota pick-up trucks).

This is why activists get such a bad reputation; their comments are insane. For example: "... with China coming in at a whopping 27.6 percent, and the U.S. trailing close behind at 16.7 percent." The US is "trailing close behind" -- 17% is "close behind 28%"? Hardly. Did they really say that?

September 11, 2014:
  • seven inches of snow and freezing weather in the Rapid City, SD, area overnight
  • first time since 1888 that Rapid City saw snow this early in these season; first time since records were kept
  • summer snow blankets Denver, CO
September 10, 2014: extreme weather
  • Currently at the peak of hurricane season; no named storm right now; first time this has happened since 1992
  • Calgary, Canada, "struggles" with summer snowfall
  • 12-inch snow for Big Horn Mountains, and it's not even October yet
September 8, 2014

From the Hockey Schtick:
Our favorite statistician*, Shaun Lovejoy, proprietor of laughable 99.9% confidence that all global warming recovery since the Little Ice Age is from man-made CO2, has left comments at Dr. Judith Curry's blog claiming that if the 18-26 year "pause" in global warming lasts another 5 years to 2019, the global warming scam can officially be declared dead, buried, six feet under with 95% certainty.
Others have said the same thing. Elsewhere it was reported that 15 years of "anything" negates any previous trend. 

Here we go again, from The Los Angeles Times:
"Half of North American bird species threatened by climate change. By 2080, the bald eagle, could see its habitat decreased by 75%." 
I didn't read the article very closely, but I don't think the article mentioned the #1 threat to bald eagles: wind turbines/wind farms. So yes, it's very likely America's response to a non-problem will likely kill off the bald eagles. I used to talk about that a lot, but if the conservationists and birders didn't mind wind turbines being placed in flyways, who was I to complain. I've moved on. But an article on the future of bald eagles and no mention of wind farms ... I can't make this stuff up. 


Snow Comes Early This Year in North Dakota

Forecast: possible snow as early as tomorrow night in southwestern North Dakota. It would be one of the earlier winters I recall. When I was growing up in Williston, we usually looked to Halloween, October 28th or thereabouts as the start of cold weather; "trick or treaters" -- some of us in light costumes -- always hoped for colder weather to be delayed into November. I also remember pillow cases made perfectly good  sacks for collecting all the goodies.

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Wettest Day On Record In Phoenix
Warmists Predicted The Deluge

NBC News is reporting: wettest day on record in Phoenix. The warmists predicted there would be "extreme weather" and increased precipitation due to global warming. I guess we are seeing the "increased precipitation" -- only problem: we haven't had any sign of global warming for 18 years. Cognitive dissonance for some. And then that extreme weather stuff -- well into the middle/end of hurricane and we are barely into the beginning of the alphabet for named tropical storms. I think we might be to "D." Yep, only up to "D" and "Dolly" was a tropical storm, not even reaching hurricane status.
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Atmospheric CO2: 0.04%
The Other Greenhouse Gas: Water - most abundant

Another great article over at IceAgeNow. The article reminds us how much CO2 is in the atmosphere:
What carbon dioxide doesn’t do is “trap” heat long enough to lower the Earth’s temperature. It represents a mere 0.04% of the atmosphere.
That's what the warmists get, also: 0.04% (400 parts per million). 0.04%.

If one is really worried about greenhouse gases, one needs to eliminate water in the atmosphere. LOL.

0.04%.

Not 4%. Not 4/10ths of one percent. But 4/100ths of one percent. (Disclaimer: I sometimes make simple arithmetic errors. Go to the linked sources.)

You know that: the warmists said there was a direct correlation between concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere and the average global temperature. So, when the CO2 concentration rose from 396 to 400 parts per million the warmists pretty much said "that was the end." There was nothing mankind could do once that threshold was passed. And then, several months later it was noted (all all agree, including the warmists) that there has been no evidence of any global warming for the past 18 years, the very time period in which CO2 was rising exponentially, supposedly. So, CO2 hits the "doomsday" threshold of 400 ppm and then it's noted there's been an 18-year pause in "global warming" that cannot be explained. By anyone. Including warmists.

