Olympic athletes just won’t know what snow is (with apologies to Dr. David Viner)
With the winter Olympics taking center stage of world media right now it of course becomes a potential on-camera political opportunity for anybody with an idea and a sandwich board. So, predictably, somebody tried to make the winter Olympics all about “climate change”….and failed. Nutty Bill McKibben gave his endorsement:
There’s only one teensy little problem…
Here’s the plea from an organization called protectourwinters.org
US SKI TEAM MEMBER ANDREW NEWELL & 105 WINTER OLYMPIANS CALL FOR CLIMATE ACTION
Today, US Ski Team member, 2014 Olympian Andrew Newell, 105 Olympians and Protect Our Winters released a statement calling on world leaders to take action on climate change and to prepare a commitment to a global agreement prior to the Paris climate talks in 2015.The letter has been signed by 105 Olympians from countries that include: The United States, Switzerland, Norway, Estonia, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy and Sweden. In addition to Newell, some of the 105 athletes include: US snowboarders Danny Davis and Arielle Gold, Switzerland’s Bettina Gruber, Norway’s Astrid Jacobsen and Italian ski jumper Elena Runggaldier.“Recognize climate change by reducing emissions, embracing clean energy and preparing a commitment to a global agreement at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris 2015.”
– See more at: http://protectourwinters.org/newell-2890#sthash.BxRf5tN0.dpuf
Among other things, it seems they are whining about the lack of snow at Sochi, a place where palm trees grow and climatically not that great of a place for a winter Olympics, but has been “geoengineered” as this news story tells us:
Freezing Sochi: how Russia turned a subtropical beach into a Winter Olympics wonderland
Sochi is not the most obvious place to host the Winter Olympics.
The Russian resort, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, is humid and subtropical. Temperatures average out at about 52 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and 75 degrees in the summer. Palm trees line the streets, and it’s the only part of Russia warm enough to grow tea leaves. In other words, it’s a lovely spot if you’re planning a beach holiday — Stalin had his favorite summer house there — but it wouldn’t be most people’s first choice for a ski trip.
…
So it shouldn’t come as much surprise that transforming Rosa Khutor into an Olympic venue has been a rapid, expensive process. It’s estimated that the cost of staging the Olympics in Sochi has been greater than the previous three Winter Games combined — ballooning to a whopping $51 billion. A sizable chunk of that money has gone to dealing with the “whims of the weather,” as a spokesperson for Sochi 2014 put it in an email to The Verge.
…
“There is almost no snow here — at the moment it’s raining,” says Olga Mironova, a local resident. That’s exactly the problem that derailed the last Winter Olympics in Vancouver in 2010 — buckets of snow had to be airlifted to top up the slushy covering on the hay bales that were being used to create artificial mounds in the tracks. Those emergency measures proved successful, but organizers admitted afterwards that they’d seriously underestimated the impact of climate change.
Apparently ‘climate change’ jumped in and made them choose a ridiculous venue at Sochi. Oy vey!
After McKibben made his tweet of support, a count of the list presented at http://protectourwinters.org was made, and summed up in this riposte:
105/2500 *100 = 4.2%
I can’t imagine why any athlete would want to be concerned with a political agenda that might deflect their concentration from the greatest moment of their lives. I’m surprised that even 4.2% of the winter Olympic athletes bothered.
Meanwhile, back in la-la land, we have this plea from Olympian organizer Andrew Newell
This year, while preparing for my third Olympic games in Sochi I had to ask myself: what’s changed? What has changed since that day in 1985 when I first experienced that thrill and came to love this sport? Thankfully, much is the same except there is no escaping that the once-consistent winters that I saw as a young kid are no more, especially near my home in Vermont.
