On Top Of The World

From the prairie to the fjords (with a few stops along the way.)

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Global Warming

It's strange--we live so far up north (latitude 60 47'--about as far north as Anchorage, Alaska), yet it has been so warm. When I left for my vacation in New York in mid November, we had a good foot of snow on the ground. When I returned on December 2nd, all the snow was gone and it just hasn't been that cold out. I wouldn't wear short sleeves or anything, but I ran errands today in a turtleneck and fleece pullover, without a coat, and I was fine. Today's Aftenposten has another article about how much the Arctic has warmed up and how quickly the ice is melting away:
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1567233.ece
It's so sad, both for the wildlife and for the Norwegians who depend on the snow for their livelihoods. I can imagine that all the people who work at the various ski resorts are having a tough winter so far. On a far more selfish note, I'm pretty annoyed by the lack of snow too--I love to downhill ski, and was really excited to learn how to cross country ski as well...it doesn't look like I'll be doing any skiing any time soon. Also, it gets dark so early now--by 4:00 in the afternoon, it is pitch black out. I have noticed that snow reflects the moonlight and brightens everything up a bit, so this snowless December has been incredibly dark and dreary.
On a lighter note, I guess all the warm weather is good for the rats!
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article1567417.ece
(Though those nasty spring traps in the picture don't seem to be too good for the poor little guys!)

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