The wamists don't consider water vapor a greenhouse gas to be concerned about due to interesting reasoning.

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Global Warming? Cold Front To Hit Dallas Later This Week

My wife? Ecstatic. Temps into the 50's.

September 7, 2014

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18 Years With Absolutely No Global Warming

The DailyCaller is reporting:
The numbers are in and the verdict is that there has been no global warming for 17 years and 11 months, according to satellite data.
Satellite data prepared by Lord Christopher Monckton shows there has been no warming trend from October of 1996 to August of 2014 — 215 months. To put this in perspective, kids graduating from high school this year have not lived through any global warming in their lifetimes. [That was my first thought when I read the lede; neither of our granddaughters have experienced any global warming weather; but they know all about it.]
According to Monckton — the third Viscount Monckton of Brenchley and a former policy adviser to U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — the rate of warming has been half of what climate scientists initially predicted in the early 1990s.
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) first predicted in 1990 that global temperatures would rise at a rate of 2.8 degrees Celsius per century. But the temperature rise since the IPCC’s prediction has only been at a rate of 1.4 degrees Celsius per century.
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Species Going Extinct Because Of Global Warming? Never Mind

I can't make this stuff up. This snail was declared extinct seven years ago because of global warming -- it turns out there has been no global warming for 18 years. And now, voila! The snail is "rediscovered." ABC News is reporting:
A snail once thought to have been among the first species to go extinct because of climate change has reappeared in the wild.
The Aldabra banded snail, declared extinct seven years ago, was rediscovered on Aug. 23 in the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles. The mollusk, which is endemic to the Aldabra coral atoll — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — had not been seen on the islands since 1997, said the Seychelles Islands Foundation.
I can't wait to tell the granddaughters -- the older wanted to be a marine biologist, but lately she appears to be having second thoughts. Right now, she says, she no longer wants to be a marine biologist, but still go into something related to science and math. I won't mention petroleum engineer; she will discover that by herself. 

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And So It Goes

By the way, that's why I love blogging. Going back to that post reminds me of economists blaming the harsh winter of 2013 - 2014 for the collapse of the economy. LOL. This was during the same period of time that the warmists persisted in their nonsense. It's hard to reconcile global warming with such a harsh winter that it caused the "collapse of the economy" (their words, not mine). Don't say you don't remember.

Don't Say You Don't Remember, Beverly Bremers

News You Will Be Reading About Tueday -- Posted September 8, 2014; The Big Story Tuesday: Apple

Reuters is reporting: Russia sees oil output edging down in 2015:
Russian oil production, a major source of government revenue, may decline slightly next year, having risen steadily since 2009, the Energy Ministry said on Monday. The ministry said oil production in 2015 was seen at 525 million tonnes (10.54 million barrels per day) compared to an expected 525.3 million tonnes this year.
Last year's oil output, which generates 40 percent of state revenues, stood at 523.3 million tonnes, a post-Soviet high. Output declined by 0.6 percent in 2008 because of a global financial crisis, but has risen steadily since 2009 thanks to the introduction of a more favourable tax regime and other fiscal measures.
I don't see a lot of difference between 525 million tonnes (predicted) vs 525.3 million tones this year (which is yet to be completed).

Meanwhile, Shell begins production at Cardamom Field in the Gulf of Mexico:
Production is now underway from the Cardamom development, the second major deep-water facility Shell has brought online in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico this year, following the start-up of Mars B in February.
Oil from the Cardamom subsea development (100-percent Shell) is piped through Shell's Auger platform. When at full production of 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day (boepd), Auger's total production capacity will increase to approximately130,000 boepd.
And more oilfield staff are returning to the oil fields in Kurdish oil fields.

The Wall Street Journal

"Islamic State upends Obama's second term." 