Of course most of us know that athletes generally aren’t very smart when it comes to things outside their narrow field of expertise and training, but you’d think this “climatic community organizer” who says we have to “protect our winters” would at lease be able to do these two things:
1. Check the expected climatic conditions of Sochi
From Capital Weather Gang: The Games are being held during a stretch of the coastal city’s coldest winter stretch, with a daily average high of 49 degrees and low of 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Remarkably, Sochi’s daily average temperature values never drop below freezing at any time of the year. According to NASA, it’s the warmest host city for any winter Olympic games.
The daily average low (blue) and high (red) temperature with percentile bands (inner band from 25th to 75th percentile, outer band from 10th to 90th percentile. (WeatherSpark)
2. Check the weather report back home and snow depth in his home town of Bennington, Vermont:
Source: http://www.google.org/publicalerts/alert?aid=bb3a19e9321d2bc0&hl=en&gl=US&source=web
Source: http://www.weatherstreet.com/city_snow_depth/05201-Bennington-VT-snow-depth.htm
Eh, maybe not.
It seems the winter snow extent trend is on the rise in Northern hemisphere, from Rutgers snow lab:
Source: http://climate.rutgers.edu/snowcover/chart_seasonal.php?ui_set=nhland&ui_season=1
So tell me again, why do our winters need protection?
UPDATE: Dr. Luboš Motl weighs in: Sochi, swimming, climate, activism
John West says: @ur momisugly February 12, 2014 at 6:18 am
@ur momisugly Gail Combs
But we got a climate hub! Horay!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
OH GOODIE!
That means I can ask where I can trade in my hair sheep (Blackbelly Barbado) for Icelandic Wool sheep and my boer goats for cashmire (fiber) goats!
(Blackbelly Barbado sheep and boer goats are African breeds imported to the USA.)
(I am not kidding since those are my actual plans)
What a shock! Winter sports enthusiasts want longer seasons! So they want to make the climate COLDER. Which nature may provide. But Man has not done a very good job of warming, so how do they think they will be able to cool it?
Jared says:
February 12, 2014 at 5:56 am
Meanwhile I got on the NASA GISS site the other day to see if they had updated their local station data for January 2014. I first downloaded their data in February 2009. Well the local station data for January 2014 is not up yet but what I found was much more disturbing. I only downloaded data for the Toledo Express Airport in 2009 and now that data is completely different in 2014. Sometime in the past 5 years they have completely fudged the numbers. Early 1880′s data was downgraded by .5 degrees, Early 1900′s data was downgraded by .2 degrees. By 1980 the data was raised by .4 degrees. So the disparity from 1880 to 1980 since 2009 had grown by .9 degrees at the Toledo Airport. WOW, Amazing. And here I thought Data was set in stone. Not at NASA where they artificially just created a .9 degree rise in temperature for the years 1880 to 1980 at the Toledo Airport. Not the slope was negative for those years in 2009. Now in 2014 the slope is level. Amazing stuff.
Yours was the most disturbing comment in this post, Jared.
Anthony, this seems to be a consistent pattern, and yet people generally accept the revisions. I think a Congressman should encourage the relevant committee to call in the people who revised the above data and get a solid explanation as to if, when, and why it occurred. Find out if this is a top-down process where someone on top is ordering revisions be made (always, it seems, in the same direction…down for older temps and up for more recent ones) or if someone in the trenches has “gotten the message” and is churning out revisions that he’s sure will please the powers that be.
And if there’s a completely innocuous, totally rational, reason for the revisions, that would be nice to learn also, although I have my doubts that is what an investigation would find. I also think that starting with this one example would be a good way to go, branching out if results of the initial investigation warranted doing so.
Or, maybe it’s as simple as going to the source and asking. You would probably know the answer to that.
It is obviously a plot by the warmists (including Putin apparently) to host the winter games in a place where it is almost certain to be beset with warm weather, rain and melting ice – then to blame it on global warming.
I’ve gotta hand it to them, apart from the ludicrous price tag, it’s working beautifully.
