Massive Study Proves Climate Change is No Hoax

 First published as, "Massive Study Proves Climate Change is No Hoax" on Technorati

An independent review of more than one and a half billion temperature records from fifteen sources over more than a century  clearly shows that the planet is warming. Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have confirmed previous reports that global temperatures have risen by 1 degree Celsius or nearly two degrees Fahrenheit overall.


The team included a 2011 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Saul Perlmutter and various climatologists and statisticians. Compiling a huge open database of temperature records, researchers found a striking correlation with earlier American and British studies and the data clearly supports the conclusions that warming is occurring.

This study is the most comprehensive and thorough to date and focused on some nagging questions about the debate. According to this statement:

" The most important indicator of global warming, by far, is the land and sea surface temperature record. This has been criticized in several ways, including the choice of stations and the methods for correcting systematic errors. The Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature study sets out to to do a new analysis of the surface temperature record in a rigorous manner that addresses this criticism. We are using over 39,000 unique stations, which is more than five times the 7,280 stations found in the Global Historical Climatology Network Monthly data set (GHCN-M) that has served as the focus of many climate studies."

Skeptics have long criticized the use of data sources considered of 'poor' reliability. However, the results remained surprisingly consistent regardless of the perceived accuracy of some reporting stations. Despite local variations, the overall trend remained the same as stations considered 'reliable'.
Researchers found that there is an 'urban heat effect' which is significant to the local area. However, as less than 1% of the global land area is urban, these 'heat islands' were not deemed significant to the planet's overall climate.

Confusing the issue is data that shows one third of stations, many in the US and northern Europe, reported cooling over the last seventy years.

These cooler readings could be due to local variations and expected background 'noise' in the data. It may also be evidence of uneven warming of the planet.
Changes in ocean currents, wind and storm patterns will undoubtedly cause some areas to experience colder, wetter winters and more severe storms. 

It also shows that in those areas experiencing warming, temperatures may have risen much higher than the global average of 1 degree Celsius.

In fact recent studies show temperatures at the poles continue to rise faster than other areas of the globe. Disproportional heating at the poles has contributed to the rapid disappearance of sea ice and thawing of permafrost, releasing even more CO2.

You can review the data here  and draw your own conclusions. The evidence seems overwhelming but a vocal minority of skeptics and a lack of political courage continue to thwart any action as temperatures rise and we move ever closer to a possible climate 'tipping point'.

Setting Up a Free Weather Webcam

"Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it." - Mark Twain

Weather webcam image

The weather effects our lives everyday and weather websites are among the most heavily trafficked on the web. They tell us whether we will need an umbrella today or what to pack for a trip across the country.

Weather webcams are always popular and it is easy and free to set one up yourself. Whether you run Windows, Mac or Linux there are tools and hosting available which only requires you own a webcam to be up and running on the web.

Basically you need three things: a webcam, software which can upload via ftp and a website which will host and publish your images.

Webcams are ridiculously cheap these days and if you don't have an old one in a drawer somewhere, they are available online or at your local department store for 10.00 and up. Generally, you want the best resolution you can afford with back light and white control, if possible.

Webcam software is usually included with your webcam or is widely available online. You will need a program which can upload your images to the web via ftp or sftp.

Free software for Windows is available here:
http://www.lundie.ca/fwink/

For Mac:
http://www.klieme.com/EyeSight.html

And Linux:
I use uvccapture, designed for still webcam images, it handles auto-exposure better than software designed for streaming video. It is available in the Ubuntu repositories or you can grab it here:
https://github.com/csete/uvccapture
See "My Linux Setup" below for instructions. 

Camorama Software

Regardless of the software, the process will be the same: Capture an image, save it to your computer, use ftp (or sftp) to upload it to a remote server, view it online.

For free weathercam hosting and making the images available online, I use weatherunderground. They will broadcast your images, create a video of the last 24 hours and even provide a weather calendar of the last month which offers videos for each day.

Ok. Lets get started.

Plug your webcam into a usb port on your computer. Point the camera out the window. This sounds simple enough, however there are considerations which may complicate your choice of view.

Direction: Pointing your camera either due west or east will result in direct sunlight on your camera and window glass during part of each day. This usually results in overwhelming glare which can obliterate the image. If possible, it is best to point your camera either north or south so it will not be pointed directly into the sun.

Distance: USB looses signal strength with a cable over 15' long. This can cause corruption of your images and an unreliable source. Choose a window which you webcam can reach without using an extension or keep the total distance under 15 feet.

