How corn may be helping Michigan keep its cool
From the “corn is not climate” department and David Veselenak, The Grand Rapids Press
Grand Rapids hasn’t seen the thermometer break 100 degrees since 1988. Some climatologists say the reason is corn.
In fact, since 1953, Grand Rapids has seen the thermometer hit 100 degrees only three times. Since 1894, Grand Rapids has had 30 days reach the triple figure temperature mark.
One theory: more corn has been planted the past 60 years, increasing the amount of water vapor released into the atmosphere. That decreases the amount of energy available to heat the air.
…
“From the 1930s to the 1950s, it looks like (the temperature) was typical. But after the 1950s, it wasn’t typical,” he said. “Clearly, something was going on in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, and it could have been agricultural practice.”
And the numbers support that claim. According to Iowa State University, corn production yields have jumped and so has the acreage committed to corn. In 2010, record amounts of land in the United States was being used for corn planting, with 87.87 million acres of corn, up from 86.5 million in 2009.
read the rest of the story here: How corn may be helping Michigan keep its cool
h/t to Steve Mosher via Facebook
“From the 1930s to the 1950s, it looks like (the temperature) was typical. But after the 1950s, it wasn’t typical,” he said. “Clearly, something was going on in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, and it could have been agricultural practice.”
What was going on is that the official temperature record for Grand Rapids switched from the city station to the airport station in 1956, and that is why temperatures appear to have “dropped”. In actuality, they have not.
Correlation may not be causation…..
Eh?
“increasing the amount of water vapor released into the atmosphere. That decreases the amount of energy available to heat the air.” hang on, I thought water vapour caused the deadly Co2 feedback, but here is causes cooling??? Which is it???
They have found the opposite of UHI and may soon adjust temperatures upwards to account for the temperature ‘bias’. :o)
If the biosphere is greening then would the effect be observed in those areas? The edge of the Sahara etc. There maybe lack of thermometers in cooling areas as many are stuck near airport runways and restaurant car parks.
http://www.co2science.org/subject/other/co2amp.php
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/08/how_corn_may_be_helping_michig.html
“From the 1930s to the 1950s, it looks like (the temperature) was typical. But after the 1950s, it wasn’t typical,” he said. “Clearly, something was going on in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, and it could have been agricultural practice.”
Surely this is all down to low precipitation, in July particularly, if the land is parched, then peak daily temperatures will climb much higher.
“With more water being released by the plant through evapotranspiration, sun rays heat the vapor first, then the air. With less sun energy, air temperatures can see a decrease.”
Really! reminds me of Bush.
87.87 million acres! that is
Does anyone know whether there is similar ‘cooling‘ in other corn growing areas of the US?
timbrom says:
August 9, 2010 at 5:26 pm
The ineffable Richard Black at the Beeb has this Rice yields falling under global warming.
REPLY: I saw the press release earlier on it, looking into it. -Anthony
—————
“An important factor accounting for the slowdown in yield growth is the reduced public investment in agricultural research and development (R&D). In particular, international donors have not provided sufficient support for agricultural R&D that is directly related to increasing crop productivity. ”
http://beta.irri.org/solutions/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=54&limit=1&limitstart=1
World production
http://solutions.irri.org/images/1_prodn_vs_price_big.jpg
Please do this study in IA and IL where the states are giant cornfields, I think you will find this grossly simplistic argument fails, but who knows…
The US has strong intellectual property protection for germplasm, better genetics, and the rest of the world does not. Thus the only areas with increasing productivity are the US and places in the world where are stolen genetics work, such as Europe and China. The world needs to reward private investment, and then they will get private investment. Public breeders worldwide pretty much suck compared to Pioneer and Monsanto.
