Month: June 2021

Reposted from the NoTricksZone

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Germany’s DWD: May 2021 among the coldest in 140 years … Spring 2021 “definitely too cool”

By P. Gosselin on June 1, 2021

May 2021 in Germany is considered to be one of the coldest in years.

Spring 2021 is also coming cooler than normal. Spring in Germany has not warmed up at all in the last 30 years

For Germany the preliminary results for the meteorological spring (March-May) and the month of May are available.

Germany’s temperature anomaly from May 2021 (which has yet to be entered in the graph) was 1.4 ° C below the mean value for the reference period 1961-1990, making it one of the coldest since records began. Source: DWD.

Let’s look at May 2021 first

Much cooler, wetter and cloudy than normal

According to the German weather service DWD with data from around 2000 stations across the country, the average temperature in May was 10.7 ° C, about 2.4 ° C cooler than the 1991-2020 average.

2.4 ° C colder than average

Strangely enough, the DWD compares the May result with the old reference period 1961-1990. They found that the mean May temperature was only 1.4 ° C too cool. Compared to the current and warmer reference period 1991 to 2020, the deviation was -2.4 degrees.

In the last 30 years the May mean temperature was only 10.4 ° C lower in 2010 and 9.5 ° C in 1991. May 2021 was one of the coldest of the DWD records. Check it out for yourself.

Soaked May

With 95 l / m² of precipitation, May clearly exceeded the 1991-2020 climate mean of 70 l / m². The mean value for the period 1961-1990 was 71 l / m², which suggests that the amount of precipitation in May did not change at all.

23% less sunshine

Also in May 2021 there was very little sunshine in Central Europe. With around 165 hours of sunshine in May, it was well below the average of 202 hours in the period 1961 to 1990. Compared to the new reference period 1991 to 2020, the negative deviation was around 23 percent less sunshine.

Spring 2021 “definitely too cool”

With a view to the meteorological spring March 1 to May 31) for Germany, the DWD reports that “the spring of 2021 was clearly too cool despite slightly above-average solar radiation”. Spring has not really warmed up in 30 years – a fact that the DWD never broached.

The average temperature in spring 2021 was 7.2 ° C -1.7 ° C below the value for the reference period 1991 to 2020. The decisive factors for the negative deviation were the coldest April in 40 years and the very cool May. The lowest temperature was measured on April 6th in Meßstetten on the Swabian Alb with -13.6 ° C.

Almost normal precipitation

Based on the precipitation in spring 2021, Germany received 175 l / m² of precipitation compared to the average of 171 l / m² for the reference period 1991 to 2020. While March and April were too dry, in May there was unusually high precipitation compared to previous years.

Of course, the DWD activist again emphasized the old, wetter reference period 1961-1990, because he was able to say for the eighth time in a row that spring was drier than normal!

Slightly less spring sun than average

At around 500 hours, the duration of sunshine in spring 2021 was 4% below the mean value from 1991 to 2020. But using the old reference period 1961-1990, spring 2021 was 7% sunnier than “normal”.

In Germany, the DWD chooses its reference periods for reporting on mean weather values ​​according to the trends that it would like to convey to the public. Using the 1961-1990 period enables the DWD to make it look like it is getting warmer and drier.

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In about three years, NASA plans to launch a robotic orbiter to investigate the mysterious Jupiter moon Europa. It’s called the Europa Clipper Mission, which will orbit Europe for four years to learn more about its ice sheet, internal structure, chemical composition, and plume activity. In doing so, NASA hopes to find evidence that will help resolve the ongoing debate over whether Europe has life within it.

The scientists are of course particularly curious about what the Clipper mission could find, especially in the interior of Europe. According to new research and models backed by NASA, it is possible that volcanic activity has occurred on the ocean floor in the recent past – which could still happen. This research is the most detailed and thorough 3-D modeling of how internal heat is created and transferred, and what effect this has on a moon.