US will allow pharmacies to take back unused prescription drugs: to include drugs such as opioid painkillers in an effort to get addictive medications off the street. Really?

In Rhode Island, the Democratic Primary is "pension referendum."

First, the Ukraine; then Estonia. Now Lithuania. "After Lithuania declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, many Lithuanians in the Soviet army deserted. Now Russia appears to want to prosecute them." Hmmmm.

Obama, the Nobel peace-prize president looks to expand the war in Iraq: more troops and more airstrikes. Wasn't it just last week that the President said there was no reason to destroy ISIL; they or some other terrorist group would just come back. He also said at that time: the US military could wipe out ISIL. I guess he meant if given enough time. (His plan: three years.)

Southwest Airlines, which hasn't updated its aircraft paint job since 2001, unveiled a new look for its 680 aircraft, along with a new logo, typeface, and Website. I haven't looked at it. Let's see if it looks anything like the Apple website. Nope. 

Dodge cuts $15,000 off Viper's price: the price reduction comes amid disappointing sales in a market that has shown a healthy appetite for pricey sports cars from domesic rivals. The Tesla? LOL.

The Los Angeles Times

Here we go again: "half of North American bird species threatened by climate change. By 2080, the bald eagle, could see its habitat decreased by 75%." I didn't read the article very closely, but I don't think the article mentioned the #1 threat to bald eagles: wind turbines/wind farms. So yes, it's very likely America's response to a non-problem will likely kill off the bald eagles. I used to talk about that a lot, but if the conservationists and birders didn't mind wind turbines being placed in flyways, who was I to complain. I've moved on. But an article on the future of bald eagles and no mention of wind farms ... I can't make this stuff up.

Here Come The Mega-Loads Again -- September 8, 2014

The Dickinson Press is reporting:
CHS announced Friday that it is proceeding with construction of a $3 billion plant northeast of Jamestown that will turn natural gas from North Dakota’s oilfields into nitrogen fertilizer for the region’s farmers.
CHS engineer Bart Gill, project director for the plant near the Spiritwood Energy Park, said CHS wants to use as many U.S. manufacturers as possible for components needed for the plant, but some of the parts it needs will have to be imported from Europe. Several of the components are very large, including a 500-ton ammonia converter.
“That’s the largest single piece of equipment that we’ll have, but we have several pieces of what we call oversized-overweight equipment that we’re going to have to transport into the site,” Gill said. “They’ll be moved first on the ocean, probably over to the port of Duluth, then transported by roads and/or rail if we can get rail, but more likely by road now to the site.”
Activists and community organizers may want to start organizing now. 

By the way, some background:
The Haber-Bosch process raises the temperature of the chamber to 572 to 1,022 degrees and increases the air pressure to a range of 2,200 to 3,600 pounds per square inch. In comparison, the average psi at sea level on Earth is about 14.7 psi.
The chemical reaction in the chamber produces ammonia out of the nitrogen and hydrogen, and ammonia is the main ingredient in nitrogen fertilizers. The gases that don’t produce ammonia on the first pass are recycled again through the tank.
“(The ammonia) is further processed into urea and then the urea is further processed into UAN,” Schouvieller said.
UAN is a solution of urea and ammonium nitrate in water that becomes fertilizer. The ammonia also will be used to produce diesel exhaust fluid, used in cleaning diesel engines.
“(UAN) is a nitric acid, so basically they take the urea liquor and add water, and now you have a liquid that’s 28 percent nitrogen,” Schouvieller said. “It’s probably important to point out that ammonia is 82 percent nitrogen and urea is 34 percent.”

