From Al’s Journal, some seriously dysfunctional thinking using props he doesn’t understand. Al brings attention to the fact that at Washington Reagan National Airport some tarmac asphalt got soft on a hot day, and the tires sunk into it a bit…making it a monumental event in his world of “weather is now climate”context.
So Hot the Asphalt is Melting July 13, 2012 : 2:53 PM
Sustained high temperatures from this year’s record-breaking heat wave caused an unusual disruption at Washington’s Reagan-National Airport. The Washington Post reports:
“Things were proceeding normally Friday evening as a US Airways flight was leaving the gate at Reagan National Airport to begin its flight to Charleston, S.C.
“But the temperature reached 100 degrees in Washington on Friday and that apparently softened the airport paving enough to immobilize the airplane. The small vehicle that usually tows planes away from the gate tugged and pulled, but the plane was stuck.”
. . .
“It was “pretty rare,” Mohr said. But then, she noted, “we’ve also had very unusual temperatures.”
Asphalt softening and rutting is something that happens at many traffic intersections around the world where cars idle in high temperature. It is a common occurrence.
High temperatures soften the asphalt binder, allowing heavy tire loads to deform the pavement into ruts. Paradoxically, high heat and strong sunlight also causes the asphalt to oxidize, becoming stiffer, less resilient and cracking. Cold temperatures can cause cracks as the asphalt contracts. Cold asphalt is also less resilient and more vulnerable to cracking. Source: Asphalt concrete degradation and restoration
Here’s an example from the Oregon Department of Transportation via Oregon State University:
The ASOS weather station at Reagan National Airport is right on the asphalt. That makes it the worst of the worst when it comes to station siting.
And Dr. James Hansen’s NASA GISS uses that very station in climate trend analysis, as seen here from their database:
Here’s Washington National Airport temperature data again (in blue), but this time plotted along with nearby neighboring stations within 40 km:
Given the growth of Washington DC and the airport itself, is it any surprise that it is the hottest station in the area? From Indur Goklany’s essay: The Highest Temperature Reading Doesn’t Necessarily Mean a Record Hot Day:
This is what Reagan National Airport looks like in the present.
Figure 1: Photograph from 2011. At left foreground is the Jefferson Monument. Behind it on the other side of the river, with the plane hovering over it is Reagan National Airport. Note the development, Crystal City, on the right hand side, also on the other side of the river.
But here is a photograph that shows us what this area look like a few decades ago.
Figure 2: This picture, taken in 1942, shows the Jefferson Monument under construction. There is no Crystal City on the right, nor is there any Reagan National Airport. In fact, as one can see, that area was still being filled in. In the 19th century, the area occupied by the Memorial and adjacent land was also water, since much of this is also filled-in land.
Remember this quote from airline spokesperson Michelle Mohr?
“It was “pretty rare,” Mohr said. But then, she noted, “we’ve also had very unusual temperatures.”
Well…no. What is even funnier, is that the 100°F temperature that day wasn’t even a record high:
I think the only thing that’s soft here is Al Gore’s argument.
h/t to Tom Nelson for Al’s comment
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I agree with Garry Stotel, re softened asphalt.
Jet fuel is similar to kerosene and spillage would soften the asphalt slightly. Not that Al Gore would get any facts correct, but assuming he did, the airplane was near the gates where refueling is performed. This would also be where a tug would be used to push the plane back from the gate.
Asphalt pavement is commonly used at airports, and is approved by the FAA as long as it meets their specifications. P-401 is the spec for asphalt for large aircraft.
The overall post is excellent, with Al Gore (once again) having no clue as to what he is speaking about.
Back in 1976, in England, I crossed the road and ‘skated’, ripping off the stones in the tarmac and covering my, new, shoes with tar. The tar was actually seeping off the roads, something I have never witnessed since.
Th aircraft was probably delayed and stationary on the taxiway for some time. The hot, expanded tyres then sank into the viscoelastic asphalt concrete.