Sky Cam

Subject: Choose a view which gives the info you are looking for. Are you watching for snow so you know if you need to leave work early? If yes, then make sure you can see the ground. Are you watching the sky for approaching threats of bad weather? Point it toward an open area of sky, preferably in the direction which weather usually approaches (avoiding due west/east if possible).

Once you have decided on a view, next you will need to create an account with your host. In the case of this article, that will be weatherunderground.
Go here to setup an account:
http://www.wunderground.com/members/signup.asp

Setup your webcam here:
http://www.wunderground.com/webcams/signup.html

You can choose to upload images via FTP or URL. This means either you will send the pics directly to weatherunderground via FTP, or point them toward your own website where your webcam already exists. We will be using the ftp option.

Streamcam Software

To setup your webcam, you will be asked a few questions:
First, select the FTP option and give some general information about your organization (if any) and location. Select your timezone. Your address is requested, but general area info is fine. Enter the City, State and Zip Code. Your latitude and longitude will be calculated.

If you have a Personal Weather Station (PWS) and would like to upload the data, you can enter the address, IP or url here.

Finally, you can choose to share your camera type and this info will appear on your webcam page.

Click 'Save Changes' and you will be taken to a page where your camera will be listed with a name like mywebcamCAM1. It will show the location you entered and allows you to add another webcam if you have one.

Go to your webcam software and use the following settings, per the WunderCam FTP Wiki:

   "FTP SERVER: webcam.wunderground.com

    Username: You will be provided with a Camera ID on the sign up page in the "Your Current Cameras" box.

    Password: You will need to log in with the same password you use to access the Weather Underground site.

    Directory: We actually move the file for you, so if your software requires a directory you should set it as '/', but otherwise leave it blank.

    Filename: We also change the filename of your image, so a default name can be almost anything you'd like but 'image.jpg' is preferred.

    Binary: Please make sure that you are uploading your images through FTP using the binary setting.

    Image Resolution: There is no minimum or maximum resolution. However, the larger the resolution, the larger the file size, so please adjust your resolution and image quality settings to get the best image within the size limitations. "

If you click on the link which is your CameraID, it will take you to your own webcam page, which displays your current image, date and time, current local conditions, camera type and you will start building a calendar which shows still and videos of each day.

 

Bookmark this page or link to it from somewhere else for a reliable free weathercam, accessible from anywhere (including from your smartphone). You will also see your webcam included in their weathercam 'library', which is available by clicking on the 'webcams' tab on the weatherunderground site.

Last, monitor your new webcam for a few days and adjust as necessary to reduce glare (clean the glass, inside and out), fine tune the image and make it as useful to you and interesting to others as possible. Finally, If desired, you can submit your webcam to a site such as 'EarthCam', to be included in their listings of worldwide webcams.  As their tagline boasts, "Where the World Watches the World".

As Mark Twain noted, we may not be able to do anything about the weather, but we can monitor it closely and be prepared for it. Your new weathercam makes that easy and fun.

*********************************

EDIT: In November, 2017, Weather Underground announced that it was discontinuing it's free webcam hosting. Over the next month, webcams started dropping off or rarely updating. Many users found other hosting or risked losing their web presence.

Happily, Weather Underground users were vocal about their "passionate support" for their weather webcam network and on December 7, 2017 announced they would "continue to allow users to add webcams to the Weather Underground Network."

Thank you, Weather Underground for listening to your customers and continuing this valuable public service and a big thank you to WU webcam users who spoke up and saved this network of free weather webcams around the world.

Read about it here: http://help.wunderground.com/knowledgebase/articles/1821811-wu-says-goodbye-to-webcams 

*********************************

My Linux Setup

Install uvccapture, then open Startup Applications and paste the following code into the 'command' section.

uvccapture -m -t600 -q75 -x640 -y480 -o/home/user/webcam/image.jpg

This string of commands loads the program and instructs it to refresh the image every 10 minutes (600 seconds), to use compression on the JPG file at 75% quality. It states the webcam resolution, which must be supported by your device. The last argument includes the location to save the image file.

More info and commands for uvccapture are located here: http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/natty/man1/uvccapture.1.html 

For basic ftp upload of images, try this simple script.
Copy and paste the following into a text editor. Edit lines 4, 5 & 6 in the top section and line 5 in the bottom section:

# vi ftp-run.sh
#! /bin/sh
#run this file with ./ftp-run.sh
REMOTE='your-remote-server.com'
USER='username'
PASSWORD='password'
FTPLOG='/tmp/ftplog'
date >> $FTPLOG

ftp -n $REMOTE <<_FTP>>$FTPLOG
quote USER $USER
quote PASS $PASSWORD
bin
/home/user/webcam-folder
mput image.jpg
quit
_FTP

Save the file as ftp-run.sh in the webcam folder. Right click on the icon and under Permissions, click to 'Run this file as a program'. I set up a cron job to run this script every 10 minutes with this command:

crontab -e
    arrow down to bottom

Paste:
*/10 * * * * cd webcam && ./ftp-run.sh

Ctrl + x to exit
Y to save
Enter

More fun with your webcam: PortalView Live Desktop Wallpaper for Linux

10 Cool Summertime Apps for Your Android Phone

Summer is here and the days are long. Whether you are taking a trip to the beach, one of our National Parks or Disneyland, theres an Android app to make it easier, quicker, cheaper or safer. Heres a list of 10 useful summertime applications for your Android phone. 

