by Dr. Ryan N. Maue
Kaku showed up on the CBS Early Morning show on Groundhog day, and it sure felt like it. Essentially parroting his CNN.com opinion blog from last week, Kaku eloquently, as if reading from the Presidential TelePrompter, butchered the field of climate science in his tortured explanation of global warming fueled snowstorms. Please, someone from the Climate Change Rapid Response Team issue a press release with all of your names on it repudiating this nonsense.
And, someone tell Kaku that El Niña does not exist. Go back to talking about aliens and supervolcanoes on Coast to Coast AM instead of trying to raise your profile, push your book, and make money off of the extreme cold weather hurting millions of Americans. West of the Rockies…
CBS Early Show: Video of Extreme Winter Weather Explained
Kyle Drennen at the Media Research Center helpfully provides a transcript of the video nonsense, with a very helpful host Chris Wragge participating:
CHRIS WRAGGE: Here to explain why we’re having such extreme weather is physics professor Michio Kaku of the City University of New York and author of the upcoming book, ‘Physics of the Future’ Doctor, good to have you with us. I think everyone wants to know, very simply, nine storms in seven weeks, why is this happening? Why is this happening?
MICHIO KAKU: Well, snowstorms take place when dry, ice-cold weather from Canada and Alaska bump up into moist, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. Monster storms like this are caused by fluctuations which draw more icy weather from the north and there’s more moist air in the Gulf of Mexico because of increased temperature.
[X] No. The Gulf of Mexico does not have “increased temperature”. It is actually historically, anomalously cold right now. Does he know that the non-stop infiltration of Arctic cold blasts actually chills the Gulf of Mexico? The La Nina has cooled the entire planet due to changes in the tropical eastern Pacific. It’s anomalously cold as well, as cold as it ever was in the past 30-years or maybe more.
WRAGGE: What are some of the theories behind this extreme weather, though?
KAKU: One theory says it’s random, natural fluctuations in the weather. For example, we have something called El Nina in the Pacific around the equator, which is helping to divert cold air into the United States. And also the North Atlantic oscillations, air currents in the North Atlantic, which again is helping to pull down, pull down more cold air into North America.
[X] Random? El Nina? Divert cold air. North Atlantic oscillations helping to pull more cold air down. WTF is this?
WRAGGE: I think a lot of people* want to talk about global warming and thinking that that may actually come into play here. Is that accurate? Is that having an effect on what’s going on?
KAKU: Yes. It seems to violate common sense, but as the Earth begins to heat up, that means more moist air in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico on average. Which creates more precipitation, and eventually more snow. So global warming is caused when sunlight hits the Earth, and turns into infrared, red radiation, heat radiation shown here, and it’s sort of like a roach motel, light checks in but the heat does not necessarily escape.
[*] Editor’s note: Only the liberal media and Democrat Party wants to talk about global warming during the coldest winter in a long time, in order to further their job “killing” green policies.
[X] When you say something violates common sense, then it probably does! More moist air in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico on average: well, not this year. Roach motel?
WRAGGE: So I think the other big question people have, is this going to – I mean is this going to continue? Or is there a light at the end of the tunnel?KAKU: Global warming simply says more oscillations. So we have fluctuations, but on average, temperatures are going to rise. Remember, last year was the hottest year ever recorded in the history of science, next to 2005, since 1880. So the Earth is heating up. We can debate exactly what’s driving it. But, hey, get used to it. We’re going to have more energy sloshing around the Earth, more extremes, and swings. Flooding in one area and ice-cold temperatures in another.
[X] More oscillations? Where is he pulling this out of? So, global warming is going to cause the same weather events we have seen since time immemorial?
WRAGGE: Is this the same weather pattern, though, that’s affecting us that’s affecting other regions around the world? You’ve had problems in Brazil with mud slides, Australia’s going through some weather issues now. Is this the same?KAKU: Similar. El Nina, cold weather around the equator, is contributing to what’s happening in Australia. And I was in Brazil just two weeks ago, where they had monster mud slides, killed hundreds of people because of flooding. Massive flooding. And it’s summertime now in Brazil.
WRAGGE: In El Nina, what are the patterns here? Is it every couple of years?
KAKU: Yeah, El Nina and the North Atlantic oscillations go back and forth every few years and they last a few months. And so we have both effects helping to bring down cold air from the north, while the Earth itself is heating up, creating more moisture in the Gulf of Mexico. And when the two meet, watch out.
Garbage in, garbage out. However, when you combine an all-knowing theoretical physcist with a book to push and the liberal media, you get more than garbage — you get “unadulterated trash”.
Open question: the use of the term “denier” is used as a pejorative by alarmist climate scientists to describe those that do not buy their prescriptive policies for “saving the planet”. If the shoe fits wear it — as Trenberth said at AMS. In this era of new civility, instead of “alarmist”, should the politically correct term of “Useful Idiot” be investigated for potential inclusion into the scientific discourse?
