Snow from space: University of Leicester releases satellite images of snow-bound UK
Satellite images of UK under snow available
IMAGE: This is an image of snow-bound UK from space by MERIS on Nov. 29. Click here for more information.
Earth observation scientists at the University of Leicester have recorded stunning images of the UK’s winter landscape by orbiting satellites.
European Space Agency satellite instruments have been observing the icy blast in the UK from their vantage points in space.
Leicester scientists have used two instruments, MERIS and AATSR, which have returned stunning images of a snow-bound UK from observations on November 29th and December 1st.
In the MERIS images, the colour scale runs from white snow and clouds to green vegetation. In the AATSR images, the non-snow areas are coloured red to highlight differences to the white snow. The change in snow cover within two days is clearly visible.
The AATSR instrument has been funded in the UK by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, and is a centrepiece of a new exhibition at the Science Museum, entitled ‘Atmosphere … exploring climate science’. The exhibition was formally opened by HRH Prince Charles today, December 3rd, and will be open to the public from tomorrow (December 4th).
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 IMAGE: This is an image of snow-bound UK from space by AATSR on Dec. 1.
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Professor John Remedios, Head of Earth Observation Science at the University of Leicester, said “These images demonstrate how much our local climate depends on a combination of the climate mean temperature in a given month and the meteorological variability which can produce very cold and very warm months. For the UK, it is another cold winter. At one time a few years ago our children complained that there was never any snow. Now there is plenty!”
He added “Each year we need to make careful observations in order to increase the accuracy of the weather prediction. The AATSR instrument is both very good at measurements for climate and for weather forecasting”
The AATSR instrument is flown on the European Space Agency (ESA) satellite, Envisat, launched in 2002, alongside ESA’s MERIS instrument. The AATSR measures fundamental climate variables such as sea and land surface temperature, aerosols and clouds whilst the MERIS instrument is able to observe vegetation greenness and ocean colour, and their change over the seasons. The Envisat recently underwent a controlled orbit change to extend its lifetime to 2013. The images show that the instruments are working very well.
For more information contact Professor John Remedios on j.j.remedios@le.ac.uk
Images available from pressoffice@le.ac.uk
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 IMAGE: This is an image of snow-bound UK from space by MERIS on Dec. 1.
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Image credits:
AATSR 29 November 2010. Credit: AATSR data @ ESA, and University of Leicester
AATSR 01 December 2010. Credit: AATSR data @ ESA, and University of Leicester
MERIS 29 November 2010. Credit: MERIS data @ ESA, and University of Leicester
MERIS 01 December 2010. Credit: MERIS data @ ESA, and University of Leicester
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30 years more of this weather and worst. Glad there is Glimate Warming causing Glimate Cooling.
Pass the Copenhagen and a beer. Game’s on!
Here in snowbound Scotland the Sunday Herald environment (CAGW) correspondent is now saying that colder than normal winters is a prediction of Global Warming theory.
However unfortunately for him the Met Office (close allies of UAE) have predicted 3 mild winters for the last three years.
You would think they could at least tell a consistent story!
I see the regular trolls are defending CAGW and pretending that the Snow does not exist and that practially the wntire UK was blanketed again (second time this year).
How about this one – no one can deny this really is snow and a lot of it!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-11921396
Same story here in Ireland, 60/70% of the country has snow lying on the ground for several days. This would be rare even in January, but to start in late November probably hasn’t been seen in over 100 years.
In fact, I can safely say that in the last 11 months, snow has lay on the ground outside my house longer, then in the total 14 years that I have lived here.
Last year, the lakes around my area were frozen solid enough for cattle to walk on, first time in 30 years. This year, the same lakes already have about 2″ ice thickness.
I wonder what January has in store for us?? Brrrrrr!!
Again we see a blocking high pressure over the Atlantic/Baltic, sending the anticyclones down the Mediterranean – just like last winter. This is caused by the jetstreams tracking further south than usual.
Question is, why does this happen? Can there be a solar influence on the path of the jetsreams? If this is possible, it would certainly explain a corelation between cold northern weather and a lack of sunspots. But the mechanism is unclear.
It would also suggest that the Maunder minimum, if this was its cause, would have been a high-latitude event, rather than global.
.
And Piers Corbyn suggests the UK will run out of gritting salt again, just like last year.
If so, some local advice – don’t go anywhere near Winsford in Cheshire. I got stuck behind 500 trucks picking up salt from the mine there. Absolute chaos, delayed for hours.