I borrowed this from Mt Washington, NH (there wasn’t a direct link to this post, so I copied and pasted it)
“Michael Kyle – Weather Observer
18:17 Sat Feb 8th
While snow is in the forecast here in the White Mountains, this time I am not referring to the White Mountain region. Instead I’m referring to the Caucasus mountain range just outside of Sochi, Russia; where the 2014 Winter Olympic Games are being hosted. Contrary to a lot of the media hype there is snow at the Olympic winter games.
While the Olympic host city of Sochi may be free of snow due its close proximity to the Black Sea; the Krasnaya Polyana region, which is where the mountain cluster of the winter games is being held, has plenty of snow. Krasnaya Polyana is located roughly 40 miles northeast of Sochi in the Caucasus mountain range. This is where the outdoor events such as skiing/snowboarding, luge, bobsledding, and many more outdoor events are being held. The weather of the Krasnaya Polyana region is significantly different than the weather in Sochi. Due to the increase in elevation (ranging from 1,857ft to 7300ft) the average temperatures are much lower than the temperatures seen in Sochi. According to Roshydromet, the Russian agency responsible for monitoring and forecasting the weather for the Sochi winter games, February’s monthly mean temperature for Krasnaya Polyana is 35 degrees F. The higher elevations of Krasnaya Polyana see monthly mean temperatures of 16 degrees F. This makes for a much more conducive environment for outdoor winter events, than in the coastal town of Sochi.
To provide a more local prospective on this situation we can compare the temperatures of Portsmouth, NH to the temperatures here at Mount Washington. The climate of Portsmouth is colder then Sochi. The distance is between Mount Washington and Portsmouth is greater than the distance between Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana. However, the change in temperature do to elevation is very similar between the two different coastal and mountain regions. For example the monthly mean temperature for the month of February in Portsmouth is 27 degrees F, while the the monthly mean temperature for the month of February at Mount Washington is 6 degrees F. The difference in elevation between the two locations provides each location with dramatically different weather. The point I’m trying to make is that the weather can change a lot with elevation. So don’t look up Sochi’s forecast and think that it’s the same for Krasnaya Polyana. Just like you wouldn’t look up Portsmouth weather and think it’s the same up on Mount Washington.
Michael Kyle – Weather Observer”
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/comments/
“It seems the winter snow extent trend is on the rise in Northern hemisphere, from Rutgers snow lab:”
Well as far as I can tell using the tools that us rude mechanicals use. It’s more of a mean shift that
occured in 2007 (seven points consecutively above the grand mean indicate this if you look at the relevant ANSI standard) which has added an extra 1.5 Mkm2 to the winter snow area. :
Tell me again how the hemisphere is warming and winter sports in danger when 1.5 Mkm2more of it spends 3 months covered in snow……:-)
“Oh, go hug a tree. I’d rather spend my money in Maine or New Hampshire anyway. The riding, snow, views, fees and laws are much better and more inviting there. You can keep your environmental utopia in Vermont.”
I really fail to see how detesting the selfishness of creating an ear splitting racket in otherwise serene, soul nourishing settings so you can get your juvenile rocks off, has to do with hugging trees. But then again, thanks for ably demonstrating the ignorant and stupid mindset of people who seem to have contempt for the natural settings they so thoughtlessly despoil.
ConfusedPhoton says:
“Then we can throw out 2392 of the Olympians as being unsuitable, leaving 108
Therefore 105/108 = 97% consensus! Simple!
That’s how climate “scientist” do proper statistics!”
That sounds like how Doran and Zimmerman got their 97% consensus. Zimmerman sent out questionnaires to over 10,000 scientists and finally accepted results from 79 “climate scientists”.
Gibby says:
“One would think that more thought would go into where the winter Olympics is allowed to be hosted in order to provide a high probability of good snow conditions, but I guess that politics and kickbacks are more important.”
The same reason why the toilets don’t work and the water looks like weak coffee. Crony capitalism. Only in Russia! Oh, I forgot, Solyndra et al, never mind.