Weather
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.weather.Weather&hl=en
One of the best free weather apps, The Weather Channels app features current conditions, real time animated radar, hourly, 36 hour, 10 day forecasts, weather alerts, videos and weather channel TV listings.

Driving Directions
http://www.google.com/mobile/maps/
Google Maps still offers one of top mapping applications with a wide feature list including navigation, 3D maps, street views, hotel and restaurant locations and traffic reports.

Tide Charts
http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/sports/tide-prediction_mac.html
Headed to the beach? Load up this tide prediction app which lists 3000 tide stations all over the world and can run completely offline for those out of the way locations.

UV Index
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/facts/uv/android.html
This app, provided by the EPA and NWS, predicts the ultraviolet radiation levels for selected cities and offers suggestions for safe exposure.

Hotels
http://blumedialab.com/products/google-android-apps/Hotels-near-me-for-Android.htm
Use this app to locate and book hotel rooms while on the road. View pictures, compare prices and get discounts not available online.

Calorie Counter
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.myfitnesspal.android&hl=en
Stay looking great in your swim suit with this Calorie Counter. It has a database of over 750,000 foods, fast foods and even a bar code scanner.

Theme parks
http://www.appbrain.com/app/ride-hopper-park-wait-times/com.at
Ride Hopper-Park Wait Times is a handy app for assessing wait times at more than 260 theme parks and including over 4300 rides. Lists show times and park hours of operation.

State/National Parks and Monuments
http://www.cartosoft.com/national-park-maps-android
Get maps, weather information, park information and Wikipedia pages for national parks, monuments and recreational areas.

Hiking Trails
http://www.backpacker.com/android-app/destinations/14052
This free app helps locate trails near you, records statistics including calories, distance, speed and elevation. Use the digital compass for bearings and then share your adventures on Facebook, Twitter and Backpacker.com 

Gas Prices
http://www.gasbot.net/
This is a free trial app (Full version is $7) which provides info on gas prices near you. You can set criteria for distance, price, brand and more. It provides a list of stations based on your gps location and criteria and then helps you get there with maps or driving directions.

With all these great Android apps available to help you make the most of your summer, it makes you wonder how we ever got through August without our Smart phones.  Now get out there and have an adventure. September will be here before you know it.

Solving a Corrupted or Truncated Web Cam Image

I have a weather web cam which uploads outdoor pictures every 5 minutes. I have been struggling with a problem with the web cam images displaying rows of black or gray pixels starting at the bottom of the image. This corruption waxed and waned throughout the day, sometimes consuming large portions of the picture.

I have spent hours searching the web for an answer. I have read countless articles and forum postings without success. I have noticed that many others have the same problem, with no answer to be found.

I am posting this to share a solution to the problem which I discovered through trial and error. I hope it will help someone else struggling with this frustrating issue.

First, when playing with the web cam settings I noticed that the corruption increased with the sharpness of the image. It seemed the more detailed the picture, the more likely a problem would occur. So for some of you, if this problem is minor, that is, it occurs intermittently or only involves a few rows of pixels, you may be able to correct it by simply lowering the sharpness setting. Yes, this will result in a less detailed picture. You decide which bothers you more.

For others who are experiencing a large amount of corruption of the image, which may obliterate most of the picture, I have found that reducing the image resolution has worked to end the problem. I was reluctant to change from the default settings but the problem has not returned since I tried it. 

Yes, it makes the picture smaller or grainier when enlarged however I was able to increase the sharpness setting without the problem reappearing.

This is not a perfect solution. Other factors which may be involved include a cheap web cam with a fairly low resolution to start with. Spending a few extra bucks on a decent web cam may allow you to lower the resolution without loosing much detail in the image.

Another problem can be the distance from your web cam to the computer processing the image. USB cables will degrade the signal if the distance is longer than 15 feet without a repeater or external power supply, so check the length of your cable. Shorter is better.

Let me know if this worked for you or if you found another solution. Good Luck with your project.