Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Strictly: Drilling and oil-field services -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Roebear who wrote (90883)	5/14/2001 4:17:04 PM
From: BigBull	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 95453

Roe, TESOF is a Doug Fant special. <g> I posted lots of detailed info on the co. as I felt it was an unrecognized patch stock, but it was the DOOGER that brought ubd and Tesof initially to the threads attention. Just settin' the record straight. Thanks for your very kind words though. Tesof should also thank you for publicising the companies strengths here. The IR needs lots of help. <g>

To: Roebear who wrote (90883)	5/15/2001 12:31:53 AM
From: isopatch	Respond to of 95453

Roebear. You've probably seen this climate piece But it struck me as pretty interesting as it brings more information to the global warming question and other climate questions that impact energy prices. So thought I'd post it for the thread. Iso "Sunday May 13 8:22 PM ET Ocean Cycle Changes U.S. Rainfall By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A slow but regular warming and cooling of the North Atlantic Ocean appears to have a strong impact on rainfall in the United States, a discovery that could complicate efforts to measure the effect of global climate change. When this gradual cycle is in its warm phase, as it has been since about 1990, there is less rain than normal in most of the country, scientists report in Tuesday's issue of Geophysical Research Letters. Most global warming forecasts call for increased rain over the United States. As a result, this ocean cycle ``could obfuscate our assessment of global warming response,'' said oceanographer David B. Enfield of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ``I think this does add a different dimension to what is going on. Most people assume that the warming of the last 25 years has essentially been greenhouse-related, though I don't feel that way myself,'' said John Christy, a climate researcher at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The research shows that much of the warming could be associated with the ocean cycle, he said. Because of the cycle's long time scale, the scientists looked at only two oscillations, a small sample, said Christy, who was not involved in the research. The work of Enfield and his team said Midwest droughts in the 1930s and 1950s can be related to this cycle. During warm cycles, the total Mississippi River flow into the Gulf of Mexico was 10 percent less than during cool phases, Enfield said in an interview. ``In terms of percentage that doesn't seem high, but it does appear to be a significant amount of water.'' On the other hand, the current ocean warming could be good news for Florida, where the Atlantic warm phase usually delivers more moisture. The researchers reported that North Atlantic Ocean temperatures oscillate over a range of about 0.7 degree Fahrenheit during a 65- to 80-year period. That may not sound like a wide range, but when it involves a mass of water the size of an ocean, the amount of energy involved is tremendous. Enfield's team studied the cycle, called the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, using temperature and weather records from 1856 to 1999. They found warm phases in 1860-1880 and 1930-1960 and cool phases in 1905-1925 and 1970-1990. The ocean began warming again in 1990, they report, and ``we may have once again entered a period such as 1930-1960.'' The problem is that at the same time, scientists are concerned about the impacts of global change, in particular the greenhouse warming that many believe is increasing the planet's overall temperature. Because the Atlantic cycle appears to affect not only U.S. rainfall but also water temperature in the North Pacific, it could have worldwide effects, complicating efforts to measure the impact of global warming. For example, many computer models of climate predict that global warming will mean more rain. But the cycle's warm phase results in drought, and it is not known how the two climate patterns will affect one another. If the current cyclical warming reduces the rain that was expected to be increased by global warming, the public may not perceive any real change, Enfield said. But then people would not expect more rain the next time the cycle goes into a cool phase. That could combine with more rain from global warming and ``everybody is caught with their pants down,'' he said. Further complicating the question is the tropical Pacific phenomenon known as El Nino, which also involves the warming and cooling of large masses of ocean water. When the Atlantic cycle is in its warm phase, weather patterns crossing the United States tend to move generally west to east, rather than dipping south in a trough that brings storms to the Midwest, the team found. This differs from the pattern caused by El Nino, which tends to push storms into southern California. Enfield is an oceanographer at NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami. Joining him in the research were Alberto M. Mestas-Nunez of the Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies at the University of Miami and Paul J. Trimble of the South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach."