It was a dark and stormy night… I always wanted to write something that started that way, so here goes, exerts from a gritty, tongue in cheek film noir adaptation of issues inherent in the ethics of climate services given limits to predictability. I would like to remind that in true film noir tradition, these… Read more »
CSAG Blog
Triggered
This post was triggered by the thought of a cold shower. I react to triggers. I guess we all do. I saw a vlog about someone with Trichotillomania who was negatively triggered by the new Doctor Who (whereas Doctor Who should, of course, trigger lots of positive reactions)! Not long after this I was in… Read more »
Time for a cold shower?
It feels like time to write another post that challenges myself as much as anyone else. I know there has been a lot of positive press about the recent climate marches around the world with the march in New York gathering somewhere close to 400,000 people. There was a march here in Cape Town though… Read more »
Scoop the poop
Thanks to cultivation of a slackline hobby, I have been recently spending sunny afternoons in one of the Cape Town parks, amongst suburban dog-walkers, young parents and their offspring. It all does seem rather idyllic, but have no doubt, the activity can frequently turn unpleasant. This is thanks to the dog walkers, or in fact… Read more »
Why I don’t believe in Climate Change
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I… Read more »
Extreme value theory
On Tuesday the German national team defied several historical precedents in the course of their world cup semi-final with Brazil. Like a tropical cyclone that intersects with an upper atmospheric instability, the conditions aligned for an extreme, and to many, devastating, event. Could this have been expected? Of course in retrospect we have proof that… Read more »
And the winner is…
In order to celebrate all those who have contributed to the CSAG blog over the past few years, and to pay homage to the most interesting, entertaining and thought provoking blog posts, the Joe Blogs Award for the CSAG blog of the year has been established. It may be a little overdue but this morning… Read more »
The snake thermometer
“A lost world of giants, 60 million years old… Ruled by a reptile of unbelievable size, it sounds like fantasy, but it’s not. This world was once here… Dominated by the most terrifying predator… This is Titanoboa.” As climate scientists, we are always very excited to deepen our knowledge of future climate. But… Read more »
Forecasting goals
The other day I was invited by a friend to fill out a prediction bracket for the upcoming World Cup for a pool he had organised. In many ways relating a one off sport tournament to the analysis of climate systems is a bit of stretch. However, while doing so I noticed that there were… Read more »