Sixteen (16) New Permits -- North Dakota; September 8, 2014; SM Energy Testing The Tyler In Grassy Butte Oil Field

Active rigs:


9/8/201409/08/201309/08/201209/08/201109/08/2010
Active Rigs196184191198143


Wells coming off the confidential list Tuesday:
  • 23015, drl, CLR, Sacramento Federal 6-10H, Brooklyn, no production data,
  • 26429, 1,888, Whiting, Norgard 41-13-2H, Ellsworth, t3/14; cum 50K 7/14;
  • 27498, drl, Hess, EN-L Cvancara-155-93-2627H-6, Robinson Lake, no production data,
  • 27552, drl, XTO, Walton Federal 41X-19G, Bear Den, no production data,
  • 27619, drl, Slawson, Whirlwind 6-31TFH, Big Bend, producing,
  • 27636, 573, Slawson, Matilda Bay 2-15H, Stockyard Creek, t6/14; cum 21K 7/14;
Wells coming off confidential list over the weekend, today, have been posted; see sidebar at the right.

Sixteen (16) new permits  --
  • Operators: Oasis (7), Whiting (3), KOG (3), Hess (2), Flatirons
  • Fields: Sanish (Mountrail), Truax (Williams), Poe (McKenzie), Ray (Williams), Lake Darling (Renville), Baker (McKenzie)
  • Comments:
Five (5) producing wells completed:
  • 26851, 821, SM Energy, Bonner 9X-12HA, Poe, t6/14; cum 19K 7/14;
  • 26852, 1,404, Bonner 9-12H, Poe, t6/14; cum 35K 7/14;
  • 26853, 508, SM Energy, Bonner 9X-12HB, Poe, t6/14; cum 9K 7/14;
  • 27276, 318, SM Energy, Vincent Trust 16-21HS, Big Dipper, t7/14; cum 6K 7/14;
  • 27289, 353, SM Energy, Robert 3-27HN, Colgan, t7/14; cum 6K 7/14; 
One (1) recompleted well:
  • 11841, 17, SM Energy, Grassy Butte 21X-21F, Grassy Butte, a Madison well, t5/86; cum 61K 7/14; last produced from the Madison/this well in 1995; re-entered Tyler, 7/14; the plan was to test the well, and if it produces, put a pump on it; it produced 82 bbls from the Madison after it was put back on-line (one day, 82 bbls, 7/14); no data regarding success of a Tyler well;

Re-Posting: Three New North Dakota Pipelines Could Add Almost One Million BOPD Takeaway Capacity By 2016 -- September 8, 2014

I can't recall if I posted this article. I know I posted the three pipeline stories in separate posts, but not sure if I posted the WSJ article regarding all the North Dakota pipeline activity earlier this year. For the archives, the WSJ is reporting three new pipelines in North Dakota could carry almost another 1 million bbls by 2016:
Energy Transfer Partners said Wednesday it is moving ahead with plans to build a 1,100-mile crude pipeline between North Dakota fields and the oil hub in Patoka, Ill. It could move as much as 320,000 barrels a day to refineries in the Midwest, travel by rail to East Coast plants or be loaded into another pipeline to the Gulf Coast.
Separately this week Enterprise Product Partners L.P.  said it hopes to build a 340,000-barrel-a-day line from Stanley, ND, to the crude oil-storage hub at Cushing, OK, though no final decision by the company's board has been made. The Bakken has become one of the most prolific oil-producing regions in the country, but most of its more than 1 million barrels a day of crude output is shipped by rail.
A third line, previously announced by Enbridge Energy Partners EEP was approved Wednesday by North Dakota regulators. The company can begin construction on the 600-mile Sandpiper pipeline as soon as July 1. That $2.6-billion project, scheduled to move oil from North Dakota to Clearbrook, MN, starting in 2016, will have a capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil a day. From the Clearbrook oil terminal to another oil hub in Superior, WI, that pipeline will have a bigger capacity of 375,000 barrels a day.
Comment: my understanding is that, at the moment, CBR + rail is getting most/all of the oil produced out of the Bakken. Whether or not these pipelines come to fruition, the fact is "they" are planning for about one million more bopd takeaway (pipeline) and yet, folks are still building CBR terminals or more tank cars. This suggests what Bentek estimated a year or so ago might be very accurate.