The “Roach Motel” thing is precious. Kinda like the Warmist Cult: a lot of intelligent people go in, but something happens in there, and they cannot think their way back out.
Can’t believe no one pointed out this typo: hurting millions of Americans. West of the Rockies…
I saw this on the toob this morning and was a little stunned. The weather warnings and school closings were running over his name banner, so I couldn’t tell who he was. My guess was that he was a physicist getting asked off topic questions because of the weather. (Lucky guess!) He sure was not in his element. I kinda felt bad for him.
Then I started wondering how many minds are sucking up this barn silt as it was broadcast throughout the network. How embarrassing.
More like Dr Coo-Coo!
You got to give them credit. They’ve gone from dismissing snowstorms as weather and having nothing to do with climate to having everything to do with climate driven by global warming.
I’m sure he is not stupid. He is paid well for these utterances.
Ryan –
This is a singularly poor piece here. If you want to refute Kaku item by item, do so.
For example, Kaku says:
“…we have something called El Nina in the Pacific around the equator, which is helping to divert cold air into the United States. And also the North Atlantic oscillations, air currents in the North Atlantic, which again is helping to pull down, pull down more cold air into North America.”
OK. He’s made a factual assertion: i) “El Nina”; ii) divert cold to US, and iii) NOA pulling down cold air. True or not?
You respond:
“[X] Random? El Nina? Divert cold air. North Atlantic oscillations helping to pull more cold air down. WTF is this?”
You haven’t contested his assertions in fact. You’ve just thrown a tantrum. Do you want me to be able to refute his Kaku, or merely be able to say, “Boy, did Maue blow his fuse yesterday.” That’s all you’ve helped me do.
Editor, I don’t know what you’re doing here, but stop free-lancing. “Only the liberal media and Democrat Party wants to talk about global warming during the coldest winter in a long time, in order to further their job “killing” green policies.” This is, as a general statement in the context of this article, an inappropriate and baseless assertion. You want to write an article about liberal media bias? Fine. Do it, document it, write it. But your comment was entirely unhelpful here and only served to undermine Ryan’s credibility. Remember, Ryan is the keeper of one of the key series–the ACE–in the climate change debate. If his neutrality is called into question, so will be his ACE scorekeeping.
Did you not see this? NCDC’s Dr. Thomas Peterson: “It’s a knife fight” What does Anthony accuse Peterson of? Read carefully.
Gents, take a breath. Go out, shake it off. Argue with facts, not emotion.
And Ryan, don’t ever do this again.
[ryanm: No i didn’t blow a fuse. Most of the readers here know that El Nina is a conflation of El Nino and La Nina and the fact that Kaku can’t get this right is a testament to how far out of his league/profession he is. I am not spelling it out in a long, manuscript format because Kaku is so far off target that there is no need to “refute” anything he says. You can’t have a debate with someone this uneducated or unprepared — just like Al Gore. He can’t debate anything. As for my neutrality in question — you have to be adept at recognizing and understanding sarcasm in most of my blog postings. The audience here isn’t looking for a lecture, they’re reading for entertainment and leisure. Chill out.]
max wrote:
but the short form is that summer in the NH is about 9 days longer than summer in the SH and NH spring is about 6 days longer than SH spring, with the SH getting corresponding longer winter and fall.
I understand the slightly longer NH summer, but the bell curve that develops on channel 5 (aqua) is far too large and overbearing to be explained by that slight variation.
Something has to take the heat out of the rain to make it snow.
And that is a heck of a lot of heat to take out.
If it was raining on the North Slope, he’d have a point.
I wonder how he would explain ice in the Gulf of Mexico.
Him again??!!!
Saw him in a sound bite on the Today show last week spouting the same nonsense (what’s causing all these storms that keep hitting the northeast? … global warming)…time to change the channel…let’s try The Country Network for something more intellectually stimulating.
Very sad. Whatever happened to “Question Everything”?
In what I am hoping will remain a yearly sighting, I present again the Gorehog:
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/uu44/themaverickone/Punxatawney_Al_Hi.jpg
Same message. Different year. It sure does feel like Groundhog Day. Cheers!
An “expert” is a former drip under pressure. pg
I’ve heard about these El Nina’s. But only on the back streets, dimly lit with red lights (and I have never visited these streets, cuz I’m a good girl I am). Is it possible he actually MEANT “El Nina”? Has the flock coined a new AGW term? Can it be both hot and cold? He and she? Me and you? Us and them? Black and white? Red and green? Night and day? Up and down? In and out? Dry and wet?
Apparently.
Kaku is media whore and a wack job anti-all-things-nuclear zealot. Protested the launch of Cassini to Saturn because the RTG power source could wipe out the state of Florida were the rocket to fail.
Gadzooks! Just look at all that freakishly warm water in the Gulf of Mexico right now!
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/hurricane/12wksst.html
Hoist by one’s own ethnic petard! (Being of German extraction, I would consider it an HONOR to have someone knock me down with some good German Science work.)
