"Ring" cirrus cloud

I've taken to paying special attention to the clouds directly above. Doing so, there are many cirrus clouds that have this "Ring" feature to them. It is only noticed from below. Cirrus clouds that are distant all look flat and relatively featureless.

This cloud was fresh. The edges and features were well defined. As I watched it for a few minutes, the cloud dissipated and it's features smoothed out.

Some scientists are saying that cirrus clouds are created by blocks of ice/snow as big as four bedroom houses and these are what has filled up our oceans. Seeing a structure like this in a cirrus cloud, it isn't hard to imagine a block of ice entering the atmosphere, becoming heated, and explode, with the smaller and lower parts being blown off by the wind. You can observe for yourself.

A "Burst" Cloud

This cloud was much crisper and more defined just two minutes before I took this picture. I noticed it high above me when I was driving to work and had to drive a couple minutes before I found a spot to pull over.

How did this cloud form? Recently, I noticed that high clouds seem to appear suddenly.

Gum Drop Clouds

Somtimes nature shows us a special treat in the sky.

How Much Carbon Dioxide in This Burn?

How many miles in a hybred vehicle would you have to drive to save the Earth the amount of carbon dioxide that's involved with this woods fire?


We all have to pull our own weight in this. Individuals, business, and government.

Surf's Up!

The clouds look live waves in the ocean in this view. How they came to have this shape is a puzzle.

Actions to prevent global warmingwill hurt the economy!

"Taking Actions to Prevent Global Warming Will Hurt the Economy". These words have been coming out of the government. Why do we worry about hurting the economy when the consequence might be no economy at all???

If you look through even the smallest of amateur telescopes, you will see plenty of empty space and nothing out there which is welcoming. You only see vast space with points of light which are nuclear furnaces powering stars. Our planets move across our home portion of the sky, but even these near objects are unlike Earth, they cannot support life. Many have no atmosphere to protect them from solar radiation or the chill of outer space.

Our atmosphere is thin! At 18,000 feet above sea level, you have half of the air molecules below you. Because of the weight and consequent compression of air, the half of molecules above you go much farther up than than 36,000 feet, but it does illustrate how thin our atmosphere is. 18,000 feet is little more than three miles!

The atmosphere protects us from solar radiation and keeps the Earth warm. Without it, we would have no air to breathe, (and also be frozen solid and cooked by radiation). We must care for our atmosphere. It provides for life to exist.

The Atlantic Conveyor is Slowing

One consequence of global warming might be a mini-ice age for the northern climes. As Arctic ice melts, fresh water from the melted ice flows into the North Atlantic. Unlike salty sea water, it doesn't sink as readily at the northern end of the Atlantic Conveyor. This slows it down and may even stop it. If it stops, the northern parts of Europe may experience a "short" ice age because of the lack of warm water coming from the conveyor.

If you consider 1,000 years to be short, then it will be short. The conveyor has already slowed down 30% in the last 12 years. The effects of global warming are already upon us and the consequences are real.

Let us not be in denial any more!

Contrail height varies with global warming

Contrails appear more in the winter when the air temperature is colder. The usual height at which jets create contrails is higher in the summer when the air is warmer and lower in the winter. This means, as global warming takes effect, contrail will be less and less likely to appear.

This picture is taken in the middle of a calm winter day. The lake was so flat you could see the contrails in the reflection. Note that the contrails are persistent. The older ones are broader while the newer ones are thin. In the summer, jets make few contrails or contrails that only extend a few miles or less behind the aircraft.

Why Fly?

Does flying contribute to global warming? That depends, contrails made by high altitude jets in the winter months tend to be persistant and grow in width. In the northeast U.S. they can become a high altitude overcast because of the dense air traffic in the area. Does this actually cause a cooling effect in the region? Some experts say the cloud cover holds in the heat and thus contributes to global warming.

Contrails