Certified Consulting Meteorologist, Dr. Joe D'Aleo, comments on the lack of closure of the ozone hole. For my comments, see posting below.

In what should be a precautionary tale to the 'global warming' crowd, the ozone hole is not healing the way it was supposed to. According to NASA , Scientists around the world are looking for evidence that the ozone layer is beginning to heal, but this year’s data from Antarctica do not hint at a turnaround. The Montreal Protocol went into effect in 1989, twenty-two years ago. It banned a number of chemicals believed to play a major role in depleting the earth's stratospheric layer of protective ozone. The theory was that the ozone hole would heal as the chemicals gradually made their way out of the atmosphere.  So far, that has not occurred. Levels of most ozone-depleting chemicals in the atmosphere have been gradually declining since an international treaty to protect the ozone layer, the 1987 Montreal Protocol, was signed. That international treaty caused the phase out of ozone-depleting chemicals, then used widely in refrigeration, as solvents and in aerosol spra...

After much thought, we are going to do something big for the National Weather Festival on a one time basis. Because there are so many students (grade school to college) that attend -- and I really want them to read Warnings  because I think it will help them start their careers -- we are going sell hardcover copies of the book for $10! That's right, $10. We, at first, were going to make the students provide ID but that seemed like too much of a hassle. So, we are going to sell them to everyone who wants one or until the supply we are taking down there runs out. So, come down to the Festival on Saturday, October 29 and bring your $10 bill. If you know someone who likes weather, nature, or history, it will make a great Christmas present. First come, first served. Finally, to be fair to blog readers, if you will send us a check for $15 that is postmarked by October 31st, we'll also provide the book for $10 + the $5 it costs to mail it. As you know, the book has a f...

A very interesting post by Roger Pielke, Jr. about "dread risk" -- a real fear with real costs.

There was a lot of great information presented at the National Weather Assn. conference. But, one statistic, presented by Ed Maibach of George Mason University, was horribly depressing: 65% of Americans cannot name a single living scientist. Let that sink in a moment. Kim Kardashian, check. Paris Hilton, check. Barry Marshall, who? Gerhard Ertl?  Dan Shechtman? You can see bios of those people here . They recently won Nobel Prizes. Each of these men (especially Marshall and Shechtman) have fascinating  stories about overcoming overwhelming scientific opposition to bring their discoveries to the fore. Science teachers: Please introduce your students to these heroes in our time. By adding some personality to science courses, you can generate enthusiasm for the more technical aspects of what you teach.  

A pin-up calendar featuring U.S. Postal Service employees .

From the National Weather Service in Lubbock's Facebook page: click to enlarge Just today at the NWA meeting, I described the drought in the southern Plains as "Dust Bowl-like but without the dust." Naturally, Mother Nature proved me wrong hours later. At left is a 'cloud' of dust at Stratford (northern Panhadle) during the Dust Bowl and, at right, is today at Lubbock (west central Texas).