The research, recently published in Geophysical Research Letters, was also featured at the 52nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, held virtually March 15-19. The responsible team was led by the geophysicist Marie Behounkova Charles University in the Czech Republic, supported by researchers from the Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géodynamique at the University of Nantes and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at NASA.

The radiation from Jupiter can destroy molecules on the surface of Europe. Material from Europe’s ocean that lands on the surface is bombarded with radiation, potentially destroying any biosignatures or chemical signs that could indicate the presence of life. Photo credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

Ever since Voyager 1 and 2 passed the Jupiter systems in 1979, scientists have speculated that an ocean might lurk beneath Europe’s icy crust. Since then, several lines of evidence have emerged to confirm this theory, from data on the moon’s magnetic field to plume activity on its surface. To break it down, they theorized that Europe’s interaction with the strong pull of Jupiter was causing tides inside it.

This bending creates energy that is converted into heat and slowly escapes from the core (made up of iron-nickel and silicate minerals) into the icy mantle, resulting in hydrothermal springs and a warm water ocean. Aside from considering an inner ocean, scientists have speculated for decades that Europe could experience volcanic activity similar to Jupiter’s moon Io at its core-mantle boundary as well.

As the innermost of the largest Jupiter satellites, Io experiences a strong tidal bending inside, which is why it is covered by hundreds of volcanoes. These eject lava, volcanic gas, and dust up to 250 miles (400 km) from the surface, which are then charged by Jupiter’s magnetic field to create a torus of energized plasma. This plasma is associated with the intense aurora activity in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere.

Naturally, with Europe being further away than Io from its host planet, scientists have wondered whether the effect of the tidal bending would be enough to generate volcanic activity beneath the moon’s icy surface. Now, the models created by Behounkova and her colleagues have shown that there may be enough warming to partially melt the rock layer at the core-mantle boundary, leading to volcanic activity on the ocean floor.

Graphic showing how volcanism works in the interior of Europe. Photo credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Michael Carroll

B? Hounková and her colleagues also predicted that volcanic activity was most likely to occur near the poles of Europe, where most of the heat is generated inside. Perhaps most importantly, they were studying how this volcanic activity might have evolved over time, since long-lived sources of energy are more likely to lead to the creation of life. Volcanoes, if any, could be the engine for hydrothermal systems such as those found on the ocean floor here on earth.

Around these hydrothermal springs, the interaction of hot magma with sea water created abundant chemical energy that provides life forms with the energy they need to metabolize (rather than sunlight). In fact, many scientists speculate that life arose around hydrothermal springs on the ocean floor billions of years ago. In Europe, a similar mechanism could supply life forms with energy, since they also have no access to sunlight. As Behounkova recently said in a NASA JPL press release:

“Our results provide additional evidence that Europe’s subterranean ocean could be a suitable environment for life to emerge. Europe is one of the rare planetary bodies that may have sustained volcanic activity for billions of years, and possibly the only one outside of Earth that has large reservoirs of water and a long-lived source of energy. “

When it reaches its destination in 2030, the Europa Clipper will measure the moon’s gravity and magnetic field for signs of anomalies. This could be an indication of the underground volcanic activity predicted by this new research, particularly around the poles. To be fair, the Clipper orbiter is not designed for astrobiology, an interdisciplinary field of research that studies conditions associated with life on alien bodies.

Nonetheless, his detailed exploration of Europe will allow astrobiologists to further constrain Europe’s habitability. “The prospect of a hot, rocky interior and volcanoes on Europe’s seabed increases the chance that Europe’s ocean could be a habitable environment,” said Robert Pappalardo, a project scientist for the Europa Clipper mission at NASA JPL. “We can potentially test this with the planned gravity and composition measurements from Europa Clipper, which is an exciting prospect.”