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Asphalt_concrete
Anyway, If you’re going to Washinton best to go to Dulles, unless you’re Goreing in a private jet.
http://jethead.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/why-you-should-never-fly-into-washington-national-airport/
Something isn’t quite right here. “N420AW” hasn’t been seen since 2012/05/05 14:28
Canadair, CL-600-2B19 CRJ-200LR (CRJ2)
cn: 7640
first contacted 2012/01/01 21:26
latest contact 2012/05/05 14:28
Aircraft activity index: [14] N420AW last seen near: EDMONTON, Canada
With deference to Paul Harvey, here is “The rest of the story.”
So … we find out it’s up near the gates, the plane had arrived, left indentations or ‘wheel marks’ in the asphalt leading up to the point where the tires rested for some (smallish) amount of time, and in area that was re-worked with and very likely the underlayment (base or foundation) was substandard for the intended (load bearing) service, and, since we did not have a slew of jets get ‘stuck’ that way at DCA it would be safe to conclude the poster in the excerpted post above has provided the ‘backstory’ not previously commonly-known about this event.
The story from the WP.
I sure am glad the journalists at the WP were able to accrue all the ‘details’ of this event. (/sarc)
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I remember in the late 1960’s we had a very hot summer here in Denver. All the bank thermometers were reporting temperatures of 105 – 106 deg F down town. The women were tip toe as they walked across the street cross walks as their spike heels would penetrate into the soft asphalt and pull their shoes off or sometimes rip the heel off the shoe. The tar they used to seal cracks to prevent winter break up of the street was oozing like toothpaste in some locations and that was sticky enough to almost pull my shoes off my feet. You quickly learned to watch what you were walking on.
I have also see a street sweeper sink into an asphalt street up to its axles due to poor compaction under a street patch.
Nothing new here! Happens all the time and is well known to folks who don’t live in a bubble.
Larry
I thought most runways were constructed from concrete, but after doing a little research on runway construction materials I found that most use asphalt. There are strengths and weaknesses to both materials – concrete can withstand higher loading while asphalt is more flexible and easier to repair. Both concrete and asphalt come in a wide variety of grades to withstand things like high temperatures, frost, snow and ice, rain, jet blast, high wheel loading, exposure to fuel and other oils, etc. Asphalt is more susceptible to softening due to exposure to fuel and solvents as well as high temperatures but there are varieties of asphalt which are designed to resist both. Looking at this example, several possible reasons come to mind – the wrong type of asphalt was used for this area, this area was not designed to park aircraft, the asphalt may have been softened by fuel or solvents, and the high temperatures softened the pavement. My bet would be that some contractor used a cheap grade of asphalt figuring that nobody would park planes there.
WORLD IS HOTTER
The temperature of the world we live In has been constantly rising since the turn of the century, the American Institute of Physics symposium on temperature was told by Joseph C. Kincer of the United States Weather Bureau, Washington, says the Christian Science Monitor.
That there have been major changes In geological climate, Mr Kincer pointed out, has long been known, but climatologists have considered historic climate as a rather stable thing with short-period variations of considerable magnitude, but without especially significant secular trends covering long periods.
However, he added, since the turn of the century “there has been such a persistent trend to higher temperatures, world-wide In scope, as to suggest that the orthodox conception of the stability of climate needs some revision at least”.
Mr Kincer cited several examples of this trend to abnormal warmth in the last two decades. These included Portland, Ore., where seventeen of the last twenty years have been warmer than normal, with 1921 as the warmest year on record; Omaha, Neb., where fifteen of the last twenty years were warmer than normal, with 1931 the warmest year on record; Washington, seventeen of the last twenty years warmer than normal, with 1921 the warmest year on record, and every year above normal since 1926, and Capetown, South Africa, with nineteen of the last twenty years warmer than normal, and 1927 the warmest on record.
“This trend to higher temperatures,” Mr Kincer said, “has been general over the globe. Summaries of monthly records published in the ‘Reseau Mondial’ for the twenty three years from 1910 to 1932 for which this publication is available, show that for this period the world as a whole had subnormal temperatures only a year or two, approximately normal for a couple of years, and considerably above normal in all other cases.”
The lowest natural temperature observed In the world, Mr Kincer said, is minus 94.4 degrees, recorded In the Siberian cold zone in February, 1892. The highest natural temperature in the world, 136.4 degrees, was observed In Trlpolitania, Libya, North Africa, In September, 1922.
Dated 26 December 1939
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/62826715
Maybe Al should browse through old newspaper clippings (http://www.waclimate.net/climate-history.html) where he’ll find numerous reports showing a scientific consensus up to 1950 that global warming began around 1850.
I recommend a story from 11 August 1930 (http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/30500817) including the following line:
“Washington today suffered its tenth day of over 100 deg., with a temperature of 108 deg. in the shade.”
The Wunderground source way above might claim 103F as Washington’s record in 1999 but adjusted modern records often don’t agree with what was reported at the time. There are plenty of clippings from the 1920s and 1930s claiming 106F was the record for Washington. I’m sure different recording stations are involved here, presumably separated by several kilometres, but it’s a bit hard to believe a gap from three to five degrees – particularly considering the UHI since 1930 as implied in the photos above.
I used to operate 737’s out of Laguardia. Besides being an Artifact of the Golden Age of (Propeller Driven ) aviation, the entire system of taxiways at that airport has the texture of a Golf Ball. The subject aircraft must have been loaded and stationary for an unusually long time. The aircraft may have been overweight and subsequently defueled or otherwise offloaded – the runways there are too short to operate at max weights. We used to have special procedures and flaps settings for getting out of there in straight-pipe 737-200’s to Florida destinations with all seats full. A complicating factor was that the difference between adequate fuel for the trip and too much fuel for runway length Max. weight was a couple of hundred pounds.
Humanity has a much larger threat to contend with in the form of Religious Extremeism and Jihadism than it does from CO2 Emissions. The most stiking difference between a Climate Alarmist and a Jihadist is that C-A’s certainly abhor Physical Violence. . . . the difference in the end state – not so striking.
Wind and Solar powered Heating Ventilation and Airconditioning, Refrigeration and Transportation are the fantasies of Infantile minds – akin to pursuing the development of Magic Beans so that we might live high above the ground and have less impact on the “Nature”.
Larry Ledwick;
Nothing new here! Happens all the time and is well known to folks who don’t live in a bubble.
>>>>>
And mabe that’s a big part of the problem. Too many people who grow up in concrete jungles and never experience the great out doors directly. Too many people who see their food only as something that shows up all nice and clean and packaged at the grocery store. Too many people who proclaim expertise in heat absorbtion and raditation but whom have never been on a winter camping trip where they either get it righ or risk frost bite or worse. Too many people who sprend their lives inside giant cities thinkning they know how the real word works while having no experience with it.
Common practice for motorcyclists with larger ‘bikes’ is to keep a crushed beer or soda can in their jacket pocket and put it under the side ‘kick’ stand, when parking their scooter on asphalt on a warm day. This spreads the support load sufficiently to keep the side stand from causing plastic deformation (sinking) in the softened asphalt. Without the crushed soda can puck, the side stand sinks into the asphalt, allowing the scoot to sloooowly lean further and further until it tips over.
MtK
davidmhoffer says:
July 13, 2012 at 9:33 pm
“And mabe that’s a big part of the problem. Too many people who grow up in concrete jungles and never experience the great out doors directly. Too many people who see their food only as something that shows up all nice and clean and packaged at the grocery store. Too many people who proclaim expertise in heat absorbtion and raditation but whom have never been on a winter camping trip where they either get it righ or risk frost bite or worse. Too many people who sprend their lives inside giant cities thinkning they know how the real word works while having no experience with it.”
Truth.
MtK
What would happen to the global temperature record if say 2 degrees was knocked off each of the daily records for airport monitoring sites? Anyone able to compute this for the USA?
But BEST told the press that UHI is zero. How can that melt asphalt ?