Jared says:
February 12, 2014 at 5:56 am
Meanwhile I got on the NASA GISS site the other day to see if they had updated their local station data for January 2014. I first downloaded their data in February 2009. Well the local station data for January 2014 is not up yet but what I found was much more disturbing. I only downloaded data for the Toledo Express Airport in 2009 and now that data is completely different in 2014. Sometime in the past 5 years they have completely fudged the numbers. Early 1880′s data was downgraded by .5 degrees, Early 1900′s data was downgraded by .2 degrees. By 1980 the data was raised by .4 degrees. So the disparity from 1880 to 1980 since 2009 had grown by .9 degrees at the Toledo Airport. WOW, Amazing. And here I thought Data was set in stone. Not at NASA where they artificially just created a .9 degree rise in temperature for the years 1880 to 1980 at the Toledo Airport. Not the slope was negative for those years in 2009. Now in 2014 the slope is level. Amazing stuff.
This continual and undocumented changing of previous years raw data needs more attention. If an accountant tried this he would expect criminal charges. Is anyone keeping records of previous ‘raw data’? The continual use of ‘anomalies’ rather than actual data can hide this subterfuge.
“…once-consistent winters that I saw as a young kid are no more, especially near my home in Vermont.”
Really? Where exactly did he grow up that had consistent winters? As far as I know, winter is always veriable. Just looking at that Rutgers snow extent, and you can see that winters in NA have never been consistent. I think that a psychologist could discuss the human brain’s desire to remember the past as better than it actualy was. I have heard several psychologists discussing this phenomenon.
It made me very angry when Canadian skiers Thomas Grandi and Sara Renner preached at me from the 350.org pulpit. Like the skiers in this post, here were two people who burned more fossil fuels than I ever will by hopscotching around the globe to compete in skiing. They achieved their livelihoods and notoriety by burning massive amounts of fossil fuels and then had enough total disregard of their own hypocrisy to lecture me about carbon dioxide!
Why is it that every one of these irrational mouthpieces is a hypocrite? I’m honestly sick to death of listening to the chastising scolding from the mouths of fools who can’t even find the courage to lead by example. Similarly, these guilt ridden intellects lack the courage to fully examine or challenge their own beliefs.
Btw, how do you “protect” winter?
But, since McKibben has learned how to control weather, I have a request to make …. I would like winter temperatures here in Calgary, AB not to go bellow -10C, and not above +27C in summer. Also, if he could schedule storms only on weekdays, that would be awesome.
Meanwhile, here is Chicagoland:
Two rounds of weekend snow lifted this season’s snow totals above 5 feet, and the city is inching closer to a new record with another cold start to the week.
Snow accumulations from Saturday afternoon and overnight Sunday brought the city’s season total to 62.1 inches. The snowiest winter season on record was the 1978-1979 season, which totaled 89.7 inches of snow.
…
So far, the Chicago area has seen 19 days of sub-zero temperatures and, with two more brutally cold days ahead, the area will be just a few days away from breaking the 25-day record set in the 1884-1885 winter season.
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/stories/Weekend-Snow-Brings-Season-Totals-Over-60-Inches-244620031.html#ixzz2t84K5Lbq
Pokerguy, stick to playing cards and hugging trees. You’re generalizing all snowmobilers as juvenile, ignorant, perverse, stupid and contemptuous – like we don’t have any reasons to appreciate our surroundings. What a childish thing to insinuate. FYI, a portion of our fees go to help preserve nature and educate the public. A lot of good it did for you. Regardless, you’re welcome.
Now as Anthony would say… bugger off.
McKibben simply applies Critical Theory; including the choice of a grievance group, in this case olympic athletes. If that’s all that will suffer from Global Warming I won’t care. Maybe he could pick an even more ridiculous group, say, fur coat fashion designers on the Côte d’Azur.
Well so how many Olympic Gold medals does this Andy Newell have so far ?