Aside from restricting the search for extraterrestrial life, understanding Europe’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life on Earth evolved. Similar missions sent to other “ocean worlds” such as Ganymede, Titan, Enceladus, and Triton are likely to provide valuable insights into whether or not they can support life as well. Beyond the mystery of the origin of life, these data could also point the way to life on extrasolar planets.

Who knows? It may very well be that “ocean worlds” (rather than rocky planets) are the best place to look for life in the universe.

Further reading: NASA, Geophysical Science Letters

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From Dr. Roy Spencer’s blog reposted

June 1, 2021 by Roy W. Spencer, Ph. D.

The global average lower tropospheric temperature (LT) anomaly of version 6.0 for May 2021 was +0.08 degrees. C, compared to the April 2021 value of -0.05 degrees. C.

REMEMBER: We have changed the 30-year averaging period from which we calculate anomalies from the old period 1981-2010 to 1991-2020. This change does not affect temperature trends.

The linear warming trend since January 1979 has remained at +0.14 ° C / decade (+0.12 ° C / decade over the global oceans and +0.18 ° C / decade above the global land average).

Various regional LT deviations from the 30-year (1991-2020) average of the last 17 months are:

YEAR MO GLOBE NHEM. SCHEM. TROPIC USA48 ARCTIC AUST
2020 01 0.42 0.44 0.41 0.52 0.57 -0.22 0.41
2020 02 0.59 0.74 0.45 0.63 0.17 -0.27 0.20
2020 03 0.35 0.42 0.28 0.53 0.81 -0.96 -0.04
2020 04 0.26 0.26 0.25 0.35 -0.70 0.63 0.78
2020 05 0.42 0.43 0.41 0.53 0.07 0.83 -0.20
2020 06 0.30 0.29 0.30 0.31 0.26 0.54 0.97
2020 07 0.31 0.31 0.31 0.28 0.44 0.27 0.26
2020 08 0.30 0.34 0.26 0.45 0.35 0.30 0.24
2020 09 0.40 0.41 0.39 0.29 0.69 0.24 0.64
2020 10 0.38 0.53 0.22 0.24 0.86 0.95 -0.01
2020 11 0.40 0.52 0.27 0.17 1.45 1.09 1.28
2020 12 0.15 0.08 0.22 -0.07 0.29 0.44 0.13
2021 01 0.12 0.34 -0.09 -0.08 0.36 0.49 -0.52
2021 02 0.20 0.31 0.08 -0.14 -0.66 0.07 -0.27
2021 03 -0.01 0.12 -0.14 -0.29 0.59 -0.78 -0.79
2021 04 -0.05 0.05 -0.15 -0.28 -0.02 0.02 0.29
2021 05 0.08 0.14 0.03 0.06 -0.41 -0.04 0.02

The full UAH Global Temperature Report, along with the LT Global Gridpoint Anomaly Image for May 2021, should be available here in the next few days.

The global and regional monthly anomalies for the various atmospheric layers we monitor should be available in the next few days in the following locations:

Lower troposphere: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/tlt/uahncdc_lt_6.0.txt
Middle troposphere: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/tmt/uahncdc_mt_6.0.txt
Tropopause: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/ttp/uahncdc_tp_6.0.txt
Lower stratosphere: http://vortex.nsstc.uah.edu/data/msu/v6.0/tls/uahncdc_ls_6.0.txt

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The International Space Station (ISS) is not only the largest and most modern orbital research facility ever built, it is arguably the most important research facility we have. With its state-of-the-art facilities and microgravity environment, the ISS is able to conduct lucrative experiments that lead to advances in astrobiology, astronomy, medicine, biology, space weather and meteorology, and materials science.

Unfortunately, the cost of shipping experiments to and from the ISS is quite high and something only a handful of space agencies can currently afford. To address this, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Tiger Corporation teamed up in 2018 to develop a new type of container that would reduce the cost of returning samples to Earth. With the success of their original design, JAXA and Tiger are looking for a reusable version that will allow sample returns from the ISS on a regular basis.

