Visible Evidence of Failing Gulfstream

I came across an image archive and pulled up sea surface temperature images from Jan 5, 2006, Jan 5, 2005 and Jan 5, 2004 and you can see clearly a rapid breakdown in the gulfstream. For those of you that don't know exactly where to look just look at the Florida to North Carolina coast. There is a tiny tail of warm water that darts off from about NC and heads out to the open Atlantic. You can see the rapid weakening of this area in the 3 images.

Let me know if you have any questions.

2004
www.climatepatrol.com...


2005
www.climatepatrol.com...


and 2006
www.climatepatrol.com...

Looks like the gulf stream was stronger in 2005 then in 2004. It seems to have a longer red trail which would mean warmer water flowing farther than in 2004 right?

Gotta say, these pics make it look mild...

From what i am reading, as well as the wacky weather we have had, I would have thought it would be easier to see the differences...

These pics dont scare me...
the hurricane season, the tornados in winter, and the fact that Oklahoma is becoming a desert dust bowl, in the middle of winter is what scares me...

BTW: to all those florida snow birds... Oklahoma is enjoying 80 degrees this weekend... if you want to get warm, come up and visit...

Why is OK becoming a dust bowl. That is a big agriculture state am I correct?

Originally posted by lardo5150
Why is OK becoming a dust bowl. That is a big agriculture state am I correct?

Texas, Oklahoma and the western edge of Arkansas are in a drought. i live in the western edge of Arkansas and we haven't any rain in months. The last time it rained an inch was in October of last year. The last time it rained 2 inches was in 2004. Wells are running dry, and lakes are drying up. The entire area is under a burn ban cause wildfires are popping up everywhere.

Its normally cold this time of year and we'll have temperatures in the 70's tomorrow.

If we don't get rain soon, were going to be in some very serious trouble.

Wupy

Originally posted by lardo5150
Why is OK becoming a dust bowl. That is a big agriculture state am I correct?

The Sahara in Africa used to be a nice place with lotsa water. It was not always a desert. Why did the Sahara become a dust bowl? Maybe OK will become an American version of the Sahara?

Our state (and surrounding) once suffered the biggest drought in american history
*see grapes of wraith

we built so many lakes and reservours, that we thought we would never have that problem again...

but it looks like global warming/cooling is playing havoc here on a whole other scale...

Indy> could you please be more specific. I dont see what you are getting at. I have been watching it for a few years now, and have studied it. I dont see much of a change. Can you pinpoint what I am missing please?

Indy: Good job! Do you happen to know if the same holds true for other months found in those years?

In light of mrsdudara's question, I've taken the liberty of editing the pictures above to show everyone more easily what Indy is seeing...



Just above the added blue lines, you will see the Gulf Stream, as indicated by the red you see hugging the Florida coast..all along the the Atlantic seaboard...and east into the Atlantic Ocean.

You will notice that from year to year (again, as indicated by the red of the warmer temperatures), the GS diminishes in length and intensity. Look particularly at the differences found off the Florida and Georgia's coasts...

This is disturbing stuff...

But it is still unclear what this might mean in terms of consequence. ....and yet, unfortunately, the early indications do not look good...

Here are some supporting articles that contain additional information:

Changes in Gulf Stream could chill Europe

Scientists now have evidence that changes are occurring in the Gulf Stream, the warm and powerful ocean current that tempers the western European climate.

Without the influence of the Gulf Stream and its two northern branches, the North Atlantic Drift and the Canary Current, the weather in Britain could be more like that of Siberia, which shares the same latitude.

Cambridge University ocean physics professor Peter Wadhams points to changes in the waters of the Greenland Sea. Historically, large columns of very cold, dense water in the Greenland Sea, known as "chimneys," sink from the surface of the ocean to about 9,000 feet below to the seabed. As that water sinks, it interacts with the warm Gulf Stream current flowing from the south.

But Wadhams says the number of these "chimneys" has dropped from about a dozen to just two.

That last sentence sent a chill down my spine when I first read that sometime in the summer of last year.

Here are some more recent articles:

Failing ocean current raises fears of mini ice age

Climate in the Balance

Here is a previous ATSNN article from last year on the subject:

SCI/TECH: Satellites Record Weakening North Atlantic Current



[edit on 7-1-2006 by loam]

Can anyone post more of the same type images from earlier years so we could compare. I had trouble finding them on the Climatepatrol.com website.

What is the normal cycle of the Gulf Stream after a very active Hurricane/Tropical season? I would think that would mess with it in someway.

I'm trying to remeber how I found the archive exactly. I thought I had the page bookmarked but I did not. I know I had started at visibleearth.nasa.gov... . If I can find it again I will post the original link.

Dunno how this fits in but...