When I was about 5 around 1951, my shoes got stuck in the asphalt on the promanade at Southend on Sea UK. It was also painful to walk along the promenade in my thin soled shoes. Underneath my feet there were large heat blisters and my Dad had to carry me home on his shoulders.
30 years ago, while running track, our spiked shoes would sink into the asphalt. Just sayin’ Al Baby!
With the low sun angle, I’d expect shadow on the bottom of the tires. Looks like an artistic interpretation to me, though not 100% sure.
As Mike (UK) points out – we are really suffering in the UK due to endless rain (NO – its NOT normal – here in Cambridge we normally get less rainfall annually than Casablanca in Morocco) – and temperatures WELL down on normal.
But – hey – its WEATHER – you know what I’m sayin’…?
In re A/C apron rutting and Charleston AFB; large A/C ribbed tires, as on a C-17, imprint the ribbing on _concrete_ aprons. Passing ones finger perpendicularly to the track allows one to feel the imprinted ribbing! Asphalt in hot weather is like chocolate cake frosting, even to bicycle tires!
No disrespect to those ‘suffering’ from the heat wave in the US, but US heat wave temperatures are just normal temperatures found in many places in the tropics at certain times of the year. For example, think about those people who live in say Darwin Australia… with similar temperatures but also with 90% humidity. You never hear any alarming global reports “Darwin in permanent heat wave!”
>>>Only high-grade concrete should be used in commercial airports, never asphalt.
Agreed, but there is no accounting for engineers.
Luton airport in London decided to reinvent the aviation wheel by using close-fitting bricks at the beginning of the runway, on the turnaround zone. After the first 767 took off, there was 15 tonnes of bricks scattered all across the grass.
Perhaps Global Warming caused this aviation faux pas too!
.
It’s simply absurd to use such an obviously contaminated station-site for climatic purposes.
Did the BEST (WORST?) study use this or other similar sites? If so, shame, shame.
>>Michael
>>Looking at this example, several possible reasons come to mind –
>>the wrong type of asphalt was used for this area, this area was not
>>designed to park aircraft, the asphalt may have been softened by fuel
>>or solvents, and the high temperatures softened the pavement.
I am a commercial pilot, and I have to say that this happens all the time. Perhaps not to this degree before something is done about it, but it happens all the time.
Problem 1
This is a parking spot, and all sorts of things are dropped on the tarmac here, including hydraulic fluids from brakes, that soften the tarmac close to the wheel positions, and the fluids that engineers use to clean the wheels and undercarriage.
Problem 2
This is a parking spot, and everyone parks in exactly the same position – that is what AGNIS gate guidance systems are for. If every aircraft that stops on this stand is of the same type, then the wheels are ALWAYS in the same position. Even more so once a depression starts forming, as the aircraft always rocks back into the same hole. Thus the picture you see here could have been the result of months or even years of wear, and not the single momentous event that Al Gore Baby thinks it is.
Could I suggest to Al Gore Baby that he goes out into the big wide world and gains some experience in life, before demonstrating his ignorance from the comfort of his armchair. He is making himself look like the biggest fool in the history of scientific endeavor.
.
With well-designed subbase and base courses, there’s no reason for likewise well-designed asphalt pavement courses using properly-crushed gravel of decent strength and durability compacted to spec to rut under any design load in any likely temperature scenario. Interlocking gravel bound by the asphalt won’t noticeably move hence no ruts. If, on the other hand, the gravel is rounded (imagine a layer of marbles) or the mix or pavement section is otherwise poorly-designed or poorly installed… Ruts. The asphaltic material itself provides little or no bearing strength; it’s all in the stone. When’s the last time you sank into a good gravel pavement because of the heat?
Ralph, please consult this post regarding reference to reconfiguration/remarking of the ‘parking’ area at DCA adjacent to the gates …
Short of making a call to airport management in charge of ‘ground facilities’ to confirm this supposition I think we have our answer (to wit, the taxiway/parking area was reconfigured without proper regard to pavement composition (in particular, the underlayment or foundation) in the newly remarked parking slots). Not every flight/not every parking slot was confronted with this softened/sinking into the asphalt conundrum that day …
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