DirkH says:
December 5, 2010 at 5:27 am
It doesn’t look like a software fault to me. It sounds like the software was designed to shut down the motors when it detects irregular voltage spikes in the voltage from the third rail, probably as a safety measure to prevent damage to the motors or the contacts or whatever. Which it probably did just as desired – train comes to a safe halt, no passenger or train hardware damaged. Sounds like a designed behaviour to me.
So, the fault is in the system requirements when they end up with thousands of people stranded, not in the software or hardware implementation.
==============================================
Absolutely correct sir. I recently retired from the UK rail industry after 35 years working in various parts of it and this was one thing I had to understand. The software shuts down the system if a spike is larger, or of longer duration, than a preset limit. One particular class of rolling stock has a, “ice-mode” setting; which is that by approval of the relevant control bodies, these settings can be coarsened when it’s clear that the weather conditions are likely to result in mass failures. That ought to be standard on all the classes of rolling stock fitted with that particular ICMU (Interference Current Monitoring Unit) but maybe things have changed since I had anything to do with it.
It is correct that older 3rd rail rolling stock tends not to have this problem as it’s electrical circuitry is electro-mechanically controlled and therefore less susceptible to interference.
One thing I have seen in years gone by is train fires caused by ice on the conductor rail. The large beam holding the current collector shoe to the train is usually wooden; sparks from bad contacts have been known to set the beam alight. It looks spectacular if nothing else!
Ralph:
It is becoming clearer by the day that the size of the polar vortices and thus global cloud quantities, global albedo and the amount of energy entering the oceans is affected by the mix of particles from the sun affecting ozone reactions above 45km.That mix of particles is wholly dependent on the level of solar activity.
That is then modulated by the rate at which internal oceanic variability releases that same energy back to the air.
The latitudinal position of the jetstreams is dependent on the interaction between the top down solar forcing via the horizontal extent of the polar vortices and the bottom up oceanic forcig via the internal ocean cycles (involving both surface currents and on a longer time scale the thermohaline circulation).
The jets simply shift as necessary to maintain sea surface and surface air equilibrium as best they can.
That is the mechanism behind all observed climate changes. Simple.
See here:
http://climaterealists.com/index.php?id=6645
“How The Sun Could Control Earth’s Temperaure”.
The only adjustment I would make would be to aver that it is not just solar protons that are responsible for the observed effects.
Pamela Gray says:
December 5, 2010 at 8:04 am
Do satellites emit greenhouse gases when they use their thrusters to change orbit? If so, can I get one to fly over Wallow County (and Union County while it’s up there for Douglas) so we can add some greenhouse gas to our atmosphere? Thanks so much.
…must get more wood, must get more wood…
___________________________________________________________
Beat ya to it. I took on another years (2011-20012) supply of wood pellets.
Bring on the snow!!!!
Rossa says:
December 5, 2010 at 12:38 am
Don’t be silly. Of course the Victorians had thermal underwear. It was made of wool instead of plastic, that’s all. Wool, feathers, fur and plant fibres are still best for insulation and breathability.
Weather report from sweden: we reached our dimensioning outdoor temperature (-22C) last week, almost the whole country is covered by snow since about two weeks ago. :o)
Hey, Anthony. What’s up with these pathetic weather pattern blog posts? Where are your corresponding posts re: areas around the GLOBE experiencing record heat and/or drought, e.g. Israel? … not that they, taken in isolation, would have much direct relevance to the AGW discussion either …..
Just curious.
Jack Greer said, 11.36am
Hey, haven’t you noticed that the jet streams have moved south and that is the reason for the record cold in North Europe and probably also the warmth in places like Israel etc?
Which of course brings into question what has caused such a shift and how long will it last. But certainly it seems that there are greater forces at work here than the rise in CO2.
Global warming is so, like, “yesterday”….the next big panic is ocean acidification:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/8177990/Cancun-climate-summit-Britains-salmon-at-risk-from-ocean-acidification.html
This about all they have left, watch for it.
Just a link. Global Snow Lab at Rutgers University:
http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/index.php
Jack Greer says:
December 5, 2010 at 11:36 am
“Hey, Anthony. What’s up with these pathetic weather pattern blog posts? Where are your corresponding posts re: areas around the GLOBE experiencing record heat and/or drought, e.g. Israel? … not that they, taken in isolation, would have much direct relevance to the AGW discussion either …..”