During a recent visit home (FL) I took a toor of an old plantation. One of the wild life and game people that worked there knew my grandfather and took us on our own private tour. He gave us quite the rundown of the place and told ud the 2 of the crops grown there in the past were lemons and limes. Now with todays weather that regoin of florida can no longer support those crops due to the cooler temps. He was claiming that the "citrus belt" moves a little farther south each year. He started talking currents and global warming and my eyes started glazing over.

I dont know the validity of these things but maybe someone here may. A cooler gulf stream? Who knows?

Anyone have any info about this. I cannot back it up but just repeating what the wildlife guy told us.

thanks,

kafer

Well in Toronto Tulips are blooming about a week earlier then usual.

I know when I first moved to Florida back in 1980 there were citrus trees over a good part of central FL. But freezes in the early 80's and late 80's wiped them all out. Freezes are no fairly common. I think a yearly event. So there is virtually no chance of re-establishing the citrus industry north of lets say... Vero Beach.

Originally posted by kaferwerks
Dunno how this fits in but...

He was claiming that the "citrus belt" moves a little farther south each year. He started talking currents and global warming and my eyes started glazing over.

Exactly where in Florida is this? I am in the Daytona area and I know people who are successfully growing their own citrus trees in their backyards. As far as I know they had crops this year too, but I will double check on that.

It's my understanding that the Canker disease is wiping out the crops too the past few years and is still spreading (killing the trees). But I wonder if the cooler temps have made the trees less resiliant to the disease also.

As for Indy's mention of the annual freezes, I have only been here since 2001, and the first winter seemed just a few cool days here and there, the next winter it was cold for a few solid weeks (I think this was when the crops were affected), but has not been quite as bad last year or this year, though we just had a cool spell last week (overnights in the 30's, days in the 50's). I don't think this is out of the ordinary for December and January in this area. We are back at normal temps this week (70's Day, 50's night).

There were endless acres of citrus trees killed by freezes during the 1980's. Our citrus trees (in the city of Melbourne) actually lost their leaves during one of the freezes. I thought we lost the trees but they managed to survive. Not everyone was so lucky. Many of those who had trees survive had them damaged. We lost some really nice palm trees during the big freeze of 1989. 1989 was the worst imaginable for Florida as parts of the state saw a white Christmas. I still remember the observation from Pensacola FL on Dec 24th. They had something like 14 degrees with snow and a windchill of -27. It was the craziest thing you could ever imagine for Florida. We had had a bunch of rain on the 24th and there was water sitting in our back yard. Christmas day we woke up to temps in the low 20's with windchills below zero and the water had a layer of ice on it. We lost some really expensive trees that day. I think 1983 and 1985 had very devistating freezes as well. If you can find any citrus farmers around the area I'd ask them if they were in the business during the 1980's. If so I'd guarantee it brings up very bad memories.

Nice seeing all the debate on how this will effect America. However the biggest effect his will have is on the UK!

The Gulf Stream currently has a major effect on the UK's climate, esspecially in winter where it prevents the harsh winters you see in places like Canada.

In fact countries south of the UK (such as France and Germany) get harsher winters than we do and where I live in the UK we had 1 day in the whole year where it snowed very lightly and that was it, you couldn't even make snowmen or have a snowball fight.

If the gulf stream cools it will have a major effect on the UK as our country is just not set up to deal with the kind of snowfall they get in countries like Canada and such snowfall will bring the country to a standstill and many 100's or even 1000's will die untill the country has a major overhaul and can cope with such a climate change.

There are fluctuations north and south of the jet stream depending upon weather systems. High and Low pressure systems. I am sure if you return to your archive you will see fluctuations throughout the month of January. Is there climate change? Yes there is, but it isn't evident in the mid latitudes. This year our weather in North America is abnormal, it is a La Nina year. Let us all pray for rain for the plains states.

Originally posted by Relentless

Originally posted by kaferwerks
Dunno how this fits in but...

He was claiming that the "citrus belt" moves a little farther south each year. He started talking currents and global warming and my eyes started glazing over.

Exactly where in Florida is this? I am in the Daytona area and I know people who are successfully growing their own citrus trees in their backyards. As far as I know they had crops this year too, but I will double check on that.

It's my understanding that the Canker disease is wiping out the crops too the past few years and is still spreading (killing the trees). But I wonder if the cooler temps have made the trees less resiliant to the disease also.

As for Indy's mention of the annual freezes, I have only been here since 2001, and the first winter seemed just a few cool days here and there, the next winter it was cold for a few solid weeks (I think this was when the crops were affected), but has not been quite as bad last year or this year, though we just had a cool spell last week (overnights in the 30's, days in the 50's). I don't think this is out of the ordinary for December and January in this area. We are back at normal temps this week (70's Day, 50's night).

This is up north on the panhandle...by Port Saint Joseph (port st Joe)

There is still citrus there I am not saying it is all gone but the lemon and lime crops cannot grow there anymore. My land still has orange trees and a grapefruit tree but it is producing less and less. When I was a child I remember getting bananas from the trees at my grammas but I dont believe that they produce like they did then...very small fruit and not much of it