Unprecedented Snowfalls in Argentina Threaten 1 Million Livestock; Aussie Cold; Record Stratospheric Water Vapor; Global Temperatures Took Another Step Down In June; + CO2 Fantasticals

Unprecedented Snowfalls in Argentina Threaten 1 Million Livestock

Breeders in Argentine Patagonia have taken to social media to express their distress after unprecedented snowfalls buried their livestock, threatening about 1 million animals with starvation in one of the region’s coldest winters in decades.

Videos from Chubut show sheep buried in deep snow, with only their heads visible.

The Argentine Rural Confederation (CRA) has described the situation as “dramatic.”


Enrique Jamieson, president of the Federation of Agricultural Institutions Santa Cruz, highlighted the complexity of the situation, with heavy snowfalls extending across Santa Cruz, affecting about 40,000 cattle and 1 million sheep.

The most-recent snow dumps, ranging from 40 to 60 cm (1.3 to 2 ft) in depth, have rendered pastures inaccessible, endangering cattle and sheep. Efforts are underway to move livestock to areas with less snow to forage or receive supplemental feeding.

Jamieson explained that consistent, early-season snowfalls through April and May had already formed a frozen layer, complicating access to food for the animals. The recent snowfall added additional feet on top of this layer, exacerbating the problem and making it difficult for the animals to reach food.

The situation is dire, with breeders and agricultural institutions urgently seeking solutions to prevent the starvation of their livestock amidst the extreme winter conditions.


Related:


Aussie Cold

Southern and Eastern Australia is continuing to shiver through a pretty persistent and harsh cold snap, with thermometers dipping to subzero levels (C) in numerous regions.

Frost has swept the likes of Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia, causing disruptions and posing headaches for farmers.

In Victoria, where a swatch of frost warnings have been issued, places such as Ballarat and Bendigo have posted overnight lows of -2C (28.4F) and -1C (30.2F), respectively. Melbourne too continues to shiver, hovering around 2C (35.6F) Wednesday morning.

Tasmania has also been hit, with Hobart noting -1C (30.2F). Inland areas, including Liawenee, are enduring colder lows, with -10C (14F) registered here. The severe cold has led to icy roads, prompting authorities to advise caution for motorists.

In South Australia, Adelaide recorded its coldest morning of the year at 3C (37.4F), while the state’s mid-north region saw -3C (26.6F). Farmers here are particularly affected, with the freeze posing a threat to crops and livestock.

The Antarctic air mass responsible is expected to linger and all. The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts it has at least another few days to run, with both day and night-time temperatures expected to remain well below average.

The mass of ‘blues’ is forecast to shift westwards Wednesday and Thursday:

GFS 2m Temperature Anomalies (C) July 3 [tropicaltidbits.com].
GFS 2m Temperature Anomalies (C) July 3 [tropicaltidbits.com].


Record Stratospheric Water Vapor

The massive impact of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption on global temperatures and climate is striking, yet few in mainstream academia seem keen to discuss it.

When this underwater volcano erupted in January 2022, it injected a massive amount of water vapor—approximately 50 million tons—into the stratosphere, significantly altering atmospheric conditions. This increase in stratospheric moisture by about 10%-30% has contributed to a warming effect on Earth’s surface, a forcing expected to persist for years.

This chart shows the significant impact the eruption had on the stratosphere’s water vapor content. Note the initial pop in early 2022 and then the subsequent gradual latitudinal spread, particularly through 2023.


Typically, large volcanic eruptions cool the planet by releasing sulfur dioxide and ash, which block sunlight. However, the Hunga Tonga eruption was unique because it released more water vapor than sulfur dioxide.

Water vapor is a potent greenhouse gas, the most potent, leading to a warming effect rather than cooling. This anomaly explains the unexpected rise in global temperatures observed from 2023 into 2024, partly attributed to this event.

The delay between the eruption and its warming impact is due to the time it takes for the injected water vapor to mix and distribute within the stratosphere. Unlike heavier volcanic aerosols, water vapor is less affected by gravity and remains suspended longer, enhancing its warming effect. Increased stratospheric water vapor increases global temperatures, this is not contended, but it has been suspiciously sidestepped since Jan 15, 2022.

The dissipation of this water vapor will eventually occur through various atmospheric processes, including photochemical reactions and gradual settling back into the lower atmosphere. The precise timeline for dissipation is uncertain, but models suggest that the elevated stratospheric moisture levels will likely persist for several years before returning to pre-eruption levels.

As this happens, the temporary warming influence will wane, and any cooling trends or natural climate variability may become more prominent again.

The Hunga Tonga eruption has had a significant short-term impact on global temperatures via the injection of an unprecedented volume of water vapor into the stratosphere. This event has temporarily amplified the warming effect, proving again that natural events rule supreme.


Global Temperatures Took Another Step Down In June

The V6 global average lower tropospheric temperature (LT) anomaly for June, 2024 has come in at 0.80C, down 0.10C from May and down 0.25C from the April peak:

UAH, June 2024 [Dr Roy Spencer]


The impacts of Solar Max, El Niño and Hunga-Tonga were only ever temporary, and this ‘warming trifecta’ could now be on the verge of waning, at least in part; with Solar Maximum and the watery atmospheric aftermath of Hunga-Tonga still going strong, I would argue that the temperature dips observed in May and now June were caused solely by the weakening El Niño.

A starker temperature drop is all-but guaranteed in the months and years ahead, as the remaining two forcings eventually wane, a drop that will return us to baseline (at least), back to where we started before the trifecta took hold proper in early-2023.

UAH January 2023 [Dr Roy Spencer]


Climate is cyclic, never linear, on all timescales, and driven by natural mechanisms.


CO2 Fantasticals

For fun (yes fun), I asked AI to interpret this chart for me:


This was the response I received:

The chart shows the relationship between strong/violent tornadoes (EF2+) and CO2 levels from 1950 to 2023, as well as global annual hurricane activity and CO2 levels from 1980 to 2023.

Top Panel: The number of strong/violent tornadoes (brown bars) does not show a significant increase despite the steady rise in CO2 levels (green line). Bottom Panel: Global hurricane activity (black line) fluctuates with no clear upward trend, even as CO2 levels (green line) increase linearly.

This suggests that other factors beyond CO2 levels are influencing these extreme weather events. The data challenges simplistic narratives that directly link CO2 emissions to increased severe weather incidents, highlighting the complexity of climate and weather systems.

Thanks AI.

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