DJ Meredith says:
August 9, 2010 at 4:57 pm
“the attendent increase in CO2, which paradoxically enhances the …. cooling effect by helping corn to grow”
Not necessarily. As CO2 level rises transpiration declines. Stomata, pores in the plant, iris open and closed to exchange gases (oxygen and CO2). Water vapor is lost while the stomata are open. As CO2 level increases the stomata are opened less because the gas exchange goes faster. Good stuff. Adequate water is often a limiting factor in crop yields so anything that lowers water requirements is a good thing.
Surface cooling due to land use changes
http://climateresearchnews.com/2008/10/surface-temperature-cooling-due-to-land-use-change/
Researchers ran simulations with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System developed by Pielke and others at Colorado State. The RAMS model suggested average July temperatures for the Fort Collins area might decrease by one degree Fahrenheit as a result of increased cooling.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/07/980723070425.htm
Nice of Mr. James to descend from the golfing heavens to converse with us mortals again. Enough playing, Mr. James! When will you blog again? Why, we have to make do with a Mr. Bill Steffen here now…
http://blogs.woodtv.com/category/bills-blog/
Ref – NoMoreGore says:
August 9, 2010 at 5:27 pm
“So, it’s settled then. We plant. And Earth is saved.”
____________________________
No! No! NO! REMEMBER … AGW is counterintuitive!
H2o and co2 are the BIG Kahuna’s in this worldwide problem! AND AND AND – If corn is helping Michigan keep its cool it is causing inestimible problems elsewhere in Asia and Africia and Australia and Austria and Alabama! When are we going to finally admit that WE CAN DO NOTHING TO SAVE OURSELVES? We are Doomed! All Is Lost!
PS: Please Help Us Save The World for Our Little Fur & Feathered Friends. Please Send a Last Will Bequest To atAlbert.Org as fast as you can. Remember, No One Lives Forever;-)
(sarq off)
Could this be a prelude to Hansen justifying homogenizing cooler rural temps to the far more accurate airport temps?
IMHO: The hydrated version
In the USA, slightly higher temps (~.4 F) in the latter part of the 20th century have caused increased precipitation. (This is what GISS data indicates.) Increased precipation leads to increased humidity (intuitive, humidity data not available or I haven’t found any). Increased humidity leads to increased occurrences of dew, and heavier amounts, as well as rain. Dew and rain evaporates taking energy and water into the air. In a well mixed atsmosphere (IPCC), increased humidity reflects sunlight AND takes energy to the top of the troposhpere into space. Trees and untilled perennial grass store more energy/unit area than corn stover on an annualized basis, so I don’t believe cooler temps have anything to do with corn acres. As George Smith says, it’s the water’s negative feedback stupid. (non-IPCC) .
‘Public breeders worldwide pretty much suck compared to Pioneer and Monsanto.’
Nonsense.
so H2O, a much more powerful GHG than CO2, causes cooling, while minute amounts of CO2 cause catastrophic warming.
yeah right.
i bet the nearby airports use by giss show warming, and plenty of 1oo degree highs.
[snip – chemtrails, off limits on this blog]
I went on a fishing trip in the U.P. in June 1995. On the second day temps soared to 104 deg! The fish stopped biting and I got a bad sunburn.
One thing I’ve noticed over decades in rural areas is that there is a definite high-temperature “limit” during summer heat-waves, depending on the amount of moisture in the landscape (cities are different due to a lack of local transpiration). Where I’m at now in western MD, 90-92F (33C) is the limit when moisture levels are high. As drought increases, the temp limit does too. I have moderate drought now, and the highest highs have been 95-97F (36C). Nearby urban areas have easily been 100F+.
This shouldn’t be surprising because plants (especially forests) are finely-tuned evaporation “machines” that regulate their evaporation rates by stomatal opening & closing, trying to keep their leaf-surfaces around the optimal 70F (21C). As available moisture decreases tho, the plants have to increasingly close their stoma to conserve water.
Think of the amount of area presented by the leaf canopies — huge areas regulated to remain at near 70F by evaporating water. That’s got to be quite a modification on the local weather, and regional weather where forests are extensive. Increasing drought, tho, decreases the cooling effect.