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
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Anyone ever try walking on asphalt bare foot or on roller skates in hot weather. As a kid I did it as little as possible.
Global interest in the thoughts of Al Gore are cooling.
http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/algore.com#
Blogs which do not allow comments are dinosaurs.
I expect that very soon, any journalist who does not participate in comments and discussion after their article will be deemed “old school’ and will fall by the wayside.
That bodes well for those of us seeking honesty in reporting.
As usual, Algore has his priorities backasswards.
Most would be far less concerned about the inconvenience of a DC plane sinking in asphalt in 2012 due to hot weather while much more troubled about the DC plane that sank in the Potomac and the resulting 78 deaths in 1982 due to cold weather.
Regardless, what either of these extreme weather events has to do with climate is still a mystery.
Unless of course, like Algore, one makes a living scaring others about heat.
Well, what was the composition of the asphalt at that location (it being a mix of gravel and tar-like substance), what was under it, etc.
(A street near me had asphalt breaking up in winter after years of use, I suspect underlayer not good in the beginning. Water can undermine as well. Sometimes there are areas of runway and taxiway not well built – a Gulfstream jet went several inches into one a few years ago, and that’s not an especially heavy airport.)
Hugh K says:
July 14, 2012 at 10:39 am
As usual, Algore has his priorities backasswards.
Most would be far less concerned about the inconvenience of a DC plane sinking in asphalt in 2012 due to hot weather while much more troubled about the DC plane that sank in the Potomac and the resulting 78 deaths in 1982 due to cold weather.
Regardless, what either of these extreme weather events has to do with climate is still a mystery.
Unless of course, like Algore, one makes a living scaring others about heat.
=====================================================================
I think such stories serve the same purpose for Algore and others like him the advertising does for a legitimate business.
Think of some ad slogans. Are literally true? “It’s the Real Thing!” As opposed to what? “Everything tastes good on a Ritz.” EVERYthing? Everybody knows those are slogans to sell products and not literally true. But Al & Co. need people to believe their “ads” are.
dp says:
July 13, 2012 at 5:31
BTW, the paint stripe in the photo is the standard airport marker for a taxiway center line, so the plane was where it should have been.
http://www.pilotfriend.com/training/flight_training/communication/taxiway_markings.htm
Nope. Taxiway edge marking. Center line marking does not have black trim.
From your link.
“Taxiway edge markings are present whenever there is a need to separate the taxiway from a pavement that is not intended for aircraft use or to delineate the edge of the taxiway.”
Just showed the picture to my roommate (over 40 years in the industry) and she pointed out the yellow line is the edge of the runaway. The plane turned short and was off the edge of the runaway where it may not be able to support the full weight of the plane. Blame this one on human error and not climate change.
On the other side, I have seen this on some of the roads I have traveled on, but it was due to poorly maintained highway and a gravel pit that was moving large amounts of material over the road.
Normally and usually, platforms are made of concrete, the landing strip is mostly tarmac. Just to prevent this happening. In countries with “softer” soils, like the Netherlands, impressive and supported slabs are constructed.
You don’t want your 747 or A380 sinking away in the ground when landing at 250 mph
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/kevster1346/centerline.jpg
I once drove a bob-tail truck onto a taxiway at YYZ due to disorientation caused by willy-nilly snow removal. It’s a long story.
There is not always a lot of room out there.
“You’ll take the high road, and I’l take the low road…”
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b331/kevster1346/airbridge1.jpg
I’m from Philadelphia Pa and PHL International Airport also has seen an increased heat island compared to 25 years ago as a result of two decades of growth and expansion and this affects official temperatures by preventing them from dropping as low overnight compared to in the same weather patterns decades ago while nearby Wilmington DE’s Airport has been more stable. 2010 saw 54 days over 90 at phila and only 45 at Wilmington and >60 deg overnights in July and Aug have been a rarity since 20 years ago whereas Wilmington still gets down to a mid-hi 50’s in midsummer when it’s cool enough and ditto the year over.October went nearly 20 years without an official 32 deg or lower at PHL while Wilmington has NOT went all those years w/o a 32 deg OCT night and first frosts have been in some years in the last 20 as much as 4-5 weeks different with you guessed it,Phila always being later in November sometimes in same years Wilmington dropped to 32 in Mid October and prior to 25 years ago Phila and Wilmington were always pretty close as Wilmington is only 20 or so miles south of Phila on the same coastal plain right down the Delaware River.But Phila Airport is much larger than it was 30-60 years ago with multiple expansions since 1990 and the 1995 NWS switch to ASOS didn’t do much to reverse false warming due to the sprawl despite it being (so the public was told) relocated away from the expansive tarmacs and other heat sources which continue to expand to this day.Result: a wider gap Between Here and Wilmington,Earlier last frosts in early spring and later frosts in later fall,a few more days,(heat island does affect daytime highs as well) with temps over a “magic” threshold such as 90 deg during warm season and 50 deg days in winter more often and nighttime temps being held higher by several degrees.Summer ’10 was recorded a warmest in Phila while Wilmington was only in top ten, Ditto for last winter-4th warmest for here but not that high ranking Wilmington.Last spring freeze this year Wilmington-April 28 (the latest in years) While Phila only got down to 38 but Phila-March 27 was last 32-A MONTH difference.
Zoom in on “South Fire Hall Station #1” (purple) to find “Met Observing Station” (green)
http://www.torontopearson.com/uploadedFiles/B2B/Content/Existing_Business/AVOP_Program/2012April_sb90a042.pdf
Note proximity to Highway 401 and position re prevailing winds.
http://www.torontopearson.com/uploadedFiles/B2B/Content/Existing_Business/AVOP_Program/2012April_sb90a042.pdf
Zoom in on South Fire Hall Station #1 (purple) to find the Met Observing Station (green) sandwiched between Hwy 401 and YYZ proper.
What’s up with this idiot………………did he just fall off the “turnip truck”?……………….anyone who has travelled knows full well that airports in the South Western U.S. have to hose down their runways in the summer so planes can land safely………………….Geez!……tell us something that makes sense Al!
Actually just STFU!
Oops – Someone in Seattle is confused. All those mis-painted centerlines. Acres of them!
http://binged.it/NHF5vM
Ian W says:
As another poster has said, repeated kerosene spills also soften the tarmac making it more likely to give way, or worse peel back in the jet wash of a taxiing or taking off aircraft: and I have seen that as well.
There’s an outtake from one of the Mythbusters episodes where they were using a 747F as a “wind machine” showing the latter happening.
Do airplanes have horns?
Cars – trucks – ships – trains………
It looks like a plane sank before this one….look at th picture – there is tire indentations in-front of the ruts the plane is sitting in at th time of this picture.
In the 1980’s the heat softened the asphalt enough on the MA/NH line so that my horses left hoof prints in the road and actually tossed up a divet in a couple of instances.
Take a look at the roads in Amish/Mennonite country some time. The horses do a real number on the roads because the asphalt softens. link
Mike Bentely: How right you are! I bet that the groves shown in I-90 were caused by vehicles using chains and studded tires during the winter. This condition is common throughout WA.
>>Nope. Taxiway edge marking. Center line marking
>>does not have black trim.
Yes it does. If there is no black edge strips on the yellow lines, it gets very difficult to see them at night under sodium lighting – especially on concrete surfaces.
.
>>Do airplanes have horns?
Yes, for ground use – for attracting attention of ground crew, rather than warning other vehicles.
.
Silver Ralph says:
July 16, 2012 at 2:21 pm
>>Do airplanes have horns?
Yes, for ground use – for attracting attention of ground crew, rather than warning other vehicles.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Thank You! 🙂