Founded in 1923, Tiger is an international company based in Osaka, Japan specializing in vacuum insulation and related technologies. This technology, with which the company has been manufacturing insulated water bottles for decades, is also used in space research. In recent years, JAXA began exploring the technology to create storage containers that could keep experimental samples cool as they returned to Earth.

Outline of the mission of the small recovery capsule being developed by JAXA. Image credit: JAXA

In September 2018, JAXA launched the Kounotori 7 (HTV-7) mission, the seventh flight of the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV). While transporting supplies to the ISS, JAXA decided to use this flight to validate a new method of transporting samples of protein crystals (which were part of a growth experiment in Japan’s Kibo laboratory module) back from the ISS.

This consisted of a special sample container (NPL-A100) developed jointly by JAXA and Tiger, which was inserted into the HTV Small Reentry Capsule (HSRC). Because the re-entry capsule was too small to rely on an electrical cooling system, JAXA and Tiger needed a sample container that relied on “passive isolation” methods to keep its contents at stable temperatures.

In the end, they used the same technology Tiger uses to make stainless steel thermos flasks to create a double-walled, vacuum-insulated container that weighed about 9.7 kg (21.4 lb). As Keiji Nakai, Manager of the Product Development Group (Section 3) at Tiger, told Universe Today via email, the container had to meet some very strict requirements:

“The double-walled vacuum container for this mission had to keep the temperature inside the container at 4 ° C ± 2 ° C (39.2 ° F ± 3.6 ° F) for four or more days and protect the container from the massive 40G exposure upon landing in the ocean after returning to earth. “

Components of the payload container presented to journalists after the Kounotori 7 mission. Image credit: JAXA

Several ice packs were also included with the capsule to ensure that the temperature of the container remained stable. The mission was a success and represented an important milestone for JAXA, which previously did not have the ability to recover materials independently from the ISS. Like many space agencies that participated in the ISS, JAXA was dependent on Roscosmos and NASA to provide transportation services.

The next step in the JAXA-Tiger collaboration involves the development of a smaller, lighter and more durable container that can keep samples stable at lower temperatures and for longer. But the strictest requirement is that it must be durable enough to be used more than once. According to Tiger representatives, these and other specifications were incorporated into the design of the second-generation NPS-A100 container:

“We have reduced the weight of the container from 9.7 kg (21.4 lb) to almost 3 kg (6.6 lb) while also making it more compact. The addition of ice packs will maintain the temperature within 20 ° C ± 2 ° C (68 ° F ± 3.6 ° F) for a minimum of twelve days from the time the re-entry capsule exits the ISS until it lands back on earth. We have also made the container more durable so that it will last at least three years or six uses. “

The NPS-A100 is likely to be transported to the ISS as part of the CRS-22 commercial replenishment mission scheduled for early June, during which a SpaceX Crew Dragon will transport supplies and experiments to the ISS. Once again, container technology will be used to return protein crystals that are part of the ongoing biomedical research taking place in the Kibo laboratory in the Japanese Experimental Module (JEM) of the ISS.

This research leads to advances in medicine and the development of new remedies and drugs. In addition to sample containers, the technology resulting from this collaboration has numerous commercial and industrial applications. This includes transport solutions for medical samples and reagents that have to be stored under strict temperature conditions.

It could also lead to new applications for thermal management in electric and hybrid cars. But perhaps the most interesting application is in the development of next-generation building materials that can be used in extreme environments – like Antarctica (where research stations need to save heat!)

“The application possibilities of our vacuum insulation technology are limitless,” says Tiger on their website. “This technology will support top fields in every industry and help them lead us into a dynamic, exciting future.”

To update: It has since been confirmed that the new vacuum container will be brought to the ISS on June 3 as part of the CRS-22 cargo replenishment mission aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Tiger Corporation also plans to launch a new line of products for the US market, tentatively scheduled for September.

Further reading: JAXA, Tiger Corporation

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