Perhaps if he concentrated on his skiing, he wouldn’t have to complain about climate to explain his lack of results.
USA snow boarders did a lot of whining about the half pipe (condition). And NBC’s Bob Costas, himself a constant complainer, built the US men up to supermen, before the event. NBC blamed a “bump” on the bottom of the pipe, where basically nothing happens, for both top US giants bombing out, when push came to shove.
Funny thing is that their Russian/Swiss competitor had the same bump in the pipe, and it didn’t affect him one iota; so he won the Gold.
To be fair, the top US boarder, former double Olympic Gold champ, did put on a heck of a run in the prelims to get the highest score of the event, but then he bombed twice in the finals.
In other events, US athletes did pretty well. One young lady got the first ever Luge Olympic medal, without a lot of hype, and a PDG performance.
Julia Mancuso, I had always thought of as a so-so skier; a good competitor, but not an upper echelon one. Well who is, with Lindsey Vonn, and Maria Reisch (Hoefl) to contend with.
But absent Vonn in the field, Mancuso did a bang up downhill in the super combined alpine event, which enabled her not so strong slalom, to get her a bronze medal. Well I think any Olympic medal is a medal. Absent Vonn, I was rooting for Maria Reisch anyway, and she came through for the gold. Well she is currently the best there is, all around; but the absence of Vonn was a big downer for me.
So good job Julia. You did it when it counted, and without blaming the climate.
I’m about done with the Olympics. They need to get more than five countries competing to make an event of it.
I heard that the US half piper who bombed out, is still worth $15M. Maybe his sponsors, are now less than thrilled with their advertising dollars prospects. It’s now all just a business anyway; no longer about individual excellence.
I will give the US snow boarder one thing. He most enthusiastically embraced and congratulated his Russian/Swiss rival after he won the gold; they obviously enjoy their rivalry, just like Lindsey Vonn and Maria Reisch. How lucky she is to live in Garmisch.
The Caucasus look stunning, and the ski Jumpers, looked like they ran on an artificial surface anyway, so who needs snow ?
Jared
Have you checked your downloaded data against the Berkeley Earth database? Would be interesting to see whether they have used old GISS data, current stuff or some other genuinely raw data set.
Average high in February here where I live should be around 37°. Now, it’s only the 12th, but it’s been above freezing once, & then only by maybe 2°. I’d guess our average high so far this February has been 25°. We’re going to need a pretty good run of 40° to get back up to average, I’m guessing.
Re noisy snowmobiles: Wouldn’t a strong muffler requirement mostly solve the problem?
You watch, by the time the next winter games come around they’ll not only indoctrinate the athletes but require them to publicly back the agenda and add their message to the ceremonies.
They have a Mountain Cluster at Krasnaya Polyana, base elevation 560 m (1,840 ft) along the Mzymta River, 39 kilometres (24 mi) from its influx into the Black Sea in Adlersky City District of Sochi, the lift-served summit climbs to 2,320 metres (7,610 ft), giving a vertical drop of over a mile at 1,760 metres (5,770 ft). It is at a distance of 67 kilometres (42 mi) from the center of Sochi by road.
Therefore it is not exactly at the seashore. What are average February climatic conditions in the mountains?
All these kids learn about “global warming” in school. The kid who helped me clear the snow off my driveway after the Nth snowstorm this winter was talking about how the increasing heat makes it cold. They are just going with the received wisdom bestowed on them by our “education” system.
Considering that the vast majority of signatures come from US athletes, no wonder why Americans have a lot of catching up to do on the ski hills.
@pokerguy. When I lived in Sudbury, Ontario I would hike through the conservation area (several thousand acres) with my dog in the winter. I would bump into people who would give me sh&t for not having him on a leash. I would encounter cross-country skiers who would yell at me not to walk on their groomed trails. And of course there were the snowmobilers who were chased away by my dog as they crossed the ski trails. I was always thankful my dog preferred to crap on flat fluffy ground.