A Little Good News

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

I suspect there would be a couple guys from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) that may be somewhat dismayed by your comment as they are the source of the data.
It matters little who reports measured data IMHO.

The Japan Meteorological Agency may be the source of the raw data, but not the source of the graphs and interpretation [Kirye and Pierre].
It matters a lot, who interprets the raw data.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by Joh.Ghurt

That sound as if Mother Nature doesn't believe CNN's doomsday predictions, but instead has some self-regulation mechanisms in place to take care of things. What a pity for CNN and all the Apocalypse-Merchants. Business as usual is so unnewsworthy and is bad for the quarterly results. Ted Turner of CNN should really lodge a formal complaint with Mother Nature about this. How dares she!

Yeah!

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The Japan Meteorological Agency may be the source of the raw data, but not the source of the graphs and interpretation [Kirye and Pierre].
It matters a lot, who interprets the raw data.

I agree, ​just consider Mann's hockey stick plot or the eraser of the medieval warming period in many of the data sets.

However, in this case the tabulated JMA data on the JMA website was simply plotted in Excel. No interpretation, check it out.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by LakeSuperior

... However, in this case the tabulated JMA data on the JMA website was simply plotted in Excel. No interpretation, check it out.

Choosing a single month [December], in an obscure location [Hachijō-jima], and a not-so random base year [1923 @ 12.7°C*], and ignoring [not explaining] data inhomogeneity, caused by changes in instrumentation, observation methods and/or site location, all seem, to me, to be interpretive - or more likely confirmation seeking.

* Why not start at 1917 @ 10°C, or 1922, or 1926 both @ 10.9°C?
Perhaps, because it doesn’t suit his thesis?

[LakeSuperior]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Choosing a single month [December], in an obscure location [Hachijō-jima], and a not-so random base year [1923 @ 12.7°C*], and ignoring [not explaining] data inhomogeneity, caused by changes in instrumentation, observation methods and/or site location, all seem, to me, to be interpretive - or more likely confirmation seeking.

* Why not start at 1917 @ 10°C, or 1922, or 1926 both @ 10.9°C?
Perhaps, because it doesn’t suit his thesis?

The data plotted above was the annual numbers although there are month by month temperatures in the database.

You know the arguments you are using are from a page out of the deniers book. However, the observation is simply this, the average annual temperatures for an obscure Japanese island far from large populated land masses haven't changed in 70 years.

What does it mean in the large picture, who knows. One might conclude that maybe the reported rise in our oceans temperatures is not so much. I personally wouldn't read more in it that it is just an interesting data point in the midst all the gloom and doom climate reporting.

[GordMay]

‘A real miracle’: dog saves injured hiker stranded in Croatian mountains
An 8-month-old dog saved an injured hiker, stranded in the Croatian mountains, by laying on top of him for 13 hours, to retain warmth, until help arrived, Croatia's mountain rescue service announced in a recent Facebook post*.
The Alaskan malamute, named North, was hiking with Grga Brkic, when he fell, and was unable to get back up. The two other hikers with them could not reach Grga and North, so they called for help.
It took more than two dozen first responders to reach the pair, stranded nearly 1,800 metres above sea level, The Guardian says [1].
North was uninjured in the incident, Brkic told local media.
While the dog was a lifesaver in this crisis, Croatian officials do not recommend taking pets on hikes in treacherous winter conditions.

* ➥ https://www.facebook.com/HrvatskaGSS...41518419291722

[1] ➥ https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...tian-mountains

[GordMay]

Record number of orca, humpback whales spotted in Salish Sea
There were 1,067 unique sightings of Bigg’s killer whales last year — up from the 2019 record of 747 ...
Much more ➥ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/briti...2021-1.6311282

[GordMay]

Covid-19: WHO recommends baricitinib and sotrovimab to treat patients

The World Health Organization (WHO) has added two more drugs [baricitinib & sotrovimab] to its guidelines for recommended treatments for COVID-19, as the more infectious Omicron variant of the coronavirus triggers an unprecedented surge in cases around the world.

The drug baricitinib, which is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is “strongly recommended” for patients with severe or critical COVID-19, in combination with corticosteroids, the UN agency’s panel of international experts said in the guidelines which were published by the British Medical Journal.
The drug reduces the need for ventilation and had been found to improve patients’ chances of survival with no sign of an increase in adverse reactions, the panel said.

The panel also gave a “conditional recommendation” for sotrovimab, an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment, for those with non-severe COVID-19 but at the very highest risk of hospital admission.

The “guidance adds to previous recommendations for the use of interleukin-6 receptor blockers, and systemic corticosteroids, for patients with severe or critical covid-19; conditional recommendations for the use of casirivimab-imdevimab (another monoclonal antibody treatment) in selected patients; and against the use of convalescent plasma, ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine in patients with covid-19, regardless of disease severity,” the WHO said in a statement.

More ➥ https://www.bmj.com/content/376/bmj.o97

And ➥ https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109722

[GordMay]

Fossil-fuel billionaire Ambani boosts green energy ambitions

Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries said it plans to invest $76bn in clean energy projects, a dramatic increase over its previous commitment of $10bn.

Much more ➥ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...green-projects

And ➥ https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/20...ergy-ambitions

[GordMay]

A huge asteroid will fly safely by Earth today

On Tuesday, the Virtual Telescope Project [1], located in Rome, will host a live stream [at 3 p.m. EST] of asteroid 7482, as it makes its closest approach to Earth.