As you know, the vast majority of those “hot” places are in remote areas that have no inhabitants or temperature measuring instruments. This website has no information about them. My guess is that Anthony chooses not to speculate on them. There is a standard, pro-AGW speculation, namely, that those areas are getting hotter and hotter and hotter…
Dave Andrews said, December 5, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Oh, I know very well about the jet streams. It underlines why it’s such nonsense to post isolated weather pattern blog entries which many here then interpret as further disproof of AGW threats.
REPLY: Mr. Greer. As I’ve told many a griper like yourself, I report on the weather – always have, always will, it’s in the masthead and on the sidebar. And, I’ll point out to you that this post comes via press release from the University of Leicester, distributed world wide via Eurekalert, and repeated here, which is the purpose of the press release; to have other outlets use it.
So if this post on weather offends your delicate nonsensical feelings about the “pathetic” merit of this press release, then please, by all means, take it up with Eurekalert here and DEMAND that they immediately cease and desist from every carrying such things again.
Then for good measure from the press release: Contact: Professor John Remedios j.j.remedios@le.ac.uk at the University of Leicester and DEMAND that he never issue such pathetic news releases again.
If you get them to comply, I’ll happily follow.
Otherwise kindly STHU. Thank you for your consideration. – Anthony
Bryan says:
December 5, 2010 at 8:58 am
Here in snowbound Scotland the Sunday Herald environment (CAGW) correspondent is now saying that colder than normal winters is a prediction of Global Warming theory.”
How do these people say stuff like this and keep a straight face? Why would you get colder winters with global warming? Does it snow on Venus, the CAGW favorite analogy?
Jack Greer says on December 5, 2010 at 3:18 pm
There. Fixed that for you.
Look – it’s by now well established –
The more global warming – the more snow.
End of story.
Now, here’s the one about the three bears ——-
Jack Greer says:
December 5, 2010 at 11:36 am
Hey, Anthony. What’s up with these pathetic weather pattern blog posts? Where are your corresponding posts re: areas around the GLOBE experiencing record heat and/or drought, e.g. Israel? … not that they, taken in isolation, would have much direct relevance to the AGW discussion either …..
Just curious.
——————
Yes, Jack, you sure are curious!
You didn’t show up on, for example, the glass planets thread, to set us all straight on the intricacies of absorption spectra, but you bring your puerile mewling here, thinking you’ll win converts to your “pathetic” obsession that AGW is going to destroy us.
Please, slink on back to RC and send over someone either a little more civil or a lot more competent.
Well at a guess AGW would be more accepted if it really was happening in places where most of us live. As it’s seems to being reported by the Warmists as mainly happening in remote, barely habited locations one has to ask; is it just normal weather patterns or are we being suckered by special interest scientists? Of course more direct measurements covering the whole globe (ones that we could all get data from) would solve this problem. It would be interesting to see what the cost of all the necessary automatic weather stations would be compared to a single build and launch of another satellite.
Well Anthony, my gripe isn’t really with your reporting of weather. It’s more about your very selective reporting of specific weather. It’s more to do with how your followers torture the significance of the weather until it falls into line their view on climate science. Just look at the responses to your OP … completely without scientific basis or logic or accuracy … and you encourage that. That is what is pathetic.
REPLY: Gosh, your hyposcrisy is astounding. I note that you seem perfectly OK (based on your lack of comments) with those times when people on other blogs claimed that the heat wave in Russia this summer (which we covered here and here and here) was “proof” of global warming theory. This happens every winter. I’ve been through this dozens of times with whiners like you, I place up something about winter weather, totally valid and timely, from and an accredited news or university source, and people go ballistic saying I’m “selectively reporting”. And for the record, I don’t tell people what to comment on or how. There’s plenty of comments on AGW blogs on how the Russian heatwave “proved” AGW.
Well here’s the deal. It’s my blog, it’s winter, and I’ll post what interests me, weather, climate, science, tech, whatever I feel like. If don’t like that, look elsewhere but stop wasting my time with “pathetic” complaints.- Anthony
Maybe Jack would be happy if you posted something from the Southern Hemisphere, say Australia, where CAGW advocates told us it was expected to dry up and blow away.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/flood-losses-could-top-1bn-farmers/story-e6frg6nf-1225966336819
Great photo, too.
I told everybody all last year to buy more snow removal equipment and lots of salt. Don’t come crying to me now if you didn’t listen.