Here is a good paper that shows the lower the seasonal temperature, the MORE the snow!
Based on observations from Japan.
http://www.igsoc.org/annals/49/a49a084.pdf
Of course, I suppose ‘pure theory’ has its advantages. Can we quote:
“The great tragedy of science – the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.”
Thomas Henry Huxley
“Common sense” in the context quoted here is merely the formation of a view with insufficient information to appreciate the real answer. This may be occur often enough (especially in centuries past when man lacked the knowledge and tools to understand many natural phenomena) and is therefore to be guarded against (i.e. keep an open mind), but it’s surely similar to Occam’s razor in that in the absence of evidence to the contrary, it’s more likely than not to be true. The quoted examples are obvious cases where it wasn’t, but that doesn’t mean “common sense” doesn’t prevail most of the time.
“..KAKU: ..And I was in Brazil just two weeks ago, where they had monster mud slides..”
Using his own logic, shouldn’t he hold HIMSELF responsible for the mud slides because he was there at the time, or did he go there to specifically help, somehow?
I used to have some minor respect for this man, until – correctly put by Ryan “trying to raise [his] profile” utterly bludgeoned to death whatever was left. Hopefully, the (real) scientific community will correct Kaku’s intellectual stupidity if at all possible, or worth the trouble.
Just my 2 cents – probably far more valuable than his book..
Global warming is like a roach motel
man, i miss art bell. oh well, gonna listen to some abba now …
Kaku is playing the pea under one of three shells game and fooling the public. He said, “It seems to violate common sense, but as the Earth begins to heat up, that means more moist air in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico on average. Which creates more precipitation, and eventually more snow. ”
An accurate version would be for warming to increase lake and ocean evaporation, which increases precipitation. In a warming world, it means more frequent and heavier warm rain, and not more frequent and heavier snow. He switched cold snow for precipitation, right at the end of the argument, the best place to do that trick!
The water cycle is not directly tied to the heating or cooling of the global weather or climatic temperatures. Kaku would have us believe that increase precipitation will induce cold. (Yes, evaporation and rain has some minuscule temperature impacts, but not that big!)
Specifically, the 2nd law of thermodynamics states that for it to be cold over a huge region, that heat had to go somewhere. The CAGW crowd claims that the Northern Hemisphere heat went to Arizona and thereby cooled a huge swath from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.
Remember, if we ignore the sun, it all has to sum to zero, so for every therm it’s cold elsewhere, it needs to be a therm warmer in Arizona. Were people smelting gold on the sidewalks in Arizona in January? /sarc
Hmm… I read that the satellites monitoring Saturn have recorded falling levels of long-wave infrared. LWIR is radiated into space, as per the (disputed) greenhouse-effect model, from sunlight warming the surface and being re-radiated into space as LWIR. Occam’s Razor tells us that the probable reason Saturn’s LWIR is falling is because the solar illumination of Saturn is falling.
I read that new satellite sensors observing the sun have recorded fairly constant visible spectrum radiation, but the UV band has dropped a lot. Hmm… I remember that UV has more “oomph” than visible light, so, perhaps the amount of solar power falling on the earth has dropped?
I tried this argument elsewhere, and had it thrown in my face that I’m not a physicist. Okay, I’m a mathematician with a specialty in probabilistic methods. Does that defeat my logic?
I don’t think so.
So, Kaku’s pea and walnut shells game is to blandly switch “more snow” for “more precipitation,” and he hopes that nobody notices that he left our any explanation for how global warming becomes global cooling. I noticed that it should have been “more warm rain” and not “more snow,” but I’m not a true believer in the Church of CAGW.
Stage magicians make a living by distracting the audience and substituting things while the audience’s attention is elsewhere.
The Amazing Randy has made a living debunking magicians who want to pose as propehts and spiritual healers. The priests of the Church of CAGW need debunked, too.
Kaku is a funny character, and should stick to funny science.
Max Hugoson says:
February 2, 2011 at 2:57 pm
“Someone help me out here. Wasn’t there a short paper by a retired NYC Meteorologist, who reviewed like 90 years worth of East Coast records, and plotted “average winter season temperature” versus snowfall and got about an 80% correlation factor?”
Honest officer Obie, I wrote that article. But it was about Philadelphia, and how did you know I retired? It’s a rather simple-minded analysis of a rather simple minded question with a rather simple-minded result, namely, in places where it rains a lot it’s more likely to snow if it’s colder. Apparently, however, not simple-minded enough for Kaku. Read and weep at:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/01/29/frequency-of-big-snows-northeast-u-s-and-colorado/
or
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/images/stories/papers/reprint/ne_storms.pdf
As for NYC, Chip Knappenberger did a similar correlation with the same result:
http://www.masterresource.org/2011/01/more-big-new-york-city-snowstorms/
He should go back to space. At least there no one is challenging the mystical cure all dark matter, and multi universe theories.