Don't worry, it's still a solid one million miles away from the surface of our home planet, but this is closer than the asteroid will get, for at least the next 200 years, EarthSky reported [2].

EarthSky added the reassuring disclaimer that "an asteroid of this size strikes Earth approximately every 600,000 years," so we're good … this time.

[1] Virtual Telescope Project ➥ https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2021...s-18-jan-2022/

[1b] ➥ https://www.space.com/huge-asteroid-...-flyby-webcast

[2] More about ➥ https://earthsky.org/space/asteroid-...t-jan-18-2022/

[GordMay]

Europe’s largest marine reserve in Portugal

Portugal has created the largest fully protected marine reserve in Europe, and the North Atlantic [1]. The Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve [2] was formally extended, in November, from 95 to 2,677 square kilometres, to protect the habitats of species, such as the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the blue shark (Prionace glauca).
The new protections aren’t just good news for the fish and birds of the Selvagens Islands. They are also a sign, that world leaders are moving in the right direction, to protect 30% of land and water by 2030. [3]
In a letter to Nature [4], marine ecologist Filipe Alves, and three colleagues, encourage other nations to follow Portugal’s lead.

[1] “Portugal Creates Europe's Largest Marine Reserve” ~ by Olivia Rosane
➥ https://www.treehugger.com/portugal-...eserve-5211970

[2] Selvagens Islands Nature Reserve ➥ https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-conv...nature-reserve

[3] “50 Countries Join Ambitious Plan to Protect 30% of Earth by 2030"
➥ https://www.treehugger.com/50-countr...h-2030-5100866

[4] “Portugal leads with Europe’s largest marine reserve’ ~ Nature Correspondence by Filipe Alves et al
➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00093-8

[GordMay]

Oregon State research shows hemp compounds prevent coronavirus from entering human cells
A study [1] last week, from two Oregon universities, has generated a lot of buzz, after findings suggested that some cannabis compounds may be able to block the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering human cells. It adds to a growing body of research on cannabis, and the coronavirus, as studies from around the world [2] have found that the cannabis compound CBD may be effective in helping treat some of the virus’s most deadly symptoms.

More about:
“Oregon State research shows hemp compounds prevent coronavirus from entering human cells” ~ OSU News
➥ https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/o...ng-human-cells

[1] “Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants” ~ by Richard B van Breemen et al
➥ https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jnatprod.1c00946

ie:
[2] “Cannabidiol Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Promotes the Host Innate Immune Response” ~ by Long Chi Nguyen et al
➥ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7987002/


Unfortunately, for some, the specific compounds in question here, CBGA and CBDA, are not THC, not psychoactive, and will not get you high.

[GordMay]

Rare coral reef discovered near Tahiti
A scientific research mission supported by UNESCO has discovered one of the largest coral reefs in the world off the coast of Tahiti. The pristine condition of, and extensive area covered by, the rose-shaped corals make this a highly valuable discovery.
UNESCO ➥ https://en.unesco.org/

➥ https://en.unesco.org/news/rare-cora...unesco-mission

BBC ➥ https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60047368

[GordMay]

Vaccinated people who get COVID-19 are less likely to report symptoms of long COVID, such as fatigue and shortness of breath, than are unvaccinated people, according to a new study [1].
The research included more than 3,000 people in Israel, and is one of the few studies, so far, to examine the effects of vaccination, on long COVID.
The results, which have not yet been peer reviewed, concur with a UK-based study [2] from September [Lancet], which found that vaccination halved the risk of long COVID.
More about ➥ https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00177-5

[1] “Association between vaccination status and reported incidence of post-acute COVID-19 symptoms in Israel: a cross-sectional study of patients tested between March 2020 and November 2021" ~ by Paul Kuodi et al
Preprint study ➥ https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1....05.22268800v2

[2] “Risk factors and disease profile of post-vaccination SARS-CoV-2 infection in UK users of the COVID Symptom Study app: a prospective, community-based, nested, case-control study” ~ by Michela Antonelli, PhD et al
Lancet ➥ https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...460-6/fulltext

[GordMay]

Western monarch populations grew over 100-fold in 2021. Why?

Back in the 1990s, some 3 to 10 million Western monarch butterflies would migrate annually, from the northwestern United States, to spend winter along California’s coastline.

But in more recent years, this charismatic insect has faced a steep population decline. In 2020, volunteers counted fewer than 2,000 Western monarchs, in the entire state of California, a number well below the level biologists theorized would lead to collapse and extinction.

Then, on Tuesday, California’s Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation announced [1] startling, and hopeful, news. With the help of volunteers, the society counted nearly 250,000 butterflies in 2021, a more than hundredfold increase from the previous year.

A series of fortunate events, such as optimal rainfall, and the well-timed blooming of milkweed, may be responsible. Wildfires, decreased pesticide use, and unexpected migratory patterns may have also played a role, scientists believe.
However, an upswing in the Western monarch’s population, doesn’t mean the species is safe from extinction.

More about ➥ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/articl...n-growth-2021/

[1] “Western monarchs rebound to final tally of nearly 250,000 butterflies” ~ Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation
➥ https://www.xerces.org/